Hi. So I want to get started with jet modeling...

[KOG7777]

I'm sorry of this inquiry seems simplistic. I am no stranger to modeling, but my experience is limited to auto, WWII aviation, and sci-fi subjects. I've long had an interest in jet aircraft (the real ones) but I've avoided getting into the modeling aspect because I am already kept so busy with all the auto and WWII and sci-fi kits I have. But I think I'm finally going to give in, and I'm researching exactly what jet (fighter) aircraft I'd like to add to my stash. So I'd just like to get some experienced advice regarding what's out there on the market...

By way of clarification, I'm asking both kit subjects and kit quality. My interest lies mostly with modern jet fighter aircraft. I am also considering other modern aircraft that aren't strictly fighters. Aircraft like the A-10 or the Prowler and Intruder are also of interest. I'm not really interested in anything from the early jet era. Sabres and early Migs and such are not within my area of interest. But I'm not strictly limited myself to recent aircraft like the F-22 or F-35 or Typhoon either. Older subjects like the Crusader and british Lightning are also appealing. And I'm interested in aircraft from all major powers... I'm not limiting myself to just american aircraft or just russian aircraft or whatever... And finally, I'm probably going to want to stick to 1/48 scale. It seems a size big enough to offer good detail, while still offering a lot of subject variety. I would also consider 1/32, but this size seems somewhat large for modern jets and might be prohibitive if I wish to add a large number of jets to my collection. 1/72 is, for me, just too small.

So this breaks down into 2 parts: what brands and kits are recommended for certain particular aircraft, and which jet aircraft models(regardless of subject) stand out as being particularly nice models (in terms of construction, level of detail, accuracy) in their own right.

To the first point, which company, or companies, make well regarded kits of the following? (And please note I have no specific variants in mind, any aircraft from the family can be considered)

F-2

F-4

F-14

F-15

F-16

FA-18/EA-18

F-22

F-35

F-117

A-6/EA-6

A-10

Mig-29 (and other late Migs?)

Su-27 (and other late Sukhois?)

S-30?

Rafale

Eurofighter Typhoon

Tornado

Harrier

So far, most of what I've been looking at online comes from either Tamiya, Hasegawa, Academy, Great Wall Hobby, Revell, or Kinetic. The only F-2 I can find is Hasegawa? For the F-4 I'm looking at Academy or Eduard rebox of Academy? Or possibly Hasegawa? For F-14 I think it's either Academy (or Eduard rebox) or Hasegawa? For F-15 I see a choice between Great Wall Hobby, Academy (or Eduard rebox), or Hasegawa? For F-16 I see Tamiya has a nice looking range, plus there's the Academy (or Eduard rebox) or Hasegawa options? FA-18/EA-18 seems to be pretty much Hasegawa only? F-22 comes down to Academy or Hasegawa? Su-27 seems to be Academy (or Eduard rebox) only, while Mig-29 is offered by either Academy (or Eduard rebox) or Great Wall Hobby? I haven't researched enough yet to figure out who does good kits of the rest.

Any thoughts on the subjects and kits mentioned above? How do the different companies compare? Are all of the above safe bets?

Are there great jet kits out there of other subjects or from other manufacturers that I should consider?

Of all the companies I've mentioned, the only one I'm completely unfamiliar with is Kinetic. How does their stuff stack up?

Basically, for someone like myself who loves jets but has never dabbled with modeling them, how should I get started in building a good representative collection that covers a range of modern subjects, given that I'd like to stick with high quality, highly detailed, complex kits that build well and offer a lot of old fashioned modeling fun mostly out-of-the-box? I like the idea of kits with lots of PE and/or resin included, like the Eduard reboxes. I'm not so interested in low priced older kits which take a lot of work just to get wrestled into shape, and tons of aftermarket purchases to bring up to a modern detail standard.

My initial, gut urge is to get the Eduard reboxes, some of the Tamiya F-16s, and the stuff from Great Wall Hobby. Just to get started. But I definitely want to do more than just american and russian jets, so I really need advice on sourcing the european jets.

Thank you for reading. Any thoughts? Recommendations on quality kits gratefully accepted.

Edited February 26, 2015 by KOG7777

[Ruud]

F-2 - Hasegawa

F-4 - Hasegawa/Academy

F-14 - Hasegawa

F-15 - Hasegawa/Great Wall

F-16 - Tamiya

FA-18/EA-18 - Hasegawa

F-22 - ?

F-35 - ?

F-117 - ?

A-6/EA-6 - ?

A-10

Mig-29 (and other late Migs?)

Su-27 (and other late Sukhois?)

S-30?

Rafale

Eurofighter Typhoon

Tornado - RofG

Harrier - Hasegawa

Not a 1/48 modeler myself, but i have read about plenty of them. So here are a few suggestions.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Ruud

[tobiK]

For F-4 you never go wrong with Hasegawa! Just take care of the C/D and B/N models: they are one of the first kits and having raised panel lines. So for that short nosed Phantoms the Academy is a good starting point. And for that I prefer the Eduard package because you get a better price/value ratio (just count a decals sheet that is in: already 15-20 USD! when you buy it single).

And right, only Hasegawa offers the F-2 A and B, and also the prototypes XF-2A and XF-2B. It is a good well detailed kit, but it needs attention esp. the wing-fuselage connection.

But you should keep an eye on the japanese modern jets from hasegawa! They are really nice detailed kits and come with a very comprehensive decal sheet! - the T-2, F-1, T-4.

For F-16 C models you should go for Tamiya - they give you the best "C". Early Vipers oder doubleseaters are not in the Tamiya catalog. I for myself like the Kinetic kits for that, they seam like a Tamiya copy. But they demand your proper modelling craftmenship - but then you can get really nice F-16! Others may have other opinion and they prefer the Hasegawa F-16, but they are far from perfect, lack some details and they are already over 20 years old. But stay away from Academy and the (original) Italeri boxings! Also Hobby crapft and Revell are quite basic...Those are dogs! Neways Italeri has reboxed 2 Kinetic kits: the F-16 DG/DJ and the F-16 C Blk.40. There you get good kits for a good price.

You forgot the "man in a missile" F-104 Starfighter!??? The best way to go is Hasegawa! Or still the only...and adding the DACO upgrade set will really push you! At the moment Eduard did a boxing of the F-104G in german service: when you get it for max. 40 Euro - it is worth the money! Soon they will bring a F-104J boxing, what is inside? Hasegawa sprues!

The Rafale: go for Revell!! best kit for the best price! Same with Typhoon (Eurofighter) and F-15E.

And last but not least: dare a look at the F-5 fighter family from AFV Club! Those kits are gems and are super fun to build! Just add a resin seat - that's the weak point!

[falcon20driver]

Its not on your list, butvthe Hasegawa 1/48 A-4 series is a can't miss. Really accurate, quality engineering that leads to an easy build, and its an awesome aircraft with lots of marking options. I also really enjoyed the Hasegawa F-18F I built. Not the easiest when it comes to fit, but still a great kit in my book.

[Jennings]

Probably (IMHO) the single finest 1/48 jet model ever made is the Great Wall Hobby MiG-29. It is virtually flawless in every way.

[Crash Test Dummy]

F-2 - Hasegawa only game in town

F-4 - Academy. Hasegawa isn't a bad 2nd choice

F-14 - Hasegawa

F-15 - Revell for F-15E, Great Wall for others (BUT GW had some errors in their first F-15B supposedly fixed)

F-16 - Tamiya for C models, Hasegawa's for others or kitbash Hasegawa and Tamiya.

FA-18/EA-18 - Hasegawa

F-22 - Toss up between Hasegawa and Academy, both have issues

F-35 - Kitty Hawk really only game in town

F-117 - Tamiya, but Revell (Old Monogram Mold) isn't bad

A-6/EA-6 - ??? I'm only familiar with the Monogram kit which wasn't bad, but had raised panel lines.

A-10 - Revell (Old Monogram mold) is best shaped, but raised panel line era

Mig-29 (and other late Migs?) - Great Wall is supposed to be superb but I haven't seen it.

Su-27 (and other late Sukhois?) - Academy Su-27 is only one available worth considering, but has a few issues (cockpit underscale, nose shape)

S-30? - none?

Rafale - Revell (multiple boxing with tooling improvements in later releases)

Eurofighter Typhoon - Revell

Tornado - Revell

Harrier - Kinetic for Sea Harrier, Hasegawa for Harrier II. Monogram for AV-8A/GR.1 or wait for Kinetic

To me Tamiya and Hasegawa are still the standard to beat. But, Tamiya doesn't do that many jets and Hasegawa's catalog is getting a bit long in the tooth. Beware Tamiya has some really old kits (F-16A and Harriers) that date to the '70s and aren't in the same league with their later work. Hasegawa's F-4, F-14, F-15, F-16, and legacy F-18 all date to the '80s, early '90s. They were the state of the art at the time and still not bad at all, but detail is a bit simplistic compared to more modern releases.

Hobbyboss, Trumpeter, Kitty Hawk and Kinetic are all Chinese manufacturers with really hit and miss reputations. They do a lot of planes no one else does. Some are quite good, but at the same time quite a few releases have major shape issues. I'd research a specific kit by them before buying.

If you don't have any preferences, I'd start with the Tamiya F-16C or Revell Rafale B

[airmechaja]

You can't go wrong with the Revell 1/48 F-15E. The price is great, fit is great, plenty of decal options and ordnance is adequate from the box.

[randypandy831]

academy for the short nose F-4 and hasegawa for the long nose

revell for the strike eagle.

viper would be hasegawa or tamiya.

as for the intruder, can't go wrong with the hobby boss kit. revell is the only other option and has raised detail. choose your weapon wisely.

a-10 is either revell or hobby boss.

bug and super bug would be hasegawa.

tomcat would be academy or hasegawa. hasegawa is more complex.

Edited February 26, 2015 by randypandy831

[foxmulder_ms]

Basically, for someone like myself who loves jets but has never dabbled with modeling them, how should I get started in building a good representative collection that covers a range of modern subjects, given that I'd like to stick with high quality, highly detailed, complex kits that build well and offer a lot of old fashioned modeling fun mostly out-of-the-box? I like the idea of kits with lots of PE and/or resin included, like the Eduard reboxes. I'm not so interested in low priced older kits which take a lot of work just to get wrestled into shape, and tons of aftermarket purchases to bring up to a modern detail standard.

There is a little conflict here :)/>

If you want "out of box fun" then Eduard re-boxings are not really what you are looking for. I mean Eduard boxing of Su-27s are academy kits bundled with tons of Eduard aftermarket goodies. So as long as you willing to do all the work and pay for the extra that Eduard su-27 requires, all the jets you mentioned can turn in to great models!

My vote ABSOLUTELY goes to GreatWall Mig-29s. They are fantastic kits out of box. Their F-15s are very very good too. I would have bought one of these, if i were you.

For a fifth generation fighter, Hasegawa F-22 takes my vote. I build one and in the process of building three more. It is a joy. Only "fault" for me is the intake and lower fuselage connection which requires some putty.

Edited February 26, 2015 by foxmulder_ms

[KOG7777]

There is a little conflict here :)/>/>

If you want "out of box fun" then Eduard re-boxings are not really what you are looking for. I mean Eduard boxing of Su-27s are academy kits bundled with tons of Eduard aftermarket goodies. So as long as you willing to do all the work and pay for the extra that Eduard su-27 requires, all the jets you mentioned can turn in to great models!

My vote ABSOLUTELY goes to GreatWall Mig-29s. They are fantastic kits out of box. Their F-15s are very very good too. I would have bought one of these, if i were you.

For a fifth generation fighter, Hasegawa F-22 takes my vote. I build one and in the process of building three more. It is a joy. Only "fault" for me is the intake and lower fuselage connection which requires some putty.

Haha, no conflict. At least I don't think so. I don't mind if what's in the box is complicated, I just like it to all come in the box to start with. To save the hassle of tracking down hard to find or out of production aftermarket items at a later date when I'm ready to build the thing. That's why the Eduard reboxings seem perfect to me: decent plastic base, additional PE and resin for detail, and nice decal sheets.

[jfmajor60]

Can't go wrong with an Academy F-4.

[brownstone322]

academy for the short nose F-4 and hasegawa for the long nose

That's right, but just a touch too general. As tobiK noted above, the Hasegawa C/D and B/N kits had raised panel lines. But the Hasegawa F-4J that came later has recessed panel lines and is much nicer. In fact, you can swap parts between a Hasegawa F-4J and F-4E to make a slatted F-4S and a hard-winged F-4E. Nice!

Edited February 27, 2015 by brownstone322

[beingthehero]

Probably (IMHO) the single finest 1/48 jet model ever made is the Great Wall Hobby MiG-29. It is virtually flawless in every way.

Ayup, pretty much this. Linden Hill Decals has excellent decal sheets for the versions they offer, too.

[Scooby]

Probably (IMHO) the single finest 1/48 jet model ever made is the Great Wall Hobby MiG-29. It is virtually flawless in every way.

I'm a slave to the Tamiya and Hasegawa brand and the Mig-29 is not my favourite aircraft but I tend to agree with you on this.

I have to say the Tamiya F-16 comes in second.

[jonbryon]

Here are my suggestions for 1/48:

F-2 - Hasegawa

F-4 - Academy or Hasegawa

F-14 - Hasegawa

F-15 - Hasegawa for A-D; Revell for E

F-16 - Tamiya, but Hasegawa also ok

FA-18/EA-18 - Hasegawa (A-F)

F-22 - Hasegawa

F-35 - ?

F-117 - Tamiya

A-6/EA-6 - Hobbyboss (A-6) or Kinetic (EA-6B)

A-10 - Hobbyboss (for modern tooling) Revell/Monogram (an old tooling but apparently more accurate)

Mig-29 - Great Wall Hobby

Su-27 - Academy, but has its weaknesses

S-30? - ?

Rafale - Revell (make sure you get a later boxing)

Eurofighter Typhoon - Revell

Tornado - Revell

Harrier - Hasegawa (for AV-8B and equivalents); Kinetic (Sea Harrier); there aren't any good early Harriers yet

I've built a lot of these and you can see them over at my website.

Jon

[tobiK]

Lightning: Airfix or Eduard (includes Airfix Plastic). This is one of Airfix's top kits.

MIG family: I agree with GWH for the 29, but keep in mind that the MIG 21 is an iconic fighter too and there Eduard makes the best on the market, seems it is that flawless like the GWH MIG 29. MIG 23: there is one from Trumpeter, so no need to buy the old ESCI /Italeri kit.

When I read what you did until now so I think you know how to handle PE and resin AM stuff, it is not so much different to WW II airplane modelling. That's why I recommend the Eduard boxings. Same system comes from the small company Wingman. There you get big meal deals already in the box! Again advantage in price. Wingman takes Kinetic sprues and is adding homemade resin, decals and PE. There you get not mainstream jets but some exotic planes other manufacturers are not interested to bring to the market (i.e. a double seat Kfir, or recce Kfir). When you consider a BAE Hawk, AMX, Kawa T-4, L-29 as subjects of interest - the ALPHA JET should be in the collection! Take a Wingman box!

[Harrier/Viper Fan]

F-16, Tamiya, Hasegawa and Kinetic but this requires work

F-15C Great Wall

F-15E Revell

Rafale Revell, hobby boss, there is a rumour that they are copies of the Revell to even being reboxes

Eurofighter Revell

F-14, Hasegawa, Hobby Boss

Tornado Revell

Harrier, Hasegawa (revel rebox) for late british and American, Kinetic for Sea Harrier

F-22 Hasegawa

A-6 Hobby boss

F-8 Hasegawa

F/A-18 Hasegawa for both Legacy and Super Hornets, the Hobby Boss are ok but require work

[KOG7777]

OK, first of all, many thanks to all who responded. Lots of great input here, very helpful.

Some thoughts and questions:

Seems like Revell is the only real game in town for european jets (Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Torndao, etc.). That makes things easy.

Consensus on 'best kits overall' seems to lean towards Tamiya F-16, Great Wall Hobby Mig-29, Academy F-4, and maybe Airfix Lightning? I'll try to track down those first.

Regarding the A-10... I think I actually have the Revell kit from a long ago trip to the Seattle Museum of Flight, and I didn't like it much when I brought it home. More to do with ill-fitting parts than anything accuracy or detail related. I may want to give the Hobbyboss a go this time.

I will certainly look into the F-104 (Eduard rebox of Hasegawa most likely) and A-4 (Hasegawa) as some have suggested.

Hasegawa FA-18 and EA-18 seem like no brainers if there's no other game in town. I do like the aircraft.

A couple folks had a "?" next to the S-30. I came across this: http://www.hlj.com/product/ACDAM12301/Air Is this kit not well known, or is it mis-named and the aircraft is better known by another name? I'm just wondering since there seemed to be a little confusion around the name 'S-30'.

There doesn't seem to be much support for the Academy kits, aside from the F-4. This worries me since most of the Eduard Limited Edition reboxes are based on Academy kits. Are they too simple? Or is there another reason they aren't recommended more?

It's disappointing that the F-22 doesn't seem to have a 'definitive' 1/48 kit yet.

Is the Revell F-15E really better than other more modern kits? I see it being recommended multiple times.

I really want to avoid anything with raised panel lines. Just a personal modeling preference. I think it's safe to assume that most of the kits we've been talking about have recessed panel lines? Among the Hasegawa line, which ones fall into the raised category and which fall into the recessed category?

And one more question - if I were to want to buy a couple 1/32 jets for fun... what's the best in terms of quality in that size? Subject isn't important. I just want to know which 1/32 kits are the most detailed and impressive. I'm guessing Tamiya's 1/32 F-16 probably fits the bill. Anything else?

Thanks again for all answers to previous questions, and for any replies to my new questions.

[foxmulder_ms]

Consensus on 'best kits overall' seems to lean towards Tamiya F-16, Great Wall Hobby Mig-29, Academy F-4, and maybe Airfix Lightning? I'll try to track down those first.

I have both F-16 and the mig. Both are great but Great Wall is in another league. It has fantastic features like single piece missiles.

Have a look at the gallery here:

http://www.hyperscale.com/2012/reviews/kits/greatwalll4811reviewbg_1.htm

Details are crazy. I really think it is a quantum leap in the modelling world.

[jonbryon]

Italeri makes Tornadoes too, and before the Revell IDS version they were considered the best of a bad bunch. The Airfix ones are pretty bad, the Hobbyboss were nice mouldings but quite inaccurate, and Revell haven't yet released an ADV.

Regarding the A-10... I think I actually have the Revell kit from a long ago trip to the Seattle Museum of Flight, and I didn't like it much when I brought it home. More to do with ill-fitting parts than anything accuracy or detail related. I may want to give the Hobbyboss a go this time.

Given your comments below about raised panel lines, you will want the Hobbyboss kit. The Revell/Monogram has raised panel lines.

Hasegawa FA-18 and EA-18 seem like no brainers if there's no other game in town. I do like the aircraft.

There are other games in town, it's just that the Hasegawa is better, particularly when it comes to Super Hornets. Revell make a 1/48 Super Hornet which is considered less accurate than the Hasegawa (although much cheaper) and doesn't allow for dropped flaps. Italeri also make one, but it doesn't get a lot of attention (rather like their F-15).

There doesn't seem to be much support for the Academy kits, aside from the F-4. This worries me since most of the Eduard Limited Edition reboxes are based on Academy kits. Are they too simple? Or is there another reason they aren't recommended more?

For the kits you've listed Academy models are usually eclipsed by other manufacturers (e.g. F-15, F-14, F-16, MiG-21, MiG-29, F-22, F-117). Sometimes they're the only reasonable game in town or no better/worse (e.g. Hunter, Su-27, F-111) and other times they're just downright good (e.g. F-4, KAI T-50).

It's disappointing that the F-22 doesn't seem to have a 'definitive' 1/48 kit yet.

IMO the Hasegawa kit is definitive. The only major complaint levelled against it is the over-emphasised surface detail. For me the Academy kit has shape issues with its nose and tail that disqualify it.

Is the Revell F-15E really better than other more modern kits? I see it being recommended multiple times.

It's certainly an exceptional kit.

I really want to avoid anything with raised panel lines. Just a personal modeling preference. I think it's safe to assume that most of the kits we've been talking about have recessed panel lines? Among the Hasegawa line, which ones fall into the raised category and which fall into the recessed category?

To my knowledge the only Hasegawa kits we're talking about that you need to worry about having raised panel lines are the F-4B, F-4N and early issues of the F-4J. If you go Academy, you don't have to worry about this.

There are also whole swathes of relatively modern aircraft that have not been touched upon:

Trainers (Hasegawa's T-4 is nice, as is Kinetic's T-45C, and they've released a whole bunch of other aircraft like the Magister and Alpha Jet; there is no definitive Hawk yet, but I think the Airfix is the best available (others would go for the Italeri; the Hobbyboss kit is the weakest IMO); the best T-38 of the three available is Wolfpack - the others are Sword and Trumpeter)

Aircraft like the E-2C (Kinetic make one) and S-3 (an Esci kit reboxed by AMT and Italeri, which is pretty good)

French modern jets (Kinetic's Mirage 2000 is weak in the canopy, but better I think that the Airfix/Heller offering; Kittyhawk and Italeri have Mirage F.1s but they have their faults)

Various Russian/Chinese aircraft that are still operational or recently so (there are two Su-25s out there (KP and Monogram/Revell), both with their weaknesses, Trumpeter makes the J-8, Hobbyboss a Yak-38; Trumpeter also make the J-10 and JF-17, which haven't attracted any negative comments I've seen, but that just might be ignorance; the Trumpeter Su-24 is the only game in town and I have so far spent a ton of money on replacement resin...)

Swedish aircraft (Kittyhawk and Italeri make Gripens, I believe the former is better although I only have the latter; Tarangus have just released a Viggen which is much better than the old Airfix/Esci ones)

F-111s (a toss up between inaccurate Academy or Hobbyboss versions)

A-7s (Hasegawa not Hobbyboss)

Jaguars (Airfix/Heller (and now reboxed by Revell I think) is old; Kittyhawk's is newer but doesn't seem to have attracted a lot of attention)

Jon

[jonbryon]

A great website to check out is www.scalemates.com. It won't tell you what's good, but it will tell you what's available.

Jon

Edited February 28, 2015 by jonbryon