Amelio-rate my modelling: Part I

The 7TP from Mirage Hobby has quickly become my favourite 1/35th tank kit.

One of my favourite modelling mediums at the moment are 1/35^th scale tanks. There is a huge selection available both in terms of manufacturers and tank types, and as such there is something at pretty much everyone's price point. Most of the tanks I have built

are from Tamiya, and as many people know Tamiya kits go together very easily. I have built ten such kits from Tamiya and I haven't had to file down a part to make it fit, use filler to seal any gaps and they have (so far) had no flash to clean up. This is great, when a kit is that precisely made one can build it and then get it painted and on display with ease. But is it that great? When something is that easy how much do we learn really? If when we attempt something new it turns out to be easy then any progress we make in a given skill is marginal at best. So is it a good idea to seek out what we could call “bad” model kits?

One thing I shall say quickly is for a fledgling modeller, seeking out a kit that is renowned for having perfect fit and finish is a sensible idea. When I built my first kit nearly forty years ago I wish I had access to such a kit.

Easy to cut and sand, Tamiya make modelling easy.

Now calling a kit “bad” is entirely subjective. When I say bad I just mean a kit that is known in hobby circles to have problems. It could be one that doesn't fit that well together, maybe it has excess flash, perhaps is made out of very brittle plastic, or one that is known to have warped components. Recently I built a 1/35^th 7TP from Mirage Hobby that was made out of plastic far more brittle than I am used to and had a lot more flash, and I loved it! I had to take much more care when cutting out the parts and cleaning them up than I am accustomed to (had to repair a few parts that I broke). The fit though was fantastic and needed only one part to be sanded gently. If anyone from Mirage Hobby ever reads this then your 1/35^th 7TP kit has quickly become my favourite out of my 1/35^th scale armour kits and I will be buying a few more to go with it.

I think seeking out a kit that's renowned for not being that well engineered could bring about massive benefits in improving ones skills, and that is something I definitely want. I think a challenge is brewing.

I'm going to go online and look to see what kits are generally considered “bad”, in terms of poor fitment of parts, brittle plastic or whatever the reason may be. I won't be limiting myself to a given scale or type of model I:E tank, all subjects will be fair game. This should be interesting, possibly frustrating and will hopefully result in a better model maker.

Thank you for reading and hopefully you'll follow me on this particular endeavour.

Roll Play Repeat

David

Founder and writer: Table Topiary Games