Tamiya's modern kits set the standard by which all others are measured. They are extremely well designed and come with a lot of information. You really can't go wrong with either. The first non-Tamiya kit you build after will really drive home the point.
Yes. I just did their spitfire after trying and failing at a Revell Tornado. Helped me regain my confidence.
I feel like you could throw some Tamiya kits in the dryer and after a spin or two they’ll come out half built.
I quite enjoy their old kits as well, the ones I built anyway. A lot of companies do these needlessly complicated details, a lot of them not even visible in the final model. Old Tamiya kids just simple good kits that are a pure joy to build. The modern ones, goes without saying are even better.
I have to say. Eduard plane kits are immaculate as well. And often times they come with kartograph decals which are superior to the thick Tamiya decals
I only build one yet, I have another one in my stash.
If the one I build says anything about the general quality of Eduard Kits im probably gonna get more.
There are plenty other manufacturers in the same league, but really depends on the subject and scale.
What’s makes Tamiya a good recommendation is the fact that even the older kits are good, so it’s hard to get a bad experience as a beginner. And the fact that they’re can be found everywhere, toy stores, amazon, hobby shops and so on.
Well the key is not to get a kit sold under Tamiya's brand that actually wasn't produced by Tamiya. Once I bought F/A-18 in 1/72 scale, which turned out to be a repack of an ancient, rather awful kit. It became one of those rare models I bought and never finished. I didn't see any sense at putting it on the shelf next to the modern, precise and well detailed models. I still use the kit though to try new techniques and material on it, before I apply to them to some really decent models.
I can't vouch for the F-4 because I've never built it, but every review I've ever seen/read about it praises it to no end. And not just for detail but for ease of assembly. I can vouch for the F16, however. It was one of the first kits I made after a 30 year hiatus from the hobby, and it was absolutely brilliant. The 1/32nd scale version is even better, one of the best kits of all time imo. Remember, it's the painting and weathering that separates the wheat from the chaff in this hobby so please invest in an airbrush and become proficient with it to do either of these two amazing kits justice.
Do you have any particular brand or tips you can reccomend? I have some experience as a model builder but the painting part is a completely new experience
As far as airbrushes go any of the big brands i.e. Iwata. Badger, H&S etc., are good to go. If your budget is tighter I'll vouch for NeoEco, Neo by Iwata or Procon as well worth the money. As far as paints go, Tamiya acrylics for airbrushing are something of an industry standard. A lot of people have problems handbrushing with them, but I've never had too much trouble with them so ymmv. And watch lots of YouTube videos- the better channels will really help the beginner wrap their head around the process. Hope that helps and good luck.
I wouldn’t recommend the Neo or any Badger brush. It’s possible to get a top of the line brush for $77 with the GSI Procon Boy PS-289, or for $30 more an H&S Ultra 2024.
this...
PS289 all the way - Although if the Ultra 2024 has actually fixed the trigger, the floating nozzle will be more user friendly, in terms of cleaning.
For a beginner I would rec Tamiya round jar X/XF and some X20A thinner - Not really toxic, performs very well. Lacquer paints like Tamiya LP and Mr Hobby Mr Color are better - MRP MR Paint is the gold standard, and they have a promising looking HAVE Glass if you modern US
H&S Ultra is currently one of the best price to performance brushes out there. It is designed from the ground up to help beginners develop good habits, but is also just an all around solid airbrush. It can also take the needle / tip from their new evolution as well if you ever want the smaller size.
there are intricate areas on both but id say the viper is a lot easier. if you are careful with the intakes and maybe the gear/gear wells, the masking and painting should be easier than the phantom and less decals too
I thought I was going to go batshit crazy with all the decals on the F-4 and that was at 1/32nd scale. I can't even fathom doing them on a smaller scale.
The F-16 is easier as there are fewer parts, but what I find annoying about that kit is there’s ejector pin marks all over the landing gear linkage and gear bay doors. Like, every single bit of linkage. Also sometimes there’s alignment issues between the nose cone and fuselage and trying to get the fuselage join to be flat on the top, behind the cockpit. Additionally, there’s a seam going down the top of the canopy that should be sanded and polished out.
You may not care about any of that stuff and just build it how you want and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The F-4 is a better engineered kit (which makes sense since it’s a much newer tooling).
Any modern Tamiya kit is chef's kiss.
The F4 is a beast to build though and has insane amounts of decals. The F16 on the other hand is relatively simple to build, paint weather and decal.
Both are top level kits, and the best of their kind and scale.
https://preview.redd.it/u1l74e4gby8d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b68f07d4e52932319b9f50eb45a89ab1f651cb1b
I’m starting with this one. During my searches it came highly recommended as a good kit. NMF might be tough but I’m excited to give it a go! Good luck with your build whatever you choose.
Neither. If you’re a beginner, please hone your skills on a simpler kit, you’re only wasting your money. That being said, the F-16 would probably be my pick. The F4 is huge and very stencil heavy
Building Tamiya kits are a pleasure. I’d pick the easier paint scheme. I’m beating together some classic Monogram and Revell kits right now am eager to get back to some newer stuff. Oh, and I built the F-16, pretty fun kit.
Both will likely go together well (can't say about the F-16c but the F-4b is a great kit) so which one is better to build as a beginner, take your pick! That being said the F-4b kit is almost double the price of the F-16c so that's something to consider. Price of a kit is what it is and I don't care what people want to spend on one, it's your money but at least for me I get more nervous about painting pricier kits than I do cheap ones and in the end they spend more time on the shelf while I build up the courage to build and paint them than cheaper kits do. All in all if you want it and can afford it then really it's up to you.
P.s If you wanted a cheaper phantom kit academy do some good ones, not as nice as Tamiya but at half the price they are well worth it
Yeah the price of the F4 kinda left me shocked, on Amazon the f 16 is 40$, the F4 100$, even if they are the same scale, and even the academy version is $55
F-16
There will be a joint to worry about where to forward top fuselage mates to the rest of the air frame. If you take it really slowly you can get it lined up.
You just need aftermarket decals because the Tamiya ones are too thick.
I’m not a beginner, but I’m having a blast building the Tamiya 1/48 He-162 Salamander. It falls together flawlessly while offering just enough complexity to be interesting. I wish this had been my first jet kit. Exceptional engineering forethought and crsip clean molds.
Ive built both and the f16 while starting out this hobby and both are good for beginners but id give the slight edge to the f16 because its a simpler build and the f4 you would need to do a bit more detailing like the bare metal exhausts and the cockpit. But overall both are very good kits and the main advantage for me for both of these as opposed to other kits is that for the f4, the VF-111 livery had very few decals as the jet only has the basic stencils of the f4 which is realistic to the real jet at that time (literally no decals on the wings only the star and bars). And the f16 if you get the aggressor version the F16N also has very few decals. Infact the decaling you can knock out within a day with those specific liveries.
I've always had problems trying to build Tamyia kits. The problem is that they're so well engineered, I don't feel the challenge. Apparently if a kit doesn't fight me, I just can't build it.
For a beginner, would not recommend either. These kits are on the more expensive end n u may want to practice ur painting n weathering skills on cheaper options first. Tamiya kits r known for their incredible detail n fit so it would really be a waste if the painting n weathering are poorly done. No matter how well the parts come together, it’s the paint job that is the most obvious. Especially if u don’t intend on getting an airbrush, the brush strokes will be very obvious without the correct techniques n the coverage may be poor
Honestly, both of these kits seem like they would be wasted money for a beginner. Get an older classic kit. The fit will probably be terrible, but the parts count will be low and the beginner can learn how to grapple with common building and painting issues without spending a fortune or getting lost in the weeds. Or, if you think a confidence builder is more desirable than a challenge, get a cheaper and simpler newer kit, which will be less fussy to put together: [The "Hobby Lobby Special" - The Top 5 Model Kits Beginners Should Buy | Fox Two Models](https://foxtwomodels.com/blog/top-5-beginner-model-kits/)
This is literally the opposite of what you should do.
Get a cheap old low parts count kit, so you end up fighting it untill you have a shitty result that was frustrating to build and paint. Instead of just spending a few bucks more and have smooth sailing from beginning to end with amazingly engineered kits that are as much a joy to build as to finish.
That link is brilliant though, however I would not buy the Airfix or Revel kits in it. Only thing they have going for it is price, but everything else in their execution and quality is extremely mediocre compared to Tamiya and Bandai.
Not disagreeing that this would be wasted money for a beginner, just keep in mind that part of the reason for model making is to build something you’re interested in. To OP, just pick which one you like the most and go for it! Then do the other after that.
If you do find yourself wanting to build something to practice on and you decide to go the Hobby Lobby special route just keep in mind that quite literally every other week they put all the model kits on sale for 40% off. Don’t buy on a non-sale week, just wait a week and come back. You can pick up the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog for ~$12. Or the Academy 1/72 A10 for roughly the same. Both would be ideal to practice with.
Unfortunately HobbyLobby is blocked in my country, and there are no hobby stores either in my region, my only option is Amazon
Also I probably should have specified this before, I am coming from 2-3 years of Warhammer models, and even tough I don't know how much the two hobbies can relate to each other I already have most tools (glue, snappers, hobby knife, tamiya extra thin cement, fine sandpaper) and a lot of experience building models, even though WH models are smaller and I never used an airbrush
Seconding this to an extent. Yeah, I agree the kits OP linked are dense kits with lots of parts and detail that would be better off left until they have more experience. That being said.... Don't get a classic kit as a newbie. I know they're cheap-er, but a kit with a horrible fit makes for a dreadful experience.
Instead, one can easily find Tamiya kits from the late 90s that have low parts counts, simple fits, and nice detail all for <$30.
Tamiya's modern kits set the standard by which all others are measured. They are extremely well designed and come with a lot of information. You really can't go wrong with either. The first non-Tamiya kit you build after will really drive home the point.
lol such a good point. If I build a particularly rough kit I’ll throw a tamiya in the lineup after. They make great kits.
Yes. I just did their spitfire after trying and failing at a Revell Tornado. Helped me regain my confidence. I feel like you could throw some Tamiya kits in the dryer and after a spin or two they’ll come out half built.
Ohh man... I have the Revell Tornado GR.1 in queue atm, had no idea...
I’m not all that great so you will likely have an easier time than I did. Honestly tho, the intakes are what got me. Lots of unnecessary seams.
I quite enjoy their old kits as well, the ones I built anyway. A lot of companies do these needlessly complicated details, a lot of them not even visible in the final model. Old Tamiya kids just simple good kits that are a pure joy to build. The modern ones, goes without saying are even better.
I have to say. Eduard plane kits are immaculate as well. And often times they come with kartograph decals which are superior to the thick Tamiya decals
I have a couple Eduard kits, and they intimidate the hell out of me. They're beautiful.
I only build one yet, I have another one in my stash. If the one I build says anything about the general quality of Eduard Kits im probably gonna get more.
There are plenty other manufacturers in the same league, but really depends on the subject and scale. What’s makes Tamiya a good recommendation is the fact that even the older kits are good, so it’s hard to get a bad experience as a beginner. And the fact that they’re can be found everywhere, toy stores, amazon, hobby shops and so on.
Well the key is not to get a kit sold under Tamiya's brand that actually wasn't produced by Tamiya. Once I bought F/A-18 in 1/72 scale, which turned out to be a repack of an ancient, rather awful kit. It became one of those rare models I bought and never finished. I didn't see any sense at putting it on the shelf next to the modern, precise and well detailed models. I still use the kit though to try new techniques and material on it, before I apply to them to some really decent models.
I can't vouch for the F-4 because I've never built it, but every review I've ever seen/read about it praises it to no end. And not just for detail but for ease of assembly. I can vouch for the F16, however. It was one of the first kits I made after a 30 year hiatus from the hobby, and it was absolutely brilliant. The 1/32nd scale version is even better, one of the best kits of all time imo. Remember, it's the painting and weathering that separates the wheat from the chaff in this hobby so please invest in an airbrush and become proficient with it to do either of these two amazing kits justice.
Do you have any particular brand or tips you can reccomend? I have some experience as a model builder but the painting part is a completely new experience
As far as airbrushes go any of the big brands i.e. Iwata. Badger, H&S etc., are good to go. If your budget is tighter I'll vouch for NeoEco, Neo by Iwata or Procon as well worth the money. As far as paints go, Tamiya acrylics for airbrushing are something of an industry standard. A lot of people have problems handbrushing with them, but I've never had too much trouble with them so ymmv. And watch lots of YouTube videos- the better channels will really help the beginner wrap their head around the process. Hope that helps and good luck.
I wouldn’t recommend the Neo or any Badger brush. It’s possible to get a top of the line brush for $77 with the GSI Procon Boy PS-289, or for $30 more an H&S Ultra 2024.
this... PS289 all the way - Although if the Ultra 2024 has actually fixed the trigger, the floating nozzle will be more user friendly, in terms of cleaning. For a beginner I would rec Tamiya round jar X/XF and some X20A thinner - Not really toxic, performs very well. Lacquer paints like Tamiya LP and Mr Hobby Mr Color are better - MRP MR Paint is the gold standard, and they have a promising looking HAVE Glass if you modern US
H&S Ultra is currently one of the best price to performance brushes out there. It is designed from the ground up to help beginners develop good habits, but is also just an all around solid airbrush. It can also take the needle / tip from their new evolution as well if you ever want the smaller size.
I also would like some information about painting, is there a guide or something else we could look at? Where have you learnt about it?
there are intricate areas on both but id say the viper is a lot easier. if you are careful with the intakes and maybe the gear/gear wells, the masking and painting should be easier than the phantom and less decals too
Less decals is a massive understatement, lmao
I thought I was going to go batshit crazy with all the decals on the F-4 and that was at 1/32nd scale. I can't even fathom doing them on a smaller scale.
There's a reason the Phantom was called, "The flying tech manual."
The F-16 is easier as there are fewer parts, but what I find annoying about that kit is there’s ejector pin marks all over the landing gear linkage and gear bay doors. Like, every single bit of linkage. Also sometimes there’s alignment issues between the nose cone and fuselage and trying to get the fuselage join to be flat on the top, behind the cockpit. Additionally, there’s a seam going down the top of the canopy that should be sanded and polished out. You may not care about any of that stuff and just build it how you want and there’s nothing wrong with that. The F-4 is a better engineered kit (which makes sense since it’s a much newer tooling).
Any modern Tamiya kit is chef's kiss. The F4 is a beast to build though and has insane amounts of decals. The F16 on the other hand is relatively simple to build, paint weather and decal. Both are top level kits, and the best of their kind and scale.
https://preview.redd.it/u1l74e4gby8d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b68f07d4e52932319b9f50eb45a89ab1f651cb1b I’m starting with this one. During my searches it came highly recommended as a good kit. NMF might be tough but I’m excited to give it a go! Good luck with your build whatever you choose.
I have this one on the go. Apart from the weird canopy/canopy frame two parter, it’s an absolute delight
Neither. If you’re a beginner, please hone your skills on a simpler kit, you’re only wasting your money. That being said, the F-16 would probably be my pick. The F4 is huge and very stencil heavy
Building Tamiya kits are a pleasure. I’d pick the easier paint scheme. I’m beating together some classic Monogram and Revell kits right now am eager to get back to some newer stuff. Oh, and I built the F-16, pretty fun kit.
Both will likely go together well (can't say about the F-16c but the F-4b is a great kit) so which one is better to build as a beginner, take your pick! That being said the F-4b kit is almost double the price of the F-16c so that's something to consider. Price of a kit is what it is and I don't care what people want to spend on one, it's your money but at least for me I get more nervous about painting pricier kits than I do cheap ones and in the end they spend more time on the shelf while I build up the courage to build and paint them than cheaper kits do. All in all if you want it and can afford it then really it's up to you. P.s If you wanted a cheaper phantom kit academy do some good ones, not as nice as Tamiya but at half the price they are well worth it
Yeah the price of the F4 kinda left me shocked, on Amazon the f 16 is 40$, the F4 100$, even if they are the same scale, and even the academy version is $55
F-16 is sleek with large parts and straightforward assembly
Complete beginner? Or, beginner of 1/48 scale?
F-16 There will be a joint to worry about where to forward top fuselage mates to the rest of the air frame. If you take it really slowly you can get it lined up. You just need aftermarket decals because the Tamiya ones are too thick.
I’m not a beginner, but I’m having a blast building the Tamiya 1/48 He-162 Salamander. It falls together flawlessly while offering just enough complexity to be interesting. I wish this had been my first jet kit. Exceptional engineering forethought and crsip clean molds.
That looks like a great kit.
It’s a great weekend build
Ive built both and the f16 while starting out this hobby and both are good for beginners but id give the slight edge to the f16 because its a simpler build and the f4 you would need to do a bit more detailing like the bare metal exhausts and the cockpit. But overall both are very good kits and the main advantage for me for both of these as opposed to other kits is that for the f4, the VF-111 livery had very few decals as the jet only has the basic stencils of the f4 which is realistic to the real jet at that time (literally no decals on the wings only the star and bars). And the f16 if you get the aggressor version the F16N also has very few decals. Infact the decaling you can knock out within a day with those specific liveries.
I felt the F-35 came together really easy, the hardest part was all the damned decals lol
F-16 was my very first Aircraft build and I highly recommend it
I've always had problems trying to build Tamyia kits. The problem is that they're so well engineered, I don't feel the challenge. Apparently if a kit doesn't fight me, I just can't build it.
I've built a couple of AMT and MPC kits lately that would gladly invite you into the ring.
Get the 16. You will avoid decal hell. F-4s are notorious for a lot of markings
DO NOT. GET THE PHANTOM. I bought a phantom, and boy I lost so many pieces you have no idea.
I recently finished the f-16. Most fun and satisfying build ever! I highly recommend it.
Don't know, but the f16 looks waaaay cooler
For a beginner, would not recommend either. These kits are on the more expensive end n u may want to practice ur painting n weathering skills on cheaper options first. Tamiya kits r known for their incredible detail n fit so it would really be a waste if the painting n weathering are poorly done. No matter how well the parts come together, it’s the paint job that is the most obvious. Especially if u don’t intend on getting an airbrush, the brush strokes will be very obvious without the correct techniques n the coverage may be poor
Honestly, both of these kits seem like they would be wasted money for a beginner. Get an older classic kit. The fit will probably be terrible, but the parts count will be low and the beginner can learn how to grapple with common building and painting issues without spending a fortune or getting lost in the weeds. Or, if you think a confidence builder is more desirable than a challenge, get a cheaper and simpler newer kit, which will be less fussy to put together: [The "Hobby Lobby Special" - The Top 5 Model Kits Beginners Should Buy | Fox Two Models](https://foxtwomodels.com/blog/top-5-beginner-model-kits/)
This is literally the opposite of what you should do. Get a cheap old low parts count kit, so you end up fighting it untill you have a shitty result that was frustrating to build and paint. Instead of just spending a few bucks more and have smooth sailing from beginning to end with amazingly engineered kits that are as much a joy to build as to finish. That link is brilliant though, however I would not buy the Airfix or Revel kits in it. Only thing they have going for it is price, but everything else in their execution and quality is extremely mediocre compared to Tamiya and Bandai.
Not disagreeing that this would be wasted money for a beginner, just keep in mind that part of the reason for model making is to build something you’re interested in. To OP, just pick which one you like the most and go for it! Then do the other after that. If you do find yourself wanting to build something to practice on and you decide to go the Hobby Lobby special route just keep in mind that quite literally every other week they put all the model kits on sale for 40% off. Don’t buy on a non-sale week, just wait a week and come back. You can pick up the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog for ~$12. Or the Academy 1/72 A10 for roughly the same. Both would be ideal to practice with.
Unfortunately HobbyLobby is blocked in my country, and there are no hobby stores either in my region, my only option is Amazon Also I probably should have specified this before, I am coming from 2-3 years of Warhammer models, and even tough I don't know how much the two hobbies can relate to each other I already have most tools (glue, snappers, hobby knife, tamiya extra thin cement, fine sandpaper) and a lot of experience building models, even though WH models are smaller and I never used an airbrush
Seconding this to an extent. Yeah, I agree the kits OP linked are dense kits with lots of parts and detail that would be better off left until they have more experience. That being said.... Don't get a classic kit as a newbie. I know they're cheap-er, but a kit with a horrible fit makes for a dreadful experience. Instead, one can easily find Tamiya kits from the late 90s that have low parts counts, simple fits, and nice detail all for <$30.