With Italeri starting to re-issue some of their older kits that have been out of production for a while it got me to thinking, why do kits go OOP in the first place ? In days gone by moulds that became out of date with one manufacturer got sold on to some smaller manufacturer and then got rereleased under a new brand. These days we don’t see that, we just seem to lose them to time. In fact there no longer seems to be the same level of small plastic kit manufacturers around.

I can understand that better kits come along from other manufacturers, but if you’ve made a kit for long enough that it has paid off the cost involved in developing it and building the moulds in the first place surely the cost of just producing it and putting out there at a low cost is still worthwhile to fill the niche of low-budget buyers. I think first time buyers would be much more inclined to buy their 10 year old son a $30 Italeri kit rather than a $60 Tamiya one or a $90 Dragon one. And that sort of buyer also doesn’t really care much for the accuracy of the kit either.

Often times these older kits were also the only option available for a particular model. Have we really become so dominated by the German Armour Modeller that anything on the fringes is considered to no longer be worth producing ? I have no idea what the marketing goals of the smaller manufacturers are, but it would seem to me that if you can’t compete on quality that you can at least compete by serving the smaller niche markets.

I’m hoping that IBGs entry into 1/35 scale models will see this lead to them producing a lot more of their 1/72 scale trucks in 1/35. Likewise I hope that Zvezda’s success with the Mercedes L4500 will encourage them to offer more in the way of the less mainstream vehicles.

 

But even the bigger manufacturers could do it, Dragon already combines older armour and figure sets together into their Orange Box kits put out under their Cyber-Hobby brandname. I’d love to see Dragon take five or six of their older figure sets that share a common theme and bundle them together with a few Gen 2 weapon and equipment sprues into bulk packs. For example they did four or five different Fallschirmjager kits that are now a little advanced in years, they could box them up as a bulk pack holding 20 figures and pad them out with various weapons and equipment to give people the best value for money.

Tamiya has been sort of doing it, with some of their older kits getting make overs or just cleaned up and rereleased, but they also have a tendancy to take older kits, or Italeri kits and re-issue them with new figures, or in the case of the Russian SPGs with weathering sets, and a contemporary price tag. Whilst it’s nice to have the old kits back, the doubled price tag does seem to be undeserved. Dragon’s Orange Box take the opposite tack and provide them at a very good price.

I believe that old kits will always have a life and that someone, somewhere should be producing them and putting them out there at a good price to keep the new modeller buying, and the modeller who is tired of mainstream German Armour happy. 

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bring back old kits, esci, frog, heller, Italeri

This is a question you hear very often from people new to the hobby, or who have a long standing relationship with one particular brand ( In New Zealand most likely Tamiya ).

To answer this question I’ve put together a simple comparison of the same base tank from several of the main manufacturers that you are likely to find on New Zealand Hobby Shop shelves.

I’ve chosen the Tiger I as it’s always a popular subject and because in modeling circles it’s one of the tanks, along with the likes of the Sherman, which attracts AMS ( advanced modeler syndrome AKA “rivet counting” ) affected modelers who often will only look for the most accurate base model with which to start.

These aren’t intended to be an exhaustive review of each kit but rather a comparison of what each brand’s offering will give you.

When considering the price of kits the key thing to keep in mind is as a modeler what is your pleasure ? And no one modeler’s view of the hobby should ever be considered to be more true to the art than another’s. Some model for fun and all they want is a decent representation of the kit that they can put together in a weekend and put on their shelf, whilst at the other end of the spectrum is the modeler who will spend three months researching the subject, another month researching the right kit, another month researching the best AM upgrades before they even open a box.

Each to their own and we should all respect each others pleasure in the hobby.

So in short in general terms the higher the price the more accurate and detailed a representation of the kit you will be getting ( this is a general rule, there are always exceptions and I would always reccommend reading reviews of kits before deciding ).

So here is a short comparrison of five Tiger I kits in order of pricing, cheapest to dearest : Academy, Italeri, Tamiya, AFV Club and Dragon.

ACADEMY

Generally the cheapest brand and often underated. As a general rule the mouldings are often a bit soft and they require a little more clean up. Most of their early stuff is direct copies of Tamiya kits, usually offering exactly the same for a lower price with the trade off being that the moulding wasn’t as crisp and clean.

Their Tiger tank is actually quite good value for money. The turret is slightly the wrong shape and the commander’s cupola is slightly offset from where it should be but these are things which only a true Tiger nut will notice. For a good general representation of a Tiger I at a good price then go for it. It’s a good simple build and can be made OOB ( out of the box ) in a weekend and leave you with a kit you can be happy with. One other advantage they have is like Tamiya kits they almost always come with crew figures.

Generally around $45 and you can pick up Academy’s own individual link tracks if you wish for around $10-$15. It will usually also take any AM kit intended for the Tamiya Late Production Tiger I.

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ITALERI

Again usually among the cheaper kits around though now being re-released with added resin parts and often reboxed as Tamiya kits so careful what you’re buying as usually the base kits are still the older Italeri kits that aren’t worth the new price tag.

Their Tiger I is again suitable for someone wanting a quick and easy build and who isn’t concerned with whether or not the wheels have the right amount of nuts, or if the MG34 barrel is suitably perforated. Their mouldings are usually pretty crisp and this particular kit has some nice touches such as a partial engine, gun breech and link and length tracks. I personally think this kit is very good value for money for the builder just looking for an OOB build.

Generally around $50 and I think well worth it.

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TAMIYA

Probably the best known brand in New Zealand. Always good clean mouldings, nice detail, go together easily with good, clear instructions and usually plenty of decal options. Here I’ve chosen the Initial version now back on our shelves. Of late Tamiya prices have crept up so the days of Tamiya kits costing between $25 and $50 have given way to the days of $45-$80 with a few even getting into Dragon territory in the $100-$120 range ( overlooking their outstanding Sd.Kfz 9 with Sd.An 116 Trailer that will hit you for $250+ and worth every cent ).

Their Tiger is well detailed for an OOB build, with some detail a little simplified and lacking in fine detail ( as is always the way with Tamiya, Italeri, Academy etc as the low parts count keeps the price down ). This particular one having the extra bits needed to represent a very early model as seen in Tunisia. With Tamiya you move from a simple OOB kit to a kit which whilst it can be built OOB into a very good model also starts laying the base for more detailed builds using AM parts such as Photo Etch upgrades, resin parts, metal tracks etc. ( You can use these on an Academy kit also of course but once you get up to the Tamiya, AFV and Dragon kits there starts to be less that needs replacing ). Tamiya kits most often come with one piece vinyl tracks ( more expensive kits have link and length ) which is either a positive or a negative depending on your building preference ( personally for German tanks I don’t like one piece as you can’t get the right sag ). An advantage of Tamiya kits is that they always come with crew figures.

Generally Tamiya Tiger kits will be around the $70-$80 mark depending on which exact kit. Tamiya makes around six different Tiger kits and a couple are OOP with most now going through the process of being updated and re-released.

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AFV CLUB

Generally not as well known in New Zealand as some of the others but AFV Club are usually better detailed than Tamiya kits and are very good OOB models. Usually a little bit dearer than Tamiya but you get what you pay for as a rule with more parts with the resultant better, finer details. Easy to build, good instructions, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say you wouldn’t be disappointed with what you get if you buy an AFV Club Kit.

Their Tiger I has good detailing and includes a small amount of PE and a turned metal barrel which is always a bonus as it alleviates trying to glue two halves of a plastic barrel together while trying to make sure it looks perfectly tubular when done. Their tracks are usually single length vinyl tracks but are very well detailed being closer to Dragon DS tracks and Tasca tracks than Tamiya/Italeri/Academy vinyl tracks. One very nice feature in this particular kit is the very nice MG34s including a proper armoured barrel version.

Generally around the $60-$70 range so similar in price to Tamiya and personally I would generally take the AFV Club version over the Tamiya equal, the only advantage Tamiya have being the figures in their kits. If I could only buy one late production Tiger I and didn’t want to spend $100+ on a Dragon kit this would be my pick.

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DRAGON MODELS

If Tasca made more than Shermans they would be the benchmark of plastic kits. But they don’t so that mantle falls to Dragon ( Tasca ARE the benchmark for Shermans though ). Quite simply if you want the most detail then buy Dragon. No they aren’t cheap but they are worth what you pay, for around the $100 mark you get a lot of kit. As a rule you’ll get individual link tracks ( or often magic tracks which are already seperated from the sprues and needing no clean up ) with some SMART kits now coming wth DS ( Dragon Styrene ) tracks which are single length but more detailed and easier to glue and paint than vinyl tracks. One aspect of Dragon kits which can be either an upside or a downside depending on how you see it is that they usually come with a LOT of spare parts. Sprue sharing means you often can get as much as a tank and a half in your box.

Their Tiger is no exception in that regard coming with two turret roofs, several mantlets and an optional command antenna. There are a lot of parts and a lot of detail, including a lot of individual link tracks as well as optional DS one piece tracks. This kit is my personal favourite for the Tiger I Late Production but it is almost twice the price of the AFV Club kit so I would only recommend it if a high level of accuracy and detail is important to you. As with most recent Dragon kits there is a fret of Photo Etch parts as well ( SMART kits might not have PE as the principal behind the SMART kits is to minimize the ammount of work needed in the build ).

Price is usually around the $120-$130 mark though you can find Dragon Tiger kits anywhere from $80 upwards with some older OOP kits fetching $200+ on ebay. Those kits are usually loaded with extras like metal barrels, metal ammo, brass cables etc.

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COMPARISONS :

Here’s a few comparisons of parts between the five kits mentioned here to highlight how sometimes the difference in detail can be minimal or noticeable.

The Hatches :

As you can see the AFV Club has clean parts and separate hinge detail, the dragon kit has no injector marks and the Italeri and Academy parts are more simplified.

The Vision Blocks :

Again the Italeri part is more simplified ( although textured ), the Tamiya and Dragon parts have separate vision blocks allowing an open or closed option with the Dragon one also having more detail in the MG ball.

The Engine Grills : 

Here you can see that the Tamiya and Academy kits have a very simplified catch whilst the Italeri kit has a seperate piece for it as does the Dragon kit. The AFV Club has more detail but is still more simplified than the Dragon part. Interestingly the Italeri kit is the only one other than the Dragon kit that has a textured surface.

 

IN CONCLUSION :

Basically you get what you pay for. Dragon are expensive compared to Academy but you get a lot more. Are they worth two AFV Club equals ? That’s in the eye of the beholder. I think they are, others may not appreciate a quarter of the box contents just going into a spares box ( I love spare parts ). If you want the best you can get then the $100 odd you pay for a Dragon kit will only be a quarter to a third of the final price as you’ll then want to add metal tracks, Photo Etch everything and possibly a resin engine, interior and transmission not to mention a turned barrel with rifling and metal tow shackles.

At the other end if you just want to build a good representation of a Tiger I and aren’t concerned whether or not it has the exact correct everything then an Academy kit will do you fine and you’ll get three of them for the price of the Dragon equal.

So to answer the question of why some are so expensive it’s like cars, the more you pay the more you get and whether or not a Mercedes is what you need when a Toyota will do is really for you to decide as only you know what sort of modeler you are. I actually enjoy starting with a cheap Italeri kit sometimes and then seeing how detailed I can get it using just basic scratch-building methods. Other times I want the most detailed kit I can get and then I want to detail it some more.

On a final note one thing all these Tigers are missing depending on exactly when and where you want it to be portrayed is none have the zimmerit coating. But that’s always going to be a problem with German WWII armour.

 

Cheers, Dean.

Academy, Academy Tiger I review, AFV Club, AFV Club Tiger I review, dragon, Dragon Tiger I review, Italeri, Italeri Tiger I review, tamiya, Tamiya Tiger I review, Tiger I Initial, Tiger I late production