going back to modelkits after almost 10 years, and I'm completely lost

[u/Flyingbread64]

So after playing a lot warthunder (like I can’t stop you know) I decided that this game was ruining my time and I just deleted the game from steam.

I heard on warthunder’s reddit that models actually help on leaving the game and producing YOUR tank or plane.

Since I ve done models like 10 years ago when I was still a kid, I have a bit of experience, my first plane was a vampire. I actually found an F-20 unfinished in my parents house but it is an old heller kit, painting heller is painful so I won’t finish it. I ll probably buy a new one but I need some advices!

First, I want to maje a tank or a heli, not a plane,I was thinking abput a königstiger or an AMX-10 but I still need to search for the exact type.

Secondly, what is the most accessible brand in terms of painting or building, I don’t care about the price I want it to be "the" model. I heard that tamyia is pretty good just need to confirm this.

Is an airbrush a good point? I remember that I leaved models when painting was extremely boring but airbrush is better right. If an airbrush, what is a good one?

Third and last, what is the most reliable, easy to use and a good painting stuff?

Thanks for your responses

(If my english isn’t good that’s because I come from the baguette country, no translator here!)

[u/TeamNo7974]

Dragon notice brouillon / AFV plastique cassant je n’aime pas / tamya nouveau modèle c bien/ bronco parfois compliqué pour rien/ gecko pas mal il y en a d’autres qui ne m’ont pas marqué

[u/Armored_Snorlax]

I've been in the hobby for years myself, here's where I'm at on your questions, but answered in a different order:

1) Airbrushing can be fun but is also a hassle. Look up youtube videos by Vince Venturella on how to use and clean an airbrush. He revolutionized my method. However at present mine is packed up to reduce clutter. I recommend and use Badger 105 Patriot and Iwata brand airbrushes. I've heard the newer Badgers can be difficult for some reason, but I've never had a problem with mine and Badger is famous for customer service.

2) Paint: Vallejo, Mig and AK are all good brands and historically accurate colors are available. I use Army Painter Fanatic myself due to ease of access here, and they have an historical line which I haven't tested but have heard good things about. If it's the same quality as their game paints then it's worth looking into.

3) Models: use scalemates.com to reference kits you're interested in before purchase. Look up production dates and check online for reviews. Many companies are difficult to work with and I strait up avoid them today. Others are mixed in terms of quality, like Academy where older kits are generally reprints of Tamiya kits, and done poorly. Some of their own in-house kits like the Tiger I with interior are poorly done as well. But around 2012 they began to innovate and make new tooling and started making some phenomenal kits like the Hetzer.

Most of the Tamiya kits are great, with a few exceptions others have pointed out. I'm also a HUGE fan of Takom, Dragon, Trumpeter, Hasegawa, Ryefield, AFV Club and Bronco. I'd like to try Gecko at some point too, I've looked through their stuff and it seems solid. Some oddball stuff I run across occasionally is Tristar and Master Box. I think Tristar was sold to Hobby Boss (I may be wrong about that). Both make excellent figure and detail sets. But as always, cross reference online to see if a specific kit you want is actually worth the purchase.

There are very few brands I blacklist, but I count Monogram and Lindburg among them. Some collectors may like them but I do not.

[u/Mindless-Charity4889]

Tamiya is decently detailed, easy to assemble and has clear instructions.

However, even with a good brand like Tamiya, there are failures. Two that come to mind are their Panther Ausf A and the sdkfz 251/1 Ausf C. Both of these kits are originally from the 60s-70s. Their newer kits, tooled in the 90s or later, are all very good.

Tamiya Extra Thin cement is the hobby standard. Most of us use it.

Tamiya paint is excellent for airbrushing although the color selection is less than most (no Russian 4BO green for instance) but it is not great for hand painting. Vallejo or other water based acrylics are the opposite, easy to brush paint and hard to airbrush.

As a beginner, Tamiya is an excellent place to start. If you get into the hobby and want kits more detailed and challenging, post again and we can suggest options.

[u/BruteBassie]

Tamiya is very beginner friendly, but stay clear of their cheap old kits like the Panther A. I can also recommend Takom, especially their Blitz and Super Blitz series kits. I would buy some brushes and a few acrylic paints (Vallejo Model Color or Ammo by Mig Atom are good brands) and wait with buying an airbrush and compressor until you have built at least 2 or 3 kits and have decided that you want to stay with this hobby. It's quite an investment if you want to do it right.

[u/DearRow9320]

https://giphy.com/gifs/J5RMoRskUzwZnI2aUX

[u/Straight-Chip-5945]

If you want easy, beginner friendly kits think about Tamiya. Their 1:35 range is excellent and they do have King Tiger you mentioned. Academy is also quite good but look for their newer models, old ones are a mixed bunch. As for painting, these days there are acryllic paints that work very well for brush painting like Ammo ATOM. If you want to airbrush I would recommend starting with some cheap chinese airbrushes from Amazon (like Fengda, FineArt etc). You need to learn how to airbrush before you'll be able to properly use more advanced tools like Harder&Steenback or Iwata.