Greetings all,

So as the above questions states, how good are Trumpeter kits these days? I know that the first releases by them were rather substandard and some might say laughable, but I've heard some decent things about their new releases, most notably their K5, but also WRT their Swedish S-tank models and one or two others. So what's the concensus?

I got burned with their bad, bad copy of the M60A3. It looked like it was made of wax.

I then bought a couple of their T- tanks, The T-69 and T-79. Mediocre at best, but buildable.

I also bought their M1A2 which is a decent kit. Definitely a contender for good Abrams kit.

I received their JGSDF Type 89 IFV in a trade, looks OK to me.

I bought their BJ-212A Jeep with recoilless rifle. A superb kit, better than Italeri softskins and almost rivaling the Skybow M38 series Jeep kits.

Picked up a couple of their 1/72 scale Soviet trucks, the ZIL-157 cargo and fueler. Again a pair of superb softskin vehicles.

I also bought their 1/32 scale A-10A Thunderbolt II when it came out. Another great kit that is a little intimidating. I haven't even attempted to build it yet.

Well I can only comment on the M1 series from Trumpter . Ihave built the M1A1 w/mine roller , M1A1 w/mine plow (is there a trend here ?), and the M1A2 . For the $ it is hard to beat them vs. a Tamiya M1. trumpter also gets several details right that other companies miss , such as anti-slip coating , the mounting brackets on the turret sponson boxes and just to mention the suspension arms are molded seprately from the hull . The only down fall of the trump. build is the lower loaders side of the turret is just a bit too short , not a big problem to fix. I'm doing a side by side build of the trump. M1A1 and a DML M1A1 in rivet review . Sorry for being so long whinded . Welcome to the site by the way

I've got the sa-2 and transporter and can't wait to build it looks fantastic these days the kit's they are making are very good almost if not better in some ways than DML/Tamiya
the s-tank is a nice little kit not to much to worry about goes together easy enough goon buy 1 for the price you will not be disapointed

I think as Sabot said, you need to check first about their earlier kits. But they did improve massively. Another huge plus on their side is their range. Some people write-off the likes of Italeri from time to time, but I believe companies like these deserve a little respect, as they release more obscure vehicles and take the gamble. With a little extra work they can be made into lovely vehicles.Trumpeter´s Faun transporter is another I have only heard good things about. Ive seen a finished version and is on my wish lists now as well!
Trumpeter are not trying to make their own little corner of the market, but are actually threatening tamiya and dragon as major contenders8)

I think the M1s are great, you just have to fix the turret face on the loader's side.
The Challenger 2 is very nice in the box, as is the AS-90.

My birthday is tomorrow - but I got a couple of early presents from my wife.

Trumpeters later stuff seems downright nice. She ordered me (wives do pay attention to your ordering methods it seems) the Trumpeter SA-2 truck & trailer, and I got the Trumpeter SA-2 missile and launcher stand alone model yesterday! I'm stoked - the Trumpeter SA-2 is wonderful. I'd be diving into it right now if I didn't have the T2K Campaign flurry going. Highly Recommended!

It's starting to put some other manufacturers to shame. Personally, I think it's better than Academy, Italeri, some AFV Club and is quickly approaching Tamiya quality. Their Leopold and Chinese Transporter are works of art. The Transporter is nearly as nice as the Dragon Wagon and if you haven't already heard, the Leopold is better than that offered by Dragon. Factor in the price and they are one of the best manufacturers out there right now.

Ditto to what Mark says. What these guys have done to improve in the past two years is astounding. It took Tamiya how long to get where they are?

Some still seem to hold onto the fact that they did pirate some other companies in the beginning, but I believe it's time to let go of that and appreciate where they are now.

my friend in my model club just got Trumpeter 1/32 corsair.
and its a nice kit the detail is much better then any kit i seen,
but that is only one of there kits,
so i dont know about the rest,

Got the Trumpeter 122mm Chinese missile launcher on the paint queue. For half the price of a Tamiya kit Trumpeter includes a reasonably detailed engine and transmission. There are a lot of very small parts that will keep the builder busy. I won't hesitate to get another one of their new kits.

By the way, welcome to the Best Site on the Web

And to add to this, I also have built the M1A1. And enjoyed it. It went together very smoothly
BUT Now it sems. They have released a 24 sclae version of the ME-109G. At about 110.00s
rather pricey. BUT I am seriously considering buying one soon and build it next year.

I am a big Trumpeter Fan!
My K5 is incredible. The level of detail is mind blowing. I have one of the S Tanks and it is very nice. I have built a type 59 I picked up cheap and it looks good. I also have a type 85 that is ok.

I've got one of the Bad kits M60A1 (it's cheap and for the kids) two of the Good kits T-54B and Challenger 2 and three of the excellent kits; USMC M1A1HA with TWMP, Chinese Type 89 120mm Anti-Tank Gun and JGSDF type 89 IFV.

The 'newer' kits are very good and worth trying. Some people are comparing the Trumpeter M1A1 range to Dragon's M1A1s.

I have heard that each release get a little better, than the one before.
Glad to hear that their little Chinese jeep is a decent kit, was planning on getting one but wanted to see a review first. I personally think that any company that pulls a kit out of production, to correct it's mold, is doing the right thing, as they did with the F-4 Wildcat. Are their kits perfect.... NO but then again neither are any others. I do find it interesting that I can buy a Trumpter kit or a Hobbycraft kit of the same model, they both being the same, and pay more for the Hobbycraft kit.I think I am going to have to go out and pick up that little jeep...... next payday.

I spoke personally with Vince Wai the other day (he the man behind Alpha Image Model Workshop and has prev. done Dragon and now does Trumpeter boxtops). The told me that the difference between working for Dragon and Trumpeter is quite noticable. He mentioned to me how at one point, Trumpeter received feedback re: one of its kits being inaccurate, so they actually went back and retooled the mould to correct the problem. This is not something done flippantly but a serious commitment on trumpeter's behalf to improving the quality of it's products IMHO.

Not to take anything away from Trumpeter, but so has Dragon and Tamiya. Dragon improved their M4 Sherman HVSS hulls (remember they started with Italeri lower hull, then issued resin hulls and eventually a new injection lower hull), and recently they made a new German SP gun to replace the inaccurate one they originally produced.

Tamiya also messed up on putting out an M1A1. After complaints, they retooled the undersized turret to M1A1 specifications.

Well personally I have 3 Trumpeter kits. the M1A1 with mine roller....I thought it was a nice kit...haven't built it yet.

The other 2 are the Chinese 120mm Anti tank track, and the Chinese mobile arty gun....haven't gotten either of these as they are still on their way from the ebay seller....but they both have gotten good reviews...so I am assuming they are nice kits. They were cheap.....so I won't complain.

I have heard good things about their Challenger II kit. Thinking about picking one up. Starting to see a lot of aftermarket stuff for the kit, from Accurate Armor and the like. Suppose that may mean there is a lot wrong with it, or just some neat variants can be made from the kit.