Been thinking of buying a Whippet (not a dog) but was wondering what's best?

As far as I can see there's not much difference between the kits. They both seem to have indie links etc but the Meng kit is quite a bit cheaper.

There are comparative build reviews on Osprey Modelling News. Here's the link. The author likes the Meng kit a bit more.
http://www.themodellingnews.com/2015/12/build-review-pt-ii-andys-mengs-135th.html#more

I can't speak to the Takom Whippet, but I'm currently building the Meng offering. It's been a pleasure to build and has no vices to speak of. The only spot to be careful is bending the upper superstructure pieces. That being said, they fit well once bent and the whole kit is excellently detailed. I was able to get it together and ready to paint in 3 days of part time building. If you go with Meng, you won't be disappointed. Of course, now I want to build Takom's offering so I can compare! Lol

Do the track links break apart easily after you snap them together? This has been a failing of some previous Meng kits.

I've heard this from two different modellers that built the Whippet. I guess you can get the Takom tracks for it, they are really nice

the only problem I found is that the Meng kit incorrectly has a semi-circular cut out in the angled engine cover over the radiator filler cap/overflow instead of a fully circular hole. I suspect this is a restoration glitch. The Takom kit shows this correctly but from some accounts is a bit more of a bear to build.

The Meng omission is better solved before assembly!

Thanks! Might be better to just get the Takom, then. It appears to come with more decal options too, always a good thing.

The engineering on the Takom kit reminds me of the Emhar kit of old.

Having built that and seen the build logs of these newer kits, a no-fuss build of the Whippet's "superstructure" in kit form has been quite the challenge for the three kits.

If you're looking to saving some money, I may recommend Meng's kit, AFAIK it's the cheaper option.

I've got the Meng kit and the thing I like the most about it is that the axles are molded to the inner track run sides.



No need trying to trap a bunch of road wheels between two pieces. Also the Meng kit has some more options on the decal sheet that aren't mentioned in the instructions or on the box. IIRC Takom's chassis is a 'flat-pack', Meng's is one piece.



I found it extremely easy to build so far. IMHO, the only advantage to Takom's kit is the inclusion of the stowage boxes, an item easily scratch-built if desired. I've built Takom's Mk.IV and found their tracks easy to assemble but in need of careful handling or they are easily broken. They are also easily repaired with a little super glue. I also built Meng's Char 2C and found those tracks a little more forgiving than Takom's Al

I haven't built the tracks yet so I don't know how well they hold up. If need be, I'll glue them. They are nicely detailed, that I do know.

I have built them both. the Meng kit builds up much better but suffers from the track pins being too small. the Takom kit is more difficult to build but the tracks are much better.

the Takom tracks will not fit the meng kit. I tried.

Thats interesting....

Yes, but not indicative of an accuracy problem with either kit. There are a number of track sets and suspension components for the same vehicle that aren't interchangeable. All it takes is for one model company to design something on the "plus" side of acceptable and the other to go on the "minus" side.

KL

Where do the Takom tracks not fit the Meng kit? Around the sprocket and idler, or they don't fit width wise?

Also note that the Spuds in the Meng kit can be fitted to the tracks instead of hung on the racks if you want, you can't do this on the Takom kit as they don't fit.

Thanks all. Interesting stuff. I'll probably get the Meng kit first as it's cheapest but I'll probably end up checking out the Takom kit somewhere along the line.