Hello
35 years ago, when I was a kid, I was building model kits (mostly aircraft)
Now, I would like to do it again, but was thinking going with armored vehicles.
Being French (i live in the USA though), I was thinking about building some French vehicles. I saw some at my local hobby shop, such as the AU-F1 from Meng, or the AMX13 or AMX10 from Tiger Model (but they are expensive)
Is this a good idea to start with?
Otherwise, I was thinking about building some WWII tanks such as German tanks....but i need some guidance about which brand to select (or at least which one to avoid), etc...And I also want to keep the budget reasonable, at least for the 1st one...
Thanks

I suggest starting with Tamiya; relatively affordable and easy to build with decent to good detail and lots of choices; they just released a new AMX vehicle kit and as for German armor there's all kinds of stuff old and new in local hobby shops or on the internet; Dragon has some good stuff but it can be pricey with high parts count and fiddly construction; Trumpeter and Hobby Boss has good stuff; hope this helps

Yeah, I saw the Tamiya model....price was $40 at my store
I also saw the AU-F1 from Tiger Model on sale on Mega Hobby
https://www.megahobby.com/products/french-auf1-155mm-self-propelled-howitzer-1-35-meng-models.html
So generally speaking, is Tamiya a good brand to go with?
Will I need an airbrush, or an armored vehicle can be painted with brushes?

Hi;

As for your french Vehicles; Tamiya leclerc, AMX-13, or Meng's AMX-30s !!!! And for Wheels there's the New AMX-10s which are Excellent kits. Also there are the Heller kits which are still available, but are not as nice as the others !

CHEERS; MIKE.

Thanks....Any recommendations for good online stores?

Hi; Xavier;

The Tamiya kits are favored by many, for Quality & Ease of Build. As for the others mentioned they are also Good.
As for Painting; the answer is No, you don't have to use an Airbrush, you can still use the Rattle Can. And there will always be the Need for Paint Brushes !! And as Im sure that you are aware of; Is that this can be an Expensive Hobby. And How much that you are willing to invest is only up to you !
IMHO you should start by investing into one of the Intro; Magazines or Books on Armor Modeling.
The Main Thing is to Have Fun !! And Injoy And Don't be afraid of making mistakes.

GOOD LUCK; MIKE.

I would also suggest Tamiya to cut your teeth on. The LeClerc and AMX 13 are pretty recent offerings with the AMX being quite new. Of course, postwar and WWII gives you quite a few more options as well. Get a couple of Tamiya kits under your belt and then explore other manufacturers like Meng, etc. Their kits tend to have many many small parts, photoetch etc.

Hi Again;

There are quite A few sources for On-line shopping;
Sprue Brother's, Squadron, Freetime Hobby's, Dragon Hobby, Lots of Models, ebay or evilbay as some call it.
Another Suggestion if I May; Not knowing what region the you reside in, you mite want to see if you have any Hobby Clubs in your area in which you mite want to join.

Again; GOOD LUCK; MIKE.

I prefer scalehobbyist.com

Amazon.com has the Tamiya AMX for $34 free shipping and several Takom offerings from $39 to mid 40's and free shipping.

My hobby shop has a Takom kit....is it a good brand?

Takom is a great brand. Very nice detail. Parts count are kinda high. Unless you just don't mind spending your money at a hobby store, scalehobbyist.com will probably be your cheapest bet.

All of the Takom AMX offering on that site are sub $40.

The MENG AMX-30B2 is $44

My local store sells the Takon AMX 13/90 for $37.99, or the Tamiya for $39.99
If I want to go "cheap", I saw a Panzer IV 1/32 from Monogram for $19...But at that price, I'm not sure if it's a great kit
But I have to admit I do like the look of the AU-F1 or AMX-10RCR from Tiger Model

That's a great price for local hobby shops.

How do I add some pictures in my post?

Welcome Xavier,

Found myself in a similar situation just a while back.

Tried starting back with a car, but, well that went badly so I went back to what I was used to.

First checkout Scalemates as they have some really good reviews on kits. Second, what worked for me was going with an easier kit and then trying to use some of the things I have learned from these sites, though that does get expensive. Though I have learned a lot going building the Tamiya model I bought.

Bonjour Xavier,
unfortunately 40$ for a modern kit is the standard unless you buy in Asia but the shipping fee can be expensive too.
Concerning French armor, I can suggest Tamiya's AMX 13 and Leclerc as they are shake and bake kits. Takom's AMX 13 a bit more ticky but really nice in the end.
Tiger Model series of VBLs is a good compromise between nice kits and good price. Their AMX 10RCR kits are excellent even if a bit pricey.
Meng kits are really great but quite expensive.
Concerning the airbrush, it is not a must but is recommended. You can buy a cheap one to get familiar with it. Mine has been a basic Tamiya spraywork for years and I'm still happy with it.

Bonne année 2017 à toi et bienvenue sur Armorama.
Olivier

Bonjour Olivier...and all of you guys, and Happy New year

I will have to make a decision: a "nice" Tamiya, Meng or Tiger Model kit in the $40/$50 price range, or a cheaper one to see if I'm not too rusty.....(Well, after so many years, I probably am )
About the airbrush, my store showed me the Badger 350 and also the Paasche H. Not sure which one is the best "all around beginner oriented air brush". What would you all recommend?
Again, I'm reconnecting with the hobby, and I don't want to invest too much before I'm sure to keep going
Same question actually for the compressor...
Thanks

You will find that like any skill, once you start using it again it all comes back quickly.

As for the airbrush, I would recommend a gravity feed.

Arghh....the 2 I mentioned are siphon feed !!! Why do you recommend a gravity feed vs siphon feed?

The gravity feed works much better.
Also agree to buy a Tamiya Kit to start.
All fit well and you can see if you want to go on with armor.
Bought a small ,cheap Willys jeep years ago to see if my interest was still there and many years later, here I am ,addicted to modeling.

Tom

Well I have a gravity feed, Iwata Eclipse CS.

Once I figured out the thinning equation I have had nothing but good results with this brush, I use this one as my primary paint brush because it is gravity feed and I can put in as little or as much paint as I think I will use. I also have a Veda Gravity feed but that one has been a headache since I got it, which led to the Iwata.

Now my back ups are two siphon feed brushes, on is a badger knock off, that works fine, and the other is one I got off ebay, these are both siphon and are my workhorses. I use the siphon feed for the liquids that I know I will store away for future use, like primer, clear coat and such. Which is why the siphon feed is used for these, I must put a minimum amount of paint into the cup to get the siphon to work, while with the gravity feed I can put in one drop of paint and one of thinner, not in that order, and paint.

Is this one a good pick for a beginner in airbrushing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Iwata-NEO-N4500-Gravity-Feed-Dual-Action-Airbrush-Set-N-4500-Iwata-Madea/380883379564?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D5f8c09792e934687861fa307b64b0af7%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D282306126255

Just my 2 (OK, seeing as there COULD be some inflation going on... 3) cents:

I'm speaking as an older guy who came back after 35 years away and discovered a whole new world of armor kits and became completely addicted again! The kits have vastly, vastly improved in many ways since the days of yore... Better molds, better details, mostly more accuracy (although that's always subjective and the builder needs to do homework and make decisions...), MANY MORE subjects, etc., etc. And there's the bursting AM market of PE and add-ons and enhancements and version details, etc. The hobby has exploded. You, Sir, are SUNK! Abandon all hope of SANITY after this! LoL! OK, here are a couple thoughts as you go forward...

Kits: IF you have some subject focus or ideas already, maybe start by looking at model sites and see what folks have built along your interest-line - see builds and read a couple notes, threads, reviews on kits of the type you aim at. LOTS of companies and kits... The subject matter may "direct"one to certain manufacturers (so, diversity of German WWII stuff? Dragon has oodles. Trumpeter, Hobby Boss, MiniArt are among the champs in Russian stuff, etc.

Unless YOU are specifically entranced by a very special old kit or subject not recently kitted, I would suggest going for a more-recent kit from MOST manufacturers over some old thing - almost always it will be a more-rewarding kit in multiple ways (but that's only my opinion ). That said, almost any company still making is likely to have something - which is why one should always Google and get info and opinions on kits you are considering BEFORE you spend money. There ARE many more-recent kits which have turned out to be difficult to build and more frustration than worth... Tamiya is known for great build-engineering. Dragon for big, detailed kits with too many parts (also Miniart and Bronco, among others...) (but you can get many "extra hours" of "modeling pleasure" out of some of those parts-rich kits...! IF that is what you are looking for. LoL!)

Prices: MSRP on most kits is, to me, getting depressing and eye-watering. But shopping around can get lots of great stuff for $40 and under...

Where to get them? I'm cheap. I shop Squadron mail-order for their big sales (one just ended; they sold me a Takom AMX-13/90, 2 Hobby Boss Soviet pre-war tanks (T-24 and T-28E), and a Hobby Boss (rebox of Tristar) Pz. 38(t)-B all shipped for $99. That's under $25 per kit w/ shipping. I shop the big e-sites for sales and deals, I shop brick-and-mortar whenever I get near one and see what I want that is a good price, I shop e-Bay, and I always shop the vendor tables at model shows whenever I get into one. Some sites will have free-shipping if you buy enough stuff (pretty easy at today's kit-prices...), eBay vendors often have shipping-deals when you buy multiple things, etc. It PAYS to shop around a little!

Air Brushes and other tools.... That's a whole 'nother discussion! When I came back in (late 2008), I needed new tools and started reading model-sites and threads on what folks liked by way of knives and clippers and tweezers and sanding stuff and putty and paint and cements and... There's a TON of discussion out there and it will PAY well to breeze through bits of it to get opinions and ideas. Likewise for the airbrush and compressors and such. YOU will probably WANT to get an AB - it adds an enormous dimension to model painting and weathering. I personally counsel AGAINST starting with "basic" and "cheap" - the learning-curves for the good tools are the same as for the mediocre, so, to me, it was a question of "why waste time? IF I think that I'm going to want an AB for modeling, I should find out what could be a good, solid one to get from the start." But that's ME, and others will differ. Again, do some homework and make your decision.

All this is, of course, just MY perspective and OPINION! It is worth exactly as much time as you spent reading it! LoL! But I hope that you may find some of it useful!

Welcome Back to a GREAT hobby, Mr. French-Guy!

Cheers! Bob

Yes, I would say it is.