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Armor/AFV
For discussions on tanks, artillery, jeeps, etc.
Hosted by Darren Baker, Mario Matijasic
Fine Scale's Reader's Awards
sniper
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New York, United States
Joined: May 07, 2002
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Posted: Sunday, August 11, 2002 - 11:49 PM UTC

Anyone happen to see the reader's choice awards in the September issue of Fine Scale Modeler?

First place in 1/35 scale armor went to the re-release of Tamiya's M4A3 (I think it's the Breakthrough version, don't have the mag in front of me).

Sorry to be overly critical, but this got more votes than Academy's M10 and Dragon's Elephant. Why?

Don't get me wrong, the Tamiya sherman is great. But it's a decades old kit with a few so-so figures thrown in and sold for a lot of cash. And, to get picky, they didn't correct the flaws in the basic kit; open sponsons, etc.

I would think that a great kit of an M10, that wasn't available before, would be a much better choice to pick for rewarding a manufacturer. Even the DML Elephant. That is a great kit! All that had been available before was Italeri's version (actually, a very nice kit too) but the DML versions are much needed.

Sorry, but I think Academy and DML are better picks than Tamiya on this one!

Steve



drewgimpy
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Joined: January 24, 2002
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Posted: Monday, August 12, 2002 - 12:58 PM UTC
I am a novice builder so I could not give you any credible answers to the question. I do remember that the kits where for the past 20 years since fine scale started. If it where for recent years your suggestions would most likely be correct but they have only added to modeling recently not over the 20 years the magazine has been around.

Actually some of the kits mentioned in the survey where pretty new so mabe I am wrong. Here I am debating myself. I am not sure why it turned out that way, maybe because of the big Tamiya name I guess.
mj
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Posted: Monday, August 12, 2002 - 07:29 PM UTC
I think Andrew hit the nail on the head. I'm pretty new to modeling myself, and Tamiyas reputation and product line kind of make it the 500 lb. guerrilla of the modeling world. I have a couple of Academy kits I haven't started yet, so I don't have a good basis for comparison. As for DML, try and FIND a kit! Everything I seem to be interested in is OOP or stores don't have it. I know they are going through some reorganization, and can only hope it reaches completion soon and they begin production, so I can have a chance to buy their models.

Mike
sniper
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Posted: Monday, August 12, 2002 - 10:37 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I think Andrew hit the nail on the head. I'm pretty new to modeling myself, and Tamiyas reputation and product line kind of make it the 500 lb. guerrilla of the modeling world. I have a couple of Academy kits I haven't started yet, so I don't have a good basis for comparison. As for DML, try and FIND a kit! Everything I seem to be interested in is OOP or stores don't have it. I know they are going through some reorganization, and can only hope it reaches completion soon and they begin production, so I can have a chance to buy their models.

Mike


Mike,

The DML Elephant is readily available from mail order sources (Squadron, Mission Models, Great Models, etc.) as are other DML offerings. Some are re-released as Shanghai/Dragon kits. It's confusing and I don't know much about their distribution myself.

But, I have heard that DML's new Panther A is fantastic and state of the art. Just like newer Academy kits.

I would suggest that you pick up a couple DML (Dragon ) models and give them a try. My unbuilt collection is about 80% DML right now. Of course, all models have their shortcomings but try not to fall into the "Tamiya or nothing" crowd. You'd be missing out on some great kits.

Actually, I spent last night closing up the sponsons on a Tamiya M4 that I'm giving the full monty. They are good kits, but there is always room for lots of work!

Steve
sniper
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Posted: Monday, August 12, 2002 - 10:40 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I am a novice builder so I could not give you any credible answers to the question. I do remember that the kits where for the past 20 years since fine scale started. If it where for recent years your suggestions would most likely be correct but they have only added to


The Reader's Choice is for the 'new' kits of last year (2001).

Steve
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 06:23 AM UTC
I'm surprised that the Tamiya Leopard 2A5 did not win (it came out last year, right?). I agree that the M4A3s (either) are just re-vamped variants of the old M4A3 and although are very nice kits, they were not quantum leaps ahead in the model building world. The DML Ferdinand and Elefant (I won the Ferdinand a year ago and have yet to open the box) have gotten great reviews and were of a subject where the only other variant in plastic is a 25+year old Italeri kit.

I guess it is kit "subject" as opposed to kit "greatness". Sort of like a popularity contest.
Hollowpoint
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Posted: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 08:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

First place in 1/35 scale armor went to the re-release of Tamiya's M4A3 (I think it's the Breakthrough version, don't have the mag in front of me).


Yeah, Sniper, I questioned that when I saw it, too. The one they picked was the 75mm gun tank, which is really just a recycle of the old kit with three or four new sprues in it. New figures, new accessories, new decals and new tracks. None of the "problems" fixed, as you point out.

IMHO, the M4A3 105mm howitzer tank is the better of the two. At least it offers a new turret and gun, as well as the extra goodies from the new 75mm gun tank kit.

I personally voted for the Academy M-10/Achilles kits, but I can see why others may choose the DML Elefant.

One think that really caught my eye in the results was that two non-German kits won the Military Figures category: DML's U.S. Army Airborne: Operation Varsity (no doubt helped by the popularity of Band of Brothers) and ICM's Soviet tank crew: Afghan War 1979-1988.
Chief
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Joined: February 07, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 10:30 PM UTC
I finally opened my issue of FSM last nite (after "Little Chief"returned it) and noticed the same thing. I used to be a strict Tamiya buyer for armor and ties with Hasegawa for aircraft. But over the past 2 days I have been doing an inventory on my kits to separate what is going to Sicily with me and what is going in long term storage and made a discovery. Only 6 of the 15 kits in the take with me stack are Tamiya, 5 are Academy, 1 AFV, 1 Alan, 1 DML, and 1 Italeri. Its nice to know that there are choices out there. I would have given the nod to the M10 as well best new kit. I am finding that Academy and DML are really challenging Tamiya for top spot in Armor producers Just my .02.
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