Hello.
I am new to the group here and am looking for some guidance. I have never done any armor before. Being ex-Air Force I've mostly done planes (big surprise). However, the more armor that I see here, the more interested I become. I am looking for recommendations for a good starter project that won't be too difficult. My skill level is not even close to most of the modelers that I see here.
Thanks for your help.

First off, welcome aboard Barry. There is an endless wealth of information at this site. As far as recommendations, that's a tough call. I will give you names of a couple of good model makers-Dragon, Tamiya, Trumpeter, Acadamy, and AFV club. All of these companies make good kits. If you have built air plane models before, then you know the basics of model building-clipping parts, sanding, following directions, painting...
I think you should try a basic tank kit, something with "rubberband" tracks, and not a lot of "extras" Maybe a Tamiya kit. A Tiger, or Panther. Those are two good kits to get your feet wet with. Once you tackle a few of these, then move onto a three in one Dragon half-track, or tank kit. Hope this helps, and whatever you do, just have fun doing it!!

edit-that is if you like german armor, I know it doesn't seem like it, but there are other choices out there.

Yes, welcome aboard Barry. First of all I'd make something that interests you. Since it is your first time an easy kit is probably best, and for my money that means Tamiya. They are just so easy to put together and make look decent. I also advise cheap, so you won't feel like you have to do a great job to justify the cost. My first model after 30 years or so was a Tamiya M3 Lee. I got it at one of the many half off sales Hobby Lobby has and for $10 or so it was a great first kit.

The main thing is to have fun with it, so you'll want to do more.

I have to agree with the Tamiya kit as a good start. I would go for the NEW TOOL Schwimmwagen or NEW TOOL Jeep. They are new enough and cheap enough to get a good taste of modern Armor modeling, and can be put together in an evening.

Have fun!

I would go with a Tamiya kit as their insturctions are clear and the kits are straight forward in general to assemble. My recommendations would be to get one of their 1/35th scale shermans. They assemble quite nicely and quickly. The nice thing with them is that the first time is fun without any upgrades, then as you advance in armor modeling you can go back and upgrade them with the info from all the Shermaholics on all the message boards. It is a great way to measure your skills progress.

And usually you can find them cheap on different sources such as e-bay, sales at Hobby Lobby, swap meets etc.


Sean

Welcome to diesel and dust my man, always remember we are the ones that shoot down your shiny little birdies... Anyways, glad you decided to go our way, ignore all other recommendations, there is only one armor kit you MUST HAVE and it is the WW2 German Tiger Tank....

I would definately give the Skybow Tiger a try. Slightly smaller than 1/35 but still a very nice kit. There is a review of it here on Armorama
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/1376

Tamiya also has some really nice kits in this scale, Very easy to build and you can detail them up as much as you want to. They make really nice kits. Panther G , Jagdpanther, M10 or the new M4A1. The Panzer III was just released as well.

Welcome aboard Barry. I'm no expert but the members here are very helpful & could help you with whatever questions you have. I think you made a good choice of trying your hands on armor models.

Barry:

If you are interestd in german WW2 subjects, I would try one of the following:

Hummel
Nashorn (or Hornisse)
ElefantFerdinand

I worked on a Testors (Italeri) Elefant earlier this year. What a nice kit. Easy to build and fun. It has rubberband tracks and also includes figures.

WElcome to the Big A

Welcome Barry. The Testor's Italeri M-47 used to show up on the recommended first kit list a lot as it has very good detail for it's time. (holds up well even today) Another is the Italeri M4A1 Sherman, which has a few minor issues like an incorrect step in the barrel, but is also a very good kit. The best thing about either of these is they are very inexpensive, and easy to find. I've gotten both for $7.00 or less.

hi barry , welcome personally i,d go for a tamiya king tiger ardennes offensive as this includes a motorcycle as well or a jagtiger both are fairly easy builds but with plenty of scope for panel washing , mud slinging etc whatever you decide have fun

Barry, go for a recent Armor kit. My suggestion is any of Trumpeter's KV series. Here is the point to start:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/778

Simple, but satisfying - start where you mean to continue!...Jim

hi and welcome barry, all was said...just have fun in building any kit you want.. for starters...walker bulldog(tamiya).

Welcome Barry,

One of the main reasons I like building armor is the appeal of the finished product. You can take a cheap kit and add some paint, weathering, etc... and produce a really nice build! Later on, if you like, you can start to count the nuts and bolts and open up a whole new level of modelling. Of course you already know this from your experience with aircraft. Generally, when you make a mistake on the finish of armor it turns out good. After all the beast is like a big 'ol hog and feels right at home in the dirt and mud...

If I had to do it all over again, w/ hindsite being 20/20, I think I would like my first build to be a Sherman. It is of course one of the most recognized tanks in the world, there are alot of variants from the many kit manufactures, and pretty much one color scheme makes it easy to paint. I think I would go with one of the newer Tamiya kits for quality and ease. I would stay away from a subject w/ an interior and save that for a few builds away. It's also nice to have some sort of reference material like books, mags or some pics from the free internet. This has always been a plus for me, that way I get an idea of how I want my kit to turn out.

Hope this helps

Steve

Barry -

Also - Welcome to Armorama. As you can see, there's an incredible wealth of help and support here. Excellent recommendations all around. I'm a 'former' Air Force and primarily do German WW II armor (how unique). In getting back into modeling and to get the 'feel' again, I started with a couple older Tamiya kits; PzKpfw II, Marder II, and SdKfw 222 Armored Car are examples that are quick, easy, and can be gotten pretty cheap. As a diversion and to fill time over weekend on a business trip, I got Tamiya's US M41 which practically feel together. The key , as others have said, is to find something of interest, have fun and enjoy.

Blade48mrd

Welcome Barry. So you're interested in coming over to the dark side, huh. Good choice. I would also recommend a Tamiya kit. One of the first ones I built when getting back into the hobby was their SdKfz 251/1 Ausf.D "Stuka Zu Fuss". Kit # 35151. It was a great kit that pretty much put itself together. If you'd like to venture into softskins, their deuce and a half trucks are also great kits that lend themselves to all kinds of accessorizing.

Welcome to the Big A Barry! I would personally recommend the later kits by Tamiya. Probably the more modern kits as i mainly build those. They come together easily and turn out really well at the end. Do you have any particular preferences on the era of the tank? Because if you do, that would be a good starting point to narrow down the range of tanks.

For a nice simple kit I'm all in favour of Academy’s Panzer IV range. There are four in the range that over here in the UK are available for under £10 each. Panzer IV H with armour, Panzer IV H, a Sturmgeschutz IV and a Wirbelwind.

Simple and clear kits. I really like them and have done four to try and get used to 1:35 as I'm a 1:72 modeller I wanted to try my hand at something bigger and these were ideal

welcome to da club, and enjoy

do what pleases ya as far as building. i started again with vietnam era, my lil war, and italeri and tamiya were good to me.

again welcome and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

reb in texas

My first armor (just a few months ago) was the Tamiya sdkfz 223, no rubber band tracks, no indy links, cheap! and you can build it as simple as you like. I painted it in DAK colours, which simplified matters, and it was my first weathering project. It turned out quite well I think.


Martyn

I noticed eeryone sort of picks out their favorite. I have to agree with the common thred. Spend a little more and get a Tamiya kit. They are generally high quality and go to gether easily. They look wonderful straight from the box. But, chose what you like be it World War 2, German, Russian, US. Or go modern with a lot of wonderful choices. After you get an idea what you ant, go to Great Models and see what they awnt. Then check out ebay and see if someone is selling one there. YOu may find it and pick it up for $5 -6 cheaper. My point is, look beore you leap. Pick a genre and a specific tank you like. Then follow up by asking our recommendation because maybe a dragon or a Trumpeter kit may be best. Then go research price. This way we'll hook you and you'll never want to make airplnes again :-)

Thanks to all of you for the helpful advice. Your enthusiasm has been very contagious and I can't wait to start my first armor project.

So, Barry......

What shall it be??? Tanks and treads or something with wheels?

You're hooked now, so GO FOR IT. Alas, how 'bout something with BOTH!? HALFTRACK!!!!

Mike (++) (++)

Errmm I have to speak up about one thing.

Don't buy from EBay if you can help it! Shop around locally. I spend 99% of my modelling $$ local, and have found great stores and shopkeepers. The right hobby shop owner can offer you a ton of advice and assistance, which you cannot get from EBay...


Martyn

Martyn,
I totally agree. Not that I have anything against E-Bay, but I am a strong supporter of local businesses. I use the internet to research items, but always try to find them locally. In my area, the number of hobby shops has dwindled to a precoius few and I would hate to see them vanish.

Barry