From a guy who is used to 1/35th are there any big differences I should watch out for in doing a 1/48th kit?

Here's a good start

Basically, the same techniques apply, just a bit smaller.
Watch your colors a bit, the smaller scales need less of it as far as washes and pastels go.
Use new hobby knife blades because the parts are smaller.

Enjoy the space.

I've recently started dabbling in 1/48 and for the most part, I really enjoy it. As I see it, the manufacturer has a lot to do with any "changes" that need to be made in building. For example, Tamiya has a fetish with diecast hulls. I'm still on the fence with them. They'll require CA and aren't very modifiable, but depending on the kit, don't look bad at all.

Skybow and AFV's kits are fantastic. I'm building the Skybow Tiger I Late, which has molded zimmerit that looks great. To be honest, other than smaller scale, the construction and detailed assembly is identical to the 1/35 brethern.

- Frank

As Frank said the Skybow Tigers are brilliant kits (regardless of scale) and build into a beautiful replica OOB. The detail and accuracy on these kits is stunning and is equal to anything in 1/35. BTW, the Skybow Tigers are now produced by AFV Club.

The Tamiya kits are pretty cool although they do lack some detail on the lower metal hull. The upper hull and turret is fine although there are some great detail sets available from Hauler & Voyager if you want to go all out.

Cheers

I'm on my 3rd 1/48 tamiya now, the jagdpanther. Once I found my glasses it wasn't so bad...they're really nice kits.
Did the Tamiya Early Sherman and the Panzer J, now the Jagdpanzer, then the SU122 I have...I'm waiting for the KVII to hit the states for acquisition...

Thanks all! I'm really suprised to see the amount and variety of kits out there. I know what you mean about the lack of detail on the Tamiya metal hulls. I got the early Tiger for a present but haven't quite got up the courage to try it.

Awh, try something new...and slightly smaller! I just dug up my tamiya 1/48 335 kit to grab the kettletrad out of it...kind of a freebe. The only hassle is you have to super glue the running gear and a few pieces to the metal chassis...for some reason tamiya felt the need to make the chassis out of metal for weight...don't know why! Do people like heavy models? They must...I kind don't like how my early sherman didn't come with a barrel travel lock assy in the kit, but other than that, it's a good kit...they all are so far.
If you've ever built 1/48 aircraft{I do} these will be along the same lines, size wise, but with decent detail. I'm a 1/35 armor guy by nature, but these lil suckers can be addictive{like the rest of the hobby/kits can't!} and you can't readily beat the size unless you go to 1/72...I never will unless it's flying boats!
Try it, I think you'll like it, but I for one can't say I'll ditch all my 1/35 to go to 1/48...but I'll try a few along the way.
Do that different paint scheme ya didn't do on your 1/35 tiger...

Even though I've bought most of the Tamiya kits, I've never been disappointed by the missing details (bolts on some), solidly cast hatch handles (which need to be replaced with stretched sprue or fine wire), and, of course, the dreaded metal lower hulls (which almost always have some sort of fit issue with the joining plastic parts). If you're used to the fine detail on the newer DML kits, you might be a little disappointed with Tamiya 1/48. However, with a bit of extra work and some P/E, a nice enough kit can be made. Skybow/AFV's Tiger l (early and late) are the finest kits OOB, and Hobby Boss' s T-34 series (with complete interior) can't be beat.

In today's world, when building a 1/35 scale kit, many experts would tell us that the kit is inaccurate unless you used the XYZ update and the ABC photo etch. Take a look at Academy's long awaited M3 Lee for recent evidence of this. It's not that the experts are wrong, but they make the rest of us feel like we need to add $40 worth of aftermarket to a $30 kit.

48th scale gave us the ability to assemble quality models without feeling the "need" to add all the extras. Now, of course, the extras have caught up and are now available. But because of the smaller scale, they're not always needed.

I think Tamiya was trying to give us simpler kits out-of-the-box for the casual modeler. I built the Hetzer, Tiger and Kettenkraftrad when they first came out. They built nicely, quickly and since I'm not an expert on these vehicles, accurately enough for me.

Now that all the extras are available, they can even be built to super-detailers' standards.