What do you want in life! Or at least in a kit

[conchan]

BEsides the obvious of good production and good fitability design and a subject you like, what attracts you to a kit? And why?

While I am still trying to catch up with the modern model best practices, I find myself drawn to kits that have detailed engine compartments, interiors and suspensions. Nothing wrong with curbsides, as there are some awesome kits out there, but the ones with open engines seem to get me more motivated.

How about you?

Do you want kits that have highly detailed engines?

Do you want kits that have highly detailed interiors?

Do you want kits that have highly detailed suspensions/undercarriage?

Or do you want them all?

Thanks for reading.Looking forward to hearing everyones’ choices and reasoning.

Stay safe and enjoy!

[stitchdup]

I like to have a detailed engine and interior mainly. I dont worry too much about suspension unless you can see it without lifting the models, and usually most of my chassis are just satin black cos I dont see much point spending a lot of time on something only i will ever see. I dont mind curbsides, especially now with 3d printing as there are many options for engine and interiors that even 3 years ago seemed like a pipe dream. But more important than any of these options is the subject matter and how well done the body is. Theres no point in a nicely detailed interior or engine if the body looks wrong.

[iamsuperdan]

Curbside vs full detail doesn't matter much to me, provided the cost reflects the lower parts count.

 

All I really want are crisp, defined details. I'm tired of the engine block blob or interior panels with almost no details on them. 

And I want more modern subject matter.

Oh, and please ditch the toy-like chrome found on so many kits. Just skip the chrome plating and let builders add their own.

[Snake45]

 

Now, in a model car kit, I want an accurately shaped/sized body where all the parts (hood, pans, bumpers, glass) fit. Some nice wheels/tires are always appreciated, especially if there are usable extras. Everything else (detailed engine, chassis, interior, custom parts, extras) is just gravy. 

[NOBLNG]

Details are nice but in the aesthetically pleasing department, it is more important is to have an accurate body shape and scale. On  the assembly side, definite, positive locating points for all parts (especially windows) would be really nice to have.?

[Gary Chastain]

It would be nice to have a better instructions with detail hints, better decals with dash decals and many of the ideas from above comments 

[drodg]

I would like the kits to come with a wired distributor with the heads prepared to accept the wiring.   

[doorsovdoon]

I just want there to be a universal standard for working wheels that don't wobble, jam up, or seep glue down the axle pins. Apart from axle through engine I don't think a single model company has figured out a better working design, Lol.

[Smoke Wagon]

5 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

Oh, and please ditch the toy-like chrome found on so many kits. Just skip the chrome plating and let builders add their own.

Not all of us have Alclad chrome and an airbrush. Especially not the average joe who sees a kit at Hobby Lobby and decides to give modeling a try. I find that most kit chrome looks more realistic than painted on chrome anyway.

The only issue I see with chrome in kits are sometimes poorly positioned sprue attachment points.

[cobraman]

How about more kits where the stance is good right out of the box ?

[doorsovdoon]

49 minutes ago, cobraman said:

How about more kits where the stance is good right out of the box ?

C'mon now, stance is easily fixed with a skilled hand, xD

Edited March 21, 2022 by doorsovdoon

[iamsuperdan]

1 hour ago, Smoke Wagon said:

Not all of us have Alclad chrome and an airbrush. Especially not the average joe who sees a kit at Hobby Lobby and decides to give modeling a try. I find that most kit chrome looks more realistic than painted on chrome anyway.

The only issue I see with chrome in kits are sometimes poorly positioned sprue attachment points.

 

I'm not an airbrush guy either. But the kit chrome is horrible. Especially as you say, with poor attachment points.  

[bbowser]

6 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Details are nice but in the aesthetically pleasing department, it is more important is to have an accurate body shape and scale. On  the assembly side, definite, positive locating points for all parts (especially windows) would be really nice to have.?

This.  Vague instructions and attachment points are very frustrating.

[cobraman]

1 hour ago, doorsovdoon said:

C'mon now, stance is easily fixed with a skilled hand, xD

Many things listed here  can be fixed and are so what's your point ?

[keyser]

Awesome pic of 2002 properly set up. 

[Can-Con]

1 hour ago, iamsuperdan said:

 

I'm not an airbrush guy either. But the kit chrome is horrible. Especially as you say, with poor attachment points.  

Depends on the kit. 

I'd rather have the parts plated and remove the plating as needed than to need it plated like bumpers and headlight buckets and have to send them out. 

It's a lot easier to take it off then to add it.

 

[doorsovdoon]

35 minutes ago, cobraman said:

Many things listed here  can be fixed and are so what's your point ?

My point being... that, yeah, kits should come with correct stance.

[Tabbysdaddy]

I never understood why people had problems with kit instructions... until I tried to build a semi.

[Rob Hall]

1 hour ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

I never understood why people had problems with kit instructions... until I tried to build a semi.

I'll never forget at age 7 in 1977 my 2nd glue kit was an AMT 1/43rd Peterbuilt w/ trailer..the 'Dannon Yogurt' truck and trailer...lots of fiddly little parts...and I learned the term 'Luberfiner' from the instructions.  I've bought several 1/25th semis since then, but haven't finished one yet...;)

[sfhess]

 

Sorry, couldn't get this out of my head:

 

"What Do You Want From Life?"
 

What do you want from life?
To kidnap an heiress
Or threaten her with a knife?
What do you want from life?
To get cable TV
And watch it every night?

There you sit, a
Lump in your chair
Where do you sleep
And what do you wear
When you're sleeping

What do you want from life?
An Indian guru
To show you the inner light?
What do you want from life?
A meaningless love affair
With a girl that you met tonight?

How can you tell when you're doin' alright?
Does your bank account swell
While you're dreaming at night?
How do you know when you're really in love?
Do violins play when you're touching the one
That you're loving?

What do you want from life?
(What do you want from life?)
Someone to love
And somebody you can trust?
What do you want from life?
(What do you want from life?)
To try and be happy
While you do the nasty things you must?

What do you want from life?
What do you want from life?
What do you want from life?
What do you want from life?

Well, you can't have that, but
If you're an American citizen you are entitled to:
A heated kidney shaped pool
A microwave oven--don't watch the food cook
A Dyna-Gym--I'll personally demonstrate it in the privacy of your own home
A kingsize Titanic unsinkable Molly Brown waterbed with polybendum
A foolproof plan and an airtight alibi
Real simulated Indian jewelry!
A Gucci shoetree!
A year's supply of antibiotics
A personally autographed picture of Randy Mantooth
And Bob Dylan's new unlisted phone number
A beautifully restored 3rd Reich swizzle stick
Rosemary's baby!
A dream date in kneepads with Paul Williams
A new Matador
A new mastadon
A Maverick
A Mustang
A Montego
A Merc Montclair
A Mark IV
A meteor
A Mercedes
An MG
Or a Malibu?
A Mort Moriarty
A Maserati
A Mac truck
A Mazda
A new Monza
Or a moped
A Winnebago
Hell, a herd of Winnebago's, we're giving 'em away
Or how about a McCulloch chainsaw?
A Las Vegas wedding
A Mexican divorce
A solid gold Kama Sutra coffee pot
Or
A baby's arm holding an apple?

[slusher]

5 hours ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

I never understood why people had problems with kit instructions... until I tried to build a semi.

Especially the Lindberg L700..

[slusher]

I rarely complain any about model kits but I can’t stand the AMT everything molded in chassis. I do like many AMT the best.  Many kits need to work on their interior engraving so many are worn out.  We don’t live in a perfect world but we sure do still dream about model cars.

[conchan]

Thanks for the feedback. It was interesting to read what everyone thought.
Stay safe and enjoy!

 

[espo]

What do I want in life ? Well first off winning the lottery would go a long way making it a lot easier to take care of any other problems in life. Models: I would like to see a come back of the old 3 in 1 concept from model making companies. A little more effort to better locate spruce attachment points on chrome trees. 

[Luc Janssens]

That form follows function:

Design of the kit & tool:  It must not only meet the skill level (easy, moderate, challenging) of the target customer, helping (not fighting) him or her to create something they can be proud of, the choice as to parts breakdown depends not only on the skill level but the subject matter too. Here are two examples: Skill level: molded-in headlamps are out of place in a kit marketed towards enthusiasts Subject matter: An Engine is very important in a drag racing car, but not in a Van where dress-up features are more desired, to tackle this, it's best to talk with fellow modelers (off or online, go through your stack of kits or display case(s) lined with built models and write down what features you liked or disliked when assembling them. If you have any, take a look at your (old) promos and die-casts too, because they were/are designed for easy and fast assembly by non-modelers on a production line. I took the liberty of writing down some key elements which (for me at least) define the characteristics of an excellent kit, no matter what skill level: Ease of build, no matter how many parts. Parts break-down not only chosen in function of molding restrictions and possible future siblings but also to avoid possible sink mark areas and optical distortions (on clear parts), the degree of detail you wish to incorporate, helping the painting process (like the separate grille inserts of the Amt (ex-MPC) '74 Roadrunner/GTX) or the mating of various sub-assemblies and also by trying to make the assembly dummy-proof, by carefully (again to avoid ghost sink marks) chosen (perimeter) ridges, holes, and pins. The crispness of the molded parts, so clean-up is minimal, and applying finishing materials like BMF becomes child's play. Frame attachments, designed not to damage the appearance of the parts when cut off the tree. This is especially important for plated parts. Ejection pins is it possible to position them on hidden surfaces, or on the frames (runners), maybe by beefing up the affected part(s) frame attachment(s). Parting lines, be creative and don't let them run too close to areas where they can affect the overall presentation of the model, like too close to molded-in scripts, or try to hide by using the shape of the piece to its advantage, especially when dealing with plated parts. 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Luc Janssens