Your most difficult kits

[T-Ray]

I think we've all had kits that for whatever reason, they just don't fit together as well as they should or the parts are so malformed that it just adds to the list of things to do. This isn't to say that all of these kits are awful or that you shouldn't buy them. Rather, I'd just like to see some honest feedback and criticism. Consider it a sort of "buyer beware" thing. 

To start us off, I'd like to introduce AMT's 88 Mustang GT 
 
I built this release over the summer to try out my airbrush and let me tell you, it was surprisingly difficult to put together. From my memory, the way that the front suspension was designed, there were supposed to be pegs to put the pieces together yet there was only the holes, I had to make the pegs. Another thing was that the end of the drive shaft was somehow too big for the hole in the end of the transmission and was splitting the glue seam.  Also, my kit doesn't actually fit together properly. It's fine sitting in a display case but if I were to pick it up, the chassis would just fall out of the body. It's put together properly, I swear.  I really wouldn't recommend this kit except as a parts donor, but if you just want a Fox Body Mustang, I'd probably suggest the Revell '90.

[iamsuperdan]

One I found challenging was the Ram Power Wagon from A&N Model Trucks.

 

When I ordered mine, I added the upgraded suspension pack, the engine pack, and the other accessories: brush guard, snorkel, aux lights.

Rear suspension alone was almost 40 parts, made up of resin and photoetch. Front suspension was even more complicated.

And because the engine and suspension were both upgrades, they had separate instructions, so there was a lot of going back and forth during the build. Combine that with the parts having no numbering system at all, and you really need to pay attention.

The biggest issue I had was with assembly. The interior was a bugger to fit inside the cab. I thought I was going to break something. The floor is much wider than the cab. And you need to assemble the seats before you install it, so you can't exactly twist and fold it into the cab. Especially because the door panels attach to the cab sides.

Maybe it's because it was my first experience with a full resin kit, so my inexperience showed. Knowing all of this now, I could do better if I built another, but I'm not sure I want to.

[drodg]

I built a Porsche 993 Italeri a few years ago.  I wanted to throw it out so many times and just be done with it.  I finished it after fighting with it for months.   

  

[peteski]

This is an easy one!

It is Pocher 1:8 scale 1934 Mercedes 500 K built over 30 years ago.  With over 1,000 ill fitting parts and its large size, it was a very difficult build.

 

 

[Dpate]

9 hours ago, T-Ray said:

I think we've all had kits that for whatever reason, they just don't fit together as well as they should or the parts are so malformed that it just adds to the list of things to do. This isn't to say that all of these kits are awful or that you shouldn't buy them. Rather, I'd just like to see some honest feedback and criticism. Consider it a sort of "buyer beware" thing. 

To start us off, I'd like to introduce AMT's 88 Mustang GT 
 
I built this release over the summer to try out my airbrush and let me tell you, it was surprisingly difficult to put together. From my memory, the way that the front suspension was designed, there were supposed to be pegs to put the pieces together yet there was only the holes, I had to make the pegs. Another thing was that the end of the drive shaft was somehow too big for the hole in the end of the transmission and was splitting the glue seam.  Also, my kit doesn't actually fit together properly. It's fine sitting in a display case but if I were to pick it up, the chassis would just fall out of the body. It's put together properly, I swear.  I really wouldn't recommend this kit except as a parts donor, but if you just want a Fox Body Mustang, I'd probably suggest the Revell '90.

Good to know because i own this kit. So if mine is that bad i wont even waste my time on just use it for a paint mule.

[jaymcminn]

Well,  "most difficult" can be taken many ways. If you're talking about "most difficult to build correctly due to awful fitment and poor engineering choices" that would definitely be a tie between two early 90s Monogram kits... the Callaway Corvette Speedster and the Lotus Esprit 300. Both featured decent-to-impressive detail and great proportions but were let down by monster-truck stance and abysmal parts fit. I wrestled them into submission and wound up with two builds I'm proud of.

 

In terms of actual difficulty, that was probably Italeri's reissue of the old 1/12 Protar Fiat Mefistofele racing car. It's a complicated kit originally engineered in metal back in the 70s. The drive chains assembly consists of layering 4 trees of plastic parts on top of each other and heat-welding each individual link! To that I added real wood, real leather, metal, plastic rivets to replace the molded-in ones, etc. This became my favorite build of all time. The kit itself was challenging but straightforward, and adding an extra level of difficulty to it brought it to the next level.

 

 

[oldcarfan]

I started the Italeri Countach a few minutes ago and it's difficult not in the amount of parts, but because there was a definite lack of attention paid to parts fit. Pretty much any AMT kit designed in the 70s is going to be a pain.

[Kit Basher]

Testors/ Heller Ferrari 512S. Still half finished in the box. A lot of the assemblies have no positive way of knowing if they are in the right place. So I had to do a lot of tweaking and adjusting. That may not be a problem for a better modeller than me, but the deal breaker was the back hatch. It doesn't even come close to fitting the rest of the body. I'm seriously considering removing the very nice Ferrari engine, gluing the hatch shut, and calling it a curbside.

[oldscool]

the old IMC Ford GT was the hardest kit I remember building.

[BlackSheep214]

Hmmm... I really never had "difficult" car kits in my 50 plus years of building. I've had a few PITA difficult aircraft kits over the years. 

In all honesty, the current Revellogram repop of the original Monogram P-61 Black Widow is a hot mess. Nothing fits. Ended up binning that POS...

Next time, I'll be looking for the original white box Monogram P-61 Black Widow kit. In fact any original white box Monogram aircraft kits - like the Marauder, B-52 Stratofortress, Liberator, B-17 Fighting Fortress, etc...

At least you know everything fits...

[ZTony8]

I had a pre painted AMT '57 Chrysler that gave me fits when some of the front suspension parts would not stay glued together (yes, I scraped the surfaces). It's still not assembled.

The Testor/ Pocher Ferrari TestaRossa was another mess with self-stripping screw holes, and mis-matched colors on the pre-painted parts. I knew I was in for trouble when the instruction booklet mentioned "design economies" were taken in the production of the kit.

[TonyK]

I have nothing to offer even though I've had difficult kits in the past and have probably chose to forget about them. This subject is why I like the "kit reviews" so much in the model magazines and now you guys giving similar experiences. Saves some of us the pain of buying a kit we wish we never bought.

I do recall building 2 (maybe 3) visible V8 kits in my lifetime expecting a better result each time thinking my skills have improved but I don't think I'm to blame.

[Bugatti Fan]

I have a Pocher 500K to build similar to Pete's. Considering the cost of those gargantuan car kits, the fit of parts could have been much better on many of them. They don't just screw together and in fact it is advisable to tap all the threaded holes as those tiny screws have a habit of shearing off in the holes.

Well built Pocher classics hide the sheer amount of work involved in building and finishing them.   Great if you like a challenge and have the patience. If not buy Tamiya.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Bugatti Fan

[Daddyfink]

Kudos to all those who have conquered the Revell Orange Crate, because I never have! LOL! 

Honorable mention...

[JollySipper]

This kit kind of doesn't go together easily, even though it's Tamiya......... There's no test fitting either, as this kit (I believe) is designed to snap together and stay!

 

[THarrison351]

AMT 70.5 Camaro, that's it. (Edit) I forgot the PIA Monogram Sprint cars from the eighties

Edited December 5, 2023 by THarrison351

[Deathgoblin]

Heller Porsche 917. Saying the parts fit is "vague" would be a compliment.  There's absolutely no positive place for location on some of it, mostly the suspension.  I ended up keeping the wheels and tires and threw the rest away.  I bought a Fujimi kit to replace it.

[T-Ray]

11 hours ago, THarrison351 said:

AMT 70.5 Camaro, that's it. (Edit) I forgot the PIA Monogram Sprint cars from the eighties

How bad is that Camaro? My brother got that one to convert into a 76, what are we in for? 

[atomicholiday]

5 minutes ago, T-Ray said:

How bad is that Camaro? My brother got that one to convert into a 76, what are we in for? 

It’s not terrible if you know the fixes.  There are several wips for it that detail how to fix the known issues.  Mine included, but still in progress.

Main problems are the firewall/floor pan fitment and subframe issues.

I recommend avoiding the orange box kit.  Mine had several molding issues.

[iBorg]

8 minutes ago, T-Ray said:

How bad is that Camaro? My brother got that one to convert into a 76, what are we in for? 

Look for the Monogram Camaro. They make a late 70's early 80's kit that shouldn't be too hard to find.

[T-Ray]

1 minute ago, atomicholiday said:

It’s not terrible if you know the fixes.  There are several wips for it that detail how to fix the known issues.  Mine included, but still in progress.

Main problems are the firewall/floor pan fitment and subframe issues.

I recommend avoiding the orange box kit.  Mine had several molding issues.

Ah, got it, Thanks

1 minute ago, iBorg said:

Look for the Monogram Camaro. They make a late 70's early 80's kit that shouldn't be too hard to find.

Understood, got it. Thanks 

[THarrison351]

10 hours ago, T-Ray said:

How bad is that Camaro? My brother got that one to convert into a 76, what are we in for? 

Mine was the orange box kit. I did follow all the recommended fixes, and did finish the kit. It was just so much massaging for such a modern release compared to the other AMT releases from the same period.

[atomicholiday]

9 hours ago, THarrison351 said:

It was just so much massaging for such a modern release compared to the other AMT releases from the same period.

I agree.  My expectations were higher.  And while mine is still in progress,  I'd have to say it's been the most difficult kit I've tacked so far.   Not impossible to get good results, but you'll work for it. 

[THarrison351]

13 hours ago, atomicholiday said:

I agree.  My expectations were higher.  And while mine is still in progress,  I'd have to say it's been the most difficult kit I've tacked so far.   Not impossible to get good results, but you'll work for it.

Here's how mine turned out

 

[RSchnell]

This kit is probably the most aggravating & difficult kit I've tried to build in 35 years on modeling. The kit itself is nice, well detailed and the proportions are spot on. However the smaller scale (1/35), the parts count and brittle plastic make it a tedious build. I had several versions of this kit (bus, tow truck, etc) since I have weakness for any Model A/AA kit but I was so turned off by this one I traded the others off.