DuffCon Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Sorry if this has been discussed to death, but I searched and didn't find anything. I've been looking at 1/72 fighter kits and it seems like hasegawa and bandai are the two readily available ones. Excluding transforming ones, which is generally considered better? I know it's subjective, but some criteria I'm looking at is sculpt, ease of assembly, quality, etc. My background: I used to model quite a bit in my teens, mostly 'trek. Haven't in a long time, so I've got some simple cheap kits to practice on before I try a valk. Thanks! Edited February 25, 2014 by DuffCon Quote
Model-Junkie Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Bandai does not make any 1/48 Macross kits so Hasegawa is the winner. If you are referring to 1/72, Bandai does not make any non-transformable Macross fighter kits and again Hasegawa would be the winner if you are looking for a kit in fighter mode. Quote
DuffCon Posted February 25, 2014 Author Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Corrected post; I meant 1/72! I guess I'd general like input on which fighter (any scale) is better between the two Edited February 25, 2014 by DuffCon Quote
wm cheng Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Hasegawa all the way!!! There really is no comparison. Bandai is a real exercise in frustration for those of us who want to build a "real" model - it's simply not geared towards modelers, its more of a "snap-fit" type of kit, not really meant to be painted. Unfortunately, there were no other options for Macross Frontier and we were stuck with only Bandai kits. They are the only options if you want to transform them, but then, why wouldn't you just get the toys which are infinitely more durable for playing and transformation. The transformation process leaves gaps all over the place and sacrifices accuracy for the transformation mechanism which any single mode kit doesn't have to make concessions to. Check out my link and hear me swear my way though the dog of a kit that Bandai forced upon us... (I can't wait to get some time to start on the Hasegawas now and leave my pile of Bandais in the trash!) http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=28142 Here's my VF-25S (also Bandai) - minus the bitching throughout the build process... (can't wait for the Hasegawa version to blow this out of the water!!!) http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=38780&hl= Edited February 25, 2014 by wm cheng Quote
Vifam7 Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Sorry if this has been discussed to death, but I searched and didn't find anything. I've been looking at 1/72 fighter kits and it seems like hasegawa and bandai are the two readily available ones. Excluding transforming ones, which is generally considered better? I know it's subjective, but some criteria I'm looking at is sculpt, ease of assembly, quality, etc. My background: I used to model quite a bit in my teens, mostly 'trek. Haven't in a long time, so I've got some simple cheap kits to practice on before I try a valk. Thanks! Why not buy both? Personally, I find much enjoyment in building and comparing various makes. As always, there are positives and negatives in every kit. Edited February 25, 2014 by Vifam7 Quote
Noyhauser Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Hasegawa hands down. It builds like a "traditional" model, with extremely nice recessed panel lines and details, realistic proportions for an aircraft, ect. Its pretty well lineart accurate: they followed the fighter mode lineart pretty closely, and since it does not need to transform, its faithful to them. It has more details on it than is seen in lineart (fasteners on panels, extra panels ect, but that's generally seen to be a big plus. If you're that' upset by them you can always fill them in. If you built F-16s, Mustangs, Zeros, Corsair models as a teen, then that's what you're getting. Bandai is different. Its not a "traditional model," rather its a Gunpla that transforms into fighter mode. As WMcheng points out its pretty well been panned by everybody, their mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, great aunts, and their great aunt's dog walker. That's how harsh the criticism is. Its not very lineart accurate, but apparently its closest in fighter. However if you built gundams as a teen, it might be the kit for you. It doesn't require glue (well a bit), and has self adhesives as an option of if you want. There are also old reboxed Arii (I think or Imai) 1/72 kits by Bandai that are simpler than the HAsegawa VF-1s. They can be found for very cheap (like 1000 yen). Other things to consider: Hasegawa is a cheaper kit. MSRP of a fighter without Fastpacks is like 2000yen (24 bucks) versus 4000+ for Bandai. However people do sell hasegawa ones cheaply; getting one for 15 dollars isn't uncommon on Ebay or here. Hasegawa is actually not the easiest of 1/72 models. I think its actually one of the hardest to do well. Its a real mark of skill to build . I'd suggest you buy a practice model, maybe a jet, like an F-16, or F-15. The other option are the reboxed arii or imai kits which might be a good start before you get to hasegawa. Edited February 25, 2014 by Noyhauser Quote
coronadlux Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 If you follow some of the build posts, you know that WM Cheng is one of those builders at the top og the mountain. His input holds its weight in gold... With that said, Hasegawa is better in the sculpt. Their attention to detail makes it an easier build, and if you don't want to go all out and use putty and get everything perfect, out of the box builds are great. Quote
modelglue Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 All the above points are 100% reliable and valid. If certain kits were available through Hasegawa I would snap them up in a heartbeat. Being a collector and builder of kits, I tend to try and complete* a series. This has left me with no other choice but to supplement my Hasegawa collection (which is nearly complete to date) with newer generation Bandai kits (VF-27 etc). The drawback is the inconsistency in style between the types, which I can deal with so long as they are all within my specific scale criteria: 1/72. Quote
antibiotictab Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 (edited) In 40 years of my knowledge... Hasegawa has been releasing the battleship and fighter plane models mainly. And didn't release the fictional ones before. On the other hand, Bandai had been releasing the car and fictional models. Well, it seems they don't release the car models recently. They have been releasing the Gumplas for about 35 years and still those are sold well. Hasegawa has its technical know-how to make the fighter plane models. Bandai has its technical know-how to make the Gumplas. They can reflect their own skills to the Valks in the different ways. You decide. Edited February 26, 2014 by antibiotictab Quote
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