20 Best Tamiya Model Kits (2022 Updated)

✨ Hello Angelo!! Awesome and Amazing model!! Tamiya standards are longtime known ⭐!! Incredibly well molded and yet very well detailed!! The size is very impressive and yet you need serious space over your workshop station!! Not a complicated built, but it requires lots of attention, on aligning the parts, since the are very large!! The carrier runway, is absolutely stunning very well detailed!! P.

S lots of paint, luckily not too many mixes!! Beautiful ship ⭐!! Thank you very much for the care and promt cordial service of your mail orders!! Kind regards to You to Daniela and all of your team!! Dominic.

This is a beautiful kit. Everything arrived in excellent condition. Can’t wait to get to work on this baby. She us going to be one of the jewels in my collection. My only gripe is that the ship’s air wing is only a third of the size the ship carried while at sea.

There are several 1/350 aircraft packs available by Tamiya and other makers. Modifying aircraft to wings folded configuration looks to be a bit tricky as well. But is well within my skill set. I just wish the Enterprise was available with a mixture of folded and extended wing configurations plus more aircraft.

This model was my latest build. Having never built Tamiya kits before, I was a bit apprehensive. There was no need to worry, the kit was a dream to build, and I am very pleased with the end result. I would thoroughly recommend it to any model builders out there!.

There’s no lack of Yamato kits out there, including Tamiya’s older (70s era) Yamato kit. That one can be had for a good deal less and is still a good kit, but this one is much much better. Many inaccuracies have been corrected, extra details have been added (e.

g. the hull plating is 3-D textured), and photoetch parts plus metal anchor chains are included. The masts are molded in ABS plastic which is a lot harder to snap on accident, six 1/350 scale floatplanes are included, and most of the AAA turrets can be rotated after assembly.

Straight out of the box, this builds up into a very impressive model, and some visual references are included. The kit does not include photoetch railings or a wooden deck, but Tamiya sells the latter at a very reasonable price (it’s a Pontos deck rebranded) and you can buy a railing set from either Tamiya or any number of other manufacturers.

Further PE details can be added though the kit parts are really not bad- in some cases arguably better. The kit can be built full hull or waterline, and includes decals and markings for the ship and aircraft.

Note that this is the 1945 Yamato that is depicted in this kit, not as-built. Interestingly, some of the markings are not waterslide but stickers, the first I’ve seen in a Tamiya kit (usually you see these in Bandai kits more often).

Overall, it goes together well and the instructions (which include a whopping 100 steps) are clear. With a minimal amount of additional aftermarket help, this builds up into an accurate studio quality model- something that would probably cost at least as much (and at a significantly greater effort) if you bought the older kit and tried to do likewise.

There were no fit issues with this kit, though I do have one complaint about the hull. It’s a two-piece (both upper and lower), which doesn’t seem necessary given the box size. When you fasten the two parts of the lower hull in particular, there is a considerable gap that needs to be filled.

It is difficult to do this properly as sanding it will likely remove the plating texture. This step actually took me longer than any other, including adding the PE detailing. Overall, I would say you definitely get your money’s worth with this kit.

It is expensive, but it’s definitely the best one on the market in this scale (and arguably any scale).

The Yamato model which was bought is from a very respected model manufacturer – TAMIYA. This means that the you know very well that the product will be made to the highest standard. I purchased this model along with 2 other WWII Battleships, 1 of which has been completed and the other has been started, this model was left to the end because of the complexity of the build.

That mean of course the attention to detail in the model parts is of a very high standard. Overall an excellent model to be built and a challenge I have not previously had with other models.

This kit is exceptional with a very high level of detail. If you buy the extra photo etching from Tamiya or Pontos, you will have a high level Yamato. This kit is not for beginners.

A very challenging kit, but very rewarding when its finished and looks so good. This was the first Tamiya kit Ive assembled and I dont know if Ill ever go back to Revell kits. The fit that Tamiya seems to get with all the sharp angles and interesting lines on this car is impressive.

I see that others had rated the durability lower but thats because Tamiya uses a thinner plastic than Revell but it still stands up to sanding and manipulation. You cant go wrong with this kit, if you were amazed by the Ford GT when it was unveiled, then do yourself a favor and buy this!.

Bought for my partner for Christmas. Got him a motorbike last year so went for a car this time. Bike was so good I had to go for another Tamiya model! He’s not started building yet but all parts are there and I’m excited for the end result!.

Absolutely beautiful kit! The molding is flawless, and this includes not only spotless mold finish on the body, but the clear parts are CRYSTAL CLEAR! The tires are flawless too, I mean I have gone over this entire kit and Tamiya knocked it out of the park 100%.

I’m just getting back into modelling, so initially, I bought an Airfix kit, which I was greatly disappointed with (terrible quality parts). Anyway, I remembered from my youth that the Tamiya models were always high quality, so I decided to give this one a go as it was a similar price point to the Airfix kits.

Fantastic parts – really high quality and detailed mouldings with very little flash to trim off. One of the best parts are the chrome plated plastic parts which really lift the detail of the model along with the correctly detailed rubber treaded tyres.

The instructions are clear and simple. I ended up using some proper aerosol car paint for the body which gave it a really nice finish. I also used Tamiya paints for the rest which are water soluble and have no nasty fumes.

(In fact the red paint even smells like strawberries!) Really great model kit – was so good, I’ve just bought another one instore from Hobbycraft (a VW beetle)!.

I’d been looking for a ready made scale model in the same silver colour of my 20 years old, classic sports car as a keepsake before it shuffles off it’s mortal coil. However, I found nothing suitable until my web search found one in Tamiya kit form at Hobbycraft which I could paint to suit.

So I ordered one without delay but since then noticed that it was also lower priced than any competitors including eBay. It was delivered promptly at a reasonable delivery charge, although I had the Click and Collect option at two branches within 10-15 miles.

I’m now looking forward to entering my second childhood, turning the clock back most 60 years to when I last made Airfix kits of Spitfires etc. I’ve enjoyed browsing my nearest HobbyCraft store for paints and cement etc.

and although not all colours were in stock, which I’ve had to order from other online sources, I noted that Hobbycraft in-store prices were no more expensive Who knows where this will lead to ! – I might start making Airfix Spitfire kits again next.

This kit is a great starting point for beginner modelmakers who want to make models of cars. There are not too many pieces as the engine bay does not open and it has a very simple body shape, however, the moulding is very detailed, and represents the real thing very well.

Also, the pieces fit together very well making construction a breeze. Tamiya have done a great job as usual and I couldn’t recommend the kit more!.

1970’s tamiya but still makes a nice representation of a PAK 40. The figures are ok but showing their age with a nasty mould line that runs down their faces unfortunately but it’s possible to clean up acceptably if you are careful.

I’ve made several of these over the years and although not up to modern standards it’s still a nice kit and obviously good enough and cheap enough that I keep revisisting it!.

This paint gives good coverage with a truly silver finish. You need to remember to mix the paint thoroughly before application. If you mix too little you will find that your paintwork is patchy – but a second (or third) coat will do the trick.

Very nice finish. always an idea to give a coating of silver to the supposed metallic items. Let it dry then colour as normal. By rubbing off a little colour so the silver shows through gives a very good finish.

Another great TAMIYA kit, anti aircraft 20 mm. No Crew, highly detailed, full trailer mod or fully deployed. Elevation and windage movement, this was used in all battle fronts. I would rate this as more challenging because of the small parts, which add so much detail.

My new model of a Challenger Tank is superb, loads of detail and complex, can’t wait to start building it. Service was excellent and delivered on the time stated from Wonderland.

Amazing detail and every part fits as with most Tamiya kits. The kit can be build as either a desert version from Desert Storm or a European NATO version. Highly recommended

The model has excellent detail, and is a lot larger than other 1:35 scale tanks. Definitely looks great painted in a desert scheme!

In a market overflowing with current and out of production kits covering nearly all the 109 variants, this is arguably the best in 48th scale, even better than Eduards beauties. The casting quality is second to none and the detail impressive.

Surface markings are crisp and subtle. Instructions come with a brief history of the aircraft which I think all kits should have. Lots of aftermarket parts are available especially from Eduard, which I think shows their high regard for this kit.

Recommended for at least intermediate level builders. Instructions are clear and concise, but there are a lot of small intricate peices to fit together. You need some decent paints, panel washes etc to make this model really shine.

Another almost shake and bake from Tamiya. Good cockpit detail, fuselage and wing fit. Otherwise very good detail over all, which is what you get from Tamiya. BUT the engine SUCKS, where is the detail.

The wiring and piping is missing. Not good! I am going to see og I can fit the Eduard bf 109g6 engine in it.

Once again Tamiya put out a great kit, that mixes an older kit with lots of newer parts. The basic kit is Tamiya s older faithful m113. The addition of newly molded parts trees, allow modelers to build a realistic armored calvary version.

Included are nice armored gun shields for the 50cal heavy machine gun and 2 m60 machine guns. Lots of spare parts to make this model come to life. The figures are well modeled and are in good action poses.

The kit goes together very well. Decals are for us army in Vietnam and a modern US army unit in Bosnia. Happy modeling !!.

VERY ENTERTAINING TO BUILD. VERY DETAILED PARTS. YOU HAVE TO BE SLOW IN BUILDING AND PAINTING BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED SPACE BETWEEN SOME PARTS. LIKE IT.

Hard to find item for an incomplete model I was building. The model is now finished after 27 years.

I was concerned that the kit would be a bit basic, especially seeing as there is a new tamiya panzer II kit for more than twice the price of this one. But reviews were good for this kit so I took a punt and was totally satisfied with the kit.

Quick delivery. Great little kit. Plenty of detail and texture. Easy to put together, mostly good fits but a bit of filler on the turret helped. The tracks are a bit simple but apart from that I can’t fault the detail.

Paint instructions with the kit are only in Japanese, which was a hurdle, but found plenty of painting tips online. Turned out great after paint and weathering. Sits comfortably alongside far more expensive kits.

I bought this to get me back into armour model making. A simple build with everything fitting well. A few parts needed the flash cleaning from them. I used photos of a real Panzer II at Bovington to help me get things right.

The figures that come with it are a great extra for the price. A little challenging to paint as research is needed for the right colours to use. Some people buying this kit from other retailers have complained of the decals and even instructions being “censored”.

None of that here I’m glad to say. I’m very happy with my kit.

As always a fast delivery! The kit(s) are a classic Tamiya offering and superb value for the price; simple build with great detail, rubber tracks, and no less than 5 different units/colour scheme options featuring either the Ausf.

F or Ausf. G variant of the PzII and 5 figures (Tank Commander and four Afrika Korps infantry). The tank also has scope to be motorised, but parts and instructions for this aren’t included. This could be considered a great starter kit for those venturing into building armour and military figures for the first time, a quick build for the experienced builder, or ideal for someone that wants to experiment with new painting/weathering/detailing techniques without fear of breaking the bank or ruining an expensive kit should disaster strike.

I enjoyed putting this one together so much that I ordered another 4 of the same kit so I can complete one of each option offered.

Tamiya has outdone themselves with the issue of the Mk.IXc Spitfire. Beautiful molding, terrific detail. Be forewarned; it’s a very complicated kit that will take some time to complete properly.

Those who, like me, used to build Airfix models in years gone by will be impressed by the quality and precision fit of this Tamiya offering. I shall be taking my time to get it just right.

Every review of the Tamiya 1/32 scale Spitfire kit that I have read rates it as the best aeroplane model kit ever produced and it’s impossible (for me) to disagree. The quality and accuracy of the mouldings is superb and everything slots together perfectly – some parts barely need glue, they fit so well – and everything has locating pins or shaped bars that make it impossible to assemble the wrong way around.

That’s not to say that a child could throw it together – it does need some modelling skills and it’s very satisfying to build. I hope I can do it justice.

It’s an old kit, but for the price it’s my goto for a kit of this gun. Dragon and Zvezda do more modern better detailed kits, but I still like Tamiya’s one, mainly because it’s cheap and I’m cheap. It’s easy to build and detail is good to my eye.

The figures are usable if you replace the heads and equipment. I used mine as a mount on an Sd. Kfz. 10 halftrack leaving off the wheels. In summary, a Tamiya oldie but goodie.

Not sure how old the moulds are, (70s?), But this little kit is showing its age now! Not a lot of flash, but heavy mould lines that need a little cars to remove, pin marks, raised and sunken, on the gun shield.

I stuck a disc of sandpaper to a green garden cane to get to these. a huge plus, for me, is that Tamiya thoughtfully supply the mounting to fit the gun to a halftarck! a nice touch -comes with a regular barrel and one with what Tamiya call a sticky bomb, (looks like a rocket to me!), moulded on.

It’s a shame they don’t supply a reload, also comes with a 3 man gun team, several ammo boxes and some rounds both whole and fired. All ready for a diorama. Put a little work in and you have a nice, CHEAP early war AT gun.

Recommend.

With this kit you can expect the usual high Tamiya quality. The parts are well-formed and rich in detail. The figures are finely textured and require little preparation for painting. The artillery parts are crisply molded.

The finished product will make a nice feature for a diorama or will look equally impressive sitting on a shelf. The discriminating modeler will always find working with Tamiya model kits pleasurable and gratifying.

Great model. very nice attention to detail. lots of accessories. Now, if only my painting skills were a match for the quality of the product 🙁

Typical Tamiya kit, good fit, builds easily very satisfying. Fascinating history behind the group who served behind enemy lines in WW2.

Excellent reproduction of the famed car used by the British LRDG in WW II.

Excellent kit, I already have another one. The King George V is depicted in its post-refit configuration towards the end of the Second World War. It is well detailed, with one significant exception: The boat crane jibs amidships are solid mouldings with moulded representation of the metal framework on the outside faces.

This is not good, they look crude, and you really have to get the specialist PE versions and replace them, which is a shame, because even the much smaller 1/600 scale Airfix model managed a decent plastic moulding of the open framework of the jibs.

Another issue (my fault this time!) is that I bought this kit to make a model of another of the five KGV class battleships, HMS Anson, in her 1942 configuration. I should have bought the Tamiya HMS Prince of Wales, which has the earlier configuration of the class but was sunk before her four surviving sister-ships were all refitted later in the war.

Having not modelled for many years, I picked up this kit of King George V to get some practice in before trying my hand at some scratchbuilding. First ship I’ve ever built but found it very good. Instructions were clear (make sure you take time to read the detail otherwise you may miss some important steps on what to glue together first), the sprues were well marked to ID parts, and apart from fettling away the dross from where the parts joined the sprues, the parts required very little work to achieve a nice fit.

At this scale many parts are small and fiddly, so tweezers are recommend to help manhandle parts. I used the extra thin liquid cement to join all the parts, which was also great for running into seams after parts were mated due to the capillary action sucking the liquid in.

The fully assembled kit looks very nice. Be careful when handling it as the masts are quite thin and will snap if bent too much.

A kit that I initially thought would be complex and time consuming, but in reality was not too difficult but mixed with just the right amount of in depth parts. The overall end product is a well refined and extremely well constructed kit which went together perfectly, with no limitations or reasons to be dismayed.

A highly recommended kit for anyone!.

This was by far the quickest I’ve built a model, not only due to the aircraft’s small frame but how well the pieces went together. None of this wasting time with filling and sanding etc. Only fitting issue was when the forward fuselage meets the mid section along the top behind the canopy, there is a slight step as I had to sacrifice either the spine or the LEX to have a gap while glue dried.

As I leaned prior to building, make sure you follow the steps as per instructions or parts won’t fit further down the track. (I still tested this theory with skipping the landing gear to last and failed having to cut parts to fit things later, silly me).

I’m not new to Tamiya products but I am to their kits, and this one is a winner by a long shot. Long live Tamiya, and long live the Viper!!! :D.

The model did not have the screws and posts so I ordered them. They are not required but I also received an extra canopy even though there were two in the model kit. I have used the screws and posts and expect them to hold the vertical stabilizer in place.

Also allowed me to experiment with the canopies on removing the line across the top. I found on the clear canopy,.

Another fantastic kit from Tamiya. Great wealth of detail. It makes three beautiful versions. Comes with an interesting set of armaments. They can buy without fear of being happy. A show!

A really satisfying kit to build. Well moulded parts which fit together accurately with a high level of detail, including under the bonnet where a detailed engine is included. Options included to create a variety of different jeep types with tow triangle, mounted machine gun and wire cutter.

Although there may be more accurate or highly detailed models of the legendary jeep, this Tamiya kit more than holds its own, despite being first released as long ago as 1997. Far easier to build than the Bronco example, it’s only really the recent Takom version which has surpassed it.

However this will still build quickly into a very satisfying model of the little go anywhere, do anything, Jeep, and for a fraction of the cost of its more modern counterparts. Probably the only notable omissions are the bonnet/windscreen “T” latches which can be added from wire, plastic rod or spares from a Takom kit.

Highly recommended.

Seems a bit expensive for a Jeep but the quality of the kit makes it worth the cash. The parts are very well moulded and unlike many other kits the basic body section is one piece and everything adds into this so no wonky misalignment of the chassis or wheels.

The driver figure is well moulded and overall the kit builds up to a fine model for a diorama or just stand alone. 5 paint & decal options are included so lots of scope for my imagination.

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II was inspired by the P-47. I did this kit in the mid 90s and its still a good kit. It mite be worth looking at a dress up kit for the cockpit to update it for todays standards.

The P-47 Will be the next aircarft I do think.

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE American fighter plane. Sorry we stopped building them. The model is incredibly detailed & accurate. HIGHLY recommended for any military fan!

I bought this to overcome the boredom of the lockdown, with not building a model in over 20 years I really enjoyed it & I will be definitely buying another It has taken me about 25 hours in total, there are some tricky parts but if it was easy it wouldnt be much fun I would definitely recommend,it has very good detail & quite in depth Build quality is good as well 10/10.

So far I’ve opened the box and scanned the instructions (personal use only)- already 2 hours of entertainment as I spun my mind around the various options and features of the cleanly moulded sprues. And, made the connection between the kit and kit-car.

The vehicle could be bought in sub-assemblies and assembled at home- like the kit which ably represents what you might find in a garage. 24 times as big. This is a re-release of the kit which now includes a photo-etch sheet and 4 delightful turned aluminum carb intakes- very simple additions which will add to the overall effect.

Models of modern sports vehicles are way more enclosed (and many are curbside style) but this open roadster needs finishing inside and out- again simple systems and parts breakdown will make great fun.

It’s a lifer so it won’t be anytime soon before it’s finished- I’ll keep you posted. hoping to cut plastic in early September.

A very good Tamiya kit that cries out for kitbashing. Handy source for dogs dish hubcaps for other smaller cars. Good rendition of a Lotus engine with Webers. Made a few of these

Excellent product from Tamiya. The moldind is perfect. Nice engine for a small car. Photo etched will add perfect details on this beautiful car.

Tamiya have produced a first class model of the M18 Hellcat tank destroyer,it appears to be very accurate in all directions which other kit manufacturers have failed to do with there release’s of the M18 Hellcats.

If there is a better engineered 1/35 scale AFV than the new Hellcat I have not seen it. Fantastic kit.

I haven’t started the model as of yet. I am still doing some research. The kit does come with an information card with a little history on the vehicle. I have found it helpful. The parts have great detail and are well molded with little or no flash.

The only down side l would say is that the front tire is molded in plastic. A vinyl or rubber tire would have been better.

Its a new twist on a old kit. Im so happy that tamiya redone this one. Everything looks great just a great model. Tamiya always delivers on that. Quick build but its worth it. Great details. The men are greatly detailed.

It will make my diorama complete now.

It’s a great little very detailed. easy to put together with very little sanding. Yes I would recommend it.