Eduard vs Blue Max WWI kits?

For those of you in the know how do Eduard WWI kits stack up against Blue Max in terms of overall quality? Jim

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Blue Max kits aren't even in the same ballpark, same league, same sport. Although the earlier issue of Eduard kits could be rough builds, they are excellent in comparison to Blue Max' efforts.
Current Eduard is just plain gorgeous.
--- Tontoni

I would definitely agree. I have 4-5 Blue Max kits in my stash in the storage locker but, in all honesty they will probably never get built. They're buildable, but the level of effort required makes them not desirable to me, particularly when other companies like Roden and the afore mentioned Eduard are putting out beautifully molded and engineered kits that go together well and don't require as much "pain and suffering" to get them to an acceptable finished model. That's just my thoughts.

True, but where are the Eduard Dolphin and Snipe? Blue Max is for the kits that aren't going to be kitted for a decade by Eduard--their latest is the SE 5, so it'll be at least that long for the Dolphin.

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And when well we see a Salmson too? Yes, kudo's to Blue Max for selection, but one could say the same about Merlin Models or even Meikraft. Cool subjects, but poorly executed.
That and I forgot to mention that your average Blue Max kit is nearly double the price of Eduard stuff, while it's not nearly as nice. And there's nothing to stop anyone from putting extra detailing etc into the Eduard kit either.
--- Tontoni

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I've got a Merlin Salmson if you've never seen one; you'll never mention Merlin and Blue Max in the same sentence again. The Blue Max kits I have are well-molded and accurate. They take about as much extra work as a well molded resin kit, and a lot less than a vacform kit. Instructions are clear and accurate, as are the decals. If you don't agree, you can always wait for the Eduard Berg. Good luck.

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Yeah, that's my point exactly.. I wish that Eduard would come out with some more interesting WWI stuff than they have. They've left two-seaters out of their line, but for a select few.
Personally, I won't touch Blue Max with a ten-foot pole; very overpriced, and just not that good in regards to mold quality, metal casting etc. Merlin is just spooky...
Eduard, on the other hand, gets better with each kit. If Tamiya ever released a WWI subject, this is what it would be like.
--- Tontoni

I couldn't agree more. I am building an Eduard Sopwith Camel right now and it is every bit as quality a kit as Hasegawa or Tamiya.
The Merlin Salmson on the other hand is probably one of the worst if the worst kit ever produced. It is worse than some Vac kits I have built.
I have removed the aft end of my Camel's fuselage and am rebuilding its structure in Evergreen strip stock. I will have it at the IPMS Nationals in KC.
Mike West/Lone Star Models

Mike West wrote:
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Merlin kits! So called because you have to be a wizard to build one!
                        Bill Shuey

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hain't never seen nun. worse than starfix, even?

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 06:47:07 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@some.domain (e) wrote:
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Yes, worse...

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 07:33:19 +0000, Al Superczynski wrote:
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How about as compared to Veeday?

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damn, worse than starfix....

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:20:49 GMT, Greg Heilers
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Veeday kits were, for the most part, buildable.

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Get 'em when Squadron has a sale.
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Again, it's the Blue Max Something as opposed to the Eduard Nothing. How many Camels can you build?

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Seems we disagree Tom, which is fine. I prefer an Eduard ANYTHING to a Blue Max Something. The difference in quality is that dramatic. But Tom, if you're having fun, that's all that matters. Good on ya.
--- Tontoni

On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 07:17:47 +0000, jimbol51 wrote:
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It's really a case of "apples vs oranges"; as it would be unfair to compare the two. They are pretty much targeted to different segments of the model-builders' market. Eduard is for those who like to build kits pretty much "out-of-the-box" or with little "extras" required. Blue max kits are rough "templates"; intended for those who understand that a lot of extra work will be required to achieve self-satisfaction with the finished product. Neither is "better" than the other...as it all depends on your expectations going into them.

I tend to agree with Greg , Blue Max are targeted at the modeller who enjoys a bit of scratch building , both are good kits but it is up to the individual to make a choice of what type of modelling you prefer and enjoy, Blue Max I think have been trying to fill the holes in he subject matter re WW1 but when an Edward or Roden come out of the same subject that is most likely the way to go. To build a Blue Max kit I would think would extend your modelling skills a fair bit so you should also consider that point, regards JimboD AUS
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I have built several of the Blue Max kits, they are great looking when finished and require a lot more work to assemble correctly. The high price is due to the short run limited edition molding, all kits are limited to 1500 produced. The molded surface detail is usually great, but the large sprues require extra work to clean up and get the parts to fit together correctly. You are correct that the Eduard Camel kits are better - I recently sold the Blue Max Camel, SE5, DH2 and Nieuport 28 on Ebay, and purchased the Roden and Eduard kits instead. But the built up Blue Max Nieuport 11, Junkers D.1, SPAD VII and Albatros D.III OEF are important parts of my model collection. Also who else has a Vickers Gunbus in 1/48 scale? Dave Calhoun
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Blue