Motorcycle kit for novice

i reccomend the honda 305 superhawk kit. i think revell.

1. it's a classic and beautiful kit when finished.
2. it's a great forst model that isn't too hard yet can be superdetailed or looks great oob.
3. it's a good value and doesn't rquire a lots of paints or tools.
4. i like it!

1. The best motorcycle kits, in my opinion, are made by Tamiya. They fit extremely well, with little or no flash that will need to be trimmed. In that sense, they are "easier" than others.
2. Most Tamiya kits are made such that they can be assembled without painting. Painting will, of course, improve the look of the model, but even a completely unpainted Tamiya motorcycle kit will look pretty good.
3. There are many Tamiya motorcycle kits in 1:12 scale, a much more reasonable scale in terms of size of the finished model and in level of detail. Personally, I prefer not to do the larger scale kits (1:6 or

1:9) simply because the larger scale, in my opinion, magnifies the scale of any screw up you make.

1. Tamiya has lots of "crotch rocket" kits. While some will run upwards of , many are in the low dollar range. A 50% off sale will allow him to get a kit for much less than .

I have absolutely no connection with Tamiya in any way, but I have built about a dozen of their 1:12 scale motorcycle kits and one 1:6 scale kit. I have also built one Revell/Monogram 1:9 scale motorcycle kit and much prefer the Tamiyas.

ok, but try that superhawk kit for a self treat.

A cheap and easy way to start motorcycle modeling is with the Airfix and Heller 1/24 scale racing bikes. These kits are really petty good for the price, around $7 US. The same bikes can appear in both Airfix and Heller boxes. The only drawback is that Airfix/Heller bike models are a little hard to find at the hobby shops.

Martin

Airfix/Heller did some racing bikes in (I think) 1:32 not so long ago that he may like.

I am mainly an aircraft modeller but I recently got the urge to build a motorcyle model. After a fair bit of looking and checking prices, I purchased a Aoshima Yamaha XJR400 kit on eBay. The Aoshima kit was much cheaper that Tamiya kits and it seems to be very good quality (at least to my in-experienced opinion). It would be possible to finish the kit without painting but I intend to paint most parts in the kit.

In summary, Aoshima kits may be a cheaper alternative to the best of breed Tamiya motorcycle kits.

Cheers Ultan

when i can take pics of that superhawk kit, you guys will see what even revell can do. it is such a damn fine kit i can't believe no one will try it!

In a somewhat larger scale, Protar models are in the same price range as the Heller/Airfox. That is, if you can find one...

Tamiya! Tamiya! Tamiya!

Yes, they are undisputably the best designed motorcycle kits out there. Fit is perfect and overall quality is excellent. That is a plus for a novice.

Parts count might be a bit high, but they are a pleasure to build. Motorcycle kits in 1:12 (or larger) scales are all fairly complex. If they weren't, they would look like toys (not models).

My personal favorite is Tamiya 1:6 Harley Fat Boy. Too bad it isn't made anymore. That is one awesome motorcycle kit! The fact that it earned me an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan wasn't bad either.... :-)

Peteski

Don't project too far! I have seen no indication that "no one will try" the kit you suggested.

"Peter W." wrote in news:1156227793.943509.175830 @i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

I totally agree,

Although Tamiya's can be a bit on the pricy side, some can be obtained from a sale or on discount. They are far superior to other marques. This superiority in fit, and therefore ease of building, will ensure lots of pleasure for the first-time-builder.

If you would build a more "exotic" one like a Revell kit, chances are the fit will not be that good and your friend will be put off from the start.

My opinion.

Cheers,

Dennis Loep.

I've built that 1/8 Revell. It was a royal PITA. I would definitely NOT recommend it for a beginner. For a similar size (1/9) and age (older) bike, I WOULD recommend one of the old Minicraft/Otaki/whomever bikes like the '40s BMW, Z=FCndapp, or Triumph. These came in both military (plentiful) and civilian (rare) versions, but they are an easy build and don't necessarily require much painting to turn out nicely.

For a sport bike, I'm more at a loss, but I know that Tamiya and Aoshima both make excellent kits in general and their bikes should be no different. They are also easily available anywhere any time. For the others I mentioned, you need to haunt ebay for awhile to find one at a reasonable price.

There were some Airfix-boxed bikes (Protar?) around 1/12 scale that included a pretty decent BMW R100RS that I built many years ago. Unfortunately, it was molded in a pukey green. Mine is painted in their 'airbrush fade' scheme of red metallic with black edging - but it isn't a bad build.

I once did my damndest to build a Lindberg BMW kit (1/20?) that was an abomination. I had to soak the junk tires in boiling water to get them to soften up enough to get onto the wheels. And then, one separated at its seam, requiring me to glue/pin/staple it together and hide the joint under a fork leg.

One more thing I might mention is the Gunze Sangyo bikes. IF you can find one and IF it seems affordable, think about the (used) Indian kit I have. Inside is a separate sheet for instructing the builder on how to *lace the wheels*. On it, written in obvious frustration by the original owner/attempted builder, is: "This won't work!"

-- C=2ER. Krieger (Been there; built that)

are we talking the same bike? the 1960's honda 305 superhawk? the one i built was easy and fun.

I'm sure we are. Maybe it was because I was kind of in a hurry to get it built on a deadline and I was working with wet paint. Maybe it was that all those tiny little line locators would either dissolve from the glue or break off. Maybe it was routing the lines. I didn't appreciate the cheap crappy chrome that came off if you happened to tape over it to mask the front forks or rear shocks to paint them properly, either. Whatever, I found it tedious and somewhat frustrating to get it right. Besides, that sucker is so out of production, it'll cost you far too much to get one these days.

-- C.R. Krieger Been there; built that

wow, not my expirience at all, except the chrome was indeed crappy. i foiled my last one and will also on my next. oop? i don't think so . hobbytoen in vegas has several for around $30 each. i bought 3 and may buy 2 more. i guess we have very different skills. mine is not so good, so i took time to do it with my limited talent. perhaps a skillful builder will find it frustrating.