Maybe our quality expectations these days are simply too high. I've started building older kits and adding very little to them. I'm currently working on the old Hasegawa 1/32 F6F, adding just a Verlinden cockpit set. I bought an old 1/32 Revell F4U on ebay the other day, again with a cockpit set but that's all. I'm truly enjoying the Hellcat build; not over-engineered by any means; reasonable parts count; decent fit. I expect the same of the Corsair, since I built that as a kid.
I've given up on high-priced kits. Trumpeter is the worst offender in my book because the quality of their kits generally doesn't justify the price (my opinion and experience of course). I want modelling to be fun again, and this is my path towards that end. To each his own, but I say to hell with $100+ masterpieces and go back to our childhood roots.
-- david