Meng Model Kits: Lineup by Series, Scale and Subject

What Meng makes

Meng makes plastic model kits across most of the hobby's main subjects. In the grid, our data holds 34 Meng listings:

• Military vehicles and figures: 1/35 tanks, cars and equipment, plus a 1/72 tank
• Aircraft: 1/48 jets, a 1:24 triplane and cartoon-style planes
• Ships: a 1:700 Titanic and the Warship Builder series
• Motorcycles: two 1/9 kits
• Race and road cars: 1:12 and 1:24 kits

Six listings state ages 14+. Most don't state an age in our data.

Scale tells you how much smaller the model is than the real thing. At 1/35, one inch on the model stands for 35 inches on the real vehicle. Several Meng series have no stated scale at all. They're stylized kits, built to a shape rather than a ratio.

Meng model kits by series code

Most Meng titles carry a short code before the number, such as LS-012 or VS-018. The codes group the kits in a way the grid's columns can't. Here's what each code goes with in our data. These groupings come from the titles, not from a maker's chart.

LS: 1/48 aircraft

• LS-007: F-35A Lightning II, 1:48
• LS-012: F/A-18E Super Hornet, 1/48
• LS-017: Douglas F-4E Phantom II, 1/48

A 1/48 EA-18G Growler is listed without a code in its title. At 1/48, a modern fighter is a desk-sized model, and the cockpit is big enough to paint with a fine brush.

VS: 1/35 vehicles

• VS-011: MB military vehicle, 1/35
• VS-018: German Pkw.K1 Kubelwagen Type 155 half-track, 1/35

Other 1/35 Meng kits in the grid don't carry a VS code in the title: the Mk.A Whippet British medium tank, the D9R armoured bulldozer and the modern US military individual load carrying equipment set. The German Krupp A7V tank lists no scale in its title.

HS: figures

• HS-002: IDF tank crew figure set, 1/35

A crew set adds people to a vehicle. The load carrying equipment set does the same for gear, with packs and pouches at 1/35, the smallest luggage anyone in the garage owns.

72-: the 1/72 tank

• 72-007: Russian main battle tank T-72B3M, 1/72

This is the one 1/72 Meng kit in the grid. It won't sit at the same size as the 1/35 vehicles. 72 divided by 35 is about 2.06, so it's about half the length of the same tank at 1/35.

MT: 1/9 motorcycles

• MT-003S: R NineT, pre-colored edition, 1/9, ages 14+, skill level 3, decals included
• MT-004: BMW HP4 Race, 1:9, ages 14+

1/9 is a big scale for a motorcycle. A motorcycle kit this size is mostly frame, engine and wheels, and each of those is a small project on its own.

Lucho read the R NineT listing over my shoulder and gave the shop version. "Colored plastic is the factory paint. You still bolt the bike together. Same as a crate bike at work." I left out the part where he offered to help. My bench has one chair.

RS: 1:12 race cars

• RS-003: Ford GT40 Mk II '66 Champ, pre-color, 1:12
• RS004: Sprue Brothers McLaren MP4/4 1988, 1:12, ages 14+, listed as F1

A 1:12 race car is twice the length of the same car at 1:24. Our data doesn't list finished lengths for these two, so check the box before you plan the shelf.

CS and the other 1/24 cars

• CS-005: BMW Z4 M40i, 1:24, ages 14+
• Audi R8 LMS GT3 2019: 1/24, a race car, no code in the title

These are the Meng kits that sit on a standard 1:24 car shelf next to other makers' cars.

QS: the 1:24 triplane

• QS003: Fokker Dr.I triplane, 1:24, paint and glue required, not included

1:24 is large for a WWI aircraft. Three wings means three sets of parts that have to line up, so read the instructions all the way through before the first cut.

PS: the 1:700 Titanic

• PS-008: R.M.S. Titanic, 1:700, ages 14+

At 1:700, one inch on the model stands for about 58 feet of real ship. Our data doesn't list the model's length.

The series without a stated scale

Three Meng series in the grid don't state a scale in their titles: Warship Builder, World War Toons and mPLANE. Two titles say cartoon outright, the J20 and one Titanic. These kits are built to a stylized shape, not to a ratio.

Warship Builder (WB)

• WB-002: Scharnhorst, listed twice under two codes
• WB-003: U-Boat Type VII
• WB-006: Harbor in the Industrial Age, listed twice, one listing ages 14+
• WB-008: PLA Navy carrier Shandong

Two listings, one name, two codes. I compare them the way I compare two deeds for the same lot: same description, then check what's different in the fine print. Read both listings' contents before you pick one.

World War Toons (WWT)

• WWT-011: German light tank Panzer 38(t)
• WWT-012: US light tank M5 Stuart
• WWT-017: British infantry tank Churchill

mPLANE and MOE

• mPLANE-001: B-17G Flying Fortress
• mPLANE-005s: PLAAF J20 fighter, cartoon model
• mPLANE-006: US B-24 heavy bomber
• MOE-001: Royal Mail Ship Titanic, cartoon style

So the grid holds two Titanics: one at 1:700 and one cartoon style. Same ship, two very different shelves.

The Me 163B Komet is listed without a code or a scale in our data. Read its listing for both.

Pre-colored doesn't always mean paint-free

My one opinion on this page: read a kit's edition word and its paint line together, and trust the paint line. Two Meng titles say pre-colored or pre-color, the R NineT and the GT40. The R NineT listing also says paint and glue are required and not included.

Pre-colored plastic is a head start. Parts come molded in the right colors, so a build can look finished sooner. But a motorcycle has an engine, chrome-look parts and small details that the instructions may still ask you to paint. The listing is the record. If it says paint is required, buy the paint.

How to pick a Meng kit

Here's the order I'd use with the grid:

1. Pick the subject. Vehicle, aircraft, ship, motorcycle or car.
2. Read the code and the scale. It tells you which shelf the model joins.
3. Check the stated age. Six listings state 14+.
4. Check the paint line. Only two state it in our data, both required.
5. Decide between scale and stylized. A scale kit matches other kits on a shelf. A stylized kit doesn't try to.

By experience

• First glue kit: a 1/24 car like the BMW Z4 M40i, after a look at its manual preview
• Some kits behind you: a 1/35 vehicle or a 1/48 jet
• Several kits behind you: a 1/9 motorcycle or a 1:12 race car

Our data has a stated skill level for one Meng kit, the R NineT, at level 3. For the others, look at the instructions preview on the listing. A long manual tells you more than a box photo.

By space

1/9 and 1:12 kits need a bench for the build and a shelf of their own after. 1/48 jets need wingspan room. Our data doesn't list sizes for the Warship Builder, World War Toons or mPLANE kits, so check each box.

What the big kits ask of you

The 1/9 motorcycles and the 1:12 race cars are the largest Meng kits in the grid. Big scale changes the build in three ways.

First, the parts count tends to climb, because a bigger model has room for more separate pieces. Our data doesn't list piece counts for these kits, so read the instructions preview to see how many steps there are.

Second, the finish shows more. A seam line that disappears on a 1/48 jet is easy to see on a 1:12 body panel. Sanding sticks, a little patience and good light earn their place on the bench.

Third, the build takes longer to put away. A half-built 1/9 frame can't go back in the box every night. Plan a corner of the bench where it can sit for a few weeks without anyone setting coffee on it.

None of that is a reason to skip a big kit. It's a reason to start one when the bench is clear.

Plan the shelf before the build

A finished model needs a home. Before you choose, picture where it goes:

• 1/35 vehicles: a row, at matching scale
• 1/48 jets: a deeper shelf, for the wingspan
• 1:24 cars: a standard car row, next to other makers' 1:24 cars
• 1:12 and 1/9: a shelf section of their own
• Stylized series: wherever they make you smile; they don't need to match

Mixing scales in one row is allowed. It just reads like one sentence set in three different fonts.

Where Meng fits next to other makers

For 1/35 military vehicles, MiniArt and Tamiya build at the same scale, so the vehicles can share a shelf. For 1:24 and 1:12 cars, the model car kits page lists Meng next to other makers, and best model car kits for adults sorts the more involved car builds. Painting a big motorcycle or a car body evenly is airbrush work, covered on airbrush kits. The model kits section page has the bench list.

Safety at the bench

Hobby knives and tools: Cut away from your body on a cutting mat, and keep blades away from kids.

Cement and paint: Work with good ventilation and follow the paint or cement maker's label for masks and gloves. The EPA lists paints, solvents and hobby supplies among household sources of volatile organic compounds and advises more ventilation and following label precautions.

Find the code in the title first. The scale and the shelf follow from it.