Plastic Model Car Kits

What a plastic model car kit is

A plastic model car kit is a scale replica of a car, truck or motorcycle that comes as parts on plastic frames, called runners. You cut the parts free, glue them together with plastic cement, paint them and add decals, the printed markings you slide onto the finished paint. The box holds the parts, the manual and usually the decal sheet. The cement and paint are usually separate.

A typical car kit has a body shell, a chassis, wheels and tires, an interior tub and often an engine. Many have clear parts for the windows and chrome-plated parts for bumpers and trim.

This page covers 304 kits on Amazon US from 18 makers. The biggest groups are MPC with 43, AMT with 42, Revell with 36 and Aoshima with 34. Tamiya and Fujimi list 26 each, Hasegawa 21, Moebius Models 20, Atlantis 17 and Italeri 16. The rest come from Polar Lights, Meng, Monogram, Testors, MiniArt, Airfix, Zvezda and Academy.

How this table is sorted

The rule is highest stated skill level first. 103 of the 304 kits state a skill level in our data, so those lead the table. The other 201 follow in the data's order. A blank in the table means the listing didn't say, not that the kit is easy.

Pick the scale for the shelf you have

Scale tells you how much smaller the model is than the real thing. Revell names 1:24 and 1:25 as the standard scales for cars and trucks. At 1:24, 1 cm on the model stands for 24 cm of the real vehicle.

Here's how the 295 kits with a stated scale split:

• 1:24: 137 kits
• 1:25: 133 kits
• 1:12: 11 kits, including big cars and motorcycles
• 1:32: 8 kits
• 1:20: 3 kits, all race cars
• 1:16: 2 kits, both funny cars from Atlantis
• 1:35: 1 kit, a Zvezda Soviet GAZ car

1:24 and 1:25 differ by one, and on a shelf that one shows. The same car at 1:24 is about 4% longer than at 1:25, since 25 divided by 24 is about 1.04. On a model around 7.5 in long, that's about a third of an inch. Mix them in one row and the eye catches it before the ruler does.

41 kits list a finished length. Most land between 6 and 9 in. The longest are the Italeri 1:12 Bugatti Type 35B kits at 12 and 11.8 in and the AMT Western Star 4964 tractor at 13 in. A 1:12 car is a centerpiece, not a row.

Read the skill level on the maker's own chart

A skill level is the maker's estimate of how hard a kit is. The problem is that makers don't share a chart.

Revell's runs 1 to 5. Level 1 needs no glue or paint. Level 2 is simple kits of up to 30 parts. Level 3 goes up to 100 parts and needs gluing and painting. Level 4 is for experienced builders, up to 150 parts. Level 5 is several hundred parts and fine detail.

Here's what the table holds:

• Level 5: 11 kits, mostly Revell
• Level 4: 23 kits, all Revell
• Level 3: 13 kits, from Revell, Moebius Models, Italeri, Atlantis, AMT, Fujimi and Meng
• Level 2: 52 kits, mostly MPC and AMT, plus Polar Lights and a few others
• Level 1: 3 kits, two from Testors and one AMT snap kit
• Snap: 1 kit, a Polar Lights Gulf 2006 Ford GT

Now the catch. AMT and MPC put most of their kits at level 2, and the AMT 1966 Chevy Nova Pro Street page from Round2, the company that sells AMT, lists level 2 with over 110 parts, glue assembly and paint required. On Revell's chart, 110 parts is level 4 territory. So a level 2 from one maker and a level 4 from another can be close in size. Two makers, two rulers. Compare levels within one maker's line, and read the piece count next to the level when the listing gives it.

Piece count, age and what's in the box

Piece count

82 kits state a piece count. They run from 10 pieces on the Testors prepainted metal kit to 302 on the Revell 1:25 Peterbilt 359. 69 of the 82 fall between 60 and 200, and the middle of the list sits near 108. A higher count means more steps. It doesn't mean a better model, only a longer build.

Age on the listing

82 kits state an age. 29 say 10+, 18 say 12+, 7 say 13+, 23 say 14+ and 4 say 15+. The youngest is the Testors prepainted metal kit at 8+. Kits with cement, paint and blades need an adult nearby for younger builders, whatever the box says.

Paint, glue and decals

Of the 157 kits with a stated answer, 150 say paint and glue are required and not included. Three include them: the Revell 1:32 VW Beetle and VW California Dune Buggy sets, and the Airfix Starter Set Bugatti Chiron at 1:43. Four need neither. They're pre-colored or snap kits, such as the Polar Lights 1966 TV Batmobile (Snap) and Herbie Volks Beetle (Snap). 95 kits say decals are included.

Build options

16 kits let you build one of two or three versions from the same box. Eleven say 2-in-1. Two AMT kits say 3-in-1, the 1955 Chevy Nomad and the 1957 Ford Fairlane Hardtop. Others offer stock or race, stock, custom or competition, or wide-body racer or stock. Decide the version before you glue the first part. Most choices close off the other one.

Kinds of car kits in this table

Muscle cars, hot rods and drag cars

By subject tag, 33 kits are muscle cars and 20 are drag-racing builds. The muscle cars come mostly from AMT, MPC and Revell, and 24 of the 33 are 1:25. The drag cars lean toward Atlantis, MPC and Moebius Models.

Japanese makers: Aoshima, Tamiya, Fujimi and Hasegawa

These four account for 107 kits, mostly 1:24 cars. Seven Aoshima kits carry the Initial D line, per their listings, and Fujimi and Tamiya both list 1:20 race cars. Our data doesn't record a skill level for any of these four makers, so judge the build from the box and the parts list.

Trucks, wagons and tow trucks

20 kits are pickups, 3 are station wagons and 2 are tow trucks, by vehicle type. The AMT Western Star 4964 tractor is a big-rig cab at 1:25.

Motorcycles

7 kits are motorcycles: 1:12 Honda and Suzuki bikes from Aoshima, Fujimi, Hasegawa and Tamiya, plus two 1:9 BMW kits from Meng. Lucho read the parts list of a 1:12 bike kit over my shoulder and said it had more small parts than the last carburetor he rebuilt. He said it as a compliment.

TV and movie cars

About a dozen kits are cars from TV shows and movies, named on each listing as its licensed line. They build like any other kit at the same scale and level.

Diecast and metal kits

A diecast car usually means one that comes finished, and those aren't on this page. Two Testors kits here have metal bodies, per their titles: the prepainted metal car model kit and a 1/24 tandem car trailer.

How to build a model car, step by step

1. Read the manual first. All of it. Note which parts get painted before assembly.
2. Prime. Tamiya's guide says primer covers small flaws and comes in tones to suit the top coat.
3. Cut and clean parts. Side cutters for the runner, a hobby knife and sanding sticks for the nub. Tamiya's guide says to replace blades once they dull.
4. Paint in big pieces. Body, chassis and interior tub get their color before they meet. Tamiya's guide lists spray cans for large areas and says lacquer shouldn't go over acrylic or enamel.
5. Glue with the right cement. Tamiya lists a separate cement for clear and plated parts. Use it on windows and chrome.
6. Apply decals. Follow the decal steps in the manual. Kit decals are usually water-slide, as the name says: a dip in water lets them slide off the backing. Tamiya's guide suggests tweezers and its Mark Fit solution to help them conform to curves.
7. Finish. A clear coat and, for a gloss car, polishing compound. Tamiya lists both.

A painted body is a dust magnet. Mine dry under an upturned clear food container. It isn't elegant. It works.

Safety at the bench

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

Airbrush, solvents, cement: 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 says to increase ventilation and follow label directions when you use them.

Small parts: Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3.

Who should skip a glue-and-paint car kit

Skip a level 4 or 5 kit for a first build. Start low on the maker's chart, or with one of the kits that includes paint and glue. Skip glue kits entirely if you can't work near an open window. A snap or pre-colored kit is the better start there. And if you want a car that's ready to display on day one, a kit isn't it.

For harder builds, the model car kits for adults list keeps only kits at skill level 3 or higher. For spray painting, see airbrush kits.

Pick a scale, then a car. Then clear the bench before you cut the first part.