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Buying guides

Straight answers for military model fans: what to buy first, how the real machines differ from version to version, how to paint and finish them, and which models are worth your money. Written by the team behind the Statewide USA military history channel. See how we write our guides.

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Start here

New to the hobby? Tools, scales, brands and how to build your first kit.

How to Build Your First Plastic Model Kit: Tools, Glue and Paint

Everything a beginner needs to build a plastic military model kit: the six tools that matter, which glue to buy, how to prime and paint, and the…

Model Kit Scales Explained: 1/35, 1/48, 1/72, 1/350 and 1/700

What 1/35, 1/48, 1/72, 1/350 and 1/700 mean, how big each model actually ends up, and which scale to choose for tanks, aircraft and…

Model Kit Brands Explained: Tamiya, Revell, Trumpeter, COBI and More

Which model kit brand should you buy? What Tamiya, Revell, Trumpeter, Hobby Boss, Academy, Hasegawa, Italeri, COBI and Goat Guns are known for, and…

Model Kit Glossary: 75 Hobby Terms Explained, A to Z

Plain-English definitions of 75 scale modeling terms, from Ausf. and sprue to photo-etch, Zimmerit, link-and-length tracks, silvering, washes and…

Compare model types

Plastic kit, block set, die-cast, puzzle or RC: what each involves, what you need and who it suits.

Model Types Compared: Plastic Kits, Block Sets, Die-Cast and RC

Plastic kits, block sets, die-cast, 3D puzzles or RC? Compare build time, tools, skill, detail, durability and display size to pick the right…

Plastic Model Kit Difficulty: How to Tell How Hard a Kit Is

How hard is that model kit? Learn to judge difficulty from skill ratings, part count, scale, tracks, clear parts, photo-etch, decals and tooling…

Die-Cast and Metal Build Kits Explained: Guns, Cannons and More

What die-cast and metal build kits are: Goat Guns miniatures, Massimo Precision, Civil War cannon kits, tools, build time, finishes, display and safe…

Metal and Wood 3D Puzzle Kits: Piececool, ROKR, UGEARS

How Piececool metal sheet puzzles and laser-cut wood kits from ROKR, UGEARS and others work: tools, rubber-band mechanisms, safety, difficulty and…

Wooden Ship Model Kits for Beginners: What to Know First

Wooden ship kits explained: solid hull vs plank-on-frame, planking, rigging, tools, build time, and the story of HMS Victory, USS Constitution and…

RC Military Models Explained: Tanks, Planes, Helicopters, Ships

What you need for RC military tanks, planes, helicopters and ships: toy vs hobby grade, LiPo and NiMH safety, transmitters, IR vs BB tanks and FAA…

Military Models for Kids: Which Type Fits Which Age

Which military models suit kids aged 6-8, 8-11, 12-14 and 15+: block sets, snap kits, glued kits, RC and die-cast, with safety tips and how to build…

Tanks: history and kits

The real differences between tank versions, and which kit shows which one.

The Best WWII Tank Model Kits for Beginners

The WWII tank model kits that build cleanly and look great for a first or second build: Tiger I, Panther, Sherman, T-34 and more, plus what to know…

Tiger I: History, Production Versions and the Best Model Kits

How to tell an early, mid and late Tiger I apart, which Tamiya, Revell and block set kits show each version, plus the Tiger II, scale choice and…

M4 Sherman Variants Explained: Which Kit Is Which

M4, M4A1 or M4A3? 75 mm or 76 mm? Learn to identify Sherman variants, from the Easy Eight and British Firefly to Israeli Super Shermans, and the kit…

T-34 vs Panther: Eastern Front Rivals and Their Model Kits

T-34/76 or T-34-85? Panther Ausf. D, A or G? How to identify each version of the Eastern Front rivals, plus the Jagdpanther, and the right kit for…

M1 Abrams vs Leopard 1 and 2: Versions Explained and Model Kits

How to tell an M1 from an M1A1, M1A2 or SEP TUSK, and a Leopard 1 from a Leopard 2A4 or 2A6, with the right Tamiya, Revell, block set and RC models…

Aircraft: history and kits

Fighters, bombers and jets: how to tell the marks apart and the best kit of each.

The Best WWII Fighter Plane Model Kits

The best WWII fighter aircraft model kits in 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72: P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, Bf 109, Fw 190, Zero, Corsair and Thunderbolt, with tips…

P-51 Mustang: P-51B vs P-51D vs F-51D and the Kits to Build

How to tell a P-51B from a P-51D and a Korean War F-51D, which markings fit each, and which Mustang kits, block sets and RC planes show which…

Spitfire Marks Explained: Mk I, II, V, VIII and IX Model Kits

The Spitfire marks explained: how to spot a Mk I, II, V, VIII and IX, the correct RAF camouflage for each period, and which Spitfire kits depict each…

Zero vs Corsair: Pacific Air War Versions and Model Kits

The A6M Zero Model 21, 32, 22 and 52 and the F4U Corsair -1A, -1D and -4 explained: how to spot each, correct paint and markings, and kits for every…

F-14 Tomcat Model Kits: F-14A vs B vs D and the Top Gun Kits

F-14A vs F-14B vs F-14D explained, the Top Gun connection, which Tomcat kits and block sets show which version, and how to choose 1/72, 1/48 or 1/32…

B-17 and Lancaster: Heavy Bomber History and Model Kits

The B-17 Flying Fortress and Avro Lancaster: B-17F vs. B-17G, the Memphis Belle, the Dambusters raid, plus kits, block sets and how big each scale…

Warships: history and kits

Battleships and carriers, their careers, and how to choose a ship kit.

The Best Warship Model Kits: Battleships, Carriers and Destroyers

The best warship model kits for every level: Bismarck, Yamato, USS Enterprise, Fletcher-class destroyers and more in 1/350 and 1/700, plus…

Battleship Bismarck: History, Camouflage and the Best Model Kits

Bismarck's story, her 1941 fit, Baltic stripes vs. the grey she wore in the Atlantic, and the best Bismarck kits and block sets from 1/1200 to…

Yamato vs. Iowa Class: The Last Battleships and Their Kits

Yamato and the Iowa class compared, how USS Missouri changed from 1945 to the 1991 Gulf War refit, and which kit or block set to buy for each ship…

USS Enterprise and Hornet: Carrier History and Model Kits

USS Enterprise CV-6, USS Hornet CV-8 and the nuclear Enterprise CVN-65: the Doolittle Raid, Midway, carrier kits in every scale and what building one…

Painting and techniques

Step-by-step painting, decals, weathering, airbrushing and dioramas.

How to Paint a Model Tank, Step by Step

The order of work for painting a model tank: primer, base coat, camouflage by brush or airbrush, decals, wash, dry-brushing, chipping, tracks and…

How to Apply Model Decals Without Silvering

Make decals look painted on: gloss coat, soaking, Micro Set, Micro Sol and Mark Fit setting solutions, fixing silvering and wrinkles, and sealing the…

Weathering for Beginners: Washes, Dust, Rust and Mud

Weathering basics: panel line washes, filters, dry-brushing, pigments, rust, mud and exhaust soot, plus how much is right for tanks, aircraft and…

Airbrush Basics for Model Builders

Airbrush basics for modelers: brush vs spray can vs airbrush, single vs dual action, compressors, thinning, cleaning, safety and your first practice…

How to Build Your First Military Diorama

Build your first military diorama or vignette: the base, groundwork, matching figures to scale and period, telling a story, and using ruins and…

RC, block sets and gifts

Ready-to-run models, no-glue block sets and gift ideas.

The Best RC Military Tanks: Toy-Grade vs Hobby-Grade

How to choose an RC tank: toy-grade 1/24 battle tanks vs hobby-grade 1/16 Heng Long tanks, infrared battle, BB firing, smoke and sound, and our picks…

Military Building Block Sets: COBI and the Best Alternatives

A guide to military building block sets: what makes COBI different, how the brick-built tank and aircraft sets from other brands compare, LEGO…

RC Warbirds for Beginners: How to Choose Your First RC Fighter Plane

How to choose a first RC military plane: 2, 3 or 4 channels, gyro stabilization, foam warbirds vs jets, where to fly, and our beginner-friendly P-51,…

Gift Guide: The Best Gifts for Military History Fans

Gift ideas for anyone who loves military history: easy no-glue builds, die-cast weapon models, RC tanks and planes, classic model kits and starter…