Best Model Kits for Intermediate Builders | 5 Kits to Improve Your Skills

Have you been building plastic scale models for a while now & feel like you're ready for a new challenge? This video is for you! Today we'll check out five great kits for intermediate scale modelers looking to try something new themselves, improve his or her skills & have a great time along the way.
Shopping Links
M18 Hellcat: amzn.to/49KTwMh
P-38F/G Lightning: amzn.to/3Wcgp8s
US G.I. (Late WWII): • Figure Painting Tutorials
Sherman Firefly IC: tinyurl.com/yhjmy5ap
Bf-109G-6: tinyurl.com/44phcs35
Building & Painting Tutorials
M18 Hellcat: • Building the Tamiya M1...
P-38F/G Lightning: • Scale Model History | ...
US G.I. (Late WWII): • The EASIEST Way to Pai...
Sherman Firefly IC: • 5 Sherman Tank Kits EV...
Bf-109G-6: • How to Build the 1/35 ...
You can check out some of my other Beginner Scale Modeling Tutorials right here ⬇️
🪖Best Model Kits for Beginners: • Best Model Kits for Be...
🇺🇸 Best US Model Kits for Beginners: • Best Scale Model Kits ...
🔨Essential Scale Modeling Supplies: • Best Scale Modeling Su...
🎨Best Scale Model Paints for Beginners: • Scale Model Paint Guid...
Want even more scale modeling content? Join the SpruesNBrew Brew Club today! / @spruesnbrews
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[@thegoodearth7]

Next video should be Advanced Models you recommend. You are not only an excellent model builder--you are superb at doing this channel! In addition to models (most of the same as yours), I too collect old military rifles, revolvers/semi-autos and restore them. Keep up the great work and keep the videos flowing!

[@SpruesNBrews]

Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words! 👍

[@robislookin]

I agree with him…

[@geoman9256]

To this great list I would add the Tamiya Nashorn in 1/35. The gun has even more detail than that of the Hellcat, and the model builds up the way Tamiyas always do.

[@bobrivett7645]

Great list Hank, i agree concerning the Asuka shermans i have a small handful in the stash. My favorite is the M32B1 made by Tasca. Wonderful kit.

[@raymondserafin9396]

Great kids, Hank. We'd like the 109 that's my favorite

[@mikehall5815]

Thank you for the info. I just picked up the M18 Hellcat. I've been looking forward for this build for a while 😂.

[@Cletus_Van_Damme]

0:53 Tamiya No 35376: M18 Hellcat 2:44 Tamiya No. 66120: P38 Lightning 4:25 Alpine Miniatures No. 35304: WW2 Us Infantry 6:24 Asuka Model No. 35-028 British Sherman w/ Accessories 8:05 Border Model No. BF-001 Messerschimtt BF109

[@SchmidtJim]

Another cheerful and very informative video! Your M18 build is still one of my all time favorites. I think another thing that makes it and the Asuka Firefly great intermediate kits is that it really opens the door for aftermarket goodies and camo techniques!

[@setoredan]

Thank you for the suggestions!

[@lizardlink5130]

Great video as always! Just finished building the Tamiya Hellcat, and it was the perfect project as I begin to move into a more intermediate level. I added a bit of stowage (which I've only really done on a couple of kits) and the plain olive drab camo is friendly to a brush painter such as myself. Would really recommend the Tamiya Hellcat because its an amazing kit.

[@eclipsehorse8693]

great to hear about your M18! Mine fell together out of the box for the most part- I had a bit of trouble with the ammunition stowage rack on the right side of the turret- but that was about it. I ended up just rattle can painting mine and brush painting all the little details. If you want a bit more challenging kit, might I recommend the Tamiya M26 Pershing with independent suspension!

[@freemanreed5228]

When I was an intermediate, a few years ago, Academy came out with their Tiger 1 tank, with interior detail, in 1/35 scale. I thought it was awesome, as I couldn't remember another tank kit with full interior detail. The fit was very good and made you think about how you were going to paint all that interior. There are some inaccuracies, but I wasn't too concerned at the time. It builds into a great model, especially for intermediate builders. You feel like you have accomplished something you can be proud of, when you are finished. Very rewarding and enjoyable!!!

[@donfrandsen7778]

Cool choices buddy And good video Love the 1/35th Armor !! Cheers!!

[@kevinkelly6524]

I like the concept of this video. Your kits were well chosen for a builder that is trying to progress from basic build status. Nice idea for a video

[@user-pc5ww8fh6d]

Thanks for the comments on the Firefly kit. I have not done that brand before. I will check em out.

[@georgeadams3900]

Excellent choice.

[@jamiesale9460]

Great presentation and video

[@flightis3dollars]

Thanks for the info. Haven't built any 1/35 yet but the 'Firefly' might open that chapter. Really liked that one. And the P-38 as my first Tamiya maybe?

[@felippejonsson6078]

great list! abit similar to my taste 😀Ive been looking at the tamiya M10 achilles and ive got a rfm firefly on que when im finished with a tamiya easy eight (fantastic kit)

[@johngimmellie7576]

Great video, your the best

[@brzeczyszczykiewicz4476]

Hmm, I'm going to have to pass one these, Mr. Hanky. I bought a Vespid A34 Comet in 1:72 scale some months ago and it had those assembled tracks. Can't remember this much swearing when building a kit before or after. It was my second scale model in this "hobby run" so I was finding my feet with the airbrush, thinners and especially primers. So all that compounded didn't build my confidence. When I got a basic M4 Sherman from Tamiya for Christmas I stuck to the basics, made the tank pretty plain. Left the tracks working on the wheels in the rubber bands. Left only the glossy varnish on and that's the kit I'm really happy with - this "museum refurbished" look. Plus it can actually roll on its tracks 😆 We've got a model show coming up next weekend here in Scotland in Perth so I might get some inspiration form other builders there. Happy building!

[@ninus17]

Great video. Just bought the hellcat at a show. Looking forward to the next sherman guide video

[@SpruesNBrews]

Ooo nice!! And it’ll be coming - I’m gonna drop them in a few phases with modeling videos in between 👍

[@ninus17]

@@SpruesNBrews quallity over quantity 😁

[@MatterusOD]

Hi Hank. Thanks for the videos, very enjoyable and informative. I recently got the Tamiya Lightning F/G. I do really like it when nose weights are included for tricycle undercarriage. The manufacturer knows how much it needs and it can be relatively cheap (S/S ball bearings in this case). The Tamiya He219 has a metal cockpit, the Hobby Boss Me262 has a metal nose wheel bay and the Tamiya Do335 has a metal cylinder. No tail sitters. My partner and my sister are heading to Japan today. "Take an empty suitcase and visit Tamiya Headquarters!" I said. They ignored me 🙂🙂🙂. Cheers Matt 🦘🦘🦘 (It's just me and the dog for 5 weeks - walkies and modelling galore!).

[@kevinjohnson8220]

Yes I love Asuka Shermans and I agree they are the best curbside Shermans out there.

[@Rubberduck217]

Will always recommend ICM'S 1/350 & 1/144 kreigs fishkutter. Both are beautiful builds.

[@benjaminbellestlandawatson4965]

Amasing list hank. Now i know i will go for ausuka sherman. But did you have the mini art pz4 h? Could make the list for more complex kit list

[@user-fn6pe9fz4c]

Really glad to see you put a figure as a recommendation because I really love painting figures mainly 1/35 and 1/16th scale. I've often bought kits from Mini art mostly for the included figure and I love they way you can really bring them to life. my favorite brand has to be Master box, my niche is WWII pacific theater stuff. By all means initially challenging but I practiced a lot with cheap toy soldiers to refine my skills until I became more competent. I've tried Humbrol enamels and Tamiya acrylics but I really love the high quality Ammo figure paints, but I also think that AK paints are good too. however rather ironically I've never tried Vallejo paints. I really love your videos although I consider myself good at painting figure it takes me far too long and I not actually that great at smaller 1/72 scale stuff or some of the complex mini art kits which are a fun challenge none the less.

[@spencergregory8049]

I just made the Hellcat. Great kit. The turret I thought was tricky. The only thing I thought was not so good was the lack of decals. Italian front or Italian front.... I would add the Tamiya M8 Greyhound. Open top and fiddly grab handles in my opinion. I love WW2 armor because of the sheer amount of after market stowage and what you can do with them

[@eclipsehorse8693]

I just finished up with my Tamiya M8, and the Hellcat, a while back. Love love love the detail out of the box. The kits lend themselves to some really nice scratch building here and there. I'd say accent that with a Tamiya WW2 accessory kit, or some resin aftermarket stowage from Valu gear :)

[@spencergregory8049]

​@@eclipsehorse8693Agreed 💯. I want to redo the M8. I also like the idea of the Tamiya M10. Have you done that one?

[@BS-561]

Don’t forget the 1/35 Tamiya M4a3 Sherman with the 75mm cannon and three US infantry figures! It was my first kit and it’s a great kit! I just got around to building the figures and they came out great!

[@bele2.041]

Assembling Tamiya Hellcat's tracks was incredibly frustrating. I stopped building for six months in the middle of it until a friend encouraged me to complete it. I finished it and it came out pretty good.

[@chuckcribbs3398]

I never understood the styrene plastic tracks, unless they interlock. Just gluing them seems more tricky unless you know exactly how you want it to end up. My two cents.

[@eclipsehorse8693]

As opposed to the vinyl tracks some kits have, the rubber band tracks? The link in link tracks In my experience, slows you down as a modeler, and allows you to enjoy the kit building process even more. In addition, the link and link are better detailed, and often allow for the more realistic sag heavy tracks would have on a real tank. Some after market link in link tracks are even metal, and make you put the connecting pins in!

[@user-fn6pe9fz4c]

I agree but its hard when the rubber tracks seem too short.

[@eclipsehorse8693]

@@user-fn6pe9fz4c yeah, I understand, been there with some older kits- specially when you feel like you have to stretch them to the point of breaking them just to get them over the return sprocket or idler. Try warming them up with a air dryer a little before installing

[@justsomerandomguywithoutam4499]

One thats an perfect intermidiate builders that wants something "modern". The Tamiya F15 c eagle kit. Its not one of the best, but oh is it so fun to build/paint.

[@CrazyKitBuilder]

ASUKA Model use to be called Tasca. Tasca bring out load great kits like Sherman then went bust a year later then came back as ASUKA with same great kits

[@neiltroup2070]

great channel , it would be nice if you could have one showing how to brush paint aircraft as a lot of modelers don't have access to spray guns for one reason or another .

[@whisky_chaser2419]

Only 3 models into my restarted modelling carrier after 35 years so no where close to doing these kits justice . The Firefly looks tremendous tho, will have to put it on my to do list. Great content as always .

[@eclipsehorse8693]

welcome back to the hobby! What are ay working on?

[@whisky_chaser2419]

@@eclipsehorse8693 Airfix p51d Mustang , First time ever airbrushing and wow what a difference.

[@eclipsehorse8693]

@@whisky_chaser2419 yay! good to hear! 1/72, or 1/48 scale? How are you liking the airbrush thus far? :)

[@whisky_chaser2419]

@@eclipsehorse8693 1/48 scale, used airbrush for priming and alluminium coat went on great. Also done the blue nose anti glare strip all went well

[@AverageLatvianDude]

Talking Border Model - if Bf 109 is "to easy", wait till their HE 111 will come out ... 😅 for 1/35 scale there will be some work required ... and nerves

[@tsman2709]

I recently bought the FW-190 A6. It definitely looks like an advanced kit, the engine is almost a kit on itself!

[@eclipsehorse8693]

Didn't they have a JU-87 Stuka in 1/35 as well?

[@AverageLatvianDude]

@@eclipsehorse8693 yes, they have indeed

[@nayjay]

Please consider making a video about kits people can build if they have no interest in the military. I'm one of those people and finding interesting civilian model kits is incredibly difficult.

[@rszanger]

Whether you're an intermediate builder or a beginner, model building should be fun and enjoyable. However, I don't enjoy it whenever I'd encounter models(s) with too many unnecessary parts ( Border, Ryefield, Dragon, Trumpeter..etc) and, most importantly, the parts don't fit that well together, need to fill . That's why I'd stick with Tamiya kits often. Tamiya kits make any level modelers enjoyable or/and fun. The parts from Tamiya fit like Lego, so im so appreciated and enjoy at the same time.

[@Panzerjaeger100]

Thanks for the shoutout!

[@SpruesNBrews]

Thank you for everything you do! You'll always have a loyal customer over here! 👍

[@seanthomas9811]

Hank, thanks for another great video! Will you be giving us the heads up for Spitfire kits to check out…the release of the “Shamrock Spitfire” movie isn’t mainstream, but I do like the story of Paddy Finucane. Your Guinness shirt triggered my memory on this request.

[@211secret]

Hello buddy, my name is Tomek. I come from Poland. I have been watching your videos on You Tube for some time and I can tell you that they are very good. You describe beautifully how to achieve a very good effect in a simple way. I would like to ask if you could show as much as possible how to paint the figurines. I send greetings .

[@epicforger12345]

Would love to see a list of more advanced kits after this one

[@brzeczyszczykiewicz4476]

Oh, Asuka - no idea but I trust you on the pronunciation. But Italeri - definately "Eeee-taleri", like "Italy", not "Ay-taleri" 😀

[@armoredsaint6639]

Not a big fan of the Academy kits. I am looking forward to trying the Asuka kits! I recently just finished my cologne tank duel diorama and today a Tamiya M26 dragon wagon with M15 trailer and a Tamiya Famo &SD.AH. 116. Showed up on my bench! As always, thanks Hank!

[@corntorteeya86]

I have the Border 109 thanks to you. Have you happened to come across a list of all the errors/issues with instructions and fit? I know there are issues, but haven't found a compiled list and tend to forget where I found some of them out in the past. I haven't started it yet.

[@BattleshipOrion]

Those kits look like they'd be fun. However, I got two carriers to build yet. USS Hornet (CV-8), and USS NImitz (CVN-68). I was just thinking to myself that I should try my hand at a ww2 tank (for reference, my only real tank thus far since I started is a M1A1, with mine clearing equipment). I think first, I should get some proper shelves, preferably with a solid back because the sun will degrade my rigging. And another random though to ad on, I should find a kit of the 5" single gun used on early ww2 US destroyers, most notably the Fletcher's.

[@goforitpainting]

Cool 🛩

[@newreviews100]

Cool tee-shirt

[@blarrrggg]

1/35 planes still bother me

[@bphat68]

It's really nice to have something you can put in a diorama with other 1/35 vehicles and figures, though.

[@armoredsaint6639]

I so wish there were more 135 scale aircraft just for this reason to go with my 135 scale armor

[@Cakey4]

​@@armoredsaint6639 Yeah me too

[@blarrrggg]

@@bphat68 I'd prefer if ground vehicles went to 32 or 48 scale instead. 35 is weird

[@eclipsehorse8693]

@@blarrrggg if anything armor is getting bigger- we're seeing more and more 1/16 scale.. where do you put something that bloody big?!

[@lukedelport8231]

I would add the academy panzer 4 h late in 1/35 scale

[@lubomirc7847]

Guinness 👍🍻

[@SpruesNBrews]

Yessir! 🍻

[@seanh2390]

Coincidentally I will be having one with dinner tonight :-)

[@jasonmckendry1708]

I recently found a Fujima 1/48 Bf-109 G-6 is this a good kit? I've never built a German fighter before.

[@9501599]

I've been modeling for many years ships, tanks, planes, etc. But.....for some reason I can't seem to build railway wagons (railroad cars). They don't together very well I'm not sure but, huh, I just can't get them right. That's my modeling choice so I should be good at wagons....but no. Good and interesting video, I model OO gauge but I build HO scale structures 1/35 isn't a choice I buy. But I wouldn't mind a 1/35 Henkel HE111, my favorite aircraft build, have you built one?? Cheers

[@normansmith8184]

Oh dear Hank. Hi, by the way. Still no RAF?

[@goonwagon7589]

my very first kit is a leopard 2A6 tamiya, am I valid?

[@charlie44266]

I like to build a collections of related aircraft. 32nd and 48th scale are just too big to display my work. 48th scale aircraft are shoebox sized and I have more subjects than fit in 12x12 room full of shoe boxes.

[@trevoralicea1482]

Just do Revell kits, the fit is always so terrible on them that they're a challenge every single time!

[@danielbritton8588]

Maybe. I have never bought a kit just for it's track record for build ease. Like I'm not going to do a Walker Bulldog just because it is easier. I have to want the subject. Always have since I was a little kid. I'm 68 now. Those Ukraine companies are all big D Difficult.

[@AncientElectronics]

May I suggest a video idea where you list some of the annoyances of the hobby and ways to mitigate them. like losing small parts to the floor where they seemingly drop into another dimension never to be seen again. or perhaps the stress of trying to match historically accurate colors and then having to wade through hundreds of posts of people arguing over how dark German Grey really was or the correct shade of white/green for a Japanse zero or literally two people that claimed to actually work on the same model tank in the same time period but can't agree on what shade of olive drab it was.

[@eclipsehorse8693]

hahahah yeah things like this make me smile- it's dedication to the hobby, and to the source material, and for some, it means the world. Im just upset more kits don't come molded in hot pink so I can see when a grab handle snaps off, or my tank crewman looses an arm in the carpet! lol As far as paint matches, Pintertest is your friend. i was just looking up the right color for a German radio headset the other night...

[@Custer0706]

Hi, thanks for this informative listing. A short correction: The Sherman type you are recommending is not a Sherman “Eye Cee”, but a “one Cee”. It’s the numerical Roman One here, not a capital I. This is based on the British numbering system for the Sherman variants they did receive, with the I being the welded hull M4, the II being he cast hull M4A1, the III being the M4A2, and so on. The C denotes an alteration, in this case the fitting of the 17 pd main gun to an altered turret.