AB 20mm - plastic vehicle kit suggestions?

[RichBliss]

PSC and Armorfast are definitely the best choices for most vehicles,  if there is something special they don’t make, take a look at Early War Miniatures. They make some quick build resin models for most nations.

[gamer Mac]

Are early war miniatures not 28 mm?

[bluewillow]

Lots of plastic 1/72 kits plus resin and metal available for 20mm.

For plastic kit andcresin reviews go to Hank of Holland site
https://henk.fox3000.com/index2.htm

For inspiration join the  wargamers forum, a lot of the former Guild and showcase 20 members are there
https://www.thewargamersforum.com/index.php?sid=f9a87dc0da8a1934df4a9306e6dafde6

Cheers
Matt

[shadowbeast]

Are early war miniatures not 28 mm?

No. They are 20mm.

PSC and Armorfast are definitely the best choices for most vehicles,  if there is something special they don’t make, take a look at Early War Miniatures. They make some quick build resin models for most nations.

Armorfast do make the basics, and basic is what those kits are. Use if you can buy them cheaper than Italeri FA kits, as another thing they are is cheap (guess in which sense of the word...)

[Shahbahraz]

It really depends what you want. If you want good sturdy kits that will stand up to wargaming use, but look ok once you add a bit of stowage and crew figures, then Armorfast. S-Model are very slightly more complex but make some fantastic kits.

The Italeri easy-build are ok, but not many for early war. In fact most of the easy-build style models are very much later war, so you have no real choice.

I would strongly recommend you stick with 1/72, so NOT Airfix or Matchbox, and frankly most of the Airfix armour kits are very old moulds and pretty rubbish.

If you are prepared to build actual kits then the latest Revell offerings are brilliant but complex, as are Dragon, albeit pricey, ICM and IBG make some very nice kits, and there are all sorts of amazing things done by minor manufacturers like Roden etc. (88mm mounted on a bus chassis?) .

If you are interested, I have a few builds on my blog:

http://aleadodyssey.blogspot.com/search/label/20mm  scroll down for most of the WW2 stuff.  I used a fair bit of Dragon, Revell, S-Model and so on.

[gamer Mac]

I like your blog, very useful
I know you don't like airfix but I like the nostalgic feel of the models

[V]

Firstly decide if you want 1/72 or 1/76.

Personally I would suggest 1/72 as far more kits now in this scale. Alot of the more artisan resin makers, like Milicast, use 1/76 still. Early War Miniatures use the old Skytrex range which is also 1/76. So there is options in both scales.

In 1/72 I use the following kits...

Revell
Dragon
PSC
Zveda
Roden
Attack
First to Fight
Italeri
IBG
Pegasus
Caeser
UM
Flyhawk
S-Models

To name a few...

Then you have the resin makers, the metal vehicle kits like Shellhole Scenics, the diecast and of course the likes of Value Gear and Black Dog for stowage and countless others for brass etch and various upgrades depending how far you want to take it.

My 20mm WW2 plog on this forum has a few pics that might offer some useful guidance.

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=112679.0

[sandsmodels]

https://sandsmodels.com/

[Flinty]

Thanks Piers - guidance from the Master is much appreciated
And thanks Chaps for pointing out the 72/76 scale issue - something I might have forgotten in one of my 'Ooh Shiny!' moments.

I have started some PSC Opel Blitz and a First to Fight Sd.kfz 222, and they both look good, even in my hands.
I have used S-Models and S&S (don't worry I will be ordering stuff Shaun  for my Cold War kit, so can fill in gaps using those.

Tempted to try Dragon as thier kits always looked interesting, Flyhawk is new to me though

Flinty get out now while you still can  20mm WW2 became a "Black Hole"  for me, all my money and time went into it and I never did finish a whole force off 

Thats my usual appraoch to wargaming! and the reason its taken me 20 years to finally dip into the vortex.
I was going to do this using Pauls Hicks Empress 28mm Brits, but having only the Volkstrum as opposition saved me from even more expense (at the start, anyway)

AB don´t do early war germans (except for D.AK).

.
Very true, but I like the figures so much I couldn't resist; I can convince myself that a 'greener' field-grey uniform will do the job - bit more tricky for the Brits without that gas-mask pouch(?) on the chest, I admit.
As you may have guessed from that, I'm not a purist - and as I play solo, I only have to argue with myself.

[shadowbeast]

Dragon kits, I usually find to be highly sophisticated kits which demand a high standard of work, after which you will not feel like gaming with the model. Airfix are so old and worn-out, they don't have that problem.

[Flinty]

Goddamit!

AB don´t do early war germans

The more I look at them - the more it becomes an obvious, glaring, problem.
Solution? massivley expand of course!

Reckon I can use the AB FJ for 'early' war operations in France and Seelowe - still have to fudge the Brits though.
Then use the Infantry for later/Normandy Ops with the same Brits mixed with the jerkin AB figures.

Just have to have collect two sets of vehicles....

Flinty get out now while you still can

Agh - too late! 

[wmyers]

Don’t be afraid of plastic miniatures.  Lots of makes out there. PlasticSoldierReview.com shows comparisons for size as do many blogs. Just search for size comparisons to AB.

If you like interiors, older Esci kits would often have interiors.  Italeri is rereleasing some, I believe. 

There are also prepainted models that can be found quite cheap, especially on sites like aliexpress and wish.com. 

The Pegasus kits are awesome.  If you like the one piece track assemblies (I do after having spent my early years trying to get rubber tracks on kits they did not fit) like PSC, IBG’s newest kits do that as well.  They have a lot of Early War armour.

There’s tons of fun choices out there!