Model Tank Kits for Beginners: 1/35 or 1/72, and a First Build

For a first model tank kit, choose a small-scale kit in 1/72 or 1/76; Airfix rates most of its 1:76 military vehicles as intermediate, with 50 to 100 parts. A 1/35 tank is bigger and more detailed but rated advanced, with more than 100 parts. Most tank kits are glued and painted by you, so plan for cement, primer and a few colors.

Tanks are one of the classic subjects for plastic kits. Wikipedia notes that most models in the hobby’s early history depicted military vehicles, and that dioramas, small scenes built around a model, are most common for military vehicles such as tanks.

Tank kit scales compared

Military vehicle kits come in 1/16, 1/24, 1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72 and 1/76. Two families cover most shelves: 1/35, the large standard, and 1/72 or 1/76, the small one.

The size comparison is simple arithmetic: 72 divided by 35 is just over 2, so the same tank at 1/35 is about twice as long as at 1/72. The skill ratings come from Airfix, which calls its levels guidelines rather than fixed rules.

Why 1/35 became the tank standard

The 1/35 scale goes back to a motorized kit. Tamiya’s 1960s Panther tank was motorized, and its size was set so the hull would hold two batteries. That made it 1:35, which later became the standard scale for military modeling. Tamiya’s 1/35 Military Miniature Series followed, starting in 1968 with a German Tank Soldier Set.

That history explains why 1/35 has the widest range of tank kits, crew figures and accessories today, and why it is the usual scale for dioramas.

Tank model kits in 1/35 and 1/72 scale

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Who makes model tank kits

Model tank kits come from many of the same companies that lead plastic modeling in general. Wikipedia says that since the 1970s Japanese firms such as Tamiya and Hasegawa, and since the 1990s Chinese firms such as DML (Dragon), AFV Club and Trumpeter, have dominated the field, with brands from Korea, Russia and Central Europe becoming prominent more recently.

A practical way to choose: pick the tank you want first, then compare the scale and the skill rating printed on the box.

What a first tank build involves

A tank kit is a glued kit, so it works differently from a snap-together Gunpla kit:

• Assembly with cement. Parts are polystyrene, joined with plastic cement, which Airfix explains melts the plastic slightly so the parts fuse.
• Lots of small parts. Airfix’s level 3, where it places 1:35 vehicles, means more than 100 parts with many small detail parts, so expect plenty of wheels and fittings.
• Painting from bare plastic. Unlike Gunpla, which is molded in color, a tank kit needs a full paint job.

The tools are the ones Airfix lists for any plastic kit: sprue cutters, a hobby knife, tweezers, sanding sticks, clamps or clothes pegs, cement, paints and brushes. If you already build Gunpla, your nippers and sanding sticks carry straight over.

Painting a model tank, step by step

Airfix’s beginner guide to painting tanks sets out a simple order:

1. Prime the model. Airfix calls priming an essential step because it makes later layers of paint easier to apply. A black primer adds depth under dark colors such as green.
2. Paint thin layers. Start with thin coats, darkest colors first, then build lighter colors on top.
3. Dry brush the texture. Load a brush, wipe most of the paint off, then sweep it lightly over the surface to catch raised detail.
4. Highlight the edges. Run a lighter color along the upper edges where light would fall.
5. Finish the small details with a fine brush.

For primer in a can, see spray painting Gunpla, which covers spray cans for any plastic model. For mud, rust and wear, the methods in weathering Gunpla work on armor too, and painting Gunpla covers brushes and paint types.

For more first kits, return to plastic model kits for beginners, or compare model ship kits and model airplane kits.