Wow, over 100 comments in less than 12 hours - this hit a nerve! Cant respond to you all but I will try to keep the conversation going. Cheers, Chris
PS. Oh to those of you who are saying I should take up knitting, or just do Lego, or are heavily implying that I lack the skills to complete a complex kit and therefore am a lesser modeller than you, there's the door, you're not welcome at my channel.

For us in-flight modellers, I beg and plead to the kit manufacturers - give us a pilot in the kit!!!!  PLEASE!!!!!!!

Meh, it serves a market. But Tamiya prove that making good kits that are BUILDABLE is always a commercial winner.

I agree with you 100%.  I like my airplane models that look like airplanes, not gutted fish.  I deplore the lack of crew figures with most new kits.

Purists will faint,but when building any kit, if the parts are never going to be seen, I leave them out. As long as the external model is painted well, and looks good, no one is going to see or know if I left out the driver seat in a Tiger tank if the hatch is closed.

I was told by a number of people that kids don’t build plastic models anymore. We used to build a plastic model in a day and the play with it. It’s now a hobby for 60-year-olds.

Model kits are going the same way as model railways, some people want high detail and others just want to build the model and display it. I totally agree there needs to be two options, basic and detailed

tamiya got the concept pretty much right decades ago..thats why they are still sought after. pity they don't seem to focus on expanding their plastic kit range

I agree with you 100%.  I'm a teacher and I run an after school modelmaking club.  Hardly any of the new kits available these days are suitable for beginners.  They want simplicity (like the kits of my youth) along with parts that are cleanly moulded and fit together well (like the Tamiya/Hasegawa of my youth).  And yes, wheels up and pilots please, so that they can be hung from the bedroom ceiling - and the ceiling of my classroom!

The nerd in me loves this detail....

I've built a couple of the newer kits like the Mini Art P47, and Magic Factory A4M.  I still think the old Tamiya P47 is superior in buildabilty and value.  I was an A4 mechanic and can't recall ever seeing one with all of the panels opened.  Also when parked the flaps may be down and speed brakes slightly opened.  As for the rivets, unless you were laying on the wing you are not going to see then.  We certainly never used the wing as a  putting green. I think what some manufacturers re missing is that alot of us have limited building time and don't want to spend six months finishing every kit.

Personally, I love complexity. There are still simple and good model kits on the market, but such abundance in complex model kits was never before and I am welcoming it with smile and open arms. There are lot of people, like me, that waited for decades for that to happen. It's not like simple kits will somehow disappear overnight 🙄.

What I’m hearing is that there is enough variety out there to satisfy both modellers who want simplicity and those who want complexity. The Airfix Sea King falls into the latter category, which sounds like the source of your frustration.
I’ll defend some kits that seem complex- like Eduard’s Wildcat - the multi-part cowl fits so perfectly that it literally made me smile as I was slotting the pieces in place. The seemingly-complex landing gear falls together if you take it slowly and have patience.
I guess my point is I’m less worried about complexity than I am about engineering and fit. A simple kit that you have to fight to assemble and waste time and effort on filling, shims, sanding, more filling, etc. does more to turn off novice aircraft builders (which I am) than a kit with a lot of parts that goes together as advertised due to excellent engineering and moulding.

Modeling to me is all about variety. I like all these new opportunities like 3D printed parts, being able to pose panels open to show interior, seperate flight control surfaces etc. After all it's just a matter of personal taste and preferences. I do aircraft, armor ,SciFi and civilian stuff. I build my aircraft in all possible szenarios. On ground, airhorne, crashed, drowned or under maintenance. Sometimes I love to go overboard on detailing, while on the next model I might keep it simple oob. Having worked in both civil and military aviation all my life I saw a lot of different states an aircraft can be in. So I can say if an aircraft is parked or under maintenance it's surely not a car 😅 I do agree that kits have reached a price range and parts count peak. There is no reason to make something multi part when it can be done in one part. Clever engineering is the key as GWH, Tamiya and Eduard  kits show. But unfortunately clever engineering is rare and drives the prices even more...

I love more detail and complexity. Don't care for the expense but I love detail and learning how things work.

You raise some very valid points. I'm an older modeller (58) and people may laugh, but I would also like less complexity.

I've worked in computers most of my life, so my eyes have suffered. Recently I wanted to build the British navy Phantom in 1/72, but 300 pieces? Including antenna etc?

I have to admit I now lack the manual dexterity to apply antenna or decals that may be no bigger than one millimeter.

Finally, having a family, I lack sufficient time to assemble a kit of this complexity.

And OMG, for a crew figure and stand! Would love for airfix to make a British phantom in 1/48!

As an airplane mechanic for 30 years - I’m loving it
More accurate details - it’s awesome

I like the idea of two levels: entry and advanced. The advanced model having a minimal number of configurations and modules that you can purchase to fill out whatever you're going for (e.g., full cockpit, ground mx configuration, etc.).

I think it all depends on our individual comfort zones and preferences...just stick with what works for you, and do it your way. The bottom line is enjoy the hobby! 😊

Theme reminds me of Walter Musciano, who had a wonderful knack for designing model vehicles that were simple to build but captured the feel of the original.