Method
How the Bench Score works
Every review carries one number out of 100, and it is entirely our own. We do not republish anyone else’s ratings, no marketplace numbers, no aggregated community scores. The Bench Score is five things we mark by hand on the bench, combined by fixed, published weights. Here is the whole recipe.
The five axes
Each is marked from 0 to 10.
Build
25% weightHow the assembly actually goes on the bench, flow, clarity, clever technique, tedium.
Design
22% weightThe finished model as an object, silhouette, proportion, colour, detail density.
Parts
20% weightThe parts mix, new or rare elements, printed vs sticker, and reuse value in your bin.
Value
20% weightThe parts-to-box ratio judged against this set's OWN theme, not the whole hobby.
Repeat
13% weightLongevity, play, display presence, and whether it rewards a rebuild.
The weights lean on Build and Value on purpose: at these price points, the two questions that decide whether you are happy a month later are “was it good to build” and “did the parts earn the box”.
From axes to the number
We multiply each axis by its weight, add them up, and scale to 100. A set marked 8 across the board lands at 80. Nothing is hidden and nothing is rounded in our favour.
The tiers
The number maps to a plain-English call:
- Bench Pick88+Buy it, it earns the shelf.
- Solid76+A confident yes for the right builder.
- Situational64+Worth it on a discount or for a specific reason.
- Skip50+Only if you must have the subject.
Affiliate links never move a score. If we ever change the weights, we will say so here and note the date, so an old review’s number always means what it meant when we published it.