As far as armor goes, I find myself gravitating back to Tamiya. I like the lower parts count and the ease of construction. In the end it just depends on the subject and generally the best reviews.
I have been going in the opposite direction. I did go over to Dragon for a while, but now i study reviews and go by them, and quite often its one of the other companies. But with Tamiya i still see them as being low detail kits that are now becoming over priced. I look at something like their Jagdtiger from 2008.Its around the same price as the Dragon kit, but i have it in my head it can’t be worth that much because its Tamiya. So i just see them as the cheap option i’ll go to when there isn’t any other.
I typically build aircraft. I will build (or try to build) any kit from any manufacturer. Grew up on Monogram and still hold those kits in high esteem even though they are far from the best representations of their subjects. I have kits from just about every manufacturer that I am aware of in my stash, or already completed on my display shelves. But I always enjoy building the Tamiya kits the most. They are typically the best engineered kits available and they give me the least amount of trouble while I am working on them, as compared to others. This is not to say that others are terrible, well, some are but those seem to be few and far between.
A kit does not need to be Tamiya quality for me to consider it worthwhile. There are kits out there that just need a bit of elbow grease to whip into a good looking model, and as a modeler, I strive to conquer whatever challenges I come across.
I have built a couple of Tamiya WWII tanks and do not recall any issues with those either. Never built any other genres from Tamiya.
I don’t think of them as king, but they have some very good kits. While some people have mentioned that Tamiya had constant scale, a lot of their early kits had scale issues because they were designed to hold a standard sized motorized gear box and a couple of C cell batteries. Some of their current kits, like the Abrams, Bradley, M48A3, M113A2 still use lower hulls originally designed to be removed to replace batteries and have the various “motorization holes” to attach the gearbox with screws.
A lot of their current kits are total redesigns that balance accuracy, ease of assembly, details and engineering to make some awesome kits. When they put the effort in, we get the M26 Dragon Wagon. When they half step, we get the M113A2 which was their 1974 M113 kit minus the interior plus a new detail sprue, new equipment sprue and a handful of retooled parts on old sprues along with the old plain faced vinyl tracks designed for motorization.
Bottom line, make sure you do some research before buying any high priced kit. You’ll drive an extra 5 or 10 miles to save a nickel on a gallon of gas, but you won’t take five minutes to type in the name of the kit in Google to see if it is worth the $50.
Maybe that $40 kit sitting next to the $50 Tamiya kit is a better model kit.
I think Tamiya, while no longer the acknowledged “king of kits”, is still very appealing.
In the armor department, they’ve started releasing a bunch of retooled or new kits which are beautiful. While not the most insane level of detail (think Bronco or some Dragon kits), they’re still superb. Plus, they’ve continued their tradition of great fit and clean molding.
The trend I’ve seen in armor modeling is that modelers will purchase Tamiya kits and supplement them with a bunch of aftermarket. Because Tamiya is still a major player, aftermarket abounds. And because their kits are so well engineered and easy to build vanilla, they’re a great choice if you’re looking to pimp your build.
The problem is though Moff, as i alluded to above, the price is matching that of the more detailed kit. So why buy a Tamiya dn then throw loads of AM at it when you can get a Dragon and build it OOB. And some of the Dragon kits i have built in the last few years have been as easy to put together than any Tamiya.
I think the reputation Tamiya has as being easier builds coupled with the reputation Dragon has with construction difficulties (poor instructions, multiple sprues from various kits, overly complex assemblies) is why a lot of modelers go for Tamiya when a better, cheaper Dragon kit is sitting next to it. Tamiya kits tend to be relaxing whereas completing a Dragon kit is often a battle.
Having said that, I’ve built one of their Smart Kits and found it an enjoyable built. Got one of their Panzer Is real cheap and was impressed. It was my first use of magic tracks, and although a little tedious (compared to one piece vinyl) they were not hard to assemble and looked good.
Thats what i mean, Dragon are not as difficult to build as they used to be. Sure, their instructions can at times be confuseing and the box is full of spares. But if you want a more detailed kit and don’t mind filling your spares box, who you going to go for. And when you look at some of the other companies out there, Tristar/Hobby Boss, Amusing Hobby, Meng and so on, they are producing far more detailed kits.
Tamiya seems to be resting on its larels.
The majority of Dragon kits are still hard to build. The newer smart kits are better. Dragon tends to be more complex than they often need to be.
Tamiya released new kits of the Elefant, Nashorn, M10 Wolverine, M40 howitzer, some French and Japanese tanks that are really nice and have the ease of assembly that escapes Dragon.
And I agree, there are other manufacturers with smaller lines (Takom, AFV Club, Fine Molds, Meng, etc.) that offer great kits as well.
Within the parameters the opening post describes ‘king’, Tamiya is still defined by those qualities.
I think other brands can and do come close, and on occasion even surpass the ‘king’, just not on a consistant basis.
As mentioned, Tamiya has slowed down on the number of new toolings they release each year. For those where interest in subject outweighs the loyalty to the Tamiya brand, then the ‘king’ factor becomes a nonplayer.
regards,
Jack
O yes, they are more complex than they need to be. But then so are ZM aircraft from what i can see, and to a far greater extent than Dragon, and at a far higher relative price. Yet ZM seem to get praised for it and Dragon get slated.
And Tamiya have also been re-boxing a lot of Italeri kits as well. A look at Hannants shows 9 from the last 2 years.
Good points.
In my mind, what draws me to Tamiya upgrading is the modular aspect of it. I really enjoy the idea of being able to pick and choose what parts I’ll aftermarket and what brands I’ll choose. It becomes more difficult to do that with a Dragon kit that already has dozens of complex parts and way more steps.
Additionally, I firmly believe that most Tamiya kits are in fact easier to build and modify than your average Dragon kit. Both from my (limited) personal experience and from reading/research, Tamiya kits seem much more streamlined and enjoyable to upgrade.
Of course, we each have our own taste. personally, i would rather go for more detail. And now i have gotten over my AM addiction i have realised that many Dragon kits don’t really need many modification or upgrades.
I have not seen nor built a ZM kit myself, so I can’t vouch for them. But I do have a few Dragons under my belt. And plenty of them unbuilt in my stash. I don’t know if it is their approach to engineering and assembly that gets them their rep in comparison, or their assembly instructions, which have a well established reputation for errors and/or lack of clarity. I can’t compare them to ZM directions, but I can say from personal experience, check part numbers and fit before adding glue. I can’t say that I have ever had to do that with Tamiya.
As far as engineering goes, have a look at the various takes on the M4 tanks HVSS (AKA E8) suspension from the latest kits by Dragon, Tamiya, AFV Club, Tasca/Asuka, and Academy. The multi media and high parts number approach by Dragon really has me wondering why?
Honestly, when the rubber hits the road, I’m 50/50 between Dragon and Tamiya. I get just as excited (if not more) over new Dragon releases than new Tamiya releases.
I think part of my love for Tamiya has to do with the fact that the top Spanish School modelers tend to lean towards the Tamiya camp.
I used to get excited over Dragon releases. But with German armour i think there is little that has not been done to get excited about. I usually hiut the reviews before buying a kit, and as often as not, it won’t be a Dragon or Tamiya kit but opne of the others. I really take it a kit at a time.
And not being a fan of the Spanish school but rather a fan of realisim i have never been swayed to a certain brand over another.
Yeah, as others have pointed out, you need to be specific as to modeling subject. Tamiya’s aircraft are top-of-the-line, in my opinion. Their armor kits have been overtaken for detail by some of the newer makers, though, in terms of sales, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tamiya has higher sales numbers.
I’d say that Tamiya’s 1/700 ships are average, with relatively simple detail compared to Trumpeter or Dragon.
As for car kits, they’ve got some excellent kits, some of which don’t make it out of the Japanese market all that often.
For figure kits-not figures included in their kits, but kits specifically developed as portrait figures, they’re good, but there are better kits available in resin or white metal.
tamiya isnt challenging enough for me. i enjoy the building more than painting. Tamiya’s kits are more painters kits to me than anything. And they always have the usual Subjects. I enjoy paper panzers. So you can forget that with tamiya. ive found i like takom trumpeter and dragon the best. I did venture off and do a amusing hobby lowe. And i was really impressed with that kit. Ive consider a rye field tiger also. I look at them by subject. Lately tho dragon for the price. Dragononlineusa is deals galore. Picking up 70 dollar kits for 40 bucks And their daily deals are really good too. And depending on the dragon kit you get. It already has metal barrel and pe and stuff. just dont care much for the link to link tracks.
I prefer Dragon, Trumpeter, Meng, Takom, Bronco. Tamya is ok, simplified but over priced for what you get.
I’m with foxhound and modelmaker , more into the modeling side of things