Just picked up the new Tamiya 1/48 Tiger I and M4 Sherman...

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Popped into Tamiya World today, and found the new 1/48 Tiger I and M4 Sherman kits on the shelves. The official release dates are November 30 (Tiger) and December 15 (Sherman), but Tamiya World was having a pre-release sale today (Nov. 27). Although I haven’t been too excited about this recent foray into 1/48 by Tamiya, the boxes just looked too cool to pass up, and they were having a special pre-release sale, so I picked them both up for the total price of 2,800 yen (about $26 USD). The Tiger was 1,500 (about $12 USD) yen and the Sherman was 1,300 yen (about $14 USD).

The kits look great in the boxes. Plenty of detail, and the molding is sharp and crisp. The Tiger even has one of its sprues molded as a template to help modellers correctly recreate the track sag from the drive sprocket and the run around the idler for the link and length tracks (which are excellently reproduced).

Other observations:
The Sherman continues Tamiya’s never-ending trend of open, bottomless sponsons. Why oh why leave them open?? The Tiger’s sponsons are closed! No big deal to fix on the Sherman, but I’ve always wondered why Tamiya leaves the sponsons open on some kits. To save money? Seems pretty cheap to me.

Some tools are molded on in both kits. They look OK to me, but I know some folks can’t stand that on a kit.

Both kits have die-cast hulls, which seems to be a proud selling point for Tamiya, as they go on and on in the literature and on the boxtop about how the “Die -cast chassis provides realistic weight and extra impact to small size scale model,” and “adds extra weight and enhanced realism.”
Sorry Tamiya, but I don’t see how a “Die-cast chassis enhances realism.” On the Sherman, you won’t even see the chassis at all when it’s finished.
To me, all the die-cast chassis adds is the need for an extra type of glue for construction (you have to use cyanoacrylate to glue the plastic parts to the metal chassis). No big whoop, but to me, the metal chassis is entirely meaningless.

The only other fault I can find with these two kits is the lack of figures. It would have been nice to have a couple in each kit, but I suppose they’ll be sold separately.

Anyway, although I didn’t think I was going to buy any of these new 1/48 kits, I did indeed succumb to the tempation and picked both of them up. I’m just a sucker for a pretty box!

They are quite small, but still bigger than 1/76 or 1/72 (of course), and if space constraints or aircraft compatibility are your main concerns, I think you’ll love these detailed new kits.

I think they’ll be available in Europe and the US by late December, or so said the Tamiya boys.

2

Thanks for the update. Too bad they didn’t sell the tracks separately. I have about 4 Bandai Sherman chassis kits that need better tracks!

I will definitely get one, I hope they aren’t too much more than your price.

3

Thanks for the review, Brian!

4

Thanks for the outstanding update.

Aaaaarrrrggghh! Just my opinion, but I suspect that Tamiya simply scaled down one of their “open sponson” 1/35 Shermans. What a waste!

Aaaaarrrrggghh! The problem with molded on tools is that some tools did NOT rest directly on the vehicle, but were held in tool clamps away from the hull. This practice also makes opional placement of tools a moot point…you don’t get an option.

Double Aaaaarrrrggghh! By casting the hulls in metal, Tamiya has essentially made the practice of modification and variant conversion extremely difficult, if not impossible. Additionally, if any tools, attach points, or other details are included in the casting, that’s just another another way of saying, “build it our way or don’t build it” in my opinion.

All-in-all, these observations, as well as the scale, have just solidified my resolve to NOT buy any of these Tamiya offerings. They may think these kits are a better option for some modelers and truely represent an innovative manufacturing move, but I don’t see it and won’t support it.

Thanks again for the update…

5

I may pick up one of them just for the heck of it. I’d perfer the Sherman. Did either come with external stores, like bedrolls, ammo cans, spare track/roadwheels, or ration boxes?

6

I’ll have to check them out, I’m not going to slam them before seeeing them. thanks for the update

7

Well, they’re certainly good kits, but I can appreciate Robert’s comments.
Thankfully, no detail is molded onto the die-cast hulls.
To answer Ridleusmc’s question: nope, no external stores.

I still don’t know why I bought these kits today…just curious, I guess.
And the box art is supercool!
I’ll probably get the M10 and M4A1 when they come out next year, too.

Just do 'em as fun little “quickie” builds!

8

brian thanks for the review. now a question from me. what version of the sherman is represented? meaning time frame wise, where would this fit as far as what battles? if it would work for what i am thinking i may be able to work it into a dio.

joe

9

So what are you thinking of building there Joe? Are you still looking at the big Pearl Harbor dio?

10

Hi, Joe!
I’m no Sherman expert, but the info with the kit says the “Early Production” M4 (which this kit is) went into production in July of '42, and was deployed in Tunisia in '43 (I thought those were M4A1s?). The kit can be made as one of three vehicles: a Sherman deployed in France, Summer of '44; Normandy, August of '44; or Italy, February of '44.

Hope that helps!

11

thanks for the info - been looking forward to these kits. Not too upset by the molded on tools, worse case is that you sand them off if you don’t like them.

12

Thanks for the update Brian. I’m sure there are some who have waited patiently for this scale, but, I think I’m going to stick with the 1/35 scale, I can see the parts! It will be interesting to see some of these builds hit our forum site in the future. Thanks again for keeping us up to date. Semper Fi, mike

13

Seems pretty expensive for the kit. Thanks for the update. I dont think I 'll be buying them anytime soon though.

14

Thanks for the heads up, but like I stated before, no reason for me to venture into 1/48 territory. Too many 1/35’s to build.

15

I will probably pic some up when they come out. I saw them built at the model show, and they just looked too cute to me.
Thanks for the review!

16

Perhaps my original post wasn’t clear. BOTH kits together cost 2,800 yen (about $26 USD).
The Tiger was 1,500 (about $12 USD) yen and the Sherman was 1,300 yen (about $14 USD).
That’s cheaper than a lot of the newer 1/72 and 1/76 armor kits I see.

17

Wow that is a pretty good deal. I hope you build them pretty soon!