I just opened the box to the 1/350 Tamiya Yamato I just bought on e-bay and got in the mail this week. It’s the first Tamiya I’ve ever had. And boy was I impressed. The packaging, the instructions (seperate one for English), the mold quality, EVERYTHING was impressive to me. Most everything I’ve ever build has been, R/M or Amt/Ertl.
I am so looking forward to building this one. As far as I’m concerned the 1/350 Minicraft Titanic I just finished was junk compared to this. Poor fit, DEEP ejection pin marks EVERYWHERE, you name it I wasn’t happy with it. Especially what I paid for it.[:(]
But this Yamato is a piece of art. In a way it’ll be a shame to build it. I can see I’m going to be buying a lot more of Tamiya’s models no matter what I have to pay. It seems worth it. [:D][:D][:D][:D]
Tim,
Congratulations on your new aquisition. I’m please you are enjoying it so much.
It’s good to see true enthusiasm in the hobby.
I’ve always found Tamiya kits to be kinda infectious. They spend SO much time and effort cutting the molds that you always get a really great model. You’d have to go pretty far to find any Tamiya kit that doesn’t have great fit and detail. Basically, you can’t go wrong if you buy one of their kits.
Have fun with it and post some pictures when you’re done!!
Cheers,
LeeTree
Congratulations! This will be a pleasant stretch of building ahead. May there be many more Tamiya kits in your future! If you’re looking for variety, try the Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire - you won’t be disappointed. Shermanfreak is right when he calls them the best engineered kits on the market - I’ve never been disappointed with a Tamiya kit.
That’s the first time I’ve been accused of being young in a long time ( 41 w/ 20 percent gray hair). [:)]
Seriously though, I’ve been modeling since the late 60’s. It’s just that I never gave a thought to the brand. I’ve just bought what interest me (Ship’s, Aircraft, and auto’s) I went by price only in the past. One make or another made no difference to me, I assumed they were all basicly the same.
But I have now been “born again”. As far as doing some Tamiya armor kits. We’ll see. As I said in another thread, I’ve tried only one armor kit in the past and that was a disaster. Maybe that’s why I spent 9 Yrs in the Navy so I wouldn’t have to be around armor. [:p]
Yes, once I get my “to do” stack whittled down some I will consider doing an armor or 2. Tamiya of course.
Yep, Tamiya is where it’s at as far as I can see. They’re not cheap, but they always seem to have the best subjects and the best fit/finish/detail for those subjects. Have fun!!
So, Tim … now can you tell us what you really think about your new Tamiya kit ???
… [:D]
Those darn Tamiya kits are just plain fun to open the box and marvel at the art … yes, I dare say “art” … the box art is special … the instruction booklets are special and the packaging is special … the whole darn thing is almost worth the price paid … and I only say almost … cause … I’m kinda tight with a dollar … and Tamiya kits costs more than most … but, I really enjoy them … and building them and displaying them is special too !!! [^]
Good luck with your Tamiya kit … and keep us posted of your progress … oh, and a picture or two would be nice … if you can swing it. [;)]
Tamiya kits in my opinion are on the breaking point as far as cost .
Any more expensive and I could not afford them.
However I have seen lesser quality kits for a higher cost.
Their aircraft, autos,and ships are as high of quality if not better than their armor.
I recommend tamiya to any modeler of any level of building.
James Larson,
I agree 100% - I would recommend a Tamiya kit to anyone; the only drawback is,
as you said, the cost. Tamiya kits can really strain the hobby budget. But they are pure pleasure. . . and I’d have to consider it money well spent.
I keep hearing that the only Tamiya drawback is cost. What are they going for over there? I think the Yamato kit goes for 2600 yen retail here. I picked one up at a local shop for 2200 yen. That’s about 18 bucks US. Of course, there are import costs to bear, but with Tamiya America right there in California, I would think that the price difference wouldn’t be too much.
Some of the “discount” prices I see listed in FSM seem fairly reasonable, and not marked up too much from the Japanese retail price.
Ah, what do I know? I just build models!
And Tamiya kits make great models!
J-Hulk, the Yamato I bought online I got for $43 w/ 7 for shipping for 50 total. To buy in my local Hobbytown store would have been $69 US. Squadron, and others want from $54 on up.
Hobbytown also wants $34 for their 1/350 Fletcher and I’ve seen it on e-bay for $26. If memory serves most of their 1/35th armor goes for 35-50 bucks (depending on the kit). Pretty much the same story for a/c too.
I don’t imagine we could set up an import business, sell them on e-bay cheaper and corner the market could we.[}:)][;)]
Welcome to the club, Terriman. I’m building my first Tamiya kit, too, the Jeep Cherokee Limited (out of production but still fairly easy to find). I’ve been amazed at how easily the parts are fitting together. My only gripe is that the kit didn’t have an open-door option for building, so I’ve had to do a lot of surgery on the interior tub so that it looks halfway decent when I open the doors. (I’m converting the model to a tornado chase vehicle and I want the doors open to show off the equipment inside.) If I were building it out of the box, I’d probably be done by now; the thing just slips together so easily! Now if Tamiya would only issue a 2003 Nissan Xterra SUV…
True enough, in this world you get what you pay for. Tamiya has a reputation for a reason: they simply make the best quality styrene kits money can buy. They are pretty good in picking subjects too, though they steer clear of what could be a boon for their business, US bombers and modern warships. Maybe someday…
J-Hulk,
Between Modeling, Computer, Keeping yard mowed and house from falling down, and 60+ hours/week driving semi-truck I ain’t got time either.[:(]
Besides customs is a pain in the a__.[xx(]
A Tamiya model may cost more than some other manufacturers, but you more than make up for the cost in quality and fit. I prefer Tamiya over any others and have built many of them over the years. Good luck!
I recently built the new Tamiya 1:48 swordfish, and it is a beautiful kit, but £50!!!
I suppose that we have to be grateful that we don’t live with exchange control regulations to limit or prohibit imports of “liesure goods”.