Should anyone not be aware, SkyBow is reentering the modeling scene in 1/48th scale. Their first releases, early and late Tiger 1’s are scheduled to hit the Asian market April 20th. (Check TRACK48 to see test shots of these beautiful models!) If you found the Tamiya Tiger1impressive, SkyBow’s little gems will knock your socks off( common term when old folk like me were young). They also have a Firefly in the making, along with a prospective release of more than 30 kits in the coming months. A contact imtimate with the Japanese market claims Tamiya’s 1/48th releases have established excellent sales marks. Now another company, albeit a small one, has joined the fun. One can’t help but wonder how long before other Manufacturers divert resourses to the quarter scale armor market .
It’s a great day for quarter-scale enthusiasts. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. Had I just started today, I most definately would give them a looksie, Tamiya has started with some nice ideas i.e. Hetzer, Stug III, Tiger etc. My friend had a Bandai Panther in 1/48 and it was quite impressive. I can only imagine the quality of todays tooling. Have fun with them.
Actually, i model in all three scales now,a nd love each of them. I am currently building a stud B in 1/48, a 1/72 scale maus, and a 1/35 panzer 4, auft d.
THese tamiya kits are great, and have quite a high level of detail, and of course, the fit is perfect. One of the nice things is to be able to get a great tamiya kit for 20.00. THat makes it all worth while. Bill
Well, not exactly. The Skybow Tigers have been in the works for quite a while – pictures of them have been posted on PMMS, for instance, long before the first Tamiya kit was released.
What’s got me excited is the late Tiger I, with the Zimmerit molded right on, and beautifully so! A Firefly would be almost too much to ask for, though fortunately Mr. Tamiya is giving the Allied builder lots to chew on with a Sherman, M-10 and M-36, not to mention the T-34 coming (eventually), though technically not Allied.
You are quite correct, Larry. Those are the same mediums I follow for current information. In the absence of further news regarding SkyBow after the December flurry, I had worried they may have gone “belly-up” . This latest news is most reassuring. Did you note the kit numbers assigned to the TigerI late, and finally the TigerI early? The chasm between the digits would suggest ambitious kit release plans!
I dont think Skybow would go belly up this soon in there 1,48th kits
they must have got a wad of cash from selling there moulds to AFV Club
on the Pearth site someones got a firfly turret coming out for tamiyas M4 to make a Firefly hybrid
Larry, does it come indies? How much will retail be? You’ve suddenly piqued my interest when you mentioned molded zim. I think I saw a blurb on Perth about it.
Just checked SkyBow’s listing again on PMMS. Their first release is #4801 (Late Tiger1) Their early Tiger is #4833. That gives us at least 30 unidentied kits in between. Wouldn’t it be great if somewhere in there an M3 HalfTrack, and a Pz1 would appear?
Unfortunately, as the Firefly is listed as #4802 I rather suspect the 4833 number is more likely a typo. Although the PMMS article does mention expanding the range to aprox. 30 models.
Hello all
Pretty new back to modeling. I have the 1/35 Tamiya Tiger I Late sitting on my shelf and a couple other models sitting on the workbench. I read an article on the 1/48 Tiger that Tamiya is releasing and it piqued my interest. I did a quick search on Ebay and found several but not many armor kits in 1/48 (mostly from Bandai).
Are there many significant disadvantages to 1/48 scale?? Besides a limit of selection? I love the detail of 1/35, but have shelf space for 1/72… the wife only supports my modelling while it stays in the basement [:D] DOH! It seams that 1/48 could be a perfect compromise.
Thank you
Yolev
Straight from the horse’s mouth:
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/48/skybow/tptiger.htm
Hallo Yolev!
I will give you my view on the subject of 1/48th armour. Of the Bandai range, only the last produced; the British and Russian vehicles particularly, are in the "very good’ catagory by today’s tooling standards. I would pass on much of the earlier offerings , especially those that are not original Bandai kits. Again, this is only my opinion, and it is based on the very real possibility that far superior examples of Panthers, PzIVs, and Tiger II will be marketed over the next 12 months. One needs only to be patient…, and wait for Tamiya to fill your plate with quality kits that will assemble perfectly.
Is 1/48th the perfect scale? If you have limited storage space, while still demand fidelity of detail, and seek an expanding selection of state of the art tooling… then quite possibly it is. If you expect early Bandai, Aurora, or Otaki 1/48th kits to be comparable to the 1/35th kits coming out of Asia today you will be sadly disappointed. Just my views…
It’s great to see 1/48 scale armor coming back in . I have very fond memories of the old Bandai 1/48 scale kits . Such as their " 88" , Sdkfz 7 , Panther , and King Tiger . I can’t forget the old Aurora kits , my favorites were the Sherman , Churchill , Swedish " S " Tank , and of course the Centurion ! ( After watching the movie " Tank Force " , starring Victor Mature , and living in Borden , Ontario , where the Armor School , use to be , as a youngster , I think , I had a " Squadron Plus " , of " Cents " , rolling around in my bedroom . )
Frank
" PERSEVERANCE "
I might add that SkyBow now has their website up and running. Under “products” they list only the two Tigers; 4801 and 4833. It may be a typo, but if so it sure is being repeated enough. They reinterate the earlier announcement of more than 30 projected kits; in addition to eventually offering finished products much as Tamiya is doing with their 1/35th models.
The only problem with getting into quarter scale armor is the newness of the revival of the scale. So you buy a kit, then you buy some AM for it, and lo and behold a better AM set comes out that covers the same improvement! [(-D]
A recent example is that a Czech manufacturer, Hauler, has just come out with a whole bunch of sets for the Tamiya kits, including some stuff that is already covered by other sets I’ve bought.
I haven’t bought any AM products yet,… but I think there was a comparison review of two of them on Track48. The Schwimmwagen detail set from one of the makers was excellent as I recall.