Tamiya has their new 1/48 Hetzer on their Japanese site now:
http://www.tamiya.com/japan/products/32511_hetzer/index.htm
It’s all in Japanese, but the pictures translate in any language! [;)]
Release date in Japan is February 23, but I picked one up at a modelling event last weekend.
Nice kit, great detail, very tiny. Very, very tiny. Heck, it’s tiny in 1/35! [:D]
Just thought ya’ll would like to see some pix.
Saw that yesterday on their website. Looks like a beautiful kit!
The size difference probably won’t be all that great. I mean, it’s not like we are talking about 35th vs. 72nd. A vehicle 20 feet long will be around 5" long in 48th, and about 6 3/4" in 35th. You see pics of the 48th vehicle next to the 35th, and obviously the difference is noticable, but not overwhelming.
I’ve got the Tiger and Sherman on order, along with the AM treads for the Tiger from Armour Workshop (which look INCREDIBLE – they seem obviously the finest links available on the market) and the rolled barrel for the Sherman, and will slap them together and post pix when they arrive.
In fact, I’ll post a thread for the Armour Workhop treads separately.
Wow! Kinda bright!!
Thanks for the heads-up, Brian. Looks like Tamiya is throwing all their weight behind 1/48. Nice to see their stuff.
They’ve got an M10 coming too, which I’m pretty excited about.
One interesting thing about 1/48th is that it’s not too far off from 25mm, which is a scale commonly used in miniature wargaming. My quarter scale kits may multi-task. For once, I’ll build up a kit and really be able to play with it. [(-D]
And they have an M-36 coming, too! And a T-34/76 Mod. '42! That news is straight from Mr. Tamiya (had a nice chat with him last weekend!).
Those Armour Workshop tracks do look great, Larry!
Awesome news! Would love to see them do an IS-2, something they never released in 35th (AFAIK).
Do you speak Japanese, or does he speak English?
LOL, yeah [:D]
Looks like a nice little kit. I’m waiting for someone to tap this new resource and give us a huge airfield dio with some of these vehicles.
I’d like to see them do a US Stuart so you can recreate that famous charge by the 1AD against that German airfield in the Tunisian campaign. The 1st AD’s Stuarts charged around the airstrip blowing up planes, sometimes literally crushing German aircraft undertread. The Germans just didn’t see this recon if force coming, and failed to protect the base. This was toward the beginning of the campaign, before the US forces really started taking some hard knocks from the Germans.
Looks great. I’m really kind of excited about the new 1/48 scale kits. Bought the Sherman & it looks great in the box. Hope to start it soon as I clear a couple of other builds off the bench.
Regards, Rick
I’ve only spoken with him in Japanese (which I probably speak better than English these days!), so I can’t comment on his English ability.
Yes, a JS-2 would be very nice! [:D]
It looks like it contains the quality that Tamiya is renowned for. (Not going off on bashing) I wish and perhaps hope that some of these 1/48’s that they have never done before carries over to their dormant 1/35 scale. They have never done a Hetzer or Stug B? Seriously, if I had just started building, I’d give the 1/48th scale a good hard look. However, too much investment in the bigger scale to leave it now. Thanks for the update Brian. Any news on 1/35?
Just the Leclerc, which we already know about. Still “coming this Spring.”
It will debut at this year’s Shizuoka Hobby Show, so we’re talking LATE Spring! (The show is mid-May)
Boo hoo hoo, thanks Brian, that’s what I was afraid of.
At this point, other folks have done one. DML makes both, and they are damned fine models too.
That is such great news! The last of the top tier Western MBTs to get the Tamiya treatment. Heller is going out of business! [:p]
I think the Leclerc is a really interesting looking tank, and can’t wait to build one.
its a shame Tamiyas 1.48th kits are selling only £1 less than there 1.35th versions over here
That’s wacky! They are around $17-20 on average here, at least at the discounters. The average 35th scale kit is around $28 from the same discounters. So they are only around 2/3rds the price.
They’d be even cheaper if bought direct from Japan, where they go for a song, but the recent drop in the dollar’s value put an end to such happy affairs. [:(]
ive seen the Tiger for £19.99 the 1.35th is £24.00
the kubels and schwimwagens are £9.99 each in 1,35th there £10.99
There really isn’t any logic to that at all. Somebody is taking somebody for a ride!
The 1/48 kits sell for less than half the price of the 1/35 kits here in Japan.