I seriously am getting more and more confused by Tamiya’s ever more growing divergeance in their directions. Their 1/35 armor kit is starting to lag behind while Dragon’s going full steam ahead. Most of their aircraft kits are topped by Hasegawa’s (I prefer Tamiya’s mainstream decal selection though =P) Fujimi and Aoshima are catching up to their 1/24 factory stock car department even though most of the other Tamiya automotive kits are still on top, namely bikes, F1, WRC cars etc (really because there aren’t that much competition there). The only things you see from them are those 1/48 armors where half of the kits are shrunkdown ones from their 1/35 big cousins. Just look at those figures!! (I love them though, since I actually paint those figures that came with the 1/48 aircrafts.) Alrite, enough rambling there. I just want to see where Tamiya is really headed being a pretty loyal fan… =P
I concur. It is sad in a way. At the time I started, they ruled the 1/35 armor world IMHO. Now Dragon and AFV Club are the boys on the block with Trumpeter breathing down their backs. Tamiya like Ford and GM, have fallen off their perch. Again IMHO.
After quitting for more than 13 years in this hobby, I dare myself to enter this huge modelling hobby shop to find out that they carries very little of Tamiya 1:35 scale military, like only 10 boxes and some of them are old models or the same.
So I ask the shop owner and he said that Tamiya is no longer the big boys player in that scale, instead he advise me to try Dragon. This shop has like 1 row of the long shelf with 3 racks filled to the brim with Dragon militaria and more on the floor in big boxes still unpack. The shop manager also told me that the Dragon beats Tamiya in price and add on like figures and PE stuff. Unreal !!
It is very sad if Tamiya has to drive them self to the sunset because I like their stuff for simple reason; they are easy build and no parts to clean. The fit and manual is also da boom.
Tamiya’s turning into the Games Workshop of the plastic modelling industry, they’re trying to do everything, offer all the tools and materials, at a higher cost.
On a side note, I wish us Finns had huge hobby shops like that
You’re right about the R/C thing. My best buddy and lifelong friend is on the R&D team for a major R/C company known for their controllers. He visits Japan a couple of times a year and spends a lot of time at the Tamiya factory. You can figure out what he’s up to when he’s there. Hint, he’s not looking at plastic models.[:)]
Although the “big boys” still can’t engineer kits that, for all their bells and whistles, actually go together like they are supposed to. [(-D]
Strange. In my LHS, they usually stock about five Tamiya kits for every Dragon kit.
The more I see quarter scale, the more I think that it is the ideal scale for armor kits. 72nd is too tiny, 35 looks like GI Joes. Anyway, when manufacturers are turning to things like Sturer Emil to find new things in 35th that will sell, that’s a good indication that the scale is glutted with salable kits. Going heavy into quarter scale is a smart move.
Interesting commentary. I don’t necessarily agree, but interesting. I would say you are in the minority on your opinions though. Still lots of stuff that has never been made in 1/35. I will agree that German WWII stuff is way over produced though. How many Tiger versions and subversions do we really need? There have been far more Tiger models produced then there were actual Tiger tanks.
These materials are only “new” overseas, folks. Tamiya has been offering this stuff (and cheaply, I might add) here in Japan for decades. Good stuff; I use it a lot. Evergreen stuff, if you can find it here, is way too expensive.
As I always mention in these kinds of threads (that is, the standard “crazy Tamiya is way too expensive…what are they thinking??”-themed threads): it’s all relative to where you are.
Brian, I seem to recall a similar observation from John, who’s over there too. Incidently, are the Japanese LHS shelves still devoid of SkyBow Tigers? We’re anxiously awaiting their new Panther, but wonder when, and IF they’ll ever be released…
Brian hit the nail on its head, the stuff is expensive in the US because its imported, while evergreen isn’t. Anywonder Japanese car manufactureres have moved so much of the US automanufacturing into the US?
Dragon and other Chinese manufacturers also enjoy the much cheaper labor cost in China.
We have a tough choice; either support a hobby shop locally (if there still is one local), or buy from one of the Oriental based shiippers and save money. The new Panther in your LHS may have a $29 price tage, yet it can be had from a decent US source for $25. Buying two of them from a Hong Kong source will cost about $43; including shipping. I understand UK prices are extreme for these Tamiya quarterscale kits.
Finnish prices ain’t no picnic, either. My StuG cost about the same as my Sdkfz 232, yet the latter is two times bigger. As it turns out, I just discovered that there’s in fact another hobby shop in Helsinki, which carries Dragon, Trumpeter and a variety of East European manufacturers, so it looks like I’m going to have to do some legwork in search of the perfect affordable kit.
Unfortunately, the Skybow Tigers have not yet materialized on the shelves here. The hobby magazines have reported that due to problems with packaging (apparently they come in recycled doll boxes) and the instruction sheets, import has been delayed indefinitely. I’ve seen a few of the kits myself, but they were all sent over privately. They are very nice, and Japanese modellers are indeed pining for them!
Who knows what the real story is…