G’day;
To assist in an article I’m trying to write I’m looking for opinion on which plastic model armour kits you believe have been the most influential, ground-breaking or just plain outstanding of all time. I only want a shortlist of three and I’m placing a similar request in all the main modelling genres.
Does anyone have any suggestions including why they think their choice qualifies?
Michael
the dragon m1a1 aim and m1a2 sep, its been most on most of the modelers want lists, and come with everything!!!
1.) The Tamiya 1/35 88 Military Gun Flak 36/37. Released in 1972 it was the first model Tamiya produced for diorama scenes.
2.) The Dragon 1/35 Panther G Smart Kit, which was the first ever Smart Kit produced by Dragon.
3.) In 1961 Tamiya’s first tank model was released, the Panzer, (not sure about scale or exact version.)
I would assume the most influential armor kits are the early Tamiya kits. I can’t think of an example of a specific kit, but no other brand has allowed a beginning modeler to build an excellent model out of the box.
Edit: MG.Mikael and I were on the same wavelength, both of us posted at the same time. [:)]
…possibly the Tamiya 1/25th scale Tiger I w/ full-interior…whichever kit it is I’d say you’d have to give the kudos to Tamiya since they really gave birth to the genre’…
Of recent, I’d go with the Dragon Panzer IV E or Tiger I Late that came loaded with the goods and changed how most every new release is produced these days. Moldelers expect a packed kit with little AM needed.
I’m not an armour specialist (or indeed any other kind) but based on comments so far it seems Tamiya’s early tank offerings fit the bill, and if the Panther was the first then it has to be a contender. I know I built one way back then and it was a positive experience, even though I’d never built anything larger than an Airfix 1:76 tank before.
Tamiya’s box artwork was also a strong selling point as I recall.
Michael
In recent memory, I can think of no more seminal kit produced than Tamiya 35148, the late production Tiger I kit, released in 1988. The 80s had been lean years for 1/35. With Tamiya’s vision to re-enter the 1/35 market with its full resources, it spawned (or re-ignited) what we see in 1/35 (and indirectly 1/48) today.
What quickly followed were other super accurate 1/35 kits such as the Panther G, Wespe, M8 and M20 armored cars, Pz III, Pz IV, FAMO, Dragon Wagon and the such. Back in 1990 or so, DML was able to produce their Nashorn, rightly maligned but it was their entry into armor nonetheless. Academy decided to actually make their own kits shortly thereafter (rather than pirating others’ works). Now look around – Tasca, AFV Club, Bronco, Tristar, Hobby Boss, etc. None of them would have had the audacity to enter the market without the trailblazing of Tamiya back in 1988.
My vote clearly goes to the Tamiya late Tiger I. Some others listed are intersting but don’t have the lasting influence as this guy.
DML Abrams? Intersting and wanted but what influence?
Tamiya 8.8cm Flak – masterpiece but momentem faded as I noted before.
DML Panther G Smart kit – been there, done that: Gunze Sangyo Panther G, Jagdpanther, Stug III, others. GS died in the meagre 1/35 market that existed then. “Smart Kits” would never have even been thought of w/o the resurgence generated by Tamiya.
1961 Tamiya “Panther” – OK, I can see a nod for this as the genesis but beyond proving that plastic tank models could be wanted, how influential is this really?
The 1/25 Tamiya Tiger, like the 1/35 8.8cm Flak, was a wonder – but it was a developmental dead end.
DML Pz IVE – see my comments about DML Panther Smart kit – done before.
Anyways – that’s my thinking. Feel free to shoot away
You make a very good argument here for the Tamiya Tiger I late…you’ve changed my mind…as I look back (I was just getting back into modeling at the time it came out) there was no really “good” Tiger on the market, but back then if someone (anyone) did one of a subject it was often not re-hashed by another company, so very poor Tiger kits were the only game in town for many a year—as well as many other subjects, such as the Panther, etc, etc, etc…
…to take your argument even further, I think the release of that kit also started the competiitive trend we see so much of today: Dragon releases a late tiger, so does AFV Club and Academy as well. Dragon then releases a late Tiger w/ zimm…who will up the ante’?
I can’t see how the 80s were the lean years for 1/35 scale armor modeling. Those years gave us great kits by Italeri (like the Leopard 1A4, M4A1 Sherman, Willys Jeep, M24 Chaffee, M47 Patton), Esci (M60A1/A3) and true modern era US armor by Tamiya (M151, M1, M2/3, LVTP7A1). Along with a host of other not-so-great kits of popular subjects (Esci & Italeri HMMWVs, Esci M1/M1A1 come to mind).
As far as influential armor kits, I’d have to add Tamiya’s M113 to the list. The original kit came with (for the day) a fairly complete interior that gave modelers inspiration to add interiors to other armor vehicles.
The most influential plastic armor kits were really reboxed kits from 1950s and 60s. Monogram reissued their 1/35 & 1/32 scale armor kits in the 1970s and included diorama inserts by Shepard Paine. His diorama sheets showed a generation of modelers that there was more to modeling than building the kit and placing it on a shelf.
His work in the 70s laid the foundation for the aftermarket industry of today.
I agree with Rob… The Monogram kits of the 70’s with Shep Paine’s tutorials are what put me into armor modeling and diorama building… Even today, I only build dioramas… I’d never even heard of Tamiya back in those days, the only game in town was Revell and Monogram. I built every single one of Monogram’s armor kits back then… Tamiya came much later for me, mid-80s or so…
I to agree with Rob on this,Monogram in the 70’s help a generation of modelers to get in the armor bluiding.The late 70’s brought in Tamiya but where to pricey to buy at the time.Ecsi to me opened the door to armor modeling for a whole lot of us and helped to bring down Tamiyas prices too.As for the kits I would thing that the Stug III and M4 Sherman from Monogram back in the 70’s had a lot of influance as a type of kits modelers wanted.I know in most store back in the late 60’s and early 70’s the most armor I could find was from lindburg and was simple at that…Digger.
Roy, I’m going to take you back a little bit further, so bear with me. I’d have to say they were the old Renwal kits. Not always accurate, but they (in their day) were the standard everybody was trying to catch up with. These were probably followed by the old Monogram kits. Tamayia invented the scale we now consider the standard, and just kept pushing the standards higher all the time. Then along comes DML and a couple others that took the bar up another notch or two. I remember building the 8" SPG from Renwal when I was a kid, and all the interior stuff that went with it (accurate or not). The old Monogram trucks are still as good as anybody’s ever sold. These days most all the kits come out of Asia, and it looks like they are fighting tooth and nail.
I’d love to have a handfull of those old Renwal and Monogram kits right now. Specially the old “Skysweeper” and the Ontos.
gary
squeakie brings up a good point. Tamiya seems to have standardized the scale for armor kits - 1/35 back in the 60s or 70s. That’s got to be influential at least within the industry!! Same with Roy’s assertion that Tamiya’s next generation kits jump started the industry again in the 80s. But for me, the modeler, it was the Monogram kits that had the most influence. I started building kits in the early 70s and I didn’t care whether it was Tamiya armor or some other ship or plane kit. I just wanted to slap some glue on it, maybe throw in a little paint and possibly slide on a decal or two…I was happy[:)]. Then I got hold of those 1/32 Monogram kits with the Shep Paine inserts and my modeling life changed! [:O] Once I saw and realized how a model could be built to look like the real thing I could never build the same again. The skill level of my modeling increased and I’ve never looked back! THANKS MONOGRAM!
BTW squeakie, have you wet a line recently?? I haven’t since my trip to Yellowstone last year [:(]
All very good points…to sum it up for myself, I’d say: Monogram got me interested in building armor and dios as a kid, Tamiya kept my interest as a teenager, and then released the late Tiger I, which kick-started my continued interest (along with Verlinden) after college…
Most Monogram kits were 1/35 scale. It wasn’t until the mid 70s when Airfix released some nice 1/32 scale armor kits that Monogram released their kits in 1/32 scale and relabeled their original 1/35 scale kits as 1/32. Their M34, Weasel and Patton were 1/35 but their panzers, Shermans and Jeep were 1/32.
I have to add my 2 cents in support of Rob’s contention that Monogram’s Shep Paine armor kits have to rank up there as significantly influential - if for nothing else than to capture kids (and their parent’s support of their) interest in armor modelling. Followed by the late 80’s Tamiya releases for (as Roy point’s out) jump starting a flagging (at the time) genre and encouraging the improvements in the then mediocre Dragon/DML armor kits of the time. Finally, ia have to add the 1/76th and 1/72 scale Airfix and Fujimi kits from the 60’s; these were priced just right for those of us earning a dollar a week allowance mowing lawns and shovelling driveways (yes I know that really dates me).
The first three model kits that I completed were the most influential for me. I knew I was hooked!
Beyond that, influential to whom? In what respect? You could debate that all year…
OK, if I have to list the kits I think were “most” influential, I would say any of the vaunted Gunze Sangyo kits of the 80’s (?) which really set the standard for “goodies” and "accuracy; the first DML/Dragon kits which included individual track links, and the DML pre-zimmed 1/72 kits which paved the way for the new 1/35 scale pre-zimmed offerings.
I checked some water over the weekend, but it’s way up and kinda muddy. Water temp was about forty degrees. I’ve got a set of polar fleece liners for my waders, so I really don’t get cold. Right now I’m sorta setting on an invite to go fishing down in the south pacific. Just have to figure out where the money’s comming from and a new ten weight rod.
gary
Like Rob, I think you have to either look beyound Tamiya or separate into two eras. The late era is some of the great kits by Tamiya and DML. BUT what laid the foundation for those companies to even have a chance was some of the classic Monogram, Renwal and to some extent Adams, Revell, Nitto, and the whole vintage of ??? to UPC to Italeri to on & on and now Bronco.
Some of those WC series trucks have been made 5 different manufacturers
history is broken into eras…I think you need to do the same with armor models. You can’t compare your old Ma Bell phone to todays cell phone. But they were both great in their time
Rounds Complete!!