This never really came up before because the subjects I have previously seen didn’t interest me.
Recently, I saw an M8 scout car and some assauly troops in one of the Tamiya “White Box” packagings, listed for $80.00 at my LHS, but marked down 50%, to $40.00. Is this any different than their M8 with some figures tossed in?
Thanks
Bill
I saw one of these at my LHS, I think they are just reissues from other molds. The one I saw was a reboxed finscale japanese tank.
The white box (corrugated cardboard, paper label on top and side) with their 1/48 Austin 10hp “Tilly” is a completed model, at least the ones I’ve seen. It is significantly more expensive than the regular kit. I can’t see what you’ve described as being worth the original asking price of $80, unless it is already built. I could be wrong. I HAVE seen one kit, Japanese light tank of some kind, that wasn’t already built, but it wasn’t $80.
Good LORD! With prices like that, it’ll be a LOOOONG time before I’ll be able to tell you what’s in the boxes! [soapbox]
Well, yeah, hence my question. [;)] I think I am cheap at heart.
I have seen rather obscure offerings, Japanese WW2 tanks, etc, and figured it was some limited production deal, never even looked at the price.
THen I saw the M8 right after I almost bought the standard Tamiya offering, and WOW the price caught my eye. There doesn’t seem to be anything on the box to indicate anything out of the ordinary, and the M8 kit is still available, so why so much more, even on sale?
Bill
i’ld read somewhere that these “white boxes” are knock offs and that modellers should avoid them
I bought the LRDG the otherday, and it looks tobe exactly the same as the older LRDG. But the new one tows a cannon
gary
The Tamiya “white box” offerings aren’t knock-offs.
They’re simply limited releases of standard kits packaged with “extras”, in this case 5 pre-painted figures.
It’s worth noting that the Japanese domestic price of this boxing is 2900 Yen (at current rates, about $32.00USD), so even if it’s “rare” (hahaha) there’s some huge price gouging going on at the full price of $80.00. (LuckyModel in HK have this package listed at $31.99 + $10.42 shipping for a total of $42.41)
If I recall correctly a very small number of “white box” releases of some kits (Jeep?) carry Mr Tamiya’s signature on the box (signed personally, not printed on the box).
I got their 1/48 Hummer,it came in a white box also
Nope , wrong, those are the dragon “white box” figures that some one put trash figs in and said they were limited. The tamiya white boxes, are the same models with 5 prepainted figures put in that dont even have eyes painted.
The uniforms on the prepainted figgies aren’t too bad, but the faces are dismal.
Sold individually, the prepainted figs are 360 Yen on the (Japanese) Domestic market - or about $3.95(USD) each. There are 5 bundled with the “white box” M8 kit.
So you get the standard M8 kit plus $20.00 (retail) worth of figs for $80.00…
"Tell them they’re dreaming…"
I picked up the M26 with US Infantry for some crazy on sale price at the beginning of the year at a LHS. It cames with the pre built/pre painted infantrymen figures and the standard M26 kit (which impressed the heck out of me-especially the suspension). It was a great deal at its price, but otherwise I would not buy the kit at list price. If you can find them on sale and think the price is good for you, I say go for it. The basic Tamiya M8 kit is a beauty. I enjoyed building one a few years back.
No, I heard from my brother-in -laws cousin, who once was married to some guy who knew someone who worked for NASA in accounting who was at a party and he overheard for another guy from Lockheed-Martin, who knew a giesha who had a client from the Japanese Space Agency and that he had heard that Tamiya had launched these kits on a special program, and that they went 20 orbits and landed on Honshu, and Tamiya is selling them with a certificate of Authenticity. So there. Batteries not included, I think. Or something.
Doug
Doug…that was simpl beautiful…ROTFLMAO
Tamiya’s white box is the same as Dragon’s orange box…rehash an old kit with some goodies thrown in…I have their white box LRDG Chevy on pre-order…they threw in an Italian 20mm flak gun as a goodie (italeri kit)…
I wondered the same thing, when I saw the Tamiya 1/48 jeep in the white box at LuckyModel. Never seen a Tamiya 1/48 Jeep at any LHS, only the Hasegawa ? “Follow Me” Jeep. Didnt make much difference, got an email from LuckyModel saying thay had sold out and didnt know when they would get a resupply.
…Tamiya includes a “light vehicle” (Jeep to use the copyrighted term) in their 1/48 scale US Army Infantry at Rest set (item 52552–1600). It doesn’t have under hood detail like the two (airfield radio car and staff) versions of the Hasegawa kit or a raised top, but outside of that it is just as detailed. The driver figure seems to be scaled down from the one in the 1/35 Tamiya Jeep kit…The Jeep is lost in the box art of the figures and description. I don’t know what the problem is. Tamiya has made a number of 1/35 scale military and 1/24 scale civilian Jeep kits under license so that shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe it’s a royality issue…Last year Tamiya sold an assembled version of their 1/48 “light vehicle” which is probably the one in the white box. They did the same thing with their Ford (?) staff car. I don’t really see the point of fully assembled kits. Putting them together is most of the fun.
oh. hmmm… wonder if there a US M2/3 halftrack