Guys: A little food for thought here…[BG]why do we dismiss the old Tamiya stuff so much and even go as far as to consider it “beneath” us as modelers? I admit that the old stuff has some serious shortcomings but with new kits going for $50-$75 and us complaining about it, why not scoop up some oldies for $10 and have some “fun”?! I’m even hearing that guys are dropping the hobby for $$$ reasons…that’s a shame, IMO when there are plenty of "good" kits available.
So go grab an old kit, use some creativity, and get back to your modeling “roots”…no sweating PE, if you choose, and hey, you can even try that three-color camo’ you’ve always wanted!..
I think the same way. That’s why at a recent show I picked up the old Tamiya Pz IV D and a KV1b for $10 a pop complete with motoization holes and all. I want to learn to make an “inferior” kit look good. The only AM stuff I plan on getting are tracks for both since that is where I think bith kits are lacking the most.
They are still worthwhile kits that assemble well and are fun to build, but one problem is that many stores sell the 1970s era Tamiya kits at the same price as a newer Tamiya kit in the same sized box. Paying $30+ for an old Tamiya kit when a brand new state-of-the-art Dragon kit of the same subject is $35 is crazy.
I agree…in fact I saw the old Panther A for $22.99 and I paid $29ish for my half-track Flakvierling. It’s best to watch the vendor tables and search the web for the oldies…I scored 5 for about $50.
Mm. I never could afford to build Tamiya kits back in the 70s. Now Ive retuned to modeling I still havent picked one up based on comments Ive read on the net. Im presuming from comments here that Tamiya are still produing kits from that era using the same molds? When I compare them with someone like Dragon or even Trumpeter (Ive only built one Trumpeter so far and no dragons) I wonder how Tamiya keep going with those old molds. I know they have new ones as well but I have yet to find any cheap Tamiya kits in my local stores.
Personally I don’t think there’s anything wrong with building the Tamiya kits per se, although they show their age in a lot of ways if accuracy is your thing. When I started building that’s pretty much all I did for about the first 6 months…but their prices were about the same at my LHS at that time as DML kits so I started doing more DML…then DML took off in the quality department and that’s that. Tamiya has pretty much given up competing directly in the 1/35 market space although they continue to put out a couple here and there. Now with DML kits routinely posting MSRP in the $50-$60 range, you can get some good deals on Tamiya stuff if you hunt for it…just don’t go to the LHS or similar if you’re looking for those kinds of bargains.
I agree with Bill. Nothing wrong w/building up kits to one’s own satisfaction. The problem is my modelling time is very limited and my standards for myself (which is part of the fun) are pretty high (oftentimes to my own detriment). I haven’t any inclination to do a Tamiya Pz IVD when my Cromwell Models all-resin 12.8cm Krupp Pak 44 is 60% complete and hasn’t been touched by me in 8 months…
wbill76: What is the general consensus on the new stuff?..JS-2, German Truck, Panzer IV (N-I think), etc… and the new Jagdtiger?
By the way, I thought Tamiya’s Jimmy and the T-55A were nice, they are a little newer and a HUGE leap forward from the old stuff…especially in the flash and ejector-mark department
The reason why we dis old Tamiya kits is probably because:
a lot of them are really not very good, either in terms of outline accuracy or detail;
mould quality often leaves a lot to be desired;
Tamiya usually still charge full price for them, especially if they’ve added a few bits and pieces.
As an example: 35 years ago, Tamiya released a 1/35 Sd,Kfz,234 8-rad. By the standards of the day, it was quite good. By today’s standards, it isn’t. Until recently, it was in their catalogue for about £15. Last year, they re-released it, with a couple of small new detail sprues, including a couple of Afrika Korps figures. There’s also a new, small etched fret, a new decal sheet, and an (inaccurate) turned aluminium gun barrel.
And they doubled the price. It now costs more than the (more recent, much better) Dragon 234s (albeit that Dragon don’t do the same version as the Tamiya kit).
That’s why we dis old Tamiya kits. If they’re cheap (and you can still find un-modified versions of the old kits for not much money) they’re good for painting practice.
Check out reviews of the newer stuff on places like PMMS, it’s generally positive. Some of them still use one-piece flexible tracks while others have gone the link-and-length route. Overall I’ve heard they live up to the usual standard of fit/engineering you would expect from Tamiya although I haven’t built any of their newer kits myself. The 1990’s era kits like the T-55A and Marder III are definitely a different generation from their '70s era releases.
The first kit I built in some 25 years (2004ish) was the Otto Carius Tiger by Tamiya…the indies almost scared me[:O] away from starting the hobby again…luckily the help of my sons little fingers came to the rescue…he was 4 or 5 years old and lined them up for me in mini groups of 10…it’s a great modeling memory for me…[^]
I certainly don’t dis’ Tamiya’s 1970’s offerings; they are mostly what I build[:)]! If I want a nice, relaxing build, I can build out-of-the-box. On the other hand, I can also detail and scratch-build to my heart’s content.
Rob’s point on price is well taken, and I don’t think that I would pay contemporary kit prices for them. Fortunately, my LHS prices them reasonably, between $10 and $20, they’re cheap entertainment for me.
They certainly aren’t as detailed or accurate as what has come to be the expected norm, but if well constructed, even the worst of the lot (Panther A), will look quite nice on one’s display shelf. I think they do provide a useful niche in the model building world by providing inexpensive, easy to build models.
The Lion Roar kits knock the Tamiya kits into a cocked hat. But then 2000s moulding technology and etched spokes vs 1970s moulding technology, no more than you’d expect.
But then the Tamiya R75 is only £4.49…That’s cheaper than an Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX.
Fair point, but give the same modeller a Tamya early 1970s Tiger I and a 2000s Dragon one, and see which one ends up as a better model. And which one is a more enjoyable building experince.
No,of course they weren’t. You only have to look at back issues of the Tamiya Catalogue from the 1970s and 80s to see how many of them won awards back in the day. They were either the only game in town (the Tamiya Flak 36, for example, was first released in the early 1970s, and had no competition for over 30 years), or the competiton was even worse (check out the Nichimo Sd.Kfz.251 some time).
Plus, back in the early 1970s as a kid, I wanted my tanks and armoured cars to be motorized!
I was raised on Tamiya kits after cutting my teeth on Aurora models, so opening one of them gives me that old feeling of excitement and confidence. Opening a DML box is a little intimidating and overwhelming. Sometimes overly detailed parts and confusing instructions where as the Tamiya’s instructions are easier to glide through.