I just had a huge problem applying Tamiya Decals to their Sherman M4A3 Tank. The decals simply come apart when you are putting them on the tank. I tried everything, and just gave up.
What reasons exist to even buy a Tamiya armor model:
They are more expensive than other armor model competitors
They are not as detailed as other armor model competitors
There decals are not as good as other armor model competitors
They come with half the number of parts than other armor model competitors
They are generally “Shake-&-Bake” kits, with “modeled-in” details only
They come with NO photo-etch parts, metal barrels, and extra stuff like this
Why buy them? They lose out to other competitors in every category. This is my second Tamiya kit, and I think it will be my last. The model was not horrible to build, but there are simply better models available, for less money.
This can happen to any decal. Sometimes, it’s a function of aging and/or poor storage. Sometimes, it’s just a bad batch. Some, especially Monogram’s of 20-30 years ago, would just about self-destruct if any setting solution was applied. Super-Scale would dissolve when put in water if they got too old. In the future, if the decals are more than a year old, you might want to treat them with Micro-Scale Decal Film before cuttong them from the main sheet. Just to be safe.
Your other points are well taken, however, though there are time Tamiya is the olny gane in town for specific vehicles.
Cromwell (always on top of people’s “best OOB” 1/35 kit)
Centaur
Sturmtiger
Dragon Wagon
FAMO SdKfz 9 & SdAnh 116
Marder III ausf M
Marder III 76.2(r)
M8/M20 Armored Car
LeClerc French MBT (making many people’s best 1/35 kit of 2005)
Type 90 Japanese MBT
Panzer III ausf L (along with the Cromwell, great “OOB”)
M26 Pershing
Panzer IV ausf H and ausf J
Flakpanzer Mobelwagen
Sturmgeschutz III ausf G
Panther ausf G
JS-3 Stalin
Wespe
Steyr 1500A
GMC Truck
and I can go on. I’m sorry for your bad decals. Send me your address and I can send you many copies of my M4A3 decals. Let’s not forget that Tamiya is one of the reasons why we even have this hobby. This isn’t to say that they shouldn’t be called higher or given criticism. But you yourself said that this is only your second kit…
Will you go out and buy the Alan Wespe, the MB Models T26 Pershing or the Tank Workshop Dragon Wagon?
How long have you been modelling? Having modelled for a long time, I count the skills I’ve developed (pre turned barrels, pre-photo etch, etc.) as invaluable. I agree that the add-ons take skill too but your reaction seems a bit strong.
People do have a strong “love/hate” view of Tamiya. Often the criticism of the Big T goes like this: “Why can’t they make a model of___________?” But this belies the fact that they make excellent models that build up well and are pretty darn accurate. If they really come out with a Char B1 this spring, you’ll see people jumping. Although Trumpeter and DML are to be lauded, who had the GUTS to put out a DRAGON WAGON long before the current “hot” model market? Would DML or Trumpeter have produced super kits like the Karl Morser or Leopold or super Tiger I kits if the market wasn’t already stirred into excitement by the massive retool of kits by Tamiya in the 90s?
Just my two cents.
I’m serious about the decal offer, though. Contact me. I’ve got lots.
ditto to the above. because noone else makes a better dragon wagon/famo/willys jeep/or most other allied vehicles or tanks, plus those modern mbt including the japanese ones. i still don’t see a 105mm M4A3 from dragon’s new release line-up yet. which M4A3 are you building though? they have an older kit, around number 100 something for the M4A3 and that is just …old in age so that might have caused a decal problem. their new shermans are pretty much based on the old one as well so they are really …not that much better either. their decals are notorious for being thick most of the time even for the new kits, so if you got gloss clearcoat and a good bottle of decal-sol ready, they aren’t really THAT hard to deal with. which other one did you build?
as far as extra goodies, pricing, and marketing strategy, that’s been mentioned a lot of times on this forum.
edited:
no i wasn’t ditto-ing to you roy. but darn man, you are one of them yale boys?!!!
Well, sometimes I want a kit that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. I want to add them myself. Sometimes it’s a subject that I’m keen on and either nobody else makes it, or nobody I’m willing to give my money. And sometimes I just want an easy kit that isn’t going to take me forever to build.
I agree with you on all points, but I also disagree with all the points.
Yes they are more expensive but you have to buy Tamiya when it comes to specific vehicles that only Tamiya produces.
Yes they are not as detailed as other competitors, but then again I find if it is all done for me I question is it correct? Or I just go ahead and add in the bits that I want.
As for the decals you experience is unfortunate and I do sympathize with your frustration but it is an easily solved problem.
The number of parts that a kit is produced with never bothered me, as I said before if it’s not there and I want it I will build it.
The “molded-in” detail can also be said of many of Tamiya’s competitors Academy comes to mind I know where the pioneer kit goes I don’t need a molded outline but some people may.
As far as the aftermarket goodies how much do you have to spend to make a worthy prototype. I have seen where someone has taken a $20.00 kit added in the Jordi Rubio barrel, Verlinden this, Tank Workshop that and Aber so and so, yes it is a fine kit and a great build but at what cost when you factor all those extras in that $20.00 kit is now a $200.00 investment and you’re going to want to put it in a cbinet or its own case and now you’re into more money. I have seen equally great results produced with scratchbuilt extras by young modelers that rival the best aftermarket goodies for next to nothing or from items found around the house. Not to mention some of the Masters in our craft turned out gems from these “shake n’ bake” kits look to the works of Shep Paine, and Francois Verlinden before all the aftermarket goodies bore the name on the box. They were just modellers who were really good and ended up making a living doing it.
You have to remember this is a hobby. It is about having fun and enjoyment of the build and completion. You don’t have to agree with me on all my points above but you should at least agree with me on the fact that it is about enjoying oneself in the build.
Sorry I disagree as well. Some Tamiya kits are good, oithers are not. No reason to discount a whole company. They do make some kits that others don’t as well. Other companies have just as good or bad kits and some are cheap while others are expensive. I buy/build from all companies. No one said you only had to build Tamiya as well. Don’t really get your rant, but to each their own.
Hi. Tamiya Kits are good. I LOVE their Instruction Manuals. However, I did have a BIG PROBLEM with their Paint Markers years ago. For some reason, the paint shrivelled up and resembled melted cheddar cheese and peeled right off . I’ll NEVER use those again. I now use Testor’s Paint Markers.
Lets not forget, and the newer hobbiest should learn that when Tamiya releases a kit it is usually one of the best on the market at the time of release. As an example we whine about their Panther model A but It was the best around when released. Now it is considered the worst of the bunch for accuracy but is still an easy to build kit by any standard and a great starter kit for those entering the hobby. The T 55 which is a recent release is a fantastic kit by todays standard. I don’t recall any Dragon releases in the 60’s, or 70’s, or 80’s but I do recall Tamiya releases. If it wasn’t for Tamiya, the kits would probably still be in 1/32nd scale that Monogram was releasing. Have you checked out the new Dragon prices? There are moving up to the big time also. Now, if Tamiya would just release an M103 Heavy Tank… Greg.
I’ve only built one Tamiya kit, the old M1A1,and from my experience it was a pretty good kit, the fit was unbelievably good as opposed to the DML or Trumpeter kits(The newer ones) and it had very few things that needed to be fixed. I never got to the decals because my dad smashed it cause he was mad at me :…( but I’m sure they wouldve been good too… All kits can’t be winners in certain categories, but others are. I once bought a DML StuG III Ausf. A from my local hobby shop, when I opened it, I noticed the decals were yellowed. I became puzzled and came across a post in the decal section(I think) of this forum(the old forum) and learned that this yellowing was due to the old age of the decals, I learned that all I needed to do was set them in some sunlight for a week and they would be good as new. And whadda ya know, it worked! So maybe next time, instead of complaining about your modelling problem, you should just look for help.
Built many a Tamiya kit and they were and are still good builds. I agree that others out there such as Dragon and AFV Club tend to offer more AM, but that doesn’t detract that Tamiya still produces nice accurate, easy builds. Sometimes I prefer something simpler to put together, but the bottome line is I usually purchase the maker of what I perceive as the best kit of that particular type.
Simply because I am a modeler and I’ll buy anything that I can build into what I can call “a model”. [:D]
This is besides the fact that Tamiya (although it has been overtaken by some brands in some fronts) still makes good kits.
I feel sorry for your decal problems but I think there are a lot of ways to solve it. I have encountered the same problems with decals from Dragon, Revell, Trumpeter and Italeri as well so I don’t think this is a problem exclusive to Tamiya kits only.
to be a modeller you have to deal with the idiosyncracies of a kit. The ability to turn a piece of crap plastic kit into a show stopper is what seperates the men from the boys when it come modelling. Too many modellers have turned to alum barrels and other things that just aren’t needed on alot of kits. Try filling in the seam and filing it to look like it’s all one piece, see what happens. IMHO the only reason I would buy an aluminum barrel is because of a thermal sleeve on a barrel, no other reason to get one, and from what I understand none exist in turned barrels. half the parts in the newer kits are spares box stuff because you don’t use 3/4 of the kit. heheh we’re all fooled by the 3 in 1 products!!! Turns out it’s just ONE with a bunch of spares! I am not against AM products if it enhances the build, but alot of it is just for ease of building. Tamiya is not a garbage company, yeah they’re pricey, but man, their molds are pretty darn good! Again, try a kit that isn’t soo jacked up on spares and see what you can do, that’ll make your mark in the modelling world!
As a rather inexperienced modeller, I would rather have a simple, nice looking model that I can construct, then fork out the cash for something that has photo etched parts (something I have little to no experience with), a complete interior, engine, numerous storage options and an instruction booklet that takes as long to read as all 3 books from the lord of the rings (ok … maybe not that long).
Sure, the kits are expensive … but i’d rather spend the money on a good kit, then waste money on a cheap kit that i don’t have the skills to fix just yet, which would most likely end up sitting in the cubboard for a few years and get dammaged anyways.
I build mainly tamiya for those reasons, and I know nearly everytime I build one, it will go together well and without trouble (as long as I don’t stuff something up along the way ).
As I mentioned in my original post, the model was not a terrible build at all. In fact, it went together in about 2 days, everything fit fine, and the only problem I had with it were a few of the bigger decals. The side number and stars came apart, but I will be using some Dragon spare decals to put on the model as replacements. I am not even going to put side numbers on the tank. I appreciate the offer to send me decals though.
Anyway, I was really just asking about why you would buy a Tamiya kit over some other companies. Like I said, it was only my second Tamiya kit. I understand buying a Tamiya kit when they are the only producer of that particular subject. But, if giving a choice between a Tamiya kit and a Dragon kit, I think many of us would choose the Dragon kit because you are getting more value for your money (at least with their armor kits). I guess I just get the feeling that I am getting a more detailed kit from Dragon over Tamiya. That is all.
Everybody’s points are well taken though, and I am not saying that Tamiya kits are terrible. Like many of you said, the entire modeling world still cannot solve the problem with faulty decals for some reason, and you can end up with bad decals from just about any company. I just hate having to pay $50 for a model kit, and then spend another $10 to $20 for decals to put on it because you don’t trust the decals that came with the model. You have to buy about 4 or 5 different chemicals to use just to put your decals on.
all i can say about this is, although i am enjoying the heck out of my 1/16 trumpeter t-34/85, if it was made by tamiya, it might have been a little more expensive, but it would fit better, have less flash,fewer ejection pin marks (hundreds on the trumpeter) and the parts that were some how missing from the factory would have been made available to me-- trumpeter customer sevice sucks!!-- even if you offer to pay !!–treadwell[V]-- p.s.-- you can always get decals!!
Why buy tamiya kits?! Tamiya makes great kits and in some cases fare more accurate than the new dragon stuff. Tamiya makes far greater amount of Allied WWII armor and a few subjects that no one else has. The fit on their kits is great, rarely flash and clear directions.
The new dml kits are great but I don’t know why I would stop buying tamiya all together.
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