Upcoming Japanese Model Show - New Tamiya Releases?

[Dave Williams]

I’m curious whether they actually made the tooling for a two-seat F-16 or a bomber nose Mossie at the same time as they did the already released versions.  If the already made the tooling, they should release the kits to get some money back.  If they haven’t, we’ll probably never see either.  With costs up now due to inflation, energy costs, supply chain, etc. any new boxing is going to cost quite a bit more than the original boxings.  A new bomber nose Mosquito will go for over $300, even if they already had the mold.

[ade rowlands]

11 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

I’m curious whether they actually made the tooling for a two-seat F-16 or a bomber nose Mossie at the same time as they did the already released versions.  If the already made the tooling, they should release the kits to get some money back.  If they haven’t, we’ll probably never see either.  With costs up now due to inflation, energy costs, supply chain, etc. any new boxing is going to cost quite a bit more than the original boxings.  A new bomber nose Mosquito will go for over $300, even if they already had the mold.

 

If it were a case of having existing tooling then why not bring out the Thunderbirds kit again but this time in Grey plastic as a regular kit or go all out and do a 1/32 Aggressor boxing like they do in 1/32 with both intakes and both exhausts? I don’t think they would have much trouble breaking even given the tooling already exists.

[BloorwestSiR]

On 9/10/2022 at 11:01 AM, ringleheim said:

all the R/C stuff which is their real life blood, and what most modelers ignore

 

Not this one. At least not according to the pile in our garage after this past weekend. 

 

 

Granted, not all of those are mine. A few belong to my sons and the VW Bus is my wife's. There's close to another dozen in the house.  Almost all are Tamiya.

 

The big money maker for Tamiya is their Mini4WD series which being 1/32 means they haven't given up on the scale. 

 

Carl

 

[LSP_Mike]

If you go with the WWII iconic fighters theory, then ZM stole a march on Tamiya. If Tamiya does a FW series, then good, but if ZM does an FW series, then it's anyones game. While I'd like to see Tamiya or ZM do a variety of aircraft, my favorite is not everyone elses.

[Juggernut]

Quote

... my favorite is not everyone elses.

 

I think that can be said about a lot of us.

[CRAZY IVAN5]

Not just Z-M , ICM is up and coming also, just got their Yak 9 and it's pretty darn nice, Watch out Tamiya better check your 6

[CRAZY IVAN5]

On second thought ,Tamiya really doesn't care me thinks. They got bigger fish to fry

[MikeMaben]

10 hours ago, LSP_Mike said:

If you go with the WWII iconic fighters theory, then ZM stole a march on Tamiya. If Tamiya does a FW series, then good, but if ZM does an FW series, then it's anyones game.

ZM's 'Basic' series is the only one from them that I will be interested in

(if it ever happens).

ZM kits are too much kit for too much money. I'm not the least bit interested

in engines, spars, bulkheads, stringers, longerons, fuel tanks, radios, especially

when they're fictitious (?), and I don't appreciate paying for it all. ZM would expand

more if they concentrated more on 'Basic' kits more like SH, Kotare and others.

[PieterGSXR]

It is time for a F -101 Voodoo, I think...

[thierry laurent]

15 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

I’m curious whether they actually made the tooling for a two-seat F-16 or a bomber nose Mossie at the same time as they did the already released versions.  If the already made the tooling, they should release the kits to get some money back.  If they haven’t, we’ll probably never see either.  With costs up now due to inflation, energy costs, supply chain, etc. any new boxing is going to cost quite a bit more than the original boxings.  A new bomber nose Mosquito will go for over $300, even if they already had the mold.

Excellent question! I also wondered more than once if Tamiya managed their projects as most other producers. I'm not that sure, as otherwise they would very probably have released other variants.

[ssculptor]

Sigh. Tamiya has all the guts, nerve and courage of a timid mouse. As they say in their board meetings, "Let us bring out the17th version of a Me-109, or a P-51, or another airplane type that has been flogged to death by us and the other companies. Heaven forbId we should produce a kit of hitherto ignored yet famous W.W.2  aircraft in 1/32 scale, such as the Kate and the Val."

Only the Hasegawa people showed such Samurai nerve with their varirty of 1/32 aircraft kits in the 1960-1980 era. 

Phooey!!! 

[Archimedes]

38 minutes ago, ssculptor said:

Sigh. Tamiya has all the guts, nerve and courage of a timid mouse. As they say in their board meetings, "Let us bring out the17th version of a Me-109, or a P-51, or another airplane type that has been flogged to death by us and the other companies. Heaven forbId we should produce a kit of hitherto ignored yet famous W.W.2  aircraft in 1/32 scale, such as the Kate and the Val."

Only the Hasegawa people showed such Samurai nerve with their varirty of 1/32 aircraft kits in the 1960-1980 era. 

Phooey!!! 

Hi SSculptor

 

I see Tamiya differently.  Japan is a deeply conservative country and most companies including Tamiya and Hasegawa exhibit this in how they do business.  If you look at any of the Tamiya ranges of kits they tend to model machines that one would truly consider iconic. In 1/32 aircraft this is particularly true. I would imagine the first question any of the Japanese manufacturers ask is 'Will this do well in our home market?'. This would be the same question that Airfix ask of their home market in the UK or Revell do in Germany.

 

Tamiya's choices are mostly not a surprise therefore and I do not feel Hasegawa's were particularly 'brave' either consisting almost of entirely of single engine fighter aircraft. I would agree, given my point above, that the lack of a 1/32 Kate or Val from either of them does seem odd given they were willing to produce a Kanonvogel Stuka and Fieseler Storch.  Tamiya have tended to be more 'progressive' in other scales (e.g. the fabulous 1/48 Fairey Swordfish Floatplane) but it has been demonstrated on this site many times that 1/32 aircraft will always represent a significant investment for any model company and generally conservatism reigns.

 

I am very glad of what Tamiya offer. They almost always produce an accurate, well engineered and precisely fitting product of iconic aircraft. They tend to be slow in releasing new products but that is probably a reflection of their clear commitment to accuracy, high quality products and the need to service other scales and market sectors.  If forced to choose: I would rather have the smaller number of accurate 1/32 kits that Tamiya produce than the high volume of less accurate kits that Trumpeter offer (though they too have produced the odd diamond!).  But then I have only built a small number of 1/32 kits in my lifetime and I am sure that someone who has built a great many may have an entirely different view.

 

Kind regards,

Paul

[cbk57]

What disappoints me most about Tamiya in this show, is not that there is no 1/32 LSP, I think there will someday be a new 1/32 LSP, the question is when more so than if, Tamiya is in part a model making company and it does make money from making new kits so its attention will come around to 1/32 again at some point.  No what disappoints me is that the new releases are mostly somewhat boring.  The only significant kit really in the mix is the new Ducati, which is not that interesting to me although it is a staggeringly good kit.   Scale motorcycles do not have that much appeal to me as they have to be covered in fairings and I am not that fascinated with Motorcycles anyway.

 

As a technical exorcise though, the most important kits Tamiya makes are the Motorcycle kits.  The bike kits are the most like an airplane, if there is one defect in the design, the whole thing goes wrong as the alignment goes off, the panels don:t fit the engine does not fit in the frame.  Every tolerance has to be perfect and no one touches TAmiya when it comes to Bike kits.  Every Bike kit we see tooled is a hopefully moment for a new LSP in the longe term as the bikes are the root of Tamiya’s design skills and proof that Tamiya is keeping their core skill set alive and well.

 

The British Commet is kind of interesting but not so compelling as it is a bit a a niche machine that did not have that big of a role, but then again Tamiya tooled years ago the American Pershing, so why not the commet.   The new Z car has some interesting stuff going on and I am kind of interested in it as I like the new Z car but I can think of so many other car kits that would be more compelling.  

[adameliclem]

I mentioned this in another thread recently, but this “Guesses and Wishes For Tamiya 2021 Releases”  post on Tamiya’s Blog is pretty illuminating. The post dates from December 2020. Out of one hundred fifty-seven responses, only four respondents asked for new aircraft in 1/32nd scale: Ki-43, Ki-45, P-51B, Bf-109K, Bf-109E or F, and Fw-190A. Another respondent asked for 1/32nd aircrew figures. The overwhelming majority asked for cars, trucks, motorcycles and armor, and many of those requests were for re-releases or new-tools of older subjects. A handful requested aircraft in 1/48th, and their lists were longer and more diverse than those asking for 1/32nd.

 

Tamiya has said that they listen to the market place. They aren’t hearing much from us. If they ask again this year, I’ll vote for a P-38, and I’ll post a link to the Tamiya Blog so more of us here can have a say. 

 

Cheers,

Adam

[cbk57]

1 hour ago, adameliclem said:

I mentioned this in another thread recently, but this “Guesses and Wishes For Tamiya 2021 Releases”  post on Tamiya’s Blog is pretty illuminating. The post dates from December 2020. Out of one hundred fifty-seven responses, only four respondents asked for new aircraft in 1/32nd scale: Ki-43, Ki-45, P-51B, Bf-109K, Bf-109E or F, and Fw-190A. Another respondent asked for 1/32nd aircrew figures. The overwhelming majority asked for cars, trucks, motorcycles and armor, and many of those requests were for re-releases or new-tools of older subjects. A handful requested aircraft in 1/48th, and their lists were longer and more diverse than those asking for 1/32nd.

 

Tamiya has said that they listen to the market place. They aren’t hearing much from us. If they ask again this year, I’ll vote for a P-38, and I’ll post a link to the Tamiya Blog so more of us here can have a say. 

 

Cheers,

Adam

Please do, I would vote for the Hellcat F6f-3 personally.  But we need to tell Tamiya what we want.  I proposed on a prior page of this thread that we aggressively assert out interest with TAmiya to get a plane we want, however, there seems to be no interest in doing more than complaining and talking to ourselves.  We need to be vocal with Tamiya and maybe we will get what we want.

Edited September 12, 2022 by cbk57