This has probably been debated here a number of times but I have evidently missed it. Tamiya used to rule the roost when it came to 1/35th armor kits and now it appears they could care less. They hardly put out any new subjects and when they do, all they do is add new parts to an old kit. The Japanese vehicle from OIF was obviously new altogether so I will give them credit for that.

I used to buy only Tamiya because in my humble opinion they were the best. But after seeing some of the DML and Trumpeter kits you guys and gals are building, I can't remain loyal any longer. I have a couple of DML kits in my stash to build. I feel like I'm divorcing my wife or something.

They could do so well if they would just try and do some new kits that aren't rehashes of old ones. Any theories on what Tamiya is thinking?

Disappointed in Missouri!!!!!

Short term money?
Why else would you re-release a 30 year old Walker Bulldog with nothing new just before AFV and Academy(?) release completely new kits? Why else would you keep re-releasing ancient figure sets that have been dissed by builders for years in hte press and on-line? Why else would you ignore areas taht have been clearly identified as problematic in a kit and add a sprue of accessories to call it a new kit?
Don't even get me started on their paint!

Could it be also a sudden interest in other scale (1/48 for military and 1/100 for airplanes)...

This way they "only" have to scale down the molds, like they did so well in the 1/72 warbird series, and sell their 1/35 scale armour again...

Also, as already mentioned here in the Big A, the amount that the real manufacturers are asking for plans and other rights for using their material and brands....

Skipper

I think Tamiya is really feeling the heat from DML and Trumpeter...not to mention the loss of market share from all of the former Soviet-bloc manufacturers.
If you don't have the money coming in...you can't concentrate on research and development.
I think they missed an excellent opportunity with the 38(t) series of Marders. They had a chance to really rack up the sales if they had continued with other variants of the PzKfw 38 (t). They already had the basis. Why didn't they continue?
I think Tamiya is heading in a new direction with the 1/48 scale models. It's a niche that has long been forgotten. I hope that Tamiya will introduce NEW 1/35 scale kits in the future. But I think their main focus will be 1/48.

I'm a new guy here, but I know exactly why Tamiya has moved away from 1/35 scale models. They make mountains of money sell to the R/C car crowd. They don't need us. They have found a much more profitable avenue of business. More power to them.
And YES! Tamiya still makes the finest 1/35 armor on the planet. Take it easy, John

Hi, I think Bodeen has it pretty well right. There's a whole lot more money to be made on the market in the R/C industry. There's a local hobby store just up the street that deal quite a bit in R/C stuff and when I've been in there I've seen people checking out with $500 to $1,000 + worth of stuff in R/C. Now I don't know just how much of this is produced by Tamiya, but I'm sure a lot of it is, or made by other makers who are basically owned by Tamiya.

Also I wouldn't be surprised if Tamiya isn't tied in with some of these new model companies as well, so I'm sure they aren't hurting for money.

Take care, Sgirty

I use to feel the same way, Tamiya kits only for me. But since DML started puting out the great stuff that they have, I fing myself going to them first. Plus the price it always better. Their idea of "re-tooled" is throw an extra sprue in a 20 year old kit and jack the price up.

Seems to me that their thinking about the competition is like if they just ignore the other guys they will go away. Personaly I could care less. If they want to keep their heads buried in the sand it's fine with me. Since I now have access to kits that are just as good if not better, let them price themself right out of the market.

Bye Tamiya! Good luck with your marketing stradgety! I'm off to build my DML kits I got for Christmas.

I don't know where all these R/C builders are located but you can't find anywhere here that sells that stuff in any quantity. I can certainly see those Radio Shack $10 cheapies that all the kids have but noting significant in the way of Tamiya R/C.

Also when did the demand for 1/48 armor start? Is it popular in other regions/countries?

Ciao Guys,
Good point, Brent. Yeah, I remember when I was about 13 or 14 (a.d. 1977) and I bought the Lee tank model. Wow, was I impressed with that beauty. Years later, I found out that it is one of the most inaccurate armor models made. I used to be a Tamiya devotee, but no longer. Now, I only build Tamiya when I need an American halftrack.
Hey AJLaFleche, Please discuss the paint. I thought that I was the only one that really despised Tamiya paint. It has NO shelf life, it's thick as glue, either globs up or no coverage at all. Awful, truly awful.
Long live DML. Long live Model master and Vallejo.
Ciao for now
Rob

You asked.

When Tamiya introduced their paint 20 years ago, it was great, no brush marks, airbrushed great. I used to really enjooyed painting figures with it, a blend of red brown and flesh gave a really nice tone. They also had (still have) several really good shades, like a dark olive drab that was a great 1960's color for US armor. I also liked their semi-gloss black, perfect for leather. At some point, they changed the formula. I know there are guys who swear by it but I found airbrushing it left a very unpleasnat texture. Brushing it resulted in almost instantaneous skin forming. That appeared to be dry, but when the next brush touched it, it would lift exposing and smearing the wet paint beneath it.

Despite what I said about about that drab and SG black, the color choices are the most limited of any company. None of the colors are matched to any standard nor do they carry FS/ANA/RLM numbers, just the company's designation.

I started to get really displeased when I'd mix a good shade of flesh and it would be half cured and useless before I had the chance to even lay down one coat on a 1/35 figure.

And I don't know how many times I've read of builders bemoaning the fact they just sprayed on a coat of Tamiya flat and the model turned all white! There should be a very large and clear instruction note that this is to be mixed into the paint to make it flat and that it's not like everybody else's clear flat.

The only bright spot, IMHO, is their clear colors are good for what they do.

Brent, i do agree its unfortunate they dont release anything out but there old kits, but it has a good side for young modelers like me, i get to buy them and bbuild them, even if there not always accurate, theres always somethign good to do with it. and also there usualy inexpensive.

also for hte paint, man, i find its good now, but if its as good as it was back then like AJLaFleche said they were, they'd prob make more people happy, my question is, peopel must've told them already so why dont they do nothign about it

Frank

Hi guys
Tamiya made loads of money ..very little immagination now i feel their marketing stratygy is as about as effective as a chocolate fire guard,i have been modling for nearly 30 years and i have seen some fantastic improvements to the hobby had a lay off for a number of years came back to it and was i impressed with what Tamiya were putting out.......no was i impressed with what younger companys were putting out with less capital even ...yes like i say watch out for the little dogs cos they will bite you right in the arse Tamiya...sorry they all ready have!!!
cheers chris

yeah i used to be a devout tamiya tank builder until dragon started coming out with the great kits with photo etch and all the extra goodies everyone loves. Dont even let me mention the superiority of the dragon figures over tamiya. I still think their last generation kits are great, they have good detail, EXCELLENT fit and general ease of building. But dragon is shooting them out of the water with all the turned barrels, ez track, stowage equipment, and photo etch that comes with the kit for cheaper than a normal tamiya. I do hope that tamiya realizes they are getting killed and gets some new kits to try and show up dragon. This just means that we get more stuff for cheaper! :-) :-) :-)
Ian

i paid 70 bucks for a tiger later version, okay, the fit was good, but no super special details on the kit, and the only left over goodies i had were the links for the tracks! but i guess it varies from kit to kit, the sherman 105mm i bought had plenty of extra stowage, ammo boxes, etc, same with hte 75mm, and is cheaper. and iam sure not all kits from otehr companies have extra goods. so i guess before buying a kit, reading reviews and askign around is a good thing

Frank

My understanding is that they have decided to concentrate their efforts on R/C cars. It's more profitable for them to do so. It's supposedly an area of interest for the son of the founder of the company who now runs it.
Whether this is true or not, I have no idea, but I believe this is what I read in a thread here about a year or so ago.

Seems as if I respond or start a similar thread every couple of days...Like the modelling equivalent of Groundhog Day...

Seems as if I respond or start a similar thread every couple of days...Like the modelling equivalent of Groundhog Day...

O.K. cheap joke over :-)

I think my opinion is fairly well-known about Tamiya... Let me just sum it up...

1) To be fair, Tamiya really started it all. o.k. companies like Monogram played an important role, but it was Tamiya who really put 1/35th on the map..

2) Tamiya have done (and continue) some amazing work with aviation kits, Star performers - their Skyraiders and Swordfish...

3) Now the nice bit is out of the way, I can sharpen the knives...

4) Re-Pops there are some of their kits they can keep re-issuing ad-infinitum. The Churchill, the Universal carrier the 'deuce and a half' and several others including their recent Humvees and of course the Cromwell...

5) Re-pops # 2 There is some total Garbage in their lists. Some 'gems' which come to mind are virtually all their 1/35th figure range (unless your taste runs to hunchbacked military dwarves) and in particular their 251, the six-pounder, their M3s, the Stuarts etc., etc...

6) What ARE they actually doing? Apart from some real beauties in the last few years such as the Humvees, the truth is, not very much at all. The 1/48th shows some real promise, however all the 'fluff' about 30+ kits is not going to happen anytime soon (at least IMHO) The future releases are not going to get the pulses racing either - a French MBT (which no-one knows much about and is not very well-documented) Another re-release of another Tiger , and lots of nicely painted 'toy' tanks.

7) The 'overwhelming' superiority of the other players DML, Trumpeter, AFV Club, Tristar and (coming soon) Bronco are really getting the pulses racing. O.K. its mainly German, but there are some really attractive subjects in there as well. They aren't competitors to Tamiya - Tamiya IMHO is no longer a player (or unless things change dramatically) is Academy.

8) Who Gives a Damn Anyway? Rather than sit and contemplate the demise of Tamiya, we should be looking towards the positive. Just because Tamiya has committed Corporate Suicide doesn't mean we have to start wallowing in some kind of depressive stupor. Look at the others, look at what they are bringing us in the coming months and REJOICE! If Tamiya goes to the wall, someone else will get their moulds..

9) Start Thinking Outside the box... If you want to see imagination, look at Trumpeter, if you want to see innovation and concern for their products - look at Tristar I have regular contact with their MD, and what he communicates is pride. Pride in his product line, pride in the interest that their products are generating...

Go even further, stop worrying about what Tamiya is doing and start looking at some of the work of companies like Tiger, Formations or Legends are doing. Companies like those (and the others mentioned above) are bringing in a real 'golden-age' of modelling.

Look at the images of the new stuff that is getting reported in the news and reviews sections and ask yourselves, "Do we ACTUALLY need Tamiya?" ...Jim

No we don´t - and apparently, they don´t need us. As said before, its probably right that the Tamiya strategy is based on RC - and 1:35 is more or less the cash-cow....

Just bougth the AFV skdfz 250C with PAK 40 and individual tracks ...Tamiya never did anyting close to that , and probably never will. The prices ?? - same as a 12 year old panther from mr. t.

You are definitely right with the above statements. I agree that there better kits coming out from other manufacturers. That is why Tamiya will no longer get my money (Except for the M1046 HMMWV).

tamyia thinks that they dont have to make any more,
retooled kits, they just keep realeaseing there old kits.
they save money, but people will still buy there old stuff.
because there older stuff is under 25 bucks,
but in the long run tamyia will fail doing this

There are certain kits I think Tamiya can continue to re-pop over and over as listed above. There are a few staples such as Shermans and Tigers that will sell for a long time. Personally I just wish they would flood the market with their re-pop Shermans so that the other companies will lower the price on their Shermans.

Personally I never "just made Tamiya kits". Sure, when I first started on them in the 70s they were in a different league (anyone remember Nitto?), but if another manufacturer made the vehicle I wanted it was no contest. Italaeri made a lot of stuff Tamiya wouldn't touch. I still think Tamiya kits go together well, probably better than the others. But I looked @ my workbench & what's on it? Dragon & AFV club!

Stop your whining, Brent, and start building some of that stash of yours!