When did Tamiya get good?

[Mrchickenstrips]

We all know Tamiya is excellent when it comes to fit and engineering, but when did this trend start? Some of their older kits are real doozies i.e. 1/48 Sea Harrier. Withen the last 5 or so years, we've been given some lovely aircraft models (Bf-109G, Spitfire Mk.1, Phantom, Tomcat, P-38, F-35) So when did this start? Is there a certain kit that could be considered the beginning of good Tamiya?

 

[BarryW]

I remember a Tamiya kits were excellent, much better than Airfix or Revell back in the early ‘70’s. That’s not to say that every single kit was up to standard and you are correct about that Harrier. But remember, what was good in the 70’s would be regarded as poor now, so it’s all relative.

 

[langy71]

I remember a Tamiya kits were excellent, much better than Airfix or Revell back in the early ‘70’s. That’s not to say that every single kit was up to standard and you are correct about that Harrier. But remember, what was good in the 70’s would be regarded as poor now, so it’s all relative.

The best thing about the Tamiya Sea Harrier was the pilot..

 

[Mrchickenstrips]

Do you guys think they should market their old kits into a 'classics' range similar to Airfix?

 

[Dave Ward]

Judging by the number of Tammy 1/48 Sea Harriers for sale on ebay - a lot of people bought it, looked in the box & immediately decided to sell it! To be fair it's the only Tamiya kit that I would describe as bad. Quite a few mediocre ones, but their overall makeability puts Tamiya above other makers..........
Dave

 

[langy71]

Judging by the number of Tammy 1/48 Sea Harriers for sale on ebay - a lot of people bought it, looked in the box & immediately decided to sell it! To be fair it's the only Tamiya kit that I would describe as bad. Quite a few mediocre ones, but their overall makeability puts Tamiya above other makers..........
Dave

Wasn't the engine 'despite being a full one' pretty poor ? I suppose it would have been a good base for some scratchery

 

[Jakko]

We all know Tamiya is excellent when it comes to fit and engineering, but when did this trend start?

The 1960s? I don’t think there has ever been a Tamiya kit with poorly fitting parts. Sure, the odd couple of parts may not fit that great on the odd kit, but in general, any Tamiya kit you care to buy, whether it’s the latest or one that was released 50 years ago, will fit better than those of many other manufacturers.

 

[KarlW]

I binned my Tamiya Shar, then bought a Kinetic one.
One of Tamiyas dogs.
But yes they've always had a good reputation, a better question would be when did everyone else up their game?

 

[Mrchickenstrips]

I binned my Tamiya Shar, then bought a Kinetic one.
One of Tamiyas dogs.
But yes they've always had a good reputation, a better question would be when did everyone else up their game?

That's a good question, when did we start to see better kits out of other manufacturers. Eastern Europe has a lit of good manufacturers these days.

 

[The Smythe Meister]

We all know Tamiya is excellent when it comes to fit and engineering, but when did this trend start? Some of their older kits are real doozies i.e. 1/48 Sea Harrier. Withen the last 5 or so years, we've been given some lovely aircraft models (Bf-109G, Spitfire Mk.1, Phantom, Tomcat, P-38, F-35) So when did this start? Is there a certain kit that could be considered the beginning of good Tamiya?

To my mind you should be asking ," When did Tamiya get BAD?!! ...
Not sure when you started to model properly, but I remember as a kid,back in the mid '70s,they were the kits you aspired to actually being able to buy ,
... that's obviously a long time ago, but I must admit,I kinda remember those wishful days fondly ....
..... and of course ,we can now see they're still cracking builds... even ones that are still '70s ,(or even older),molds

 

[Dave Ward]

I don't think that Tamiya has become bad, I think that they haven't advanced as much as some of the newer manufacturers, maybe a case of resting on their laurels. Tamiya also have a big market for their r/c models, so maybe the emphasis on standard kits has a lower priority?
Dave

 

[BarryW]

I don't think that Tamiya has become bad, I think that they haven't advanced as much as some of the newer manufacturers, maybe a case of resting on their laurels. Tamiya also have a big market for their r/c models, so maybe the emphasis on standard kits has a lower priority?
Dave

I really don’t think you can say that at all Dave.

OK, they have not issued a new 1/32 WW2 warbird for a few years but their last couple, the Corsair and Mossie are right up there at the top of the pile and still way ahead competitors. Indeed all the 32 scale warbirds are right at the top. Then there are their more recent 1/48 releases, the F4B and F14 that I have in the stash, likewise, simply among the very best that you can get.

So no Dave, they are right up there at the top and the only company that comes close to them in quality and innovation is Zoukei Mura.

 

[JR]

I've only built a couple of armour kits , probably made in the late 90s and they have been a dream, clean of flash and well detailed . The figures have not be bad either .

 

[Jon Heptonstall]

I remember getting my first Tamiya for Christmas in 1976ish-the Sd.Kfz 222 and thinking it was great.The only option otherwise was Airfix and a few Matchbox kits and the difference was massive.These old kits are still around but have been well overtaken by other manufacturers so I'd agree with Dave in saying they have always been good but such a lot of others are now better.Tamiya can still produce excellent models but not often.Mind you,some of their recent figures are very,very good.I'm only talking about their 1/35 stuff here.
Jon.

 

[BarryW]

I remember getting my first Tamiya for Christmas in 1976ish-the Sd.Kfz 222 and thinking it was great.The only option otherwise was Airfix and a few Matchbox kits and the difference was massive.These old kits are still around but have been well overtaken by other manufacturers so I'd agree with Dave in saying they have always been good but such a lot of others are now better.Tamiya can still produce excellent models but not often.Mind you,some of their recent figures are very,very good.I'm only talking about their 1/35 stuff here.
Jon.

But all companies reissue old kits. You can only compare with the new tools. While Tamiya are not prolific in their new launches there is still a steady flow. I am not an armour modeller and have not built one for many years so I can only speak for their aircraft and Tammy are top of the game.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Regarding old kits I feel you can only compare them with those that were issued at the same time. Sure, the seventies Tamiya kits had issues, but every seventies kit had issues, and Tamiya were better than most.

Tamiya fit and finish is as good as anybody out there. This has always been a truism. They have always been as good or better than their contemporaries in any age. That is beyond dispute, but there is more to a kit than the plastic.

The instruction sheets are average, not great but not bad. Certainly not as good as the best, but much better than the worst. Allied to this, the painting instructions they contain are relatively poor. This holds for most manufacturers to be honest. The paint mixes can be confusing and the proper name for the paints are rarely, if ever, given. Most manufacturers are the same regarding painting, just picking the nearest shade from their paint range and not telling you what is really should be called. I suppose they can be therefore be classed as average when compared to their contemporaries.

The elephant in this room is the decals. Without exception, Tamiya decals are unremittingly awful. Compared to other kits, such as modern Airfix and Italeri they are absolutely terrible. In terms of decals, I would say Tamiya are close to, if not actually are, bottom of the main stream producers in this respect.

 

[BarryW]

Spot on Tim. Colour call outs and decals are the Tamiya weak spots. Personally though, I would rate Trumpeter/Hobby Boss decals even worse than Tamiya due to fragility.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Spot on Tim. Colour call outs and decals are the Tamiya weak spots. Personally though, I would rate Trumpeter/Hobby Boss decals even worse than Tamiya due to fragility.

Not built much Hobbyboss, but trumpeter I routinely replace with aftermarket, mostly because the colours are really weird. By far the worst aspect of Tamiya decals are their inconsistency. I have has some in aircraft kits that are like kids vinyl sticker and others in the bike and car kits I’ve made that are like paper, and do not to want to come off the backing sheet consistently. One set I had the main decal was mostly floating in the water apart from one area that simply wouldn’t come off the sheet…….
There must be a good market opportunity for making aftermarket decals that are suitable for Tamiya kits

 

[Ian M]

Do you guys think they should market their old kits into a 'classics' range similar to Airfix?

No No and No with a side of No. Its bad enough that Airfix keep pushing these Old kits on us insted of saying that was a great kit and sold well: lets make a new tool of it with better parts and detail.

 

[Tim Marlow]

No No and No with a side of No. Its bad enough that Airfix keep pushing these Old kits on us insted of saying that was a great kit and sold well: lets make a new tool of it with better parts and detail.

Plus one on that……if they haven’t paid for themselves by now they probably never will…….