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Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire Mk. IXc


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We're supposed to get them at the end of this month (unless they get hijacked by Somali pirates.) The container allegedly left 8 days ago; I'd expect everyone to get them around the same time.

Edgar

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As with any kit 'release', it depends when the container gets taken off the boat, through customs, delivered to the distributor, and thence to whatever retailer you're buying from. There is no exact date, because the manufacturer has no control over any of the above once the container leaves his warehouse in Japan. The Canadians got theirs early because Borgfeldt (sp?) ordered some directly from Japan via air shipment.

J

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As with any kit 'release', it depends when the container gets taken off the boat, through customs, delivered to the distributor, and thence to whatever retailer you're buying from. There is no exact date, because the manufacturer has no control over any of the above once the container leaves his warehouse in Japan. The Canadians got theirs early because Borgfeldt (sp?) ordered some directly from Japan via air shipment.

J

The kit isn't even out in Japan yet, so how did Canada get them a couple of weeks ago? If the kits were sitting in a Japanese warehouse for Borgfeldt to have them shipped over, why weren't they released in Japan also? It seems strange that Tamiya would allow a new kit to arrive elsewhere first unless it was a deliberate decision on their part.

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How about that eh!! <_<

Cheers

Brad

BC Canada

The kit isn't even out in Japan yet, so how did Canada get them a couple of weeks ago? If the kits were sitting in a Japanese warehouse for Borgfeldt to have them shipped over, why weren't they released in Japan also? It seems strange that Tamiya would allow a new kit to arrive elsewhere first unless it was a deliberate decision on their part.
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The kit isn't even out in Japan yet, so how did Canada get them a couple of weeks ago? If the kits were sitting in a Japanese warehouse for Borgfeldt to have them shipped over, why weren't they released in Japan also? It seems strange that Tamiya would allow a new kit to arrive elsewhere first unless it was a deliberate decision on their part.

See this thread Page 8 near bottom

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See this thread Page 8 near bottom

That explains how they get them, but not why they get them first. As noted, they are shipped from Japan, so the kits are physically in Japan. Why can a Canadian hobby shop across the Pacific ocean get the kit weeks before the Japanese hobby shop a few block from the warehouse housing them? Tamiya is apparently deliberately holding the kits back in Japan (to build up stock perhaps?) but clearly allowing them to be shipped to another continent and be sold weeks earlier. Why? I find it difficult to believe it's just because one distributor is worried about people buying kits online. I'm sure that is happening all around the world.

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That explains how they get them, but not why they get them first. As noted, they are shipped from Japan, so the kits are physically in Japan. Why can a Canadian hobby shop across the Pacific ocean get the kit weeks before the Japanese hobby shop a few block from the warehouse housing them? Tamiya is apparently deliberately holding the kits back in Japan (to build up stock perhaps?) but clearly allowing them to be shipped to another continent and be sold weeks earlier. Why? I find it difficult to believe it's just because one distributor is worried about people buying kits online. I'm sure that is happening all around the world.

The kit is actually made in the Philippines. So maybe the Canadian kits never went to Japan. As I said in my initial post this isn't the first time this has happened. I had my 1:48 F-16C block 25/32 (purchased at a local retail shop, kit reviewers and magazine people may very well have had advance copies) before anyone else that I found on the internet.

Any answer is just supposition on our part, with us not actually being upper management at Tamiya Japan. Perhaps as is often the case Tamiya set a release date of for example Dec 1 2009, with the intent of having the product shipped to the stores prior to the release date, so that every shop has sufficient stock, to meet the anticipated demand. Since many here say that Tamiya's main market and concern is the Japanese domestic market, they just don't care if 100 Canadians( remember that the Canadian economy, for all things as a whole is less the 3% of world total) get their kits three weeks before anyone else. If using this strategy keeps their Canadian distributor happy then big fat hairy deal to them (Tamiya) they still sell the same number of kits.

As for why this is only happening in Canada? Who knows, perhaps Borgfeltd is the only company that complained, and or offered a solution to the problem. Borgfeltd must be taking a huge hit in the margin department on this strategy, as the costs of airfreight, brokerage, etc over conventional container shipping, must really be taking a bite out of the profits, as some Canadians have even complained about paying $10 more than suggested retail to be the first in world to get simply the best model kit in world. So if they can't sell it for anymore than bringing it the other, but they pay more to bring it to the country, they must be making less money per unit. They(Borgfeltd) must rationalize that making less money per unit is better than not selling the kit at all, as those that can't wait would pre-order it online from the Asian based or US based e-tailers.

Ron

Ron

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That explains how they get them, but not why they get them first. As noted, they are shipped from Japan, so the kits are physically in Japan.

Not necessarily. Tamiya does a lot of business with China and the Philippines, so it's entirely possible their packaging and shipping is coming from the PRC or Manila as well. They may have made a conscious decision not to release it in Japan before the rest of the world gets it.

J

Edited by Jennings
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That explains how they get them, but not why they get them first. As noted, they are shipped from Japan, so the kits are physically in Japan. Why can a Canadian hobby shop across the Pacific ocean get the kit weeks before the Japanese hobby shop a few block from the warehouse housing them? Tamiya is apparently deliberately holding the kits back in Japan (to build up stock perhaps?) but clearly allowing them to be shipped to another continent and be sold weeks earlier. Why? I find it difficult to believe it's just because one distributor is worried about people buying kits online. I'm sure that is happening all around the world.

There was some Canadian involvement with the production of the kit, so that may have played a part in this as well. But we have got other Tamiya kits ahead of Japan and the US in the past, the F-16s are one example that comes to mind.

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I know the LHS got a small shipment in abotu a week ago..but it wasn't even enough to cover the pre-orders. My pocket book is going to be hurting when I see this on the shelf!!!!

i am such an impulse buyer and I know I am not going to be able to stop myself

Sean "hide all the kits from me" Martin

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The story, here, and the belief is that Tamiya made a conscious decision to hold back local (to them) deliveries, because of the huge number of complaints, from Western stockists, of impatient modellers cancelling orders, with them, and transferring their custom to the likes of HLJ. If worldwide availability happens at the same time, this is less likely to happen.

Edgar

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If worldwide availability happens at the same time, this is less likely to happen.

I doubt it would make a big impact... To me its not availability, its the price... Why pay more when you can get it cheaper elsewhere.

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Well, I emailed HLJ to see where we were in shipping these pre-orders out and they won't receive the kit until 28 Nov, I have this in an email. This means that these won't be shipped out to us until a few days after that, and depending how long it takes for shipping, we might see them mid Dec. I knew I should have ordered one from a Canadian shop..:) Oh well...

Brad

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