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Is it just me or is a Tamiya 1/48 Phantom way overdue?


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Sorry for the pointless post but being in a Phantom frame of mind, I felt the need to express the thought in a public forum. With Eduard's Mig out now, it adds to the disappointment of the alleged cancellation of their Phantom. I had fantasies that the big 100th 1/48 Tamiya kit would be a Phantom and that Eduard cancelled theirs because they knew something about that. Here's hoping that it will happen someday. What do you think; heck yeah or yawn not another Phantom?

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I think the chances of Tamiya making a 1/48 Phantom series are extremly low to non-existent.

The F-4 will be what the P-51 is today. I may be dead or to old to build when it comes out. I think it will sell well as long as they get it "right". People will pay good money for a good kit. The B model would be the first out of the gate then followed by a C/D. I can dream.......

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A 1/48 Tamiya F-4B is already tooled by Tamiya. Or so an asian friend of mine claims.

They're just sitting on it without announcing it? That's never happened in the history of Tamiya that I'm aware of. Not likely I'm afraid.

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While Tamiya is famous for doing things their own way and in their own time I do think that they missed the boat on not expanding their 1/32 kit line further to include an B/N and a late model (ie slatted wing) E.

Put VF-111 markings on the B/N kit and it would have sold by the boxart alone IMHO.

Ken

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They're just sitting on it without announcing it? That's never happened in the history of Tamiya that I'm aware of. Not likely I'm afraid.

I wish I could tell the entire story. I have already said too much.

So far my friend has failed me on the release date, he said it was going to be announced at the most recent hobby show in Japan. The funny thing is the word on the net is Tamiya does have a 1/48 kit tooled of something. The Mustang rumors certainly came true from many months ago. I did not hear that one from my friend though.

Tamiya is slipping in their secrecy.

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A 1/48 Tamiya F-4B is already tooled by Tamiya. Or so an asian friend of mine claims.

Wait, what?? Academy recently announced a supposedly new tool F-4B. Could your friend be thinking of that one? That said, Jose has had a few good calls in the past....

I won't replace my entire Hasegawa F-4 stash, but I'd sure as heck jump on a B and a D if Tamiya did one.

Ben

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While Tamiya is famous for doing things their own way and in their own time I do think that they missed the boat on not expanding their 1/32 kit line further to include an B/N and a late model (ie slatted wing) E.

Put VF-111 markings on the B/N kit and it would have sold by the boxart alone IMHO.

Ken

+1

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A slatted F-4E would require a couple of significant (and expensive from a molding point of view) changes from the existing Tamiya F-4E kit. They would need to tool a completely new lower wing section (I don't think they would go for the Revell out of just giving you actuator fairings to stick onto the existing hard wing), new outer wing panels with slats, and possibly new upper inboard wing panels if the slatted wing had different panel lines. Making the F-4E wasn't that great a stretch. Just block off the front end of the fuselage and lower wing molds, and add a new sprue with the gun nose.

Making a F-4B/N would require a more significant change to the F-4J kit. New upper inboard wings, new lower wing section, new wheels, tires, gear doors, speed brake, plus changes to the rear cockpit. I just don't see Tamiya spending the coin to invest in the tooling for all of those changes. Given the ever increasing prices of kits from Japan ($70 US retail for the Hasegawa 1/48 IAF Skyhawk - really?), It would probably be quite a while, if ever, before they got their money back. I just don't see there being enough demand for them to justify the cost for them.

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