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Tamiya Future Kits


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It looks like Tamiya has only been releasing new molded 1/32 kits, in the past few years 3 Spits and 2 Stangs. Do you think this is their trend now for scale WWII aircraft kits? Will they keep this trend going and release 1/32 P-51B and maybe even P-47, F4U, BF109, FW190? or will we see some new 1/48th kits? It would be nice to see them shrink down the 1/32 Spits to 1/48th.

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Sure hope not. Don't get me wrong, all their kits are pretty much stellar in my eyes, and I have their Skyraider in my stash as we speak, but I'd like to see their approach on more modern kit ideas well to see what they come up with. The're amongst my top two favorite companies.

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I'm with Edgar on this one. Tamiya always seems to play their upcoming releases very close to the vest. If you do know what Tamiya has got coming, and you blab, Tamiya is very unlikely to trust you with that type of info in the future.

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Correct, they did do the II-2 but what was the last new 1/48 mold before that and how long ago. I should of been more specific I am comparing 1/48th WWII aircraft kits to 1/32. I the last few years they have now released 5 1/32, 3 Spits and 2 P-51D/K's. I would assume next would be 1/32 P-51B but your are right, who really knows. Over the last 10 plus years 1/32 is getting really popular, the market has grown for all companies, Revell, Academy, Eduard, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Trumpeter.

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I'm still yet to do a 32'nd scale build, but I really would like to. I've been eyeballing that Tamiya F-16 for quite some time. I think if I bite the bullet and go into that scale, that'll probably be my first decision. I built the same plane in 48'th scale, and it was a pleasure to work with. Can only imagine that it'll be a little better in a bigger scale. And I'd like to see the additional detail as well.

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I would like to see a correct Spitfire PR XIX in 1/48 , instead of having to convert the Academy Mk XIV

and then I would really like a late model Yak-7b (cut-down rear fuselage)and an early Yak-9 (cockpit in the forward position) having parts that are interchangable

(I want an accurate Yak-7D and Yak-7DI prototypes and it would be awesome to have the Yak-9 with the option to do the Yak-9B and/or Yak-9V)

Edited by PFlint
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I would like to see a correct Spitfire PR XIX in 1/48 , instead of having to convert the Academy Mk XIV

and then I would really like a late model Yak-7b (cut-down rear fuselage)and an early Yak-9 (cockpit in the forward position) having parts that are interchangable

(I want an accurate Yak-7D and Yak-7DI prototypes and it would be awesome to have the Yak-9 with the option to do the Yak-9B and/or Yak-9V)

Airfix has a nice looking XIX coming out.

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Correct, they did do the II-2 but what was the last new 1/48 mold before that and how long ago. I should of been more specific I am comparing 1/48th WWII aircraft kits to 1/32. I the last few years they have now released 5 1/32, 3 Spits and 2 P-51D/K's. I would assume next would be 1/32 P-51B but your are right, who really knows. Over the last 10 plus years 1/32 is getting really popular, the market has grown for all companies, Revell, Academy, Eduard, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Trumpeter.

They've released 1.5 Spits (highback & lowback) and one P-51, in multiple boxing variations (note the Spit VIII and IX are almost the same kit, the XVI gets a new fuselage, the P-51 is simply one kit with extra adds for the expected F-51D boxing, the two P-51D boxings are essentially the same aside from decals) and with some commonality between them (Both the Spitfire and P-51D kits share the engine sprues). At the same time they've done one 1/48 kit in the Il-2.

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Didnt Tamiya also recently issue a new tooled 1/48 Zero based on the 1/32 kit? Before that the 1/48 Storch, and many other new 1/48 kits. Tamiya doesnt really flood the market with new kits like a lot of the others, but when they do, they do it right. Patience, Im sure Mr "T" has something nice for us coming soon. One thing, they like to surprise us with something we didnt expect.

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You are right the storch was a few years back but the Zero kits both of the are recent. I just look at between 2002 and 2005 the released 3 P-47 kits, I think 2 Me-262 kits in 1/48th so that is like 5 plus kits in a 3 year spand and in the past 7 years since the P-47M there has not been that many props in 1/48th, a couple yes, and I won't count the Itelari/Tamiya releases as that is not really a new mold kit.

I would love to see them shrink down the Spits to 1/48th, do a Hellcat series an a Typhoon would be nice also.

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Didnt Tamiya also recently issue a new tooled 1/48 Zero based on the 1/32 kit? Before that the 1/48 Storch, and many other new 1/48 kits. Tamiya doesnt really flood the market with new kits like a lot of the others, but when they do, they do it right. Patience, Im sure Mr "T" has something nice for us coming soon. One thing, they like to surprise us with something we didnt expect.

The 1/48 A6M5 Zero was released in 2008 (the variant A6M3 followed in 2010) and the Storch was 2007. Everything between those and the Il-2 have been variants/re-releases. Same goes with their lines of tanks, bikes, etc. Not a whole lot of innovation going on there in general.

The only line where they've managed a new tool each year in recent times is probably their 1/24 scale cars.

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I figure 44 months between the Tamiya A6M5 of August 2008 and their all-new Il-2M3 of 2012...

That's nearly four years for 1/48th prop types. Hasegawa in that scale/category has last put out an F1M "Pete" in February of 2009, 45 months ago...

There used to be, in that still popular scale/category, two and even occasionally three Hasegawa all-new releases a year, and at least one Tamiya if not sometimes two per year. So around 3 to five "Tamigawas" a year, this about twelve years ago... From five a year to one every four years is quite a drop... Even counting the 1/32 scale WWII releases, "Tamigawa" doesn't quite look on fire these days...

Robertson

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Thanks Robertson, well said. This was the point I was trying to make. Years ago in my LHS there were way more prop kits than jets, now there is way more jet kits then props, even on the model forums, there is way more posts in the jet section vs prop section. I guess things have really changed over the past 15 years or so. Some say they have released pretty much every prop in kit form and scale and that is why the new kits have slowed down, I don't agree with that as Tamiya could shrink down there 1/32 Spits, they could do a Hellcat series, Typhoon, P-40 series, they could remold their P-51 kits like a shrink down version of the P-51 and fix the canopy and make it one piece as well as other things. Also the FW190 series is rather old with molded in gun barrels, etc. I look at how friggin nice the 1/48th zero kits are and wish they would put that much modling effort into other kits.

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I don't understand how anyone could say the prop market is saturated when so many subjects have either never been done or not been touched in decades...

This is especially acute in large twin engines and even more so with four engine types. I can understand someone saying the Monogram B-17G is so good it can still be built: The same cannot be said of the B-24, B-29 and a lot of others that are smaller and haven't even been done once...

That these are too large to be viable seems a silly argument in view of the current low-price 1/32 Ju-88s and He-111s...

What's more, like you correctly pointed out with Tamiya's FW-190s and even their P-51s (the Tamiya 190As do have their "Tamigawa" replacement with Hasegawa's very good 190s, but that is a rare exception), these kits are far from ideal and are riddled with problems that make them a bland and unfun experience to build...

I personally find the 1/32 revival not to be a great idea: Instead of breaking new grounds with new or better subjects, what we get is a large scale with very high prices per unit kit (the important point for manufacturers no doubt), lots of snazzy gimmicks and no real compatibility with any diorama accessories or vehicle scale... All 1/32 scale does, in my view, is re-thread old familiar ground, squishing the perfume of "novelty" over that, with gazillion parts kits that will be much fondled but in the end little built...

If the 1/32 scale revival had to happen, it should at least have been downscaled to 1/35th...

Robertson

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They've released 1.5 Spits (highback & lowback) and one P-51, in multiple boxing variations (note the Spit VIII and IX are almost the same kit, the XVI gets a new fuselage, the P-51 is simply one kit with extra adds for the expected F-51D boxing, the two P-51D boxings are essentially the same aside from decals) and with some commonality between them (Both the Spitfire and P-51D kits share the engine sprues). At the same time they've done one 1/48 kit in the Il-2.

The Tamiya 1/32 Pacific P-51K/F-6D is out now. Now I can do my RCAF Mustang!

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The Tamiya 1/32 Pacific P-51K/F-6D is out now. Now I can do my RCAF Mustang!

Just a caution...and if you already knew this please ignore and forgive... ;)

This P-51K/F-6D version will work if you're building one of the late-war 442 Squadron Mustangs based in the UK in 1945. Most of those were Ks with the Aeroproduct props.

It won't work for one of the 130 post-war RCAF Mustangs here at home. These were all Ds with Hamilton Standard props, either cuffed or cuffless. I think the next Tamiya Mustang release will be the Korean War F-51D which should have the correct prop, rocket stubs and even battery location and much of the radio equipment. I think the way the kit parts are set up it may also have at least one style of slotted panels on the radiator housing behind the wing trailing edge.

There seems to be some confusion about the prop. The post-war RCAF Mustangs did not have the Aeroproduct props of the K model, although in some respects they looked similar to the cuffless Hamilton Standard prop.

Richard

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  • 2 weeks later...

Personally, I would love to see them shrink down the 1/32 Spitfire kits to 1/48 just like they did with the Zero's. I would also like to see them do a 1/48 Bf109F and G series, that would be nice. And then re-do the P-51D with gun inserts that are more accurate, better instrument panel and my lord a one peice bubble canopy, what were they thinking with the 2 peice. It would also be nice to re-do their FW kits with more accurate wheel wells and separate wing guns and the D-9 with proper wheel wells. A Typhoon in 48th would be very nice also. I know we all have are wish list that will never happen, but hey, thanks for letting vent and share with you all. I do wonder though, what will be Tamiya's next new 48th scale prop release?

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I can't see Tamiya "re-doing" any of their existing kits. I'd love to see them blow Eduard out of the water with a 1/48 Spit IXc/e though.

I'm curious; why do you want Tamiya to blow Eduard out of the water? Does Eduard have a 1/48 Spitfire IXc? Or IXe? I feel I'm either missing some details or you have a grudge against Eduard! Not to debate, but I happen to like both Tamiya and Eduard.

Aaron

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I'm probably going to catch flak for this, but do we really need another BF-109 kit? How about a late model, post-war P-47 in USAF or Air National Guard markings? How about a Yak 9 with North Korean markings or a Mig 17 or maybe a Mig 19 with NVAF markings? I'd also like to see them expand their 1/48th vehicle line to include WW2 airfield support vehicles & equipment along with figures to go with them.

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What "we" want is really immaterial; if the company wants, needs (and feels) that it will make a profit out of a new Me109, then that will be the driving force behind it.

As has been said, many times before, a Hasegawa kit doesn't make money for Tamiya, Eduard, Airfix, or anybody else, and, however much it goes against the grain, the grey-suited "money-men" dictate how a company goes about things.

We've had exactly the same thing said, on another forum, about the new Airfix Spitfire XIX; "Do we need another Spitfire?" Maybe you don't, but Hornby have seen the need for one, to make money to continue to bring out new kits. If Tamiya don't see a Yak-9, or Mig-17, selling, in their thousands, over the next few years, they ain't going to make one.

Edgar

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