Thanks for all the good wishes, folks!
Unfortunately, the only Pershing there was a brand-spanking new one at the Tamiya area, and even with a hefty discount, it was still about $600 USD, so I had to pass.
I did, however, pick up a bunch of other cool junk, which you can see here:
That pile (plus a bunch of books) set me back about $180 USD. The big F-4J was only $30 USD! The Aurora MBT-70 was the most expensive, clocking in at around $50 USD. Some silly stuff, like the old snap-tite Tiger I, was only a couple of bucks each. The three bagged kits are Tamiya "special event" kits: a 1/35 Gepard, a Japanese Type 97, and a Panzer II, all for just a couple of dollars each.
Bargain!!
All the Tamiya kits, including the big Phantom, are brand new kits.
No big manufacturer scoops, but I did have several opportunities to talk to Mr. Tamiya and other Tamiya staff members at length (check out the 1/48 Hetzer in the pic above. Signed by Shunsaku Tamiya!). The only news I heard was that a 1/48 M-36 and a German troops set are coming soon.
Also, rumors of a 1/48 B-17 were neither confirmed nor denied, for what that's worth. I was simply told, "Yes, that rumor's been around for a while." I emphasized the obvious marketability of such a kit, and the response was, "Yes, we are aware of that."
Draw your own conclusions, folks!
![Big Smile [:D]](/FSM/CS/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif)
Also had a chance to meet and talk with some of Japan's modelling masters, like Masaharu Doi, Takuji Yamada, Tick Saito, and Tatsuya Kaneko. Mr. Doi and Mr. Yamada also conducted very informative weathering seminars.
A good time was had by all!