Tamiya T-55A Re-issue.

I saw the Tamiya T-55 collector's edition at my LHS this week. It was very, very well done and came with Friul tracks as well, but I had to ask myself "Is it really worth $240 to me?" I'm certain it will go to a collector but the sticker shock sends me away. I would like to meet the builder and beg him/her for the techniques they used to make the model look so d#!% good.

QUOTE: Originally posted by kaleu I saw the Tamiya T-55 collector's edition at my LHS this week. It was very, very well done and came with Friul tracks as well, but I had to ask myself "Is is really worth $240 to me?" I'm certain it will go to a collector but the sticker shock sends me away. I would like to meet the builder and beg him/her for the techniques they used to make the model look so d#!% good.

YIIKES, the Kit I saw was marked around 6.200 yen over here or about $60.00, which I think is about double the standard T-55A Kit.

$240 = 25.000Yen or what I would expect to pay for a FULL Resin kit.

I think you guys are talking about two different things here!
MMF is talking about the kit, and Erik is talking about the built-up Master Series model.
Right?

Tamiya originally introduced the T-55A kit with Friul tracks at the Shizuoka Hobby Show last year (that's where I got one of mine), then a few months later they started selling it in shops.

Ok, call me stupid.

Since I never assembled a set of Fruil Model Tracks I decided to add the T-55A to the "to-be-build" Pile.

Below you can see a Pic of the Box as it is sold over here.



Checked the Fruil Tracks out and I must say that I am VERY impressed with it, now if they would just lower the price for the idividual Kits over here.


To be honest I like what Tamiya is doing this days by adding PE, Fruil Tracks and the turned barrels to their old Kits.

Also need to say that my first Dragon Model(King Tiger with Porsche Turret) left me wondering what all the fuss is about their kits, granted they cover some nice subjects but ...

MMF, I'm much too dumb to call anyone stupid!

That's a very nice kit, but don't be afraid of the Friul trax. They're pretty easy to get together.
I bought the trax-included set at the hobby show, then bought another T-55A sans trax and added Friul's T-72 trax to make a later T-55 variant.

I appreciate what Tamiya's doing recently, too, but I'd prefer they release something new and interesting rather than tossing some cool parts into older kits. I can do that myself!

I really like Dragon's stuff. Lots of exciting new releases, along with Trumpeter. Sure, like all manufacturers, they both have their problems, but the perfect kit does not, nor will ever, exist.
But the excitement does!

MMF, If I were a betting man I'd say you're going to really like those Fruil tracks. I've got a set on my Tiger II and another set in the box for my Tiger I mid. They really look great when done. My 2 cents.

if its released with the tracks over here it would still be cheaper to buy the kit and then the tracks Separately than get them together in the same box.

id like more kits please
a retool Puma would be great

QUOTE: Originally posted by Spamicus MMF, If I were a betting man I'd say you're going to really like those Fruil tracks. I've got a set on my Tiger II and another set in the box for my Tiger I mid. They really look great when done. My 2 cents.

Assembled 2 links and I must say that go together as smooth as did the M113(workable) AFC Club ones did.

Very nice stuff indeed.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Captain Caveman if its released with the tracks over here it would still be cheaper to buy the kit and then the tracks Separately than get them together in the same box.

Over here it is cheaper to get them boxed.

Boxed Kit = 6.200 Yen
Unboxed = Kit/3.300Yen + Fruil Tracks/3.900 = Total cost: 7.200 Yen

Fruil Tracks sell over from 3.200 ~ 4.800 Yen.

the T55 is £33 pounds over here and the tracks are about £23 pounds. so IF they try and sell it over here it would have to beat £56 pounds (whats that in Yen or Dollers?)
the Panther with Eduard Zim was £39 over here but £24 for the Panther and about £8 for the Eduard Zim set = £32 pounds

56 GBP = 101.4 USD
56 GBP = 10,759.3 JPY

6.200 Yen = 32.27 GBP

I have seen the standard T-55A sell online for:

USD 36.99 which makes (GPB 20.4 & Yen 3.950)

Sounds like somebody over your side is adding a tidy markup to the merchantise.

yeah you can say that
plus the shops Dont compete with the prices

I would strongly suggest the WWII Productions T-55 treads instead. WWI's links are more to scale than the overthick friuli treads, sag just as well but don't make your model weigh ten times as much as it did before, and they are very, very simple to assemble. Here are the assembly steps:

1) Snap
2) Next link please!