Takom is based out of Hong Kong but beyond that there's not a lot of information out there on them. I'm guessing they are new as there doesn't seem to be any obvious connection to any of the other established brands.

It is indeed a crazy time for things appearing in styrene that you never thought possible...this one would've been very high on my 'never going to happen' list!

And their other announcement is a 1/16th scale FT?  What the?  I think they will sell more if it were 1/35.

But, kudos to them!  I'll be eagerly awaiting more info on the 279.  And since it was related to the T-10 series of tanks, hopefully they will do one of those as well.

Yeah that's just darn cool! Thanks for the head's up Real G!!!

Checking out that awesome new T-90A from Meng Models

And the armoured dozer!!!

I'm feeling an urge to build some more modern stuff!!!

I have the Zvezda T-90, and in the box, it looks very nice.  I wonder how well Meng's will stack up against it?  Either way, it is amazing that we have two choices.

"Doobi" sounds like something a modeler was smoking while wishing for a plastic kit of an armored Israeli bulldozer!  Again, I am astonished that such a cool oddball subject will get the injected treatment.

It would seem that PzKw variants are starting to run out, so it is a breath of fresh air to be able to get unusual armor kits that are not WW II German.

Yeah, think I'll wait and see how the Meng kit stacks up, and I did wonder at the name 'Doobi' for a giant dozer!

It is a good time to be a modeler- when FSM posted their 'what do you want to see kitted next poll' it was a little hard to think of something that hasn't been done in some categories. Only complaint I have is there's so much cool stuff coming out now- when will I get time to build it all!?!?!

When it rains weird plastic, it pours:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47209/message/1370191652/Amusing+Hobby+also+releasing+object+279

Now we will have two choices.  Good grief, how many people will buy these wacko designs (aside from me)?  The Russians had a lot of really strange looking prototype armor from the 1950-1970 time frame, an untouched gold mine for the kit makers.

And STILL no M103, Conqueror or T-10. 

Yeah wow! I'll buy one Object 279 but doubtful two. Didn't three companies come out with some German SPG that they only built three of all at the same time a few years ago?

I think the armor kit makers have played the game where several of them simultaneously come out with an obscure one-off German vehicle, over and over again.  I see a lot of unsold kits of these types lying about in my LHS.  IMHO, they don't really look all that interesting.  But Object 279 has a shocking, outrageous appearance that grabs your attention.  Okay, maybe I can't see a pallet of these things selling out at the LHS, but I am pretty sure people who have never heard of this tank will buy it just for the novelty.  And since we have a choice between two kits, we can all choose which one suits our individual taste.

So a set of Friul tracks will set us back, like, $80?

That is also a NO NO for me. Way to wacky.

And now we have three choices:

http://www.cybermodeler.com/news/panda.shtml

I bet this kind of news infuriates the guys who want a new tool kit of some plain vanilla tank that was built in the thousands.  Me, I just want a T-10.

LOL! Yeah choices are nice but still three kits announced of the same off-the-wall prototype, almost as bad as the Dicker Max I referred to above! Funny how the companies can be like lemmings at times.

Yes but the first one out of the gate gets the prize in terms of people's wallets. None of the three that announced it are large-scale players in the Armor world and only Panda has produced anything beyond just a box art shot, so I would guess that since this is a pretty niche subject, it's highly unlikely the other two will ever see the light of day now...or if they are still produced, will be that much different in terms of appeal I'm guessing.

I believe Trumpeter announced an IS-4, so maybe they are also planning one?  Nothing to base my hypothesis on, except that the IS-4 was part of the lineage that included Project 279.

For such a niche subject (how many real ones were made, one?), to have three kits announced is a good thing for the consumer.  There are those who buy the first one out of the chute, but others will wait until the "experts" have spoken.  For myself, Panda put out a pretty nice "Tunguska" air defense system, so I might be in the first group.  Will Takom and Amusing Hobby drop their kits, now that Panda's release seems imminent?  No one knows for sure.

But one thing I do know is that there are a heck of a lot of other subjects that have not been done yet, so we win either way!  Well, assuming the kit makers choose to do them.  Now will someone please push out a T-10?

WOW, unreal! It seems that "BIG!" is the new marketing slogan these days?

And STILL no proper, updated  molding of the WWI Mark I-!V? Come on, modeling companies! I HAVE to believe that a WWI tank---the version that "started it all" basically would have some mass market appeal with a nice interior, proper tracks and a few figures throw in?

Doog,

You said it!  With the kit manufacturers seemingly searching for things that haven't been done (case in point the subject of this thread), I also find it hard to fathom why no one has seized WW I.  There weren't that many types compared to WW II, so where are the new-tool Mark IV, St Chamonds, Schneiders, etc?  There is a FT-17 coming from Italeri and Meng, but that's all I am aware of.

And if they run out of standard WW I subjects, bring on the K Wagen!

And some quality soldiers in gas gear would great as well.