Is Tamiya still king?

Rob Gronovius

The majority of Dragon kits are still hard to build. The newer smart kits are better. Dragon tends to be more complex than they often need to be.

Tamiya released new kits of the Elefant, Nashorn, M10 Wolverine, M40 howitzer, some French and Japanese tanks that are really nice and have the ease of assembly that escapes Dragon.

And I agree, there are other manufacturers with smaller lines (Takom, AFV Club, Fine Molds, Meng, etc.) that offer great kits as well.

 

O yes, they are more complex than they need to be. But then so are ZM aircraft from what i can see, and to a far greater extent than Dragon, and at a far higher relative price. Yet ZM seem to get praised for it and Dragon get slated.

And Tamiya have also been re-boxing a lot of Italeri kits as well. A look at Hannants shows 9 from the last 2 years.

Bish

The problem is though Moff, as i alluded to above, the price is matching that of the more detailed kit. So why buy a Tamiya dn then throw loads of AM at it when you can get a Dragon and build it OOB. And some of the Dragon kits i have built in the last few years have been as easy to put together than any Tamiya.

 

In my mind, what draws me to Tamiya upgrading is the modular aspect of it. I really enjoy the idea of being able to pick and choose what parts I'll aftermarket and what brands I'll choose. It becomes more difficult to do that with a Dragon kit that already has dozens of complex parts and way more steps.  

Additionally, I firmly believe that most Tamiya kits are in fact easier to build and modify than your average Dragon kit. Both from my (limited) personal experience and from reading/research, Tamiya kits seem much more streamlined and enjoyable to upgrade. 

Of course, we each have our own taste. personally, i would rather go for more detail. And now i have gotten over my AM addiction i have realised that many Dragon kits don't really need many modification or upgrades.

Bish

 

 

Rob Gronovius

The majority of Dragon kits are still hard to build. The newer smart kits are better. Dragon tends to be more complex than they often need to be.

Tamiya released new kits of the Elefant, Nashorn, M10 Wolverine, M40 howitzer, some French and Japanese tanks that are really nice and have the ease of assembly that escapes Dragon.

And I agree, there are other manufacturers with smaller lines (Takom, AFV Club, Fine Molds, Meng, etc.) that offer great kits as well.

 

 

 

 

O yes, they are more complex than they need to be. But then so are ZM aircraft from what i can see, and to a far greater extent than Dragon, and at a far higher relative price. Yet ZM seem to get praised for it and Dragon get slated.

And Tamiya have also been re-boxing a lot of Italeri kits as well. A look at Hannants shows 9 from the last 2 years.

 

I have not seen nor built a ZM kit myself, so I can't vouch for them. But I do have a few Dragons under my belt. And plenty of them unbuilt in my stash. I don't know if it is their approach to engineering and assembly that gets them their rep in comparison, or their assembly instructions, which have a well established reputation  for errors and/or lack of clarity.  I can't compare them to ZM directions, but I can say from personal experience, check part numbers and fit before adding glue. I can't say that I have ever had to do that with Tamiya. 

As far as engineering goes, have a look at the various takes on the M4 tanks HVSS (AKA E8) suspension from the latest kits by Dragon, Tamiya, AFV Club, Tasca/Asuka, and Academy. The multi media and high parts number approach by Dragon really has me wondering why? 

Bish

Of course, we each have our own taste. personally, i would rather go for more detail. And now i have gotten over my AM addiction i have realised that many Dragon kits don't really need many modification or upgrades.

 

I think part of my love for Tamiya has to do with the fact that the top Spanish School modelers tend to lean towards the Tamiya camp. 

Moff

 

 

Bish

Of course, we each have our own taste. personally, i would rather go for more detail. And now i have gotten over my AM addiction i have realised that many Dragon kits don't really need many modification or upgrades.

 

 

 

 

Honestly, when the rubber hits the road, I'm 50/50 between Dragon and Tamiya. I get just as excited (if not more) over new Dragon releases than new Tamiya releases. 

 

I think part of my love for Tamiya has to do with the fact that the top Spanish School modelers tend to lean towards the Tamiya camp. 

 

I used to get excited over Dragon releases. But with German armour i think there is little that has not been done to get excited about. I usually hiut the reviews before buying a kit, and as often as not, it won't be a Dragon or Tamiya kit but opne of the others. I really take it a kit at a time.

And not being a fan of the Spanish school but rather a fan of realisim i have never been swayed to a certain brand over another.

Yeah, as others have pointed out, you need to be specific as to modeling subject.  Tamiya's aircraft are top-of-the-line, in my opinion.  Their armor kits have been overtaken for detail by some of the newer makers, though, in terms of sales, I wouldn't be surprised if Tamiya has higher sales numbers.

I'd say that Tamiya's 1/700 ships are average, with relatively simple detail compared to Trumpeter or Dragon.

As for car kits, they've got some excellent kits, some of which don't make it out of the Japanese market all that often.

For figure kits-not figures included in their kits, but kits specifically developed as portrait figures, they're good, but there are better kits available in resin or white metal.

tamiya isnt challenging enough for me. i enjoy the building more than painting. Tamiya's kits are more painters kits to me than anything. And they always have the usual Subjects. I enjoy paper panzers. So you can forget that with tamiya. ive found i like takom trumpeter and dragon the best. I did venture off and do a amusing hobby lowe. And i was really impressed with that kit. Ive consider a rye field tiger also. I look at them by subject. Lately tho dragon for the price. Dragononlineusa is deals galore. Picking up 70 dollar kits for 40 bucks  And their daily deals are really good too. And depending on the dragon kit you get. It already has metal barrel and pe and stuff. just dont care much for the link to link tracks. 

I prefer Dragon, Trumpeter, Meng, Takom, Bronco. Tamya is ok, simplified but over priced for what you get.

I'm with foxhound and modelmaker , more into the modeling side of things

This is a great question, which I've thought about a lot.  I'm going to condense a lot for the sake of brevity.

A lot of the new manufacturers are great.  Don't forget cars, too; Ebbro and Moebius come to mind.  I find that some can approach Tamiya on at least an individual kit basis, and some outthink Tamiya in some aspects (like new Airfix instruction sheets).  However, some are good at one thing and not another; i.e. Meng and Trumpeter for other than armor.  I do think Tamiya's overall new tool production is the best, and they keep pushing themselves to raise the bar for the industry in everything they do; for examples the Mosquito and the new Honda 1/6 motorcycle. 

In short, they have more competition now than before.  And I think that has produced times for us modelers that we never thought we'd see.  I wish I could live another 200 years so I could build everything I want to build!

modelmaker66

I prefer Dragon, Trumpeter, Meng, Takom, Bronco. Tamya is ok, simplified but over priced for what you get.

 

I know when Tamiya released an M60A3 (which was their old 1970s M60A1 kit retooled with some new parts) and Esci released a brand new M60A3 at the same time. Everyone, including me, bought the Tamiya kit, which was not a bad kit. However, the Esci M60A3 was a superior kit and probably their best 1/35 scale armor kit and only recently surpassed by the AFVC Club kit nearly 30 years later.

We bought the more expensive Tamiya kit because it was a Tamiya kit.

Bish

 

 

Rob Gronovius

The majority of Dragon kits are still hard to build. The newer smart kits are better. Dragon tends to be more complex than they often need to be.

Tamiya released new kits of the Elefant, Nashorn, M10 Wolverine, M40 howitzer, some French and Japanese tanks that are really nice and have the ease of assembly that escapes Dragon.

And I agree, there are other manufacturers with smaller lines (Takom, AFV Club, Fine Molds, Meng, etc.) that offer great kits as well.

 

 

 

 

O yes, they are more complex than they need to be. But then so are ZM aircraft from what i can see, and to a far greater extent than Dragon, and at a far higher relative price. Yet ZM seem to get praised for it and Dragon get slated.

And Tamiya have also been re-boxing a lot of Italeri kits as well. A look at Hannants shows 9 from the last 2 years.

 

Different animals, a complex model kit is one thing (ZM). A model that is complex because of multiple errors in the instruction sheet, a model created by the inclusion of part trees from several kits (often resulting in multiple different parts with the same number two A5, two C7, etc.) is another.

modelmaker66

I prefer Dragon, Trumpeter, Meng, Takom, Bronco. Tamya is ok, simplified but over priced for what you get.

 

Such blasphemy!!!

Is Tamiya Still King?

In terms of detail, no.

In terms of fit, yes, in my opinion. 

Other manufacturers may have specific individual kits that fit very well, but Tamiya's consistency in this area is pretty impressive. Combine the near guarantee of great fit with good detailing, and you have a safe bet.

And that is how I look at Tamiya. If I see a model on the shelf that interests me and it's by any other manufacturer, I will look up reviews before purchasing. If it's Tamiya, I figure it's going to be good and just buy it.

Gravitating more towards the weathering side and the creative placement of subjects in a diorama (whether that be armor, figures, or vehicles), and with less emphasis on the authenticity of a subject in a historical context, finds me gravitating to kits that allow a smooth build over anything else. Kits with instructions that are unclear or have downright errors or too many details that distract from the build process are my personal source of frustration. That is why I gravitate to Tamiya. This also implies strongly, that Tamiya is not necessarily the better kit, but just the personal preference based on my reasons for building. By the way, how is everyone doing?