Is Tamiya still king?

I was building back in the early 70s back then tamyia kits was the pricy kits but Revell was big and a lot of there molds where new and the kits built nice.

Those kits are 40 yrs old know and still in use. So modelers don't think there that good. There new kits are quite nice

A big supplier for me back then was monograms armor and plane kits.

I know that some tamyia molds are just as old and seem to hold up better.

No matter what the tamyia kits allways seem to fit together wonderfully .

We expect to have that in every one of there kits. Maybe That's what keeps them on top.

I think Tamiy was king of 1/35 armor back in the 1970s, as their only other serious competition was Italeri.  They were one of the few companies that regularly included figures with their kits.  I was over the moon when I got their M113, which not only had soldiers with M-16 rifles, but a black dude was among them!  I don't think there were any other Vietnam-era figure kits in plastic at the time, except for the M577 with the angry tanker commander.  Their car kits, in particular Formula-1, were way ahead of their time.  Their planes were so-so, and aside from bringing us 1/350 warships, their ships were nothing out of the ordinary.

Today, other companies have surpassed Tamiya in armor in terms of detail and subject matter, but if you'd rather build a 200 part kit versus a 1200 part kit, Tamiya is the way to go.  Their cars and bikes are still at the top of the heap.  In a strange reversal, their 1/32 aircraft are incredibly complex, more so than I would personally care for.  At least their 1/72 and 1/48 kits are simple to build, yet are well detailed and look good.

I have noticed their pace of releases has slowed considerably from 40 years ago, and the repackaging of other manufacturer's kits as well as reissuing some of their own old kits seems to signal a weakening in the brand.  But as others have said, one quality Tamiya has maintained throughout the years is ease of construction.  Their packaging and instructions are also superb, and other companies would do well to emulate them.

Okay that turned out to be long-winded.  Short version:  I think Tamiya is still king of the "enjoyable build."

I truly hate to admit that I've never built a Tamiya kit. I know, I know, how can you be a modeler and not have built a Tamiya kit? Well, as many people here have mentioned, it comes down to the cost. The kits I've seen look fantastic! I just cant justify spending that amount for a kit in 1/48 that I could by two of another manufacturer. I would love to build the new Tomcat, or one of their 1/32 WWII aircraft. But when you look at their 1/72 F-16CJ and its as much/or more than some other decent F-16 aircraft kits in 1/48 I just personally cannot justfiy it.

I've got a few other kits in hand that I think are pretty good kits. The new tool 1/32 A6M5 from Hasegawa is one such kit, it may not have the intricate tooling that a Tamiya kit has, but the detail is pretty darn good. I know Trumpeter can be hit or miss, but so far, I've been pretty impressed with the kits from them that I've purchased.

One thing that Tamiya is really strong at is consistant quality.  There are other competitors that do turn out kits of a certain subject that beat Tamiya detail, but their next kit may not be up to the same standards.

I wouldn't say King,but they make a very nice kit,in fact I will build their new F-14 next,and they have been producing a nice range of subjects lately,but Dragon has them trumped in German armor for sure,and other companies like Trumpeter,Meng,andTakom have really put out just about every genre someone would want,and with high quality.No Tamiya isn't King,but I think we all enjoy the ease of a nice trouble free Tamiya kit from time to time.

japan617

In the last few years, I've noticed several new manufacturers that have arose. Revived Airfix under Hornby, Bronco, Kinetic, Kitty Hawk, Meng, Takom, Wingnut Wings, Zoukei-Mujra, Zvezda are a few off that I can think of. It's probably fair to call them new age manufacturers? 

Zvezda isn't exactly new. They've been around since at least 1990.

I wouldn't say i ever thought of tamiya as king. Back in the 80's/90's, i always thought of Tamiya as an armour model company, and back then the competition wasn't that great. As for aircraft, my standard setter has for a long time been Hasegawa.

But some things have certaiunly changted. Some companies, such as hasegawa, seem to have stood still. While otherts, Revell, Airfix for example, have really up'ed their game.

I think Tamiya are still up there, but now we have a wiuder selectio9n of companies who are catering to differtant markets.

Yes, 

I prefer Tamiya to all other manufacturers, because I know exactly what to expect as far as fit, quality and detail.  If a subject catches my attention, I first consider the available kits in my desired scale.  If a Tamiya kit is available, I will purchase it before any others.  However, I have to admit, I haven't built a Tamiya kit in quite some time.  My tastes in subjects haven't been lining up with Tamiya's product line.  

-Chris       

And of course there is subject matter areas. Some companies cover only a small subject area for era, nationality, etc., while others are more diverse. Right now Wingnut Wings is the king of 1/32 WWI aircraft, but nothing else.  If you want 1/48 Cold War era aircraft,  they are out of the running. 

Tanker - Builder

King of What ?

 The higher priced kits a father of four couldn't afford for quite some time ? Maybe the King of the market place because of the quality of their kits ? Cannot fault that . King of the market in what Armor , Air and Ship modelers wanted . Us car modelers didn't get subjects we really knew about .

 Exotic cars , Sure , But when you live in an area where folks could care less , well there you have a problem . I have often thought if They would've researched the American car market thoroughly and been willing to take the chance on one it would've been all over . Can you imagine an American 1: 24 scale 57 Chevy , with their attention to detail AND quality ? They would've been the Emporer of the model market .

 Now if they would do that Chevy it would be nice .  T.B.

 

Amen to that! I don't think any kit company is considered "king of kits" per say. There are so many kit brands out there none are worthy of the King title. Each has their own pros and cons depending on the kit.

Maybe but the certainly have competition.

King of What ?

 The higher priced kits a father of four couldn't afford for quite some time ? Maybe the King of the market place because of the quality of their kits ? Cannot fault that . King of the market in what Armor , Air and Ship modelers wanted . Us car modelers didn't get subjects we really knew about .

 Exotic cars , Sure , But when you live in an area where folks could care less , well there you have a problem . I have often thought if They would've researched the American car market thoroughly and been willing to take the chance on one it would've been all over . Can you imagine an American 1: 24 scale 57 Chevy , with their attention to detail AND quality ? They would've been the Emporer of the model market .

 Now if they would do that Chevy it would be nice .  T.B.

For the most part, Tamiya is still up there as far as ease of assembly and engineering/fit goes. But the level of detail is certainly surpassed by many of the new players on the field. And Tamiya's recent habit of boxing of other companies kits or re issuing their older kits, with a new sprue or two, and at far higher prices has not been completely in their favor. But in all honesty, if I am looking at a kit of the same subject between Tamiya and another company, and the costs are close, I will often opt for the Tamiya. Not because they are king, but because their engineering and build philosophies suit my preferences better. I do not need the latest uber kit with all the options of gluing ever single thing in place myself. 

Interesting question, in my younger modeling days Tamyia was by far the top end of kits both in detail and cost. One might ask in which genre are you considering Tamyia to hold the gold standard? If it's aircraft hands down IMHO they are held in high regard, I build 48th and 32nd and perfer Tamyia over other brands. Now in armor, I think they set the benchmark for 35th scale integrity however over the past few yours Trumpeter and even some Dragon kits have far surpassed Tamyia both in detail and occasionally value. Cars and ship builders may go a different direction with this. I can't imagine Tamyia not being in the top 5 of nearly any market though