Originally Posted by
Tankkiller308
Thanks ausf I've started looking at tamiyas I used to think they were not worth the 1200 dollars when I could buy one for 500 but it seems there is a lot I was missing about them I still find it hard to dish out that cash but maybe I can find one cheaper
Yeah, the $1200 Tamiya has been debunked. Part myth, part vendors not wanting to deal with a large shelf killer, the remainder just the go to Tamiya-basher.
You can routinely find the M4 in the States for under $500, but as pointed out above, Banzai will land you Tamiya (since Banzai is in Japan, it includes the Futaba Attack Tx/Rx) for considerably less than the $1000 pricetag everyone quotes. Even the
JS-2 that originally fell under the 'no one will buy it' but turns out is a pretty popular model can be in your lap in as little as 2 days for under $800.
Don't get me wrong, Tamiya did it to themselves with the absurd sticker price they put on the 1/16 line, it literally killed any thought of most retailers carrying them. I can buy the kits from Banzai for less than my wholesale would be, so only large volume purchases are worthwhile for shops.