From a design standpoint why are the Tamiya kits more expensive? Are they more off road capable? Stronger gearboxes and motors? Weather proof? I have a HL tank I bought way back and the thing handled very well off road, good speed, etc. Now when I see a Tamiya kit it looks like a plastic model with a gearbox and electronics. To me those materials and design put into them don't justify that price. And as a lot of you have posted "open the box" I'm trying to see if it is worth getting one to open in the first place. Those kits looked very close to that Hummer I bought from Tamiya it was very well designed but I don't see those as worth that.

I guess another way to put it, is am I paying for the name Tamiya? Or are the materials put into that actually worth that amount, design, labor and production included?

Also I am not new here, I only made a new account because I got a new email and was not able to recover my password from the old account. I was working on a custom M5 Stuart 1/6th scale tank about 2 years ago posted up on here. Also on a Van Der Ton battleship for a warship combat group plus many other small projects. My old name was "thegreatmoo"