Sebbe335

Hello!

Anyone know if tamiya going to relese more tanks in their 1/16 series? Im currently building their jagdpanzer and would like to know if their coming with more thanks and wait for it instead of buying a cheaper tank and rebuild it to match my demands..
Its a bit fun to speculate but if, i think it will be either a sturmtiger or jagdtiger, we got the 2 same chassis for the jagd/panther and jagd/panzer iv so logical would be a tank based on the king tiger or tiger chassi...


//Sebbe

RichJohnson

Fsttanks

My bet/guess is they will be moving away for the WWII tanks and toward the more modern ones. They need to capture a "larger market" of the younger generation of modelers and r/c enthusiast. The younger generation wants the newer sleeker designed. Sales show this as their 1/16 Abrams and Leopard 2 are at the top of their best selling list. They also have competition now and are losing ground to the rapidly improving Heng Long (and rebranded HL) tanks and their numerous offerings at more reasonable prices. Tamiya is not blind to the numbers that Heng Long is selling and at some point must start to respond. Sure their products are fantastically molded and engineered, but the "larger market" seems to not care so much anymore.

Tanque

I'm curious- where did you see the sales numbers for Tamiya's 1/16 scale tank models?

That ' younger generation of modelers ' isn't so much a generation of modelers or hobby shops would not be going the way of the Edsel ( that's an old defunct American car Marque to you young whippersnappers).

I believe Tamiya's wisest move would be to stick with the WWII arena( we're talking escapist hobby here folks) and offer
a British tank of any type. It's the most logical move. I'll say it even though many will disagree: modern tanks are all basically
the same in performance and characteristics- most everyone in NATO use the same main gun. What fun is that? Most every modern
tank looks similar because the designers read the same field studies and research. What fun is that? In a nutshell modern tanks
while offering spectacular performance are basically boring.

I haven't bought a modern ( or near modern ) tank since the Tamiya Leo I came out. Built it, bored by it never even put a radio in it.

Sorry but there it is. British WWII tank should be Tamiya's next offering in their 1/16 line.

Jerry

maillemaker

I have no idea what the state of model building is, but the primary reason why hobby shops are closing is there is no need to go there anymore. Now I do try to go to my local hobby shop on the complete other side of town, since the HobbyTown USA close to me just closed up shop. But the reality is I can have just about any modeling thing I need sent from Amazon to my mailbox in 2 days.

Steve

RichJohnson

Pcomm1.v2

What Rich said.

The rumor buzz amongst UK Tamiya guys is that it will be a Sherman m4a3E8 t and a Brit Tank too. But even if true and I hope it is, that could take a decade or more.

Longsheep

Actually Tamiya also sells many RC tanks in Japan and the rest of Asia. The hobbyists here seem to prefer modern tanks.
Taking recent releases for example, almost NO ONE purchased their PzIV and Jagdpanzers - a box has been sitting on the shelf for over 2 years. Yet when the M1 Abrams was released, it sold out within a week and the restock got sold quickly too. Now people have to place pre-order for the next shipment. The Leopard 2A6 is still a top seller, even the obscure Type 10 sold better than most WWII tanks (with the exception of JS-2).

My club has about 30 active members and there are already Tamiya 8 Abrams. The most popular WWII tank is the Tiger I and there are maybe 6. For Sherman and KT many choose other brands instead.

TheBennyB

If Tammy is smart they'll do a '72 or '90. Also think a T-34 would do well. If they go British WWII I'd like to see a cromwell/comet. Cool for backyard drivers and the IR crew as well.

Fsttanks

TheBennyB

"Ever shrinking market?" Never been bigger than it is now and growing with different level price points on tanks and aftermarket boards. Yes you may have operated a store but you may not be fully educated on the history of the hobby.

Cruiser133

I just want Tamiya to make a M60A3, is that too much to ask for?

purplebrad

My Feedback: (1)

The overall tank industry is growing but is the assembly required higher end level shrinking? I hope not....

Longsheep

It is not smart to do the T-72 when 2 brands are going to release it. Trumpeter even quietly dropped their RC version after releasing the static one (they had a RC sample at model expo last year, not showing anymore).
The Waltherson T-72 will be a game-changer as it has very good features at an affordable price (300-400GBP on initial release). The research is extensive from prototype details to engine sound. With their painting and finishing quality as seen on VStanks, it will attract customers from the whole spectrum. Then we will have the HL T-72, which will be affordable. The HL T-90 is already quite nice with many available upgrades.

If Tamiya should do a Russian tank, it has to be either T-34 or T-14 Armata unless they want to lose money. A Sherman Firefly or even Cromwell make more sense for Tamiya, for they already have them in smaller scale (most 1/16 tanks are released in 1/48 series first, so you can guess) and they are reasonably popular.

The RC tank and accessories market yes, bigger than ever and we get more releases per year. Maybe also for RC crawlers and static mecha models, but the model industry in general is shrinking.
Brick and mortar hobby stores are shrinking globally, even in places like Tokyo. It is easier to pulse-order online than visiting a physical store.
The average age of modelers in America seems higher than the rest of the world - in Asia many Millennials are still building models.

Just go for the DKLM/OKMO one, won't cost much more than a Tamiya, comparable quality and easier upgrades.

Fsttanks

Pcomm1.v2

Opinion about the hobby business plus a health report; 2018. And who knows what Tamiya will release next if anything!

The USA brick and mortar RC hobby shopping experience has been replaced by online venders (AMAZON, Tower Hobbies, AAF Museum etc)) and for some time now. That does not mean the hobby industry is dying. To the contrary it means the major distribution channels have changed, for the better, with generally lower markups, that is all.

Look at this interesting hobby market forecast:

https://www.statista.com/outlook/248...united-states#

https://www.statista.com/outlook/260...united-states#

Tamiya Pz4J and Jagdpanzer Lang: I am only aware of perhaps a half dozen actual Tamiya Lang builds, mostly from You Tube and Facebook. Whether the smaller Tamiya WWII German RC Tanks, the Pz4J and the Jagdpanzer Lang are good sellers, I do not know, I built them both and love the little Lang. A possible sales limiter, I am guessing a 5 hit infrared RC tank is not a build favorite to take to IR battle games, certainly not my first choice. Plus, Heng Long was first out of the gate with the Pz3 and Pz4, both good platforms for modeling and or upgrade work. For many RC tankers, they have been there and done that already (years ago), including building a Lang variant. A saturated Pz market are the words I am looking for.

WWII and or Modern Tanks: Several years ago my build interests started to include Cold War and Modern Tanks, but not over WWII RC Tanks. That does not mean I will not build another WWII RC tank, it just means I am waiting for something WWII interesting to be released.

Perhaps, RC Tank model building, RTR RC Tank collecting and modifying is not really age dependent. Little kids, boys and girls, join in with their dads on tank club battle days to run their models. There are uncounted backyard infrared and airsoft players of all ages and tons of RC tank builders and enthusiasts around the world. China specifically has experienced huge dollar hobby growth, nearing USA numbers, along with the rest of Asia's interest and growth in RC Hobbies, including RC tanks; both kits and RTR.

Below are few of my Tamiya and Heng Long project photos demonstrating my changing interests in Infrared RC Tanks.

Enjoy, John


Tamiya Abrams and Jagdpanzer Lang.

HL Abrams. A gift for a 8 year old

HL Tamiya Hybrid.

HL Tamiya ZTZ Hybrid.

Tamiya Sherman 105mm.

HL Tamiya Hybrid 75mm.

2018 Tamiya Cold War and Modern Tank Line Up.

Panther F

The "ever shrinking" comment best describes that we live in an 'instant gratification' society today as youth would rather play on their phones, play video games or pull a toy out of a box and not put any time or knowledge into the fun factor.

I'm pretty sure that's what we was implying. I have seen my own local HobbyTown USA change their stock to reflect this and years ago Tom Metzler that owned a hobby shop for years here in Indianapolis told me that model building and trains were on a steady decline.

Brick and Mortar is loosing to the Internet. I do know most of these places ARE in fact a real building... but there are very few unlike years ago.

I wouldn't want to place a guess on what era is the best to offer tanks from but once you DO start with modern tanks you will have to add more so they can have the numbers.

Longsheep

I think it is a bit generalizing to link the younger generation directly to "Instant gratification". Even for video games, many require hundred hours of play before you get something done, like Minecraft that was extremely popular a few years ago. The staple "instant gratification" game Call of Duty is in fact on decline lately. Some of the kids like to draw 3D models with CAD on computer, many more detailed than we would ever build.

For the modeling crowd, I have seen millennial who spends months building a 1/35 tank with full photo-etch and weathering, and also baby boomer who gives up just after doing the basic assembly and donates the kit to me.
I am 26 and do not think my generation is less into modeling than those born a decade before us. If anything the industry should has declined 10 years ago.

And there are about 5 new static model companies appeared over the last 5 years, all high-energy with top notch offerings popping out every month. It is true the computer and internet changed the hobby in many ways. Physical hobby stores in Asia now stock more tools and paints than kits. Many also offer rental airbrush workspace and modeling lessons. Kits were never really profitable anyway (the markup is greater in N.America though).

Pcomm1.v2

kclank

Any of the Brit Cruiser tanks could be fun or a series based on the Valentine chassis. Just my 4.5 cents worth. I still have a Christian Ludwig craftsman kit that makes a Cromwell, with the addition of some other elbow grease and donor parts from T-34 for wheels and Pnzr III swing arms and drive sprockets. I think YHR (if memory serves) got one of them from me some years ago. I ended up with 2 as a result of some screwed up shipments and sold him one. I wouldn't mind getting rid of the other one

Spitvalve

Totally agree on the need for something UK and the sameness of modern tanks. My frugal Scots background keeps me from prying open my wee change purse for a pricey Tamiya, but I totally understand the price of quality. Now a Matilda or Valentine would tip the scales and I'd take the plunge. Yet another variation of any Sherman would make me throw up a bit in my mouth. Perhaps Tamiya will get dropped on its head and release a WWI British Mark I ?!

Mike.

Pcomm1.v2

Tanque

I really don't really have a pony in this race. I'm still mostly in 1/10 scale, in pretty much my own world over here.. I've been involved with RC armor from a time when I was happy to find Bandai kits and micro switches were your friends. I've wanted to get a Leo II from Tamiya because the gearbox was the first of its kind in a 1/16 and a Japanese type 10 just because it's different period but neither are high enough on my want list to spend dough on 'em.I shouldn't be so hard on modern armor. It's ok although I still think it's basically boring. I can see the point of those young folks wanting something they can relate to in the news but I don't want to relate to it I want it as an escape- sort of a 3 dimensional game. Seeing the way many folks operate their models, still like bumper cars perhaps modern armor and the speeds they run are more in line with that. Instead of attempting to stage battle of WWII everyone can stage 'what if' battles between western force tanks and eastern bloc tanks, Russian, in middle eastern scenarios. That seems to be where most of the current conflicts occur. I suppose fantasy European or Asian theater conflicts could be staged. For that matter the battle of Austin, Tx could be staged or the Battle for San Diego? Perhaps Battleground Los Angeles ( curious movie!) although then you'd need those weird alien contraptions for the opposing force...

I've never had a hobby shop, never wanted one - have seen far too many fold up, but I've been close enough to the sales of this stuff from time to time to get a feeling of it. Even in the best of times it's a tough sell. Especially at the price point Tamiya kits go for. They aren't for everyone. The latest Taigen and HL offerings aren't exactly cheap either. I am fully aware that 'net sales have been nails in the coffins of brick and mortar shops but I also remember well the words of the former owner of San Antonio Hobbies in Mountain View, Ca: 'our clientele has been basically the same since we opened in the 60s- we just haven't seen younger customers replace the older ones who drop off to any significant degree'( probably not exact wording but close enough).

I have several young-uns among my friends and Assassins Creed has or had a stranglehold on them. It's a different world complete with VR goggles...models just can't compete.

Whatever Tamiya decides to do I'm sure it will be epic. Still, I'd love a Cromwell or Churchill... I'd do serious wrong for a Crocodile....or surprise me with a Chaffee.
Or M60 even...

Jerry

tch2000

Strathcona

Hello,
How about a Centurion, Chieftain, or a Grant?