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Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of plastic model kits, radio controlled cars, battery- and solar-powered educational models, sailboat models, acrylic and enamel model paints, and various modelling tools and supplies. The company was founded by Shunsaku Tamiya in Shizuoka, Japan in 1958. The company has gained a reputation among hobbyists of producing models of outstanding quality and accurate scale detail.

Product lines

Military Miniatures (1/35 scale)

The oldest category in Tamiya's export line has been the "Military Miniatures" series of 1:35 scale figures and vehicles. The series has focussed on World War II military subjects though a growing minority of kits in this line come from later periods. The products are characterized by striking full colour paintings on the boxtops, though instructions are generally brief and sometimes poorly translated from the original Japanese. Tamiya molds are generally very clean and almost no flashing is found on their products.

Radio-controlled cars (1/10 scale)

  • The Sand Scorcher and Rough Rider, released in 1979 and credited as the first radio controlled cars to feature off-road suspension.

  • The original Blackfoot monster truck kit and its variations, first released in 1986 and credited with much of the hobby's growth.

  • The Wild Willy 1 1/10 scale radio control jeep, released in 1982. This is a Jeep with a hard shell plastic body, and marks the high point of production. It is considered extremely collectible. Wild Willy 2 has been released 2000, and a metallic version has also been released.

  • The Clodbuster 1/10th scale radio-controlled monster truck released in 1987 as the first Tamiya R/C monster truck with two drive motors, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. The Clodbuster virtually spawned an aftermarket industry of its own which catered to those who wished to modify their models. The Clodbuster has remained popular since its introduction, recently birthing the Super Clodbuster. The Clodbuster still has a large aftermarket following, with many companies designing parts for rock crawling as well as trailer pulling and racing.

  • The TXT-1 1/10 scale radio control monster truck released in 2002. This truck, which is still in production, was designed as a factory response to aftermarket Clodbuster upgrades. Cantillever suspension, four wheel drive, and multilink suspension allow for the massive axle articulation featured in third party kits such as the Clodzilla series. The new truck dispensed with the Clod's four wheel steering, although the TXT includes provisions for making this upgrade. Tamiya engineers attended actual USHRA monster truck events in order to improve the scale appearance of the TXT and duplicate full-size suspension designs.

  • The Bruiser 1/10th scale radio controlled pickup truck. Released in 1985, it had a working three-speed transmission which could be shifted via radio control, a high-torque RS-750SH motor and ultra-realistic Toyota Hilux body with camper shell and interior detail. The aluminum frame, suspension, drive axle and steering were patterned after their full-sized counterparts. This complex and expensive model has since become one of the most collectible of all Tamiya R/C's.

  • The TRF414 radio controlled car; holder of the 2002-04 IFMAR ISTC 1/10th scale electric touring car world champion title.

  • The TRF415, holder of the 2004-06 IFMAR ISTC 1/10th scale radio controlled electric touring car world champion title.

  • The Hornet, a two-wheel drive, basic, off-road radio controlled buggy first released in 1984. It would go on to become one of the most popular R/C kits of all time and has recently been re-released.

  • The Hotshot. A four wheel drive mainly plastic off-road buggy that was released in 1984, it broke new ground for Tamiya and also the hobby in general. For it's time, the car was light, rugged and upgradable. Over the following years, the chassis design was reused in several other cars including the Hotshot 2, Boomerang, Super Sabre, and Tamiya's 10th Anniversary car, The Bigwig.

  • The Avante. A car specifically designed to return Tamiya to the forefront of racing in the late 1980s. All new and to this day virtually unique, it featured an FRP chassis, aluminium components everywhere and almost limitless adjustments. Unfortunately, as it turned out, it was somewhat over engineered and was ultimatley a flop. The car was too heavy, too fragile, dynamically inept, and uncompetitive. However it's still a highly desirable model to a Tamiya collector because of the unique and uncomprimised engineering that went in to it.

  • The TA01/TA02 chassis series from the early-mid 1990s were sold with various bodyshells. Some of these bodyshells are among the most realistic and detailed lexan bodies made by any manufacturer. Models worthy of note are the BMW M3, Mercedes 190E, Ford Escort Cosworth and the Lancia Delta Integrale. Original versions of these models fetched high prices from collectors until recently, when Tamiya re-released them.

Radio-controlled trucks and trailers (1/14 scale)

Tamiya also produces 1/14 scale radio controlled trucks using ABS body shells instead of the alloy and sheet metal that competitor Wedico uses on its 1/16 scale truck line.

Available in the current truck range are the following rigs:

  • King Hauler (also available in a limited chrome edition)
  • Globeliner
  • Mercedes-Benz 1838LS
  • Mercedes 1850L
  • Volvo FH12 Globetrotter 420
  • Ford Aeromax (also available in a limited chrome edition)
  • Knight Hauler (also available in a limited chrome edition)

The truck range also includes some trailers:

  • Flatbed trailer (the basic flat trailer)
  • Box trailer (closed cargo trailer)
  • Tank trailer (liquid transport)
  • Pole trailer (wood/tree transport)

The German division/importer (Carson) also released a semi-low loader trailer in this scale.

Radio-controlled tanks (1/16 scale)

Tamiya's radio controlled tanks have options such as sound, light and optional parts to depict different variants.

The Leopard A4 and Flakpanzer Gepard are no longer produced; updated versions of the others have some technical and cosmetic innovations over the original models. The latest models have full sound function, fire simulation (barrel moves when fired), and even a barrel stabiliser. Also there is a battle function unit for sale, so you can actually fight a tank battle with other simular equipped tanks from Tamiya. Don't mistake these tanks with "cheap" tanks from brands like Heng Long or simular, but as the chinese brands improve there looks more and more toy versions are being rebuild and upgraded as full option "tamiya alike" tank.

Track racing cars

  • The Mini 4WD and Dangun-Racer series, which are small (1/32nd scale), single-motor, free-operating electric models designed to run in competition on a special, deeply channeled track.

Static-display scale models

  • The "Military Miniatures" (MM) series of military vehicle scale models, which established 1/35 scale as the worldwide standard for the military vehicle genre.

  • Their line of static model aircraft, mostly of 1/48th scale, are widely considered to be state-of-the-art. Most of their 1/72 scale aircraft, however, are repackaged Italeri kits. Tamiya is also one of the few manufacturers of 1/100th scale aircraft. They also produce 1/32nd scale kits.

  • They produce many naval ship models in 1/350 and 1/700 scale, both full and waterline versions.

TRF - Tamiya Racing Factory

Tamiya and their racing division TRF have evolved into one of the most successful racing teams on the electric scene of worldwide R/C Racing over the last few years. It started during the world championships in Mogale City, South Africa, in 2002. The Thai driver Surikarn Chaidajsuriya shocked the world with an amazing victory driving a Tamiya TRF414M2 1:10 scale belt driven chassis.

Since 2002, the TRF division has continuously been growing with an expanded team in Japan and worldwide. In late 2002, Tamiya released their third shaft driven car called TB Evolution III which won the prestigious YamaYama Cup in Japan two months later, with Satoshi Maezumi at the wheel. On the European scene, the Dane Steen Graversen along with Surikarn and team manager Kiyokazu Suzuki managed to join the A-main of the big LRP Masters race in Germany, April of 2003. Surikarn then won both the 23T stock and the Modified classes in the Thailand International Touring Car championships (TITC), using an updated TB Evo3. Surikarn's Evo3 was eventually released to the public as the limited-edition TB Evo3 Surikarn Edition to commemorate the victory. It features red anodized aluminum components, delrin differential halves, a thicker 3mm chassis, and new one-way carbon gear brace.

The same year, Tamiya discovered a new young star under Tamiya's belt, a boy named Marc Rheinard from Germany. Marc debuted at the indoor race DHI Cup of 2004 with Tamiya's new belt driven ride, the TRF415. He and Steen Graversen finished 2nd and 3rd, proving the capability of this newly designed chassis. Two months later, the world saw Marc winning the LRP Masters in a dominating fashion, beating the world's best drivers. Things looked good for the upcoming worlds in Florida, USA. Few believed that Marc would actually win the world championships at an age of 17, but he did. Tamiya brought their new and improved version of TRF415, the TRF415MS which stands for Maezumi Satoshi, one of the car's designers and a Tamiya factory driver. The new car had improved handling characteristics on asphalt through the adoption of a thinner chassis and different suspension parts. The car was far superior the others and Marc outdrove all the world's best once again, taking pole position and winning two of the three A-mains. The other Tamiya driver in the top ten was former world champion Surikarn, driving the TB Evo4, who finished 9th. Marc has been dominating races ever since and will hopefully be right up there again when the World Championships of 2006 are held in Collegno, Italy. After the 2004 Worlds, Tamiya released the World's upgrade kit for the 415, containing the direct center pulley (as opposed to the center one-way included in the standard 415 and 415MS kits) and narrowed suspension mounts, further improving the 415 handling and acceleration.

In July 2005, Tamiya further updated the TRF415MS, by releasing the TRF415MSX. Released both as a conversion kit (for older 415s) and a complete kit, the design featured a three-piece bulkhead for easy maintenance, lowered and shortened upper deck that runs under the belt, and the deletion of the middle decks, all contributing to a lower CG and increased "tweak" resistance. Marc recently won the World's Warm-Up in April 2006 with a revised version of the MSX, sporting a new set of lowered rear bulkheads, shock towers, and steering mechanism.

Tamiya's team at the Worlds in 2004.

Facilities

Tamiya has several large regional divisions, notably in the Aliso Viejo, California home of "Tamiya America," the North, Central and South American branch responsible for many of the company's racing developments. Tamiya America also features a world-class racing facility which is the site of several world championship events. An assembly plant is located in the Philippines and Germany is the home of "Tamiya Europe's" operations.

External links

Companies of Japan | Scale modeling | Radio controlled cars | Toy cars and trucks | Brands | Companies based in Aliso Viejo, California

Tamiya | 田宮模型 | Tamiya | Tamiya | 田宫公司

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Tamiya Corporation".

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