I see that Fine Molds is releasing a new kit of the Type 89. It will be sold via a magazine purchase, Armour Review, I think. You have to purchase the magazine for three months, with parts of the kit coming with the magazine each month. I would love the kit, but I don't like the marketing strategy. Price alone puts it out of reach, plus the risk of missing out on one of the three editions. Does anyone know of this is just a one time experiment, or if they are going to be doing this with more of their future releases? My opinion is that they are putting the kit out of reach of most modelers.

I wouldn't worry to much. They'd be fools to limit the sales to the magazine. I suspect it will eventually come out in a regular box for the rest of us.

I hope you're right Gary, and I don't see why they wouldn't take advantage of the molds to re-release it as a normal boxed kit.

The Japanese do a lot of weird things like this magazine strategy, and never release the "special" items afterward. However from what I've heard, Fine Molds puts a lot of research into their subjects, which translates to a lot of resources, which of course in turn translates to a lot of money, again pointing to them re-releasing the Type 89 as a conventional boxed kit per the norm.

The FineMolds Type 89 kit will be packaged with three issues of Armour Modelling magazine (November, December 2010, January 2011).
HobbyLink Japan has it up for preorder as a bundled set, to be released in December:

Armour Modelling Nov, Dec, January Issues with FineMolds Type 89 Medium Tank