and Airfix is still due to release their Modern vehicles this year?

It's Rumor, but from multible reliable sources. Bronco for disappointing sales of those Staghounds...

1. Tamiya regularly cycle tooling in and out of production.
Despite what some people might think they don't have a limitless supply of injection moulding machines to mount tooling onto in order to pinch off copies of every kit they've ever produced for all eternity.
Dies are taken off and stored, repaired, re-worked, rested to allow other kits to be produced, they'll come back into production when the suits at Tamiya deem it necessary, its the way they've always worked, its the way every injection kit manufacturer works.

Les, I found your response to the bashing 35er most in-heartening. Quite forceful and to the point.

On a personal note, are you related to a late friend of mine, John Piper ?

[ Granted, it's an earlier, and slightly different version of the vehicle, but the detail on the Tamiya kit is worlds away from what Bandai was doing back then.

1. Tamiya regularly cycle tooling in and out of production.

Despite what some people might think they don't have a limitless supply of injection moulding machines to mount tooling onto in order to pinch off copies of every kit they've ever produced for all eternity.

Dies are taken off and stored, repaired, re-worked, rested to allow other kits to be produced, they'll come back into production when the suits at Tamiya deem it necessary, its the way they've always worked, its the way every injection kit manufacturer works.

2. If the market wasn't there for 1/48th armour I really doubt they'd have invested all that money in tooling up the recent JS-2 and the soon-to-be-released Matilda not to mention the Pz.II and Jagdtiger kits a little while back!

3. I think the real reason 1/48th armour isn't 'taking off' is that so many people keep saying '1/48th armour isn't taking off'

I agree that 1/48 is a more convenient size to work in. However after being spoiled with the quality of the likes of Dragon, AFV, Tasca, Bronco, et al, a lot of Tamiya 1/48 falls short, especially the toy-like quality of the Bren carrier. Too much AM and PE is neccessary to 'normalize' the quality. I think that's the turn off for Tamiya 1/48. Rainbow/AFV, and Bronco have the right idea, and have quality equal to the larger scale, but too little - too late. The absence of quality styrene figures in 1/48 also discourages diorama building. It's too bad because great results have been achieved in 1/48.

Panic post without any actual data to back it up. Many of the kits in 1/35 are discontinued also, like their excellent 1/35 Hetzer. They will be back when Tamiya wants to run them again. As to 1/48 not catching on, this just doesn't pass muster. Why would Tamiya keep tooling up new kits if they don't sell? Why would Bronco and other new companies be getting into the scale if they don't sell? This isn't my opinion, the Staghound, Jagdtiger, JS-2, Matilda, Panzer Mk II, and many other kits provide evidence to the contrary.

Scott Gentry

1. This point is valid, but made less certain by the presence of the die-cast metal hulls which are a possible barrier to in-house production runs.

Given the rather obvious poor sales, of which the evidence is overwhelming, the re-tooling of lower hulls in plastic seems pretty remote wishful thinking.

I would also add that many of the metal lower hulls subjects are not of the same quality standard as the later plastic hulls subjects, and so the lesson that quality pays in 1/48th, learned by Tamiya a bit late, probably means the earlier subjects are that much less urgent to repop.

So 3 in 6 years, with a 3-4 year hiatus in there...

'snipped for brevity'

So that was about 3 AFVs in six years...

3. Give me a break.

3 armor kits in six years after a single year (2006) where 20 kits came out is pretty hard evidence...

Also a collection of failed smaller competitors, that all had much better quality in execution, speaks rather loudly of the at least semi-failed nature of the attempt to revive the scale...

If Tamiya had only bothered with moulded-on zimmerit, closed sponsoons, open handles and a few included photo-etch parts and grilles, it could have turned out much better...

Better than nothing is not a high standard to judge an endeavor: For the large effort expended the impact has been comparatively very, if not extremely, minimal... There is no such thing as an "entry" scale anymore. Only quality matters, and the failed competitors all proved they understood this better than the one player that mattered...

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1. This point is valid, but made less certain by the presence of the die-cast metal hulls which are a possible barrier to in-house production runs.

Given the rather obvious poor sales, of which the evidence is overwhelming, the re-tooling of lower hulls in plastic seems pretty remote wishful thinking.

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Really Gaston? Tamiya have been making die-cast parts for thier R/C ranges for years, they are no strangers to the concept. If they can make die-cast gearbox components for R/C to required tolerances what makes you think they can't pinch-off a few box-like hull tubs?

Oh I know why you think that, you don't think Tamiya can do anything right, now I remember.

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I would also add that many of the metal lower hulls subjects are not of the same quality standard as the later plastic hulls subjects, and so the lesson that quality pays in 1/48th, learned by Tamiya a bit late, probably means the earlier subjects are that much less urgent to repop.

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Yeah, amazing isn't it, newer kits, produced with more modern tooling and techniques, are better detailed than what they were doing 5 or so years ago... Mercy me, that must be something to do with this 'progress' thing they keep talking about.

Non-issue Gaston, the older kits were produced to older requirements when they just started making 1/48th, lo, the newer kits are more detailed... Wow!

Did you work that out yet Sherlock?

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So 3 in 6 years, with a 3-4 year hiatus in there...

'snipped for brevity'

So that was about 3 AFVs in six years...

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Umm, dozens more subjects than we had to choose from during the 30-odd year hiatus after Bandai walked away from the scale, it'll do for me.

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3. Give me a break.

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Self-fulfilling prophecy oh mighty Butcher-of-Quebec, prove me wrong, with some actual sales statistics or shut up.

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3 armor kits in six years after a single year (2006) where 20 kits came out is pretty hard evidence...

Also a collection of failed smaller competitors, that all had much better quality in execution, speaks rather loudly of the at least semi-failed nature of the attempt to revive the scale...

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Tell you what, I'll give you a break if you'd give it a bloody rest with your constant, repetitive ladying and whining.

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If Tamiya had only bothered with moulded-on zimmerit, closed sponsoons, open handles and a few included photo-etch parts and grilles, it could have turned out much better...

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Aye, and if my granny had wheels she'd be a wagon! Coulda, woulda, shoulda Gaston, it isn't like that, we work with what we have, if thats a problem for you then maybe something like philately might be a good alternative.

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Better than nothing is not a high standard to judge an endeavor: For the large effort expended the impact has been comparatively very, if not extremely, minimal... There is no such thing as an "entry" scale anymore. Only quality matters, and the failed competitors all proved they understood this better than the one player that mattered...

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And all have failed very visibly... I reckon you've got it backwards pal, quality doesn't matter anything like as much as you think, quantity, variety and availability are whats important in the modern market, we enthusiasts (well you) can piss and whine about quality all we (you) like, the simple fact is that several-hundred part, mixed media armoured cars kits are not what sells to the masses, simple and easy to build sells to the masses.

Not meaning to step on any toes, but I actually prefer the more complicated kits. I would prefer to have the 390+, oob, mixed media kit and add another couple of hundred pe pieces to it.

However, I also believe that this is being blown way out of proportion. As kits get older, manufacturers discontinue production in order to market their new kits. I'm sure there will be a re-release or updated version of the kits Tamiya is discontinuing.

What I don't understand is the complaining about how little detail is in the Tamiya kits. Isn't the shape correct? Looks like the Sherman measures out correctly to me. It sits pretty well next to my Bandai kits (which have less detail in most cases, not knocking them, but they do). So, if there isn't enough detail, ADD SOME. Isn't that what we do as modelers?

Panic post without any actual data to back it up. Many of the kits in 1/35 are discontinued also, like their excellent 1/35 Hetzer. They will be back when Tamiya wants to run them again. As to 1/48 not catching on, this just doesn't pass muster. Why would Tamiya keep tooling up new kits if they don't sell? Why would Bronco and other new companies be getting into the scale if they don't sell? This isn't my opinion, the Staghound, Jagdtiger, JS-2, Matilda, Panzer Mk II, and many other kits provide evidence to the contrary.