The future 1/48 releases from by Tamiya will be the Mk IV Ausf J, a mid-production M10 and a Panzer Grenadier set. This announcement has been posted on their Japanese language site. Also SkyBow has said they are diligently working on their Firefly to achieve the same quality as their Tigers ( I have one --they're GRRRREAT!).
Glenn

I just read about this, and am excited about it!

It's good to see the late-war workhorse of the panzer force on the list of up-and-coming.

By the way, I don't see the images of the Panzer IV box art (which I understand to be on the Tamiya website) anywhere on the site.

Could anyone supply a url?

http://www.tamiya.com/japan/news/news0509/news2.htm#32518

Thanks, in the interim I saw it on the FSM message board. Looks interesting. I wonder if it's actually going to come without hull schurzen. Bad Mr. Tamiya! Don't pull that -- put them in the kit.

Graet news.

I think I'll be putting the guts of my Bandai stash in the Tamiyas.

And now the Panther has been announced.

From Tamiya? Where was it announced?

Heavy -Steel reported it from a posting on the Track-Link site. Someone there made a posting saying that Tamiya will release a Panther G. Tamiya's site lists the Panzer Grenadiers, MkIV, and M10 for October release, but no mention of the Panther. This may just be rumour at the moment, but there was mention earlier that Mr. Tamiya himself said that if ohter companies get into the 1/48 market, Tamiya would speed up its releases. Hoepfully this will prompt even more companies to get into 1/48.
P.S. I believe the Panther release is imminent as I heard rumours about the MKIV and Panther last year.

I'm pretty interested in the M10 they are coming out with. Would be nice to see them come out with it in 1/35 also, since both M10 kits in that scale have dimention issues with them

We've just about concluded future Tamiya quarterscale releases will likely be "scale-downed" from previous 1/35 kits ("We've" being 4 or 5 of us folk).
Another hobby fellow thought that was OK because that would afford Tamiya engineers opportunity to correct previous errors / omissions.
On the other hand, it is just as likely future 1/35 kits will be "scaled-up" from 1/48 innovations. Either way, we in quarterscale have a good chance of seeing a Flak 36 u Zugmaschine, Pz1II/ III, Matilda, M13/40, etc. some time next year.

Well, I seem to be answering a lot of these (in a bad week, 3-4 ). I simply DON'T believe it. So far, not one of the new Tamiya releases has been a scaled-down version of their 1/35th kits. Not one. Firstly, some of the mentioned kits are so grossly inaccurate, (Matilda & PzII) that if they (as you say) are correcting the errors on them, then by the time they hit the streets they'll be completely new kits!

To be honest, this is the kind of speculation that causes rumors and eventually percolates up and causes real problems to the company. It's simply unfair. I'm not going into the whys and wherefores of Tamiya's release policy again (it's been hammered to death across the entire 'net) but suffice to say, this statement has no basis in fact and none of us who sift thru rumors on a regular basis, have heard anyhing to confirm this.

At the end of the day, it's simply unfair on a company which (with the 1/48th kits) is doing its best...Jim

As a post-script, some mighty intellect even claimed that the Hetzer was scaled-down as well. Impressive trick that....

Jim, I saw that message too, but someone else posted a response saying that the Hetzer comment was sarcastic irony--poking some fun at the 1/35 scale naysayers who were trying to denigrate Tamiya by claiming that the kits were just scaled down rehashes of existing ones. If the SkyBow Tigers were more readily available there would be far fewer complaints about 1/48 as the quality of the kits speak for themselves. For those of us who prefer 1/48 (in my case it is the only scale I make--if there were no 1/48 scale armour kits I wouldn't make models and the LHS would have one less customer) it was expected that 2005 would be the year of having our patience tested and having to put up with the initial resentful reaction to 1/48. This is the year of the re-establishment of the scale. By next year, with more Tamiya releases, Trumpeter and SkyBow kits coming onto the market, much more aftermarket stuff available, 1/48 will grow in popularity and the arguments will subside. If the rumours about Bandai getting back into the 1/48 scale game are true then all will be well--after all who could resist a kit with a detailed interior?
Glenn

Glenn, I am seriously impressed by your dedication and self-discipine. I would love to have the iron-will to stick with one scale...Jim

It all started with Aurora and Bandai. I have made a few 1/72 scale vehicles just for the experience of building a vehicle that Bandai had not done. I purchased a few 1/35 scale stuff 20 years ago. I gave one away and the other three are gathering dust, unfinished. 1/35 is too big and awkward for my tastes. I like detail to the extent that I use PE for my kits, but not so much as to be an obsession. The way some modellers get into arguments over detail you would think that they were the engineers who designed the vehicles.. Remember what G.B. Shaw said about arguments amongst academics: they are so acrimonious because the stakes are so small. The same with scale arguments :lots of anger and feelings of betrayal and abandonment in indirect proportion to the triviality of it all. Remember, it is a HOBBY. Building models should be fun and with 1/48 scale and the easy to assemble Tamiya offerings-it is.
Glenn
Philosopher-King of 1/48 scale

Jim - It would appear I've raised your ire; not my intent. I'm just puzzled how you can make this claim:
"
So far, not one of the new Tamiya releases has been a scaled-down version of their 1/35th kits. Not one. "

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't virtually all the new 1/48 figures appeared in an earlier 1/35 form ? How about the Universal Carrier, a kit that virtually replicates the same tracks that bedecked the 1/35 version of so many years ago.
Further, my comments were not attacks on Tamiya... just a curious observation . I would like to believe future kits will be originals, but I really don't care if they're copies of 1/35 kits; just as long as they are excellent renditions of their subject matter. Personally, I believe they all have been very good kits thus far, and expect that trend to contimue. .

I believe the Kubelwagens and Schwimmwagens are scaled down versions. I have both the regular and DAK Kubelwagen as well as the Schwimmwagen in 1/48 scale and the DAK Kubelwagen and Schwimmwagen in 1/35 scale. It is easy to see the lineage.

While I have not compared the 1/48 scale M4 Sherman and 1/35 M4 Sherman, I bet the two have some similarities.

I do not know the 1/35 scale kubel, but the reviews I read for the 1/48 say it is not a direct downscaling of the larger kit. You can check the review on the Perth Military Modelling site. The 1/48 scale kits are assembled differently from the 1/35 scale ones. I believe the same holds true for the kettenkrad and schwimmwagen. The only downscaling appears to be the German infantry set so far although the Bren Gun carrier is said to be similar to the 1/35 scale offering.

WHERE IS EVERYBODY IN CANADA KEEP GETTING THEIR SKYBOWS FROM??????????

As I mentioned earlier,Biggles, Track48 here in Toronto has had SkyBow Tigers since the beginning of July. Try the website at www.track48.com
Glenn
They also have Hauler PE for it. You could also try AirConnection as iIheard they were supposed to carry the line as well. Then, in the US wingsntreads is doing much to promote SkyBow. Quarterkit of France was selling SkyBow Tigers before they arrived in North America.

Yeah, thanks. I've just visited Track48 now that they're back on-line. Looks good! BTW, do you have their phone number and area code? I prefer phoning orders.

I hope Tamiya has finished with metal hulls - they're totally unneccessary and actually a hinderance to building what is supposed to be a PLASTIC model. If Mr. Tamiya is reading these posts I hope he takes the hint.

Seems you are not alone in your opinion regarding those cast hulls. I've read a number of critical posts in a similar vein to yours. Guess I'm in the minority, because I see them as a merit point for Tamiya. All I had to do was hold my assembled SkyBow Tiger in one hand, and the Tamiya M4 in the either. The heft is most impressive, but again, I understand everyone's preference for an all-plastic kit. I suspect the rumored 2 & 1/2 ton GMC , or any other softskins, will continue to be all plastic.

Biggles:
You can call him at 416-239-9740. It is his business line. Mention that you are calling to order from Track48. He has a few Tigers left and some more are on the way. He also has Hauler PE sets too, and some resin tank cew figures from Gaso.Line of France.

The metal hulls on the 1/48th scale kits are the only real turn off for me. I built the Stug and I have the Hetzer in the closet but I would prefer they didnt mix the media. It's nice ofr weight but honestly we could make them heavy like that by gluing some metal in the plastic chassis if that were the real reason they did it. They could even supply the weight in the box. It makes the build difficult and modifications complicated. Honestly can't see the point to it.

This rumor of the Panther G is puzzling there is nothing on the web about that. At least nothing I can locate with my meager google skills.

Heavy steel, the read-only site at yahoo for 1/48 scale related announcements referred to a posting at track-links made by a fellow in HongKong that Tamiya had announced the Panther G was upcoming.