The year 1976, Tamiya had just spent zillions designing & tooling up to make a 1/12th plastic kit of the Porsche Carrera RSR (including buying a 911 for complete stripdown just to get the dimensions right). The finally finished static kit was selling in reasonable numbers but not yet breakeven... how to sell more?
Whilst the boardmembers mulled... loud droning noise pierced the air:
'That stupid new accounts clerk Fumito Taki, playing with his silly RC airplane', mumbled one.
'Taki-kun is just crazy into all things RC', agreed another.
'Dirty smelly noisy hobby engines', commented a third.
*** ff 12 mths l8r ***
Tamiya's RA1201, priced at JPY9800 for the kit and approx JPY17000 including radio (an extraordinarily exhorbitant sum in those days), sells over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITS in its First Year!!!
This, from a guy to whom most said 'There you go again, just playing around with your toys again'.
So let this be a lesson - Be Bold, Breakout! (Description originally entered by Pandabear)
