The tamiya charm

[RiZZa 41]

Tamiya. What is it about them that hooks you in ? I've recently returned to the brand from Axial. Yep, I sold my Scx10 to buy a CC01. Nuts ? Probably. But it felt so right. Looking back over my rc history, I have owned a vehicle from most of major brands but their is something about a Tamiya that the others don't have. Can anyone enlighten me ?

[Percymon 2184]

A combination of..

1. people reliving their childhoods

2. the fact almost all models have to be built, so you learn from the experience how to maintain them

3. Loads of hop-ups for most models

4. huge choice of models at most price points

5. masses of used examples on eBay

[yogi-bear 2321]

I like the vintage stuff, and thats what draws me in. Plus there seems to be more realism in the body shells.

[kirk13 129]

Ive got a couple of answers to this:

Tamiya is the(Pre-emissions scandal) Volkswagen of the RC world;not the all out best,but good,reliable and kinda cute and cuddly.

All model makers have their own individual feel,like a signature or hand writing. Regardless of it being an RC kit or a static kit,there's no mistaking Tamiyas handwriting. Very easily accessible to everyone

[NobbySideways 113]

I think for me it is all warmly familiar from my youth. The build manuals were/are so friendly, so useable no matter what your age, and its obvious care has been taken over every stage. It feels like the person who designed each part will probably have a good few cars themselves. Were I in that hemisphere I would love to design for them

[Mad Ax 9325]

There is something very "Tamiya" about Tamiya, and that's about as specific as I can get.  But I think for many of us, it's down to childhood memories.  There are some of us who prefer Kyosho or Marui, maybe because that's what they had (or wanted) as a child, and that in turn may be down to what their local hobby shop stocked, what they used to look at when they were pressing their faces against the glass window.

I've not had a lot of experience with non-Tamiya stuff.  Here's what I can say about the others:

Axial - everything about it looks like it should be better made, and in many ways is, especially in terms of performance, but the build experience somehow seems more "grown up" - like it's taking itself very seriously.  Too seriously, maybe.  Plus I had issues with fit, as well as clarity of instructions, that I never had with a Tamiya.

Traxxas (modern) - awesome performance from an RTR and doesn't take itself seriously, but still somehow manages to design shells and graphics that appeal to the PlayStation generation.  Traxxas has a history, and a notable one, if perhaps not as long as Tamiya's, but the modern Traxxas stuff doesn't appeal to it.  Traxxas is the optical disk that you stick into the slim black console, and out the other end you get modern music and high-speed fun for just as long as your minimal attention span can handle, and then it goes back into the case while you go find another fix.

Corally - I built an RDX touring car a few years back.  I felt like I was building part of the space shuttle.  I felt like I needed industrial-grade tools to assemble the turnbuckles.  I had blisters on my fingertips for days afterwards.  I felt like it was mocking me.  "You can't build me on your sofa while watching repeats of QI", it said.  "I'm a world champion race car, I need a clean workshop with a spotless bench and a rack of precision tools."  It mocked me when I drove it, too.  "Oh dear, did you just drive me into that barrier?  You'll have to reset my alignment on the Hudy deck."  It mocked my cheap NiMH stick packs, which wouldn't fit its race-bred chassis.  It mocked my second-hand side-by-sides, which weren't perfectly aligned with the slots in its chassis.  It mocked my foam tyres and my 27T stock motor.  It never really liked me much, so I put it up in the loft and eventually sold it cheap at a Tamiyaclub meet.

Kyosho - now I'm going back to 1996-ish, when I bought an NIB ARTR Sand Master II nitro buggy.  Up to that point, I'd only ever owned second-hand Tamiyas that broke on almost every run, so I expected Kyosho to be a step above.  I expected metal bearings, a high-quality radio set, soft tyres and a pure-bred chassis.  The Sand Master II was actually a nitro motor mounted on an electric chassis - the cutout for the stick pack was still in the moulding.  It was a budget entry into nitro.  It didn't come with bearings, and didn't feel any better than the Tamiya's I'd owned.  Of course I'm missing a vast history of Kyosho cars, many of them as unique and interesting as Tamiya's early designs, in their own way - but I knew nothing of this back then.

Schumacher and Associated (vintage) - I've had an RC10 and a Schumacher Shotgun, both of these seemed very much like the Corally, but vintage.  They seemed to be made to go racing, and weren't interested in someone who just wanted to play.  They made me feel a bit silly.

Associated (modern) - like its vintage brother, my B4 Factory Team edition felt like a very serious car - but that was OK, because I was taking a serious interest in racing.  Had I bought it as a toy, I would have felt silly.  I can't quite explain why.

Mardave - at least here's a company that has never taken itself too seriously, but, on the other hand, sits so far out in that leftfield land of British shed industries that it doesn't seem fair to compare it in the same list as Tamiya, Kyosho and Associated.  I've never seen a set of Mardave instructions but I have the feeling they'd be single-side printed on loose-leaf sheets on a black-and-white laser and held together with a single staple in the top corner.  That more-or-less the same company is still making more-or-less the same chassis all this time later is a testament to something.  I don't know what it's a testament to, but it's definitely a testament to something.

 

So, in summary - it's very difficult for me to define what's special about Tamiya, but here's some suggestions:

No Tamiya takes itself too seriously.  Every Tamiya has a sense of fun, whether it's a Wild Willy or a TRF special edition, it still has a sense of fun about its construction and assembly.

Tamiya doesn't pitch itself at one market.  Everyone is catered for.  And perhaps because of that, there's a certain fun in buying Tamiya.  Every purchase needs thought.  A younger driver looking for their first introduction shouldn't buy an Avante or a TXT.  Someone expecting track performance or high-tech thrills shouldn't buy a Grasshopper or a Lunchbox.  Some of us may have fallen foul of this in the past   

Tamiya has never felt to me, as a buyer, like a profit-focused multinational.  Tamiya does not just make cars to win championships, or to appeal to whatever the latest craze in the craze-obsessed teen world happens to be.  Tamiya keeps on doing its own thing, often defying convention, sometimes defying any obvious logic or reason whatsoever, but it keeps on doing it regardless, and, perversely, it keeps on working for them.

Here's hoping the lack of news of latest releases is not an indication that they're making a change of direction, and that they have more crazy special Tamiya stuff lined up for us

[Nitomor 2122]

Tamiya = Cohesion

[lupogtiboy 454]

Basically, I think that Tamiya has something for everyone, whether a novice or a pro. I don't think anyone does manuals the way they do, except maybe LEGO. It takes me back to the days of watching the promo videos in Beatties and wanting one so badly. The thrill of the build, modifying it, there being no right or wrong way to do something. The community we have on here, its a similar 'family' feel that I get in the VW community. We all love it, are passionate about it. There are people on here who hate a certain chassis but are still building and modifying it. Its almost a way of life and you need a fix of it. Its fun, its an escape, and I think Tamiya have all the right ingredients.

[shenlonco 1156]

They look cool much different than other rc's
kits to biuld

And most important the tamiyas all have there own special feeling for each vehicle when driving them and they are always FUN!

[GregM 1109]

In a nutshell: To me, Tamiya stands for R/C cars like Märklin for model trains and Lego for brick building toys.

[Robert5000 928]

Wrong bleeding thread. Sorry. 

Edited April 29, 2016 by Robert5000

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

"Models Suitable for Radio Control"

That heritage in plastic model manufacturing is what makes them stand apart from other manufacturers.  The attention to detail in some of their body shells, the engineering in the chassis, the box art, the instruction manuals -- it's the full experience from the moment you see the box to the moment the last decal is put in place.

Not every kit has all these features pulled together, but the classic/iconic kits certainly do.

 

[markbt73 5316]

6 hours ago, kirk13 said:

Tamiya is the(Pre-emissions scandal) Volkswagen of the RC world;not the all out best,but good,reliable and kinda cute and cuddly.

That's a really good comparison, actually. Commonly available, parts-bin engineering that makes them modification-friendly, solid construction, and sort of an undefinable warm fuzzy feeling. (Although for me, with VW, that feeling ended about 15 years ago.)

[Byteme909 27]

+1 on what lupogti mentioned. they have something for everyone but they do it in a way that is somehow very high quality that makes them attractive. it doesn't matter if you're buying a lower spec TA06 that is plastic fantastic or if you bought a high end MS model, you still get that quality fit and finish that makes their models an absolute joy to build. and you can tune it to whatever spec in between because Tamiya provides a ton of tuning options in house.

I've owned HPI, AE, Kyosho, etc and I still purchase items vintage and non-vintage from various brands. but there is a specialness that comes with opening up something shiny and new from Tamiya, whether its a full car kit or something as small as aluminum screws.

the closest OMG feeling from opening non-Tamiya product is probably Kyosho. always so happy when the mailman delivers my parts to contribute to my  K-cars.

[Saito2 6686]

This is a big, in-depth topic that one could probably write a book about. Tamiya does indeed have a magic "spark" about them. Even if I get temporarily discouraged by the acres of shiny black plastic that make up so many of today's Tamiya kits all I have to do is look at a vehicle from another manufacturer to see what's missing. Soul. Tamiyas have soul. It's also important to remember that not only has Tamiya been doing RC for a LONG time, but they've been doing it right from the get-go. The parts always fit together. They rarely leave parts out of the kit. The instructions have always been top-notch. It's easy to forget that in the 80's heyday, not many manufacturers could do all those things plus have decent quality as well. As great as the RC10 was, it really needed to be hand fitted, especially the 6-gear transmission. Some Kyosho parts were just faulty. Double Dare steering knuckles come to mind. Some cars were just junk (i.e. Royal). Some tried to mimic Tamiya but just couldn't quite do it, like Marui. Tamiya had it all. With a foundation like that, it's easy to see where all the good memories come from.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

This is the book to read if you really want to understand Tamiya:

I enjoyed it quite a bit.  You can see how Mr. Tamiya's childhood, upbringing, opportunities, and decisions have been at the heart of the company for so long.  The emphasis on scale modeling and educational products really influences how Tamiya does RC.  You have to give credit to the RC companies that emphasize racing -- they've pushed the technical boundaries on performance.  But you also have to love the child-like excitement and sense of discovery that comes with Tamiya products.

[Hibernaculum 933]

Some great points here guys.

A few more possible reasons...

1. A "world" of products.

Tamiya created a world for their products. Kits, art, catalogues, commercials, TV, spare parts specifically for particular cars, guide books, souvenirs, miniatures (1/32, and later, many others), posters, flyers, the list goes on and on and on. They were master marketeers, and it made them market leader. Kits were sold everywhere from supermarkets to Ford dealerships. This made them ubiquitous to us as children. They even defined a battery plug which, to this day, is still referred to as a "Tamiya connector" - even at hobby shops where the junior staff have never driven anything but Chinese landfill.

2. Japan. 

As anyone knows, Japanese way of life and attention to detail is intrinsic to Tamiya's output and image. From the fun side - like anime-inspired designs of cars and car-characters, to the fanatical detail of photos in their catalogues (where every little screw is lined up neatly).

But I believe Japan still plays a role in what is left of Tamiya's charm today. Tamiya is one of the last R/C manufacturers in the world who still manufacture outside China, and partially within Japan. Their Japanese factory is located adjacent to their HQ. This has always enabled oversight of the process, which is something all R/C manufacturers once had when they used to manufacture in the same country they were based. Today however, most (including Kyosho and Associated) ship their designs to China for manufacture. If you are interested in the subject of "lack of soul" in products, then this I believe, is the answer you seek. If you think toy companies are still in control when their production goes to China, watch "Santa's Workshop: Inside China's Slave Labour Toy Factories". The careless disregard shown by Western toy company executives, about the working conditions of Chinese peasants who live up to 15-people-per-room in dorms built next to toy factories, is the definition of soulless manufacturing today. 

3. Plastic models.

speedy_w_beans was right. Tamiya's background in this field has always meant detail in their R/C kits. Even the worst, least detailed Tamiya kit, is more detailed than most competitors. But they weren't the only ones to do this - a few companies quickly followed them out of plastic kits and into R/C, as early as the late 1970s - Nichimo, Marui, Imai, Otaki, Eidai and others. They just had shorter lifespans in R/C, but nonetheless, made beautiful products.

4. Familiarity

Lastly, I'd have to say that we feel some of the charm due to familiarity with the two-stars logo

If brands like Marui or Nichimo had had the same marketing and distribution reach, and range of R/C products in the 1980s, I sincerely believe we'd be talking about the "Marui charm" and "Nichimo charm" a bit too. Take a look at the blister packs of kits like the Hunter, Samurai, or Shogun. Or what about when Nichimo made R/C spare parts that looked like this? I read a rumour once (on this site) that Tamiya never did an R/C Stratos, in deference to Nichimo's hugely detailed kit, as they felt it couldn't be topped at the time.

Of course, every single brand on the market between 1976 - 1986 was influenced by Tamiya in some way. From blisters to box, to car names. Even the RC10 would not have had the realism level it did, if not for Tamiya causing the early culture of electric R/C to require realism. Some early electric R/C clubs even had regulations requiring driver figures in all races.

But despite trying to emulate Tamiya's image, most of those other brands deserve credit for their efforts too. They emulated, but didn't clone (the clones only really came from China). The Marui Hunter had a similar box art image, but the car itself could not have been more different to the Tamiya Frog. There was even plenty of charm in early glossy Nikko catalogue photos. Mugen sold spare parts in eye catching boxes. Kyosho sold beetles that had pump-up tyres for realism. The amount of metal in some AYK buggies, went beyond Tamiya buggies. And many more. Everybody came up with beautiful stuff.

I apologize for so many shameless links to my own content there. Just trying to illustrate with pictures that the Tamiya charm was so great, that it was infectious across brands.

It's left us with a golden era of vintage R/C that becomes even more fun when you go exploring it's influence...

H.

[Frog Jumper 3662]

In my other hobby (recording and trading concert tapes), it is common practice to call the battery connection a "Tamiya plug"...  Most of the folks in my hobby have no idea who or what "Tamiya" is, but they all use the name...

Terry

 

[lentner3 281]

Style has a lot to do with it but for me it is the nostalgia, the beauty of the manuals and the variety.

[Chumley54 9]

Tamiya, in the 80's was the best bang for the buck with a variety of options from a cheapo grasshopper to the legendary Clod Buster.   No one had as nice a kit at as nice a price point. 

I would talk about other brands, but unfortunately I never owned another.

 

 

 

[Theibault 1535]

Tamiya style, quality, and attention to detail. See, I only needed one sentence to sum it up. 

[Mad Ax 9325]

On 5/2/2016 at 5:11 AM, Hibernaculum said:

stuff...

H.

An awesome read, thanks for sharing 

[Dangerseeker 162]

A lot has been said, and I absoultely agree with the comments here, as they so very well cover the Tamiya-spirit.

What's always on my mind when I think of the Tamiya RC-vehicles is the substantial idea of Steve Jobs : "distinctive design-clean and friendly and fun". This is what Apple does best and this is what Tamiya (in most cars) delivers and what makes us feel good.  

[Effigy3 1267]

For me, Tamiya has a personality that is familiar and welcome.  I do have an Arrma Fury because Tamiya doesn't make an SCT.  My son has a Losi because he wanted to race and while the Arrma is a great basher SCT, it's no racer.  My Tamiyas are the buddies I want to call up and go to the pub with, grab a pint and some sausage and talk about pretty girls.  The Arrma is the friend at school I hang out and play with on the playground but when the school bell rings we go our separate ways.  The Losi is like my coworker.  We get stuff done together.  We're efficient but there's no chemistry between us.  If either of us got other jobs we'd never see each other again and that'd be just fine.

[Wooders28 4723]

Tamiya won me over with the 'going fast standing still' box art and the sunny beach,promo videos that ran in a constant loop in the local model shops.

Getting a Frog as a first RC maybe wasn't the best choice though,especially when it hit the race track.Then I got a kyosho Ultima, whole different ball game.

I kind of think of Tamiya's as a comfy per of slippers,you ain't going to win any races using them,but great to relax.