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Just arrived It was a bit pricey to get it from Japan to Germany but I just couldn't resist

OP I think you need to take a step back and realise that you might have some personal bias. A lot of people in this thread already mentioned this but Tamiya is primarily focused on Japan, and they are a private company and can do what they want without pressure from shareholders (trust me on this, you don't want pressure from shareholders). Do I think Tamiya could offer more and better options? Certainly! F.e. I think with Formula 1 and WEC both being as popular as never before they're missing out on bringing in a lot of new people into the hobby. But I have no clue what the FIA, Liberty Media, the teams etc. are asking for in terms of licensing – both in terms of money and exclusivity. Who knows, maybe LEGO's recent partnership with F1 means no other manufacturer is allowed to make F1 toys, similar to EA's exclusive Porsche deal in video games from the 90s to 2010s. But their core market is Japan and they always had a steady stream of Super GT cars in their lineup as this is the series that is extremely popular over there. I think you're underselling the TRF421 – it's really competitive (as has been shown also at a very high level f.e. at the TITC) and more importantly easy to drive (consistently) and forgiving with it's setup. Can a world-class driver with decades of experience eek out maybe a tenth per lap with an Awesomatix? Yes. Most people can't and the TRF421 is quick enough that it can hold it's own in competition and the driver and preparation will make the difference. And the upcoming TRF104 is being eyed by a lot of experienced racers over here who are fed up with their XRay's pivot mounts breaking. The Group C re-releases have proven to be very successful. Both the Sauber C11 and the Porsche 956 have been selling extremely well and the Mazda 787B which was exclusive to Japan was sold out immediately from what I have heard. Other manufacturers such as Kyosho and Team Associated joining the Re-Re party proves that this is good business for them. Is every kit for everyone? No. This is ridiculous, Tamiya is not just producing tooling and creating molds for every single part – manufacturing and economies of scale is honestly one of the huge advantages that Tamiya has and gets right. Just go to your local track and ask what the people running XRays have to pay for spares. Tamiya has chosen not to compete in these categories. They offer sometimes basic entry-level options, and that's it. And why should they? The market is wide open in this regard, you can choose from so many manufacturers that specialise in each of these categories, why do you need an option from Tamiya? I would rather have them stick to making cars and kits than stretching themselves thin and spending a lot of money and time into R&D, supply chains, marketing etc. of genuine high-level Tamiya electronics when it might not be profitable for them. We will not know for sure as Tamiya doesn't have to disclose their earnings – but I will bet they are doing very well at the moment. Expecting them to cater to all audiences and have competitive options for everyone is just not realistic nor feasible. Most of what Tamiya has in their catalogue doesn't interest me, too – But I am sure that there are others who will enjoy what I might not. In the batch of announcements from the Nuremberg Toy fair, some were excited about the DT-04, some were excited about the renewed collaboration with BMW, a lot of people here in Germany are extremely excited about the Porsche 911 GT3, and so on, and so on. None of this scratched my itch but I did preorder a TRF104 which in return doesn't interest a lot of people over here at Tamiyaclub. One person's trash is another person's treasure.

Postage from proxy shopping sites in Japan depends on what service you select. Usually they offer a wide range of options from Japanpost to DHL, and for a package like this I would estimate 50–130€ depending on service and express delivery.

Holy **** 8 pages of instructions for the body alone Good luck with that!

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately I just checked and Tamiya USA does not ship outside of the US.

Hey I am working on a new project and want to restore a RM-01 to eventually make it a runner. I am looking for anything you might have to offer: Used kits NIB items Spares/Tires/Hop-Ups Particularly the 54366 wheel axles Please get in touch, no matter where you're located

The Renown livery is definitely the more iconic one but I am not so sure one or the other is objectively better or worse – I really like both. Just give me the Mazda

Well I wanted to visit Japan anyway, another good reason to do it this year!

Announced at Tamiya RC live (timestamp: 1:07:30) My Japanese is very limited But from what I understand through translating the subtitles we will get another Group C car this year. It could be a Japan-only release (probably due to exclusive licensing deals?) but we will have to wait for the official announcement.

Unfortunately it's this one. Hopefully Tamiya will release new bodies in the future, there is a full description on kentechs blog that says: "The regulation change of actual formula cars is now being planned in 2026 and the real formula world is a hot topic! To kick this formula world into gear in our R/C Line-Up, we are delighted to announce the release of the TRF104 chassis kit"

It’s a bit difficult to predict because it’s been some time since the TRF103. With inflation and everything taken into account I would expect to pay around 370–380€.

Is the TRF104 using front suspension parts from the TRF421? Those arms look familiar! I will have this one, and the Cooper, and maybe …

I have so many things I would like to see (and buy), but I am also realistic. We just had a "new" Group C release, we very recently had a new TRF car – so I don't get my hopes up to have more of that anytime soon. However there's one thing on my list that I think could be realistic: Honda Civic Type-R GT (Super GT Team Kunimitsu) TT-02 Chassis Tamiya has strong ties to JGTC/Super GT and the only manufacturer of which we don't have a current GT500 model of is Honda. After getting the Supra and Z NISMO very recently I expect the Civic to come next. I am guessing the livery being used is from Team Kunimitsu – because they are one of the teams running a Tamiya sticker on their car (on the side, next to the front tire). I am also taking a really big bet and say there's a slim chance this will be released on a TT-02 chassis.

Before I put this gem on eBay … I am willing to part ways with my Ferrari F2001 because I need to size down my collection. I bought this kit NIB a couple of years ago, but the Box itself was heavily compromised because the seller apparently stored it in a moist cellar. I can ship with the original manual, inner box and top lid of the box – but all show signs of the moisture. Also I had to replace the motor with a standard 540 Mabuchi, the kit normally comes with a Sport-Tuned motor. Other things include everything unused from the part trees, and a spare nose (already painted). If you don't want any of this let me know and I will dispose of it. The car itself is in new condition – never been run, assembled and painted by me. It has been sitting on a shelf for the last years and is in excellent condition. Let me know if you have any questions and/or require additional pictures. I am looking for 200€ before shipping. Delivery from Germany, mind that import fees could apply if you're outside of the EU.

Good in theory, but hydrogen is just another energy storage. And like most energy storages you have to consider the cost of creating Hydrogen (which is right now 95% made by burning fossil fuels), and since it is a gas you also need to calculate leakage across the supply chain. If it comes to "green" hydrogen there are a lot of industries that compete and have a much higher benefit of switching to it, like fertiliser production – which will make hydrogen cars economically inefficient compared to EVs. On the car itself, while Hydrogen has a good energy density based on weight – it doesn't look great compared to other energy storages based on volume. You need a larger tank which removes utility from the vehicle and/or leads to larger vehicles. Then, the emissions by the engine are only one part of the problems that cars produce. You still haven't dealt with emissions from tire particles and brake dust, the resource extraction and energy required in manufacturing of these inherently ineffective vehicles and finally the insane land usage caused by car infrastructure. I am afraid whatever power source we plug into the engine, it doesn't solve the problem itself (which in this case is too many cars and car-dependant infrastructure).