MattC

Without wanting to brag, mine arrived in perfect condition Thanks to Stellamodels.

True! However another possibly better comparison would be corgi toys, they are still popular and the early examples fetch silly money. I recall discussions from my youth which said that trends would change and values would drop but they haven't. Just a thought thats all.

Somebody, somewhere must know the answer to this!! Where are the actual photos??

Absolutely spot on!

Yep, I know a lot of people share this view, but the Scorchers and Bruisers will still exist and there will more than likely still be a market for them. Whether or not it will be a big market, who knows? It's like 1:1 cars now, 1980's cars particularly fast fords are now very collectable and demand big money, but the 60's market is as popular as ever, Austin/Morris Mini coopers are much more popular and valuble than the later Rover versions, and who wouldnt want a Jaguar E-Type or Healey 3000 for example? Yes trends change but there will always be demand for iconic brands and products, the thing with re-releases just like the BMW Mini and the latest Fiat 500, is that as popular as they are, for true collectors you cant beat an original!

Nice find Matman! I for one have been curious on the box and packaging for this kit, and now we have some idea. Hard to tell from that pic the actual size and shape though as it has almost definately been resized to fit Banzai's margins. Comparing it to the original though does suggest it is smaller, which although makes it cheaper to move around the globe, does detract from the "wow factor" on the shelf! Part of the appeal of these original 3 speeds was looking up at the box on the shelf in the hobby shop as a child in awe of the size of the thing compared to the Hornets and grasshoppers around it! That and the fact there was no way on earth you could afford one! It will be nice to see some original photos of the box and as others have said, what the inside looks like. This kit was originally one of the best presented kits Tamiya made, I hope they dont make too many shortcuts in this department.

Hopefully you all detected the sarcasm in my typing here! For the record I think its great and am definately still going to buy one. Totally agree with everything above and the last paragraph is definately the same boat as me.

Mmm, interesting how this thread has changed its tune recently! First half , was wow, awesome, im getting at least 2. As soon as prices begin getting firmed up, it changes to: wrong time, not as good as other models, T has missed the boat, I'll wait etc etc! Human nature eh! Is anyone still planning on buying one of these old, outdated, prehistoric, overpriced and overhyped kits?

All, for information and comparison. I have just this minute been informed by RC Champ that thier discounted price for the Bruiser kit will be 56574 Yen (Approx £465 GBP) shipping will be extra and a fee if paying by paypal. They say the release date is the 16th March.

Wow! That is early. I'd better start lifting the floorboards or selling some limbs and quickly! I was expecting April/May before we saw this. Surely someone somewhere knows more about the packaging/Box if thats the case, they must be well into production now? Has anyone had a reply from Stella on this yet?

Thats a pity, I have a mint Savage XS Flux which I may need to sell to fund the inevitable Bruiser purchase!

Yes I have Tamiyablog on favourites! And as you say the latest pics of the BS are cool. Still haven't seen many built on here. Tempted to build mine but holding out to see just how "limited" this kit is first. They seem to be drying up already, albeit more are probably on the way to dealers.

Does anyone know if these kits will come with blister packaging???!

Link not working but the latest pics from the toy fair of the BS are cool. Is anyone else planning on building theirs?

Hi mate, I once bought a sand scorcher body set from RC Mart and their service was great, no issues at all. The packaging could of been better if I'm honest but it was "only" a body set not a full kit. Having said that there was no damage. EMS is very fast, usually as quick if not quicker than buying from the UK! Tell them what you want and they will be very accommodating I'm sure.

Also I cant believe how many people are saying that they are going to buy this kit (at least one, maybe more) when the actual prices are still unknown. We are apparently in a global recession you know ! Maybe Tamiya will single-handedly get the global economy moving again with this release. Either that or the credit card companies will have a field day!

On the subject of no blister packaging , surely they wont just bag the parts and throw them in a box?! Maybe something similar to what they do with the tank kits? As others have said this is an expensive kit no matter what so im sure it wont be let down by thoughtless packaging. (He says hopefully!)

That sounds about right to me, kinda what I was expecting. Shipping could be costly on these though.

My thoughts exactly. Having said that they will ultimately run out of desirable models and people may then stop buying them which could bring the run to a close - Maybe! Who knows!! For me I would love to see the Bigwig, Wild One, 959/Celica, Hilux, Blazer and Mounty before they stop. One things for sure the Re-Release scene has certainly changed our hobby and given more of us the chance to build these iconic models.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I kinda hope they go for the latter, to give us all a fighting chance!

Just a thought, but with the epic announcement of the Bruiser making a return and the classic models which have already made a comeback, how long can Tamiya keep doing this? I seem to recall reading on here some time ago that there may be a limited planned lifespan for re-releases and if this is the case, how many more can we look forward to? Thoughts?

In fairness if you check the small print at the bottom of these listings they are for differing amounts of cameras, which explains the price differences. Having said that, its still not for me. I will be buying from someone who i have dealt with before and trust, its just not worth it. Having said that i truly hope its not a scam for all those who have bought already.

I would be happy to be proved wrong on this one but from my experience I would say SCAM! Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is. Having said that he does have some high value items on his past sold items if you look at his feedback. But as someone else has said, full payment up front and a wait of over 45 days (buyer protection window) makes it a no brainer for me. I'll be waiting for them to be "on the shelf"!

Cheers guys!

As some of you have already mentioned, I too have the feeling that an MFU (of some sort?) may be fitted to the show and Video models, as there do appear to be brake lights and even reverse lights if you look at the official Tamiya vid. Also on some pics of the show stand model, there does seem to be a lot of wiring under the body for just LED's? Also is there any official word on the packaging of this Re-Re? So hope it replicates the original, Size,Artwork and blisters as per the buggy champ,Sand Scorcher and Avante Re-Releases.