Whats next on Tamiya's Re-re agenda?

[DJTheo 2]

Completely agee with Chris' above post (both on why a 3 speed would be more sucessfull and how the decision is propably taken), now that is rare []

Cheers

[RETRO R/C 59]

OH dear - I agree too! LOL This is getting scary!

I dont agree on the three speed  though, as  for todays kids

and non TC members it would not be fast enough, not have enough

articulation and would be to expensive.ppppfffffttttttttttttt - this

young generation !! LOL []

The only saving grace for the truck would be its looks and the fact that it is a truck.

Cheers

Darryn

[DJTheo 2]

OH dear - I agree too! LOL This is getting scary!

I dont agree on the three speed  though, as  for todays kids

and non TC members it would not be fast enough, not have enough

articulation and would be to expensive.ppppfffffttttttttttttt - this

young generation !! LOL []

The only saving grace for the truck would be its looks and the fact that it is a truck.

Cheers

Darryn

But as I wrote above those "disadvantages" are the exaclty same like on the 1:14 rigs and 1:16 tanks and those have their own fanatic public []

Cheers

[Voltar 1]

If I owned Tamiya.  A short story by Jim......

If I owned Tamiya and wanted to make a few extra bucks/yen, I would start pumping out vintage replacement parts starting with X7001 SRB radio boxes. I would watch eBay, TC and realize the potential of the parts end instead of complete kits. I also know that these items would not be in stock in hobby shops because of the lack of demand by the general public. The parts would of course have to be priced more that in the 1980s (X7001 was $16.10 in '87). I can remake anything, plastic or metal. I AM the master!

The preceding story was just that.  Jim

 

[terry.sc 16]

There is a lot more interest in a rerelease SRB than a Mountaineer (but

nowhere near as much as for a rerelease Blackfoot and Monster Beetle!).

How

do you know that? In TC that maybe true but TC is just a very tiny bit

from the RC market. Personally my guess (but only guess as imho noone

of us can really know except if he works in Tamiya HQ) is that a 3

speed would have totally a bigger appeal, as it would sell also to all

scale/detail RC modelers, buying now 3 speed rigs, trial trucks and

tanks, while the SRB would appeal only to vintage Tamiya fans.

Cheers

I haven't deduced that from TC members, they certainly wouldn't be

interested in a Blackfoot rerelease. From top of page 4 of this thread

From the front line of the hobby store, I can say for a fact that there

are at least 10 times as many people wishing they'll re-run the Monster

Beetle / Blackfoot line (but particularly the beetle) than the Scorcher

and probably only 1 in 100 are asking for the 3 speed. 

True, this isn't representative of the rest of the world but through my

dealings with the general public I would have to agree with Neil.

I agree about the 3 speeds being attractive for scale modellers though.

The old 3 speeds, like the rigs and tanks, appeal more to scale

modellers than to general R/C fans so it is hard to judge how popular

or not a 3 speed rerelease would be to scale modellers but they don't

have much interest from R/Cers outside the vintage collectors.

Being the scale model company they are I would guess that the Hilux

rerelease would have more chance of being rereleased from Tamiya than a

Rough Rider, but they have to make sure they can sell enough kits.

After all the first 20 cars Tamiya made were more scale models you can

drive rather than just R/C cars that looked good. Toykid pointed out

there are more aftermarket parts and websites dedicated to the 3

speeds, but I think this is because 3 speed fans are far more

passionate about them than fans of other cars.

I would be unsure of how scale modellers would receive a 3 speed as a

scale model though, after all plastic kits have moved on since the 80s,

just look at the 1/12th Enzo.

An SRB is also firstly a scale model, they were made as scale models

that had scale working suspension which you could add radio gear to

rather than off road racers as off road R/C didn't really exist when

they came out. I would think the Hilux would have more appeal to scale

modellers rather than a Rough Rider though.

I guess we will all just have to wait and see what (or even if) Tamiya will rerelease next.

[Wandy 1527]

I think in a lot of ways we all might be reading too much into it and giving it too much thought and in reality the decision about what to do next is taken on much more mundane none obvious decisions. I doubt any of it based on any sort of passion displayed on this club, as opposed to some sort of simple unemotional equation (eg what parts/moulds they have laying around divide by sales last time mutilply by profit per unit divide by what production equipement is not being used at that point)

I agree. Mr Tamiya is probably sitting reading this thread right now, thinking "If only they knew!!"..[6]

[Gruntfuggly 562]

Hey Wandy - do you drive a silver Jag?

[Wandy 1527]

[:^)]Nope. Why do you ask?

[Gruntfuggly 562]

I passed one with the number play 'W4NDY'... []

[Wandy 1527]

No mate, I drive a nice VW Jetta GTi. Another ebay purchase too. I just cant help buying cars off the bay, whether they be 1:10 scale or 1:1. []

[Scorcher Champ 0]

By the way... anyone know when the Chrome Midnight Pumpkin will hit the U.S. or if  it was already released ?

Thanks,

Bob

[meridian 0]

Thanks for answering/responding my questions about market size earlier guys.

SC, I found this on the tower website:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...=LNLWS3&P=G

[pleiku68 24]

If I owned Tamiya.  A short story by Jim......

If I owned Tamiya and wanted to make a few extra bucks/yen, I would start pumping out vintage replacement parts starting with X7001 SRB radio boxes. I would watch eBay, TC and realize the potential of the parts end instead of complete kits. I also know that these items would not be in stock in hobby shops because of the lack of demand by the general public. The parts would of course have to be priced more that in the 1980s (X7001 was $16.10 in '87). I can remake anything, plastic or metal. I AM the master!

The preceding story was just that.  Jim

 

You know Jim you are not far from hitting the nail on the head...I agree there is still a huge market for the old parts..I believe ebay is getting around $200 plus for a new radio box..and thats assuming you can buy a whole one..People like to like to sell them as three seperate pieces..and don't forget the cams.AND gray bumpers died black are big on the bay....LOL Jerry

[netsmithUK 488]

I'm not so sure on a lot of levels on that Jerry.

First of ebay is very odd market to base anything on esp prices. Like I said earlier $200 for a radio box or $1600 for a NIB kit are not the price that the majority of people would pay - these are ending prices in a highest bidder pays auctions and are normally driven up by just two or three bidders (who once they have their over priced item are generally out of the running for the next one that appears) If tamiya were to try and sell them for anywhere near that amount they would be left with loads on their hands. Even if you listed new ones for $100 my guess is there would probably less than 100-200 buyers probably a lot less. As availabilty goes up, not only do prices drop to be competitive but also alot of the 'desirabilty' drops too as a lot of collectors do it for the fun of having something old and different - they pay at the moment, but if those items become new and common they probably won't.

Also I'm not sure about the size of the market either - evening assuming they sold them at $20.00 each and every one on this club (possibly the biggest collection people with these models in the world) that had a SRB of any chassis listed in their showroom bought two - thats still less than 2000 boxes.

I can't see why they would take the risk - why not just churn out some more ally wheels and parts for the currrent models that are going to sell by the 10,000s?

I hope they do, but as business people my guess is they will be looking for easier less risk money than that.

I live in hope though because I could do with a couple []

 

[Madmat 33]

I agree with not bringing back 3-speeds,  I know before i said

different but i think if people really want one they should should bite

the bullet and shell out the money for one instead of asking for a

re-re that there is no promise they will buy. I eventually decided this

and now i have two 3-speeds(it's funny how after the first one they

start flooding in) I waited 4 years to get one but it was worth

it.  

  I Think the idea of bringing back some of the spare parts is a better idea. Just my 2 cent

[DJTheo 2]

I agree with Chris, Tamiya as a serious and big company cant just sell spares for crazy ebay prices and as soon they would just announce them, even ebay prices would drop to a fifth like for re-released cars, and even for low prices still the sales and market of them would be neglible compared to the sold TT01 or TL01 spares for example.

Cheers

[pleiku68 24]

YES, CHRIS, MY MIND DOES AGREE WITH YOU..IT'S MY HEART THAT HAS THE DESIRE TO SEE THE OLD PARTS COME BACK..WE ARE A VERY LIMITED MARKET..WHICH IS WHY WE WILL NEVER SEE THE RETURN OF THE SRB'S..BUT I REMEMBER A QUOTE FROM A GUY YEARS AGO THAT SAID "MAN WILL NEVER REACH OUTER SPACE"...HE CHANGED IT LATTER ON TO "MAN WILL NEVER REACH OUTER SPACE WITHOUT THE AID OF A ROCKET"...lol JERRY

[Guest Greg67]

Man, I hope it is a exact original hilux. Being able to buy some new exact fit parts for the originals would be a dream for a lot of hobbiests. I know it might take away a little of the rarity factor of the original, but it would give a lot of people a chance at the truck. Then...Blazing Blazer, Bruiser and Mountaineer. It would be nice if they just re-re'd everything every 15 years. ahah. A lot of stuff is cool!

[Corpse Thrower 16]

<P>YES, CHRIS, MY MIND DOES AGREE WITH YOU..IT'S MY HEART THAT HAS THE DESIRE TO SEE THE OLD PARTS COME BACK..WE ARE A VERY LIMITED MARKET..WHICH IS WHY WE WILL NEVER SEE THE RETURN OF THE SRB'S..BUT I REMEMBER A QUOTE FROM A GUY YEARS AGO THAT SAID "MAN WILL NEVER REACH OUTER SPACE"...HE CHANGED IT LATTER ON TO "MAN WILL NEVER REACH OUTER SPACE WITHOUT THE AID OF A ROCKET"...lol JERRY</P>

Interesting reading this thread considering what has been re-re'd in the last couple of years......

[Incredible_Serious 107]

Interesting reading this thread considering what has been re-re'd in the last couple of years......

Welcome back Corpsey!!!!

[Wandy 1527]

Fascinating to read what people thought would happen compared to what actually has happened.

So are we now of the opinion that most, or at least a significant proportion, of the old moulds were intact and have been reused?

The re-release story seems to have something of a "chasing the horizon" theme to it. Something is driving Tamiya to have the confidence to delve deeper into their back catalogue and it surely can only be sales in one way or another. A combination of East & West markets are demanding & buying enough of them to justify the policy to continue.

[Bigwheels_inc 11]

I would like to see a Top Force Evo Re-Re

[moxyuk 0]

An astute as i need some rear wheels and tyres and a set of C-parts

[Corpse Thrower 16]

Welcome back Corpsey!!!!

Thanks matey-gator!

Since I was spot on with my prediction and timing of the Avante re release, I'm now sticking my neck out to say the Ranger will arrive between July and October 2011.

[moxyuk 0]

Well can only hope for a astute rere??

But for me tamiya have done all the cars that i had as a kid with the VLB and hornet so not that fussed about the other rere,s as could not afford them then and can not spend £300 on a new kit.

(But would like a sand scorcher 2010 very nice )

Do think it is good for people who run there vintage cars and can not afford to spend loads on spare parts and tyres as some parts are just silly money.

All cars should be run not sat in a box. Just like keeping a bird in a cage its just not right