Difference Between Vintage And Reproduced Kits

[Mr Cossie]

Hi Boys and girls,

I have posted on here for a long time, but I was just wondering other then the price what the difference is between the old kits and the reproduced kits. Im guessing the parts are all the same as I would assume they are taken from the old mold for the original kits. Would it be the blister pack you got in the old kits?

Hope there is an answer out there somewhere

Stuart

[TenzoR]

there's a couple comparison on the forum, just search it yourself.

Most re-reproduction comes with ESC else it's minor upgrades to make it run smoother and better.

[loaded]

Where do I start :-)

For a start, I will completely ignore ALL Tamtech kits/RTRs, as these are not re issues, but more tribute vehicles. The Tamtech 934 and Tamtech Buggy Champ and Avante Mk.2 have nothing to do with their respective original namesakes.

Almost every 'identical' re issued kit (Hornet, XR311, Hotshot, Boomerang, Grasshopper, Frog etc) has some mild differences to do with the actual mouldings. Although most parts remain the same, some have been strengthened (in the case of, for example The Frog, where the metal arms have been improved) or had their main chassis or body altered to accept modern radio and electrics (like the Grasshopper/Hornet and the Toyota Hilux - which in my personal opinion is not a reissue either, although many will disagree with me).

In all cases, until the imminent release of the Buggy Champ (Rough Rider) they have neglected to use original packaging. The 'blister pack' which Tamiya helped make famous is back with this new issue, we don't know how long it is to stay, but I suspect it is simply a temporary thing to help sales from the nostalgia side of things, in the same way the anniversary Porsche 934 also had a blister pack (incidently, this isn't a re issue either).

The lid artwork has generally remained the same, but in most cases there are minor changes to the artwork, such as changes reflected from sponsors logos that are no longer 'allowed' or politically correct. With the Hotshot, the contentious gold plated wheels (which were never included in the kit) have been taken off the packing of the re issue and replaced with the white ones that are actually included. Later on, the Supershot was issued with those coveted gold plated wheels.

On a minor point, most modern mouldings have dial date stamps, which if you know how to read them will show you the date the plastic was made. Generally if one of these is there, you can be sure it is a re issued part, as these dials weren't on most early mouldings, they are a later addition. Also, wording has been scratched off certain parts, like 'Made in Japan' (leading us to wonder where indeed they do make them) on the Hotshot wheels and the removal of previous spelling mistakes, like 'Midnight Punpkin' which adorned the original moulding for years, until someone spotted it.

The answer isn' the same for all re issued kits and definitely the definition of a re issued kit is also contentious, as some people consider the Tamtech Fox a re issue, for example, whereas others (like me) don't.

Paul.

[WillyChang]

non-Japan products would be made in Tamiya's factory in Philippines

("Mactan Export" freetrade zone according to this shipping carton here)

new plastics also have material descriptor required for recycling eg "PA" or "PC"

[loaded]

That's right, new regulations, or something, to do with recycling, as if somebody reads every bit of trashed plastic :-)

Is it only the Philippines (when not Japan)? I thought they finished stuff there, like bodies, but not all mouldings...

Keep well,

P.

[Mr Cossie]

Great info fellas. My reason for asking is I have seen a tamiya buggy I want and dont really fancy paying stupid money for a old model. The re-releases are just fone for me. Im just looking to build up my collect of models that I have always wanted. Im hoping a re-release Egress turns up someday...

[loaded]

My opinion on re releases are well documented. I said it, I did it, it is on tape (or the internet).

I was wrong, saying they would never re issue the Rough Rider, so I won't say they will never re issue the Egress, although it seems unlikely ;-)

P.

[WillyChang]

Is it only the Philippines (when not Japan)? I thought they finished stuff there, like bodies, but not all mouldings...

nah Philippines is fully setup to press, squirt & suck now

in the early days i think they sent container-loads of loose parts down from Japan to be assembled into XB TL01s

but in the last 5 yrs all their injection molding is done there eg 1/24s, mini 4WDs etc

(dunno about the Masterwork series, haven't checked their cartons lately)

Japan now mainly handles the R&D, toolmaking and billet alloy TRF bits from what i can tell.

Smalljob vaccuum molding for local market shells maybe.

[nakedsv]

Mr. Cossie, if they're just for fun, the re-releases are better in every way.

I can only give an example of the Brat, which I just finished.

1) Includes 540 motor instead of original 380 (+)

2) Includes three gear ratios instead of original one (+)

3) Reinforcing plate added to front bumper (+)

4) Instructions updated to show pistol radio, gear ratios, and ESC (+)

5) Rear axle now includes a differential (+)

6) The classy hand-drawn box artwork has not changed. Well, maybe some of the text, so that it is accurate.

I bought mine to serve the dual purpose of building an old-style, high-quality Tamiya kit, and to end up with a good basher for running around the street and maybe mild dirt.

What sponsor logos have been eliminated for political correctness? That is an interesting detail.

[loaded]

Tobacco

[stu22]

Hi Boys and girls,

I have posted on here for a long time, but I was just wondering other then the price what the difference is between the old kits and the reproduced kits. Im guessing the parts are all the same as I would assume they are taken from the old mold for the original kits. Would it be the blister pack you got in the old kits?

Hope there is an answer out there somewhere

Stuart

This will depend on which kit your looking at. I do know, since I have both vintage and re-release versions, that the shocks for the Frog are different on the re-release and the new Grasshopper tub and front hubs are different than the vintage car.

[Tamiya1/10]

My opinion on re releases are well documented. I said it, I did it, it is on tape (or the internet).

I was wrong, saying they would never re issue the Rough Rider, so I won't say they will never re issue the Egress, although it seems unlikely ;-)

P.

Expert gets it wrong, sometimes. There is not duty of care as no professional service was retained nor rendered, just an opinion. In this case, I think all non RR owners, but would like to have one, are very happy that the opinion was wrong.

[terry.sc]

What sponsor logos have been eliminated for political correctness? That is an interesting detail.

For political correctness tobacco sponsors, but that started with the old 959. To save licensing costs all the re-releases have fake sponsors using similar logos to the real ones in the original kits.

[Wandy]

My opinion on re releases are well documented. I said it, I did it, it is on tape (or the internet).

I was wrong, saying they would never re issue the Rough Rider, so I won't say they will never re issue the Egress, although it seems unlikely ;-)

P.

As far as future kits goes I think things can be summed up by this : - If it was a sales flop the first time around then it is NOT in contention for a re-release. I dont know anything about the Egress as I had left the hobby by the time it came out, but based on my statement above I think you can safely rule out sales flops like the Supershot, Bigwig & Avante.

[terry.sc]

I have posted on here for a long time, but I was just wondering other then the price what the difference is between the old kits and the reproduced kits.

The originals will always be the originals. Built to be run, with no collectors market at the time there are very few kits which survived still in their boxes, or built but in good condition. There are those who just want to relive their memories from the first time around, these people will be satisfied with a rerelease that they can just order any time they want. But a vintage collector would rather hunt down an original over the rerelease purely because it's an original and much harder to track down a good one considering how few of them are left, then if it's on ebay keep on trying with all the kit until you manage to outbid everyone. as there are more collectors wanting the originals than there are kits available, they are always going to be worth more than the plentiful supply of rereleases.

Im guessing the parts are all the same as I would assume they are taken from the old mold for the original kits. Would it be the blister pack you got in the old kits?

Parts can differ greatly, for example differences between old and new Hotshot

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...st&p=225888 and most of the other differences are covered here http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=27053

The moulds are certainly not the same ones that were used 20-30 years ago. Ignoring parts being updated, the most obvious reason for using new moulds it is highly unlikely that a 20 year old mould will fit a modern injection moulding machine. There's also the fact that moulds do wear out, they don't last forever.