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europro975

Kit number 58500 will be a huge Re-Release!

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The simple fact is that no one posting here knows why specific re-releases are happening, although many claim to have insight into the workings of the mighty T.

With the absence of any fact or evidence, the supposition and theory will go on forever

I reckon the printer made too many boxes and they just found them all in a skip

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One general point Wandy is that the trend for retro stuff coming back isn't just in toys is it? We've had a re-re A Team movie, VW has re-re'd the Scirocco, Ford are rumoured to be re-re'ing the Capri, Def Leppard, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet have been doing tours, and Iron Maiden have release a "come back" album. I think the toy industry is really just echoing what is happening more generally at the moment. So in actual fact I think the Big Trak is a very good example. It's an example of something being re-re'd just on the basis of it "being popular when we were kids", rather than Mattel or MB or whoever it was scouring the internet looking for Big Trak Forums full of people demanding it's re issue. For the record I don't think theres any reason to say that the examples that you cited won't be released either!

Personally I think it's a bit of both. Tamiya are riding on this general nostalgic wave that everyone is cashing in on at the moment. I think their previous "no brainer" re-re's like the Hornet and Lunchbox have been perhaps more of a success than they expected, so they took a gamble with the SRBs, which also paid off. And by gamble, I mean re-reing a kit that technically is vastly inferior to kits costing the same, and only the scale looks and nostalgia being the justification for potential buyers. They can see that re-re's will sell and have an idea about what they want to release, but will likely use sites LIKE (but by no means exclusively) this one to guage the potential market for future releases - particularly for something like the Avante which is particularly out of the pockets of the casual buyer and aimed squarely at the enthusiast.

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Iron Maiden have release a "come back" album.

Trouble is, they never stopped releasing albums :P

When every song runs for 8 minutes and 5 of those minutes are whooooaaao whoooa whoooa aa whooooa aa whoooo in the middle, it kinda makes you wonder why they bother :lol:

I can't remember the last decent Maiden album, but I'm betting it was pre Bruce's departure

You forgot Battlestar Galactica too, and the never-ending Star Trek rehashes, and the continual tinkering with Star Wars (episodes IV, V and VI)

The Kikkoman Hornet went well, now they're just milking the cash cow B)

Mammoth Dump Truck's next - you heard it here first

So in actual fact I think the Big Trak is a very good example. It's an example of something being re-re'd just on the basis of it "being popular when we were kids", rather than Mattel or MB or whoever it was scouring the internet looking for Big Trak Forums full of people demanding it's re issue.

Amen

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I can't remember the last decent Maiden album, but I'm betting it was pre Bruce's departure

Powerslave

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One general point Wandy is that the trend for retro stuff coming back isn't just in toys is it? We've had a re-re A Team movie, VW has re-re'd the Scirocco, Ford are rumoured to be re-re'ing the Capri, Def Leppard, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet have been doing tours, and Iron Maiden have release a "come back" album.

The thing is though mate, those things aren't re-releases are they? They are merely tributes to the original version. Oh how I would love it though if Ford brought back the Mk2 Escort in it's identical body shape. As for the pop band thing, well for Spandau & co to truly "re-release" themselves we'd have to see them with the same perfect skin, dodgy '80s fashion & a lack of the old middle age spread. :lol:

I think the toy industry is really just echoing what is happening more generally at the moment. So in actual fact I think the Big Trak is a very good example. It's an example of something being re-re'd just on the basis of it "being popular when we were kids", rather than Mattel or MB or whoever it was scouring the internet looking for Big Trak Forums full of people demanding it's re issue. For the record I don't think theres any reason to say that the examples that you cited won't be released either!

Don't get me wrong I'm not denying that a retrospective movement exists in all walks of life, infact I think that it is a very modern phenomenon that started in the 1990s when clothes manufacturers like adidas started making the old vintage tracksuits & trainers, and of course some companies may have decided to bring back some stuff on a whim, like adidas did (and still do) but I've yet to see another toy manufacturer bring back the same product in the exact same spec when they actually produce other toys for the same market that are of much higher quality. Certainly, MB have not done so because they didn't bring Big Trak back themselves. And car manufacturers are most certainly not re-releasing their 1970s & 80s vehicles with the same antiquated designs. Again, that's why Tamiya re-releases are different. They themselves are literally turning back the clock, cracking open the old moulds and pouring in the metal & plastic just like they did 25+ years ago.

Personally I think it's a bit of both. Tamiya are riding on this general nostalgic wave that everyone is cashing in on at the moment. I think their previous "no brainer" re-re's like the Hornet and Lunchbox have been perhaps more of a success than they expected, so they took a gamble with the SRBs, which also paid off. And by gamble, I mean re-reing a kit that technically is vastly inferior to kits costing the same, and only the scale looks and nostalgia being the justification for potential buyers. They can see that re-re's will sell and have an idea about what they want to release, but will likely use sites LIKE (but by no means exclusively) this one to guage the potential market for future releases - particularly for something like the Avante which is particularly out of the pockets of the casual buyer and aimed squarely at the enthusiast.

I pretty much agree 100% with that. Where I differ with Olly & others is the idea of the online vintage community having somehow not played a significant part in how this all started and has subsequently progressed. That to me is ludicrous.

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The simple fact is that no one posting here knows why specific re-releases are happening.......

Fun to speculate though.....keeps the fire burnin'. :lol:

The Kikkoman Hornet went well, now they're just milking the cash cow B)

Pretty much spot on actually. :P

Mammoth Dump Truck's next - you heard it here first

Jeez, what an anti-climax that would be. :lol:

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The retro fad is fantastic for Tamiya. All they have to do is find the original molds and produce again, no R&D, no tooling, mainly just profit.

From my understanding though the original 3 speeds, Hilux/BB/Bruiser/Mounty will never be re-re'd due to original molds being destroyed and in todays world would take quite an investment on Tamiya's part to retool for it as essentially it would be starting from scratch again.

God though if they did re-re with updated molds and materials.....although many will say that's what the High Lift is.

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From my understanding though the original 3 speeds, Hilux/BB/Bruiser/Mounty will never be re-re'd due to original molds being destroyed and in todays world would take quite an investment on Tamiya's part to retool for it as essentially it would be starting from scratch again.

You probably read that on here. And the same people said the same thing about the SRBs. :lol:

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You probably read that on here. And the same people said the same thing about the SRBs. :lol:

There is no evidence that the original molds have been destroyed(just speculation on these boards), but with the small changes to the Re-Re Sand Scorcher did they use the original molds or did they make new ones, if they did made new ones then it's not too much of a stretch that they could do it again for the 3 Speeds.

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There is no evidence that the original molds have been destroyed(just speculation on these boards), but with the small changes to the Re-Re Sand Scorcher did they use the original molds or did they make new ones, if they did made new ones then it's not too much of a stretch that they could do it again for the 3 Speeds.

The trade was told that they made new molds and casting tools since the equipment that the original molds fitted was obsolete and long since scrapped.

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You probably read that on here. And the same people said the same thing about the SRBs. :lol:

Yeah, and a couple other places. I'm sure it would be pretty pricey re-re'd, and if they still used pot metal and rather shoddy gears, I wouldn't buy one. They should rework it a bit, user better materials and launch it as a re-re in their Master Series, or whatever their top end models are. An ultimate RC would be awesome, and something I'd plunk a couple grand down on.

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The trade was told that they made new molds and casting tools since the equipment that the original molds fitted was obsolete and long since scrapped.

Wow, that would be incredible if true and really just further highlight how committed they are to the re-releases. So what about the old moulds for the plastic cars...did they not fit modern machinery either?

Incidently did anyone see that Tamiya Shizuoka PDF document showcasing their products? The re-releases are now branded in their own segment as "Nostalgia Models" alongside other segments like touring cars, trucks, F1 etc. Yet more evidence that re-releases are an important part of the RC portfolio and here to stay.

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There is no evidence that the original molds have been destroyed(just speculation on these boards), but with the small changes to the Re-Re Sand Scorcher did they use the original molds or did they make new ones, if they did made new ones then it's not too much of a stretch that they could do it again for the 3 Speeds.

It's pretty obvious that the original Sand Scorcher body mould was modified into that of the Monster Beetle mould, and then again modified later into the Blitzer Beetle body mould, and then finally they just changed the position of the front body post hole in the mould and injection moulded it in white for the Sand "Blitzer" ("Scorcher") 2010 release.

You can tell since if you look inside the body shells from Tamiya of each of the above models you can see the casting marks of older models on newer body shells (like you can see casting marks of SS shell and nose on MB shell and nose etc).

Tamiya must have decided that to remake the original 1979 body mould using CAD / 3D printing etc was too expensive and not economically viable, and that to injection mould the existing body in white was way easier quicker and cheaper. Which is true but it was a terrible shame and there ARE a number of people ( 2 or 3 ? LOL) including myself who DO appreciate the old body shell and DO care about the differences compared with the 2010 version.

If it was a true exact scale model, Tamiya would not have dared to do this, but they feel that "what does it matter, it's only a radio controlled car", which again is a terrible attitude to take IMHO. They should apply the same philosophy to all their models otherwise it begins to dilute the brand name and make it seem like they don't care about scale accuracy for some of their products, which is counter to what they are famous for.

I think my money is on a Monster Beetle re-re sooner rather than later, I can't see them re-releaseing the RA1028 / RA1029 almost the exact same as the originals, but I'd like to see it though.

Cheers,

Alistair G.

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Wow, that would be incredible if true and really just further highlight how committed they are to the re-releases. So what about the old moulds for the plastic cars...did they not fit modern machinery either?

Not difficult in manufacturing to make a new mold from either a CAD design or even simply laser scanning an original sprue if the CAD wasn't available.

I think from memory it was the metal molds where the machinery had changed massively though - after all the likes of Ford aren't using the same press equipment from 1978 to now, but could start making new Cortina/Taunus cars if they thought demand would be there.

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The trade was told that they made new molds and casting tools since the equipment that the original molds fitted was obsolete and long since scrapped.

Have you got a source for that (a reference?) ? Web link ? I'd be interested to see that article.

Cheers,

ARG

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The trade was told that they made new molds and casting tools since the equipment that the original molds fitted was obsolete and long since scrapped.

I don't agree regarding the body. If they were going to make a new mould from scratch then why wasn't it the same as the original body. They would not spend a lot of money only to recreate the Blitzer body when they already were producing them until relatively recently (Jason was selling a load of them just only 1 or 2 years ago, I bought one).

You must be referring to the chassis parts.

Cheers,

ARG

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Have you got a source for that (a reference?) ? Web link ? I'd be interested to see that article.

Cheers,

ARG

No reference. Pete Binger (MD of Hobby Company / God Son of Mr Tamiya) told me.

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Not difficult in manufacturing to make a new mold from either a CAD design or even simply laser scanning an original sprue if the CAD wasn't available.

I think from memory it was the metal molds where the machinery had changed massively though - after all the likes of Ford aren't using the same press equipment from 1978 to now, but could start making new Cortina/Taunus cars if they thought demand would be there.

Very interesting. Like I say though, it's the Mk2 Escort I want them to bring back not the Cortina. :lol:

Seriously though I can envisage a day when that kind of thing happens with car manufacturers. Everything goes round in circles etc...

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If it was a true exact scale model, Tamiya would not have dared to do this, but they feel that "what does it matter, it's only a radio controlled car", which again is a terrible attitude to take IMHO. They should apply the same philosophy to all their models otherwise it begins to dilute the brand name and make it seem like they don't care about scale accuracy for some of their products, which is counter to what they are famous for.

I always thought that the main reason was to keep down costs and aim to re-release something at practically no cost at all. If they remade the moulds for the whole chassis though then I agree that they should have went the whole hog and remade the original body. It's a crying shame that they are doing XB finished Scorcher bodies but they don't have the proper arches. :lol:

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No reference. Pete Binger (MD of Hobby Company / God Son of Mr Tamiya) told me.

That's about as close as it gets! The only reason for me to be sceptical is the number of people who come on with supposed info from sources that turns out to be incorrect, with the latest being the 'FAV 2011 on DT-02 chassis' that turned out to be false. Seems to me that T might deliberately dish out disinformation.

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he only reason for me to be sceptical is the number of people who come on with supposed info from sources that turns out to be incorrect, with the latest being the 'FAV 2011 on DT-02 chassis' that turned out to be false.

Seems to me that T might deliberately dish out disinformation.

Or people's sources might not be that good/made up :lol:

Why would a company deliberately misinform their potential market when the ££ they might have got could end up spent on Traxxas?

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Or people's sources might not be that good/made up :lol:

Why would a company deliberately misinform their potential market when the ££ they might have got could end up spent on Traxxas?

I have no idea. It does seem very unlikely but then so have a lot of things regarding this subject. B)

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I have read things on here that are speculative, didn't turn out to be true, yet have been told me as "dead cert, definitely true" by other dealers.

Chinese whisper, all you need is various forums with a seed and an untruth can become real.

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I have read things on here that are speculative, didn't turn out to be true, yet have been told me as "dead cert, definitely true" by other dealers.

Chinese whisper, all you need is various forums with a seed and an untruth can become real.

Can you give us an example?

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