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Bruiser 2012 (spy photo from Nuremberg Toy Fair 2012

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For as long as we have been enthusiasts Tamiya kits have been pricey. Like it or not that is at least partly why there is so much kudos around the brand.

If I think bad to my youth (lates 70's early 80's), the only RC brand i knew about was Tamiya - I'm sure there were others like Kyosho etc but all i remember were Tamiya signs, Tamiya Rc cars, Tamiya model kits (alongside Italiera - sp ??). Whether a reflection of the market or just my local model shops preference - as a result when i went looking for an RC car for my son (and 22 of the other 23 since) I looked for Tamiya. I finally got my Tamiya car (s) i was deprived of as a kid, and i'll continue to favour them for variety, parts support and the community.

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.....and i'll continue to favour them for variety, parts support and the community.

Something I noticed when reading those forums above was the comments that RC4WD are poor in that department compared to Tamiya, which was shown as one of the reasons why the extra cost of the Bruiser could be justified.

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I must have missed something here, most of the comments on those threads were hugely positive with the odd grumbling about the price compared to the Trailfinder 2.

Like I say, any scale/crawler enthusiasts who think this has been brought back for them are kidding themselves. It is very telling that they are mystified as to why Tamiya did not put standard hexes on the axles and simply kept the original format.

The comments are by and large positive it's just that there's not many of them especially, as Twinset alludes to, the amount of clamour there has been over the years for this kit. The fact is it's too late coming out to have the impact it might have had, especially at the price it is.

Wandy I don't think anyone is kidding themselves about anything. Tamiya have brought out this kit to appeal to anyone wealthy enough to want to fork out for it, whether they be a hard core Tamiya enthusiast, a scale truck enthusiast or a mix of both.

No the Bruiser isn't a crawler it's a scale truck. The scale truck area of the hobby and the crawler side of it are pretty much totally intertwined. If you're into one side of it you don't have to be into the other but a lot of people are.

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I must have missed something here, most of the comments on those threads were hugely positive with the odd grumbling about the price compared to the Trailfinder 2.

Whilst they're positive, there's not a lot of 'em - Clodtalk and RCMT were both hugely in favour of the rere 'back in the day' but 5-10 years on there's not that many people care, going by the response to the news

I guess the lack of competition back then meant the only option was to bring an oldie back. Now Axial have taken it upon themselves to make a well-tasty scaler, perhaps people have realised the Bruiser's not so great in comparison (I still think it's a mental bit of kit though)

Unfortunately, RCC, Clodtalk and RCMT all had upgrades back in 2006-2008 so the searches only go back as far as that, but when you consider they managed 1000 odd signatures in 2002, 94 posts in comparison isn't many

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The comments are by and large positive it's just that there's not many of them especially, as Twinset alludes to, the amount of clamour there has been over the years for this kit. The fact is it's too late coming out to have the impact it might have had, especially at the price it is.

It may have been brought out too late to achieve the popularity that it would have a few years ago amongst the crawler enthusiasts but it's been brought back at exactly the right time to gain big sales from their target market. They really have not missed the boat at all.

Tamiya have brought out this kit to appeal to anyone wealthy enough to want to fork out for it, whether they be a hard core Tamiya enthusiast, a scale truck enthusiast or a mix of both.

True, but the reality of the situation is that they know where the main demographic of those wealthy people will come from.

Let's also keep in mind here that 99% of us will be paying £500 for ours, not the £750.

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It may have been brought out too late to achieve the popularity that it would have a few years ago amongst the crawler enthusiasts but it's been brought back at exactly the right time to gain big sales from their target market. They really have not missed the boat at all.

True, but the reality of the situation is that they know where the main demographic of those wealthy people will come from.

But it hasn't been brought out at exactly the right time at all in their target market. Why is bringing out the most expensive re-re yet at a time of total economic downturn 'the right time? Surely the right time would have been in about 2007 when we all had more money, especially us Brits when it came to buying from the US, and when the kit would have had utterly free reign over the growing scale truck market. I can see that the Bruiser re-re is the culmination of the success of all the other re-re's but good timing it ain't.

Also when it comes to wealth their main target market might as well be in the scale crawler market as it is in Tamiya collectors. The scale crawler guys spend serious money on their kits, you only have to look at the RC4WD website to see how much all these kits cost.

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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.

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But it hasn't been brought out at exactly the right time at all in their target market. Why is bringing out the most expensive re-re yet at a time of total economic downturn 'the right time? Surely the right time would have been in about 2007 when we all had more money, especially us Brits when it came to buying from the US, and when the kit would have had utterly free reign over the growing scale truck market. I can see that the Bruiser re-re is the culmination of the success of all the other re-re's but good timing it ain't.

+1 - Anytime from 2002 onwards until about 2 years ago would've been prefect - there was less to no competition for runners, seemingly more interest from 3 US forums and more disposable $$ about

:lol: In 2003 or 2004 they coulda sold me a couple easily - now I waste all my money on mortgages and bills

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Mmm, interesting how this thread has changed its tune recently! :lol: 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?

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Is anyone still planning on buying one of these old, outdated, prehistoric, overpriced and overhyped kits?

:lol: The SRB and Avante seemed to go down pretty well, and both were old, outdated, prehistoric, overpriced and overhyped compared to their modern alternatives.

Granted, a lot of people will be put off by the price, but if you check some of those links above, even back in 2002 the price of $1000 was speculated on - trouble is that now, $1000 is a few more pounds than it was then.

If I had the cash kicking around I'd like to think I'd buy one (I've paid a lot more for a lot less before now) just to see what all the fuss is about, but my wow/awesome threshold is still being upped with the new pics we're being drip-fed

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....Is anyone still planning on buying one of these old, outdated, prehistoric, overpriced and overhyped kits?

I've already owned up to preordering one & I'm still happy about it :lol:

My rationalisations are:

1- It's cheaper than buying a "good" vintage one that "just needs a couple of bits"

2- I think the price will come down between now the release date, and based on past performance I'm sure Fusion will honour that

3- I want it in time for my 40th, and based on the FAV, if I don't get in early I might not get one. TBH that's just an excuse, if it wasn't that it'd be "have to get one for Easter", "celebrating a month with a vowel in it", something anyway :P

4- money will deflate if I put it in the bank so I might as well spend it. This one is also very flimsy - I _don't have_ any money to put in the bank :lol:

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But it hasn't been brought out at exactly the right time at all in their target market. Why is bringing out the most expensive re-re yet at a time of total economic downturn 'the right time? Surely the right time would have been in about 2007 when we all had more money, especially us Brits when it came to buying from the US, and when the kit would have had utterly free reign over the growing scale truck market. I can see that the Bruiser re-re is the culmination of the success of all the other re-re's but good timing it ain't.

Just because it was the right time for us consumers who were around in 2007 waiting for it to happen does not mean that it was the right time for Tamiya the organisation and at the end of the day that's what counts. At that time the most expensive re-release was the Hotshot which could be brought in from Hong Kong for £100. It would have taken an enormous leap of faith on their part to just assume that the same bunch of people who were buying the Hotshot would part with 3 to 4 times that amount of money on a Bruiser. Instead they tiptoed their way along the back catalogue and tested the water with the SRBs and the Avante to see if the really expensive stuff had a viable market. Once they got the answer to that question it was all systems go for the Bruiser.

To add to that though, in 2007 there were only roughly half the amount of members on this site alone which suggests that a 2007 release would have been too early as there would have been less people around who might buy one. To look at the rate of growth of this club over the last 10 years and apply it to the whole consumer market out on the street there is the indication that the whole nostalgia market exploded around that time, and since Tamiya's output in this field has been reactive rather than proactive it makes sense that from 2007 onwards would be when the Bruiser would start to be planned rather than actually released.

Have you also not considered the possibility that the global downturn has actually been a positive determining factor for the recent onslaught of re-releases? In pre-meltdown 2007 there was merely a drip-drip of kits, averaging one re-release every 12 to 18 months yet since 2009 when the situation turned dire Tamiya have ramped it all up 10 fold. Could this not be down to the fact when money is tight and investment is risky and a company has a market out there guaranteeing to buy a product from them - whilst not needing to invest much to get those products out there - then it makes sense to do so? The economic troubles may just well be the reason we are actually getting the Bruiser.

Also, way too much relevance is placed on the worsening of the exchange rate. Even in 2007 a Bruiser would have cost £330 from Stella, going off their estimated price, as opposed to £415 right now. Does that extra £85 make all the difference to a bunch of enthusiasts who can throw that kind of cash on vintage spare parts and various RC tat without even thinking about it? Do we really think that those people who wanted a Bruiser in 2007 will now refuse to buy one in 2012 because of an extra £85? If Tamiya had brought out the Avante Black Special in 2007 it would have cost £220 instead of the £280 we are paying now. The extra £60 does not seem to have put off many people buying from Stella, who sold out their entire batch of 50 kits within 48 hours.

Also when it comes to wealth their main target market might as well be in the scale crawler market as it is in Tamiya collectors. The scale crawler guys spend serious money on their kits, you only have to look at the RC4WD website to see how much all these kits cost.

If that is the case, and for those guys money is not really a concern why would there be any grumbling about an extra $250 over a Trailfinder 2 for the most iconic scale truck out there?

The thing is though, it's not even wealthy people who will be buying the Bruiser. I'm anything but wealthy yet I will find the funds by making a few sacrifices here and there together with a bit of wheeling & dealing. I imagine that most of the members of this club are in the same boat and will do likewise.

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Mmm, interesting how this thread has changed its tune recently! :lol: 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?

Yes, I'm stll buying two.

As far as the thread goes, the Bruiser re re is epic. A few tweaks to it makes it different than the original.

Price, not my concern, I'll sacrifice here and there to make up for or thin out my collection.

Performance comarison to today's trucks ? Irrelevant, the Bruiser is from an earlier era, no comparison, it is it's own legend.

It'll be nice to discuss the truck itself once it hits the shelves and starts to get built and run :P .

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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?

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.

Just because it was the right time for us consumers who were around in 2007 waiting for it to happen does not mean that it was the right time for Tamiya the organisation and at the end of the day that's what counts. At that time the most expensive re-release was the Hotshot which could be brought in from Hong Kong for £100. It would have taken an enormous leap of faith on their part to just assume that the same bunch of people who were buying the Hotshot would part with 3 to 4 times that amount of money on a Bruiser. Instead they tiptoed their way along the back catalogue and tested the water with the SRBs and the Avante to see if the really expensive stuff had a viable market. Once they got the answer to that question it was all systems go for the Bruiser.

To add to that though, in 2007 there were only roughly half the amount of members on this site alone which suggests that a 2007 release would have been too early as there would have been less people around who might buy one. To look at the rate of growth of this club over the last 10 years and apply it to the whole consumer market out on the street there is the indication that the whole nostalgia market exploded around that time, and since Tamiya's output in this field has been reactive rather than proactive it makes sense that from 2007 onwards would be when the Bruiser would start to be planned rather than actually released.

Have you also not considered the possibility that the global downturn has actually been a positive determining factor for the recent onslaught of re-releases? In pre-meltdown 2007 there was merely a drip-drip of kits, averaging one re-release every 12 to 18 months yet since 2009 when the situation turned dire Tamiya have ramped it all up 10 fold. Could this not be down to the fact when money is tight and investment is risky and a company has a market out there guaranteeing to buy a product from them - whilst not needing to invest much to get those products out there - then it makes sense to do so? The economic troubles may just well be the reason we are actually getting the Bruiser.

Also, way too much relevance is placed on the worsening of the exchange rate. Even in 2007 a Bruiser would have cost £330 from Stella, going off their estimated price, as opposed to £415 right now. Does that extra £85 make all the difference to a bunch of enthusiasts who can throw that kind of cash on vintage spare parts and various RC tat without even thinking about it? Do we really think that those people who wanted a Bruiser in 2007 will now refuse to buy one in 2012 because of an extra £85? If Tamiya had brought out the Avante Black Special in 2007 it would have cost £220 instead of the £280 we are paying now. The extra £60 does not seem to have put off many people buying from Stella, who sold out their entire batch of 50 kits within 48 hours.

If that is the case, and for those guys money is not really a concern why would there be any grumbling about an extra $250 over a Trailfinder 2 for the most iconic scale truck out there?

The thing is though, it's not even wealthy people who will be buying the Bruiser. I'm anything but wealthy yet I will find the funds by making a few sacrifices here and there together with a bit of wheeling & dealing. I imagine that most of the members of this club are in the same boat and will do likewise.

Totally agree with everything above and the last paragraph is definately the same boat as me.

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The longer this debate goes on the more i wonder how much value there really is in the Bruiser. Yes , you can buy 2, 3 or even 4 other models for the same outlay, but I'm consoling myself that i want a 3 speeder at some point and I might as well have a new one as buy an original for £100 less and then spend £200 on parts for it.

I doubt it will ever rise in value - i'll buy for the enjoyment; whether thats looking at it in the box, building it to look at on the shelf, or using it :)

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Just had a mail from Stella, price is now estimated at $700. Kits will be distributed with relevance to the earliest enquiries they received by email, one per person. Quite unprecedented really, the demand for this must be huge. They actually have an email waiting list. :)

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Just had a mail from Stella, price is now estmated at $700. Kits will be distributed with relevance to the earliest enquiries they received by email, one per person. Quite unprecedented really, the demand for this must be huge. They actually have an email waiting list. :P

Hmm - I've not had an email from stella yet - perhaps i'm a long way down the list, or maybe my email didnt get through with the rush of others :P

ediited 9-2-12 - i typed my email addy incorrectly :) Thankfully Stella are more on the ball than me, and still have me in their 'early enquiries' list

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Hmm - I've not had an email from stella yet - perhaps i'm a long way down the list, or maybe my email didnt get through with the rush of others :P

Email waiting list, one kit per person...I can't even remember this kind of stampede for the Scorcher. :)

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Email waiting list, one kit per person...I can't even remember this kind of stampede for the Scorcher. :)

I know i sent it via their online 'contact us' page but i don;t have an acknowledgement :P I do have one for the email sent 30 minutes before that asking price and availability - looks like i might not be on their list, NOT happy bunny :P

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I know i sent it via their online 'contact us' page but i don;t have an acknowledgement :) I do have one for the email sent 30 minutes before that asking price and availability - looks like i might not be on their list, NOT happy bunny :P

Send them another one to confirm it....they may have accidently missed you off. What time/day did you send the mail? Whenever I mail them I just go direct via stellamodels@netvigator.com rather than the shop contact page.

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Send them another one to confirm it....they may have accidently missed you off. What time/day did you send the mail? Whenever I mail them i just go direct via stellamodels@netvigator.com rather than the shop contact page.

initial email asking for price and availability 31/1/12 10:33hrs, reply from Stella 11:01hrs

Then posted here in the stellamodels forum section at 11:30 that i'd emailed them to reserve one - that email i got no reply to :)

I also have a email with Siedel Modellbau so not the end of the world (hopefully !)

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initial email asking for price and availability 31/1/12 10:33hrs, reply from Stella 11:01hrs

Then posted here in the stellamodels forum section at 11:30 that i'd emailed them to reserve one - that email i got no reply to :)

I also have a email with Siedel Modellbau so not the end of the world (hopefully !)

I sent mine at 10:19 on the 31st with reply at 10:38 so I'd be surprised if that extra 14 minutes means you have missed out.

Your right though, Siedel seems to be as good on price and absolutely no duty guaranteed.

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I sent mine at 10:19 on the 31st with reply at 10:38 so I'd be surprised if that extra 14 minutes means you have missed out.

Your right though, Siedel seems to be as good on price and absolutely no duty guaranteed.

have emailed them , for what good it may do now

Morale of story - ensure you have an acknowledgement !

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I do not bring this up to stir anything, but only to warn anyone here that may have been involved with the following eBay auctions:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...em=220947409507

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...em=220948276791

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=220948404678 (This auction was deleted by eBay, but was for the same item as the first two, and had 1 sale before it was removed last I saw it.)

The three above auctions were for the Tamiya Bruiser 2012 pre-order for $558.00 and free shipping.

I contacted the seller today to ask what the plan was. Mostly I was curious. I did not buy anything, but was curious what the next step would be for the seller.

This is the response (bold emphasis is mine):

"I have no information about that item or barely know what it is other than a 4X4 truck. I never created the listing and never made any money from it either. The person who had gained access to my eBay account changed my personal information as well as my original PayPal account information so no funds for that item was ever seen or received by me. This is why I am advising people contact eBay and or PayPal right away in filing a claim for the transaction. Currently I'm battling selling fees on my account that is over 600 dollars."

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