Monthly Archives: October 2020

Dragons never die – Return of the Tamiya Super (Storm) Dragon

We, the TamiyaBlog team have always been big fans of the Japanese comic-inspired Tamiya dragon buggies. The Fire Dragon in particular is one of our favorites.
So the Super Storm Dragon is one for us too.
In the 1980s the Super Dragon was only a body set for the Hornet and Thunder Shot chassis.
Now the dragon is back as a complete kit on a classic Hornet chassis.
As with some of the new kits, the body is also pre-painted and only needs to be decaled.
As you have noticed, the name has also changed. Possibly because of licensing problems.
But Tamiya helps us here with the stickers. You can cut the “Storm” out of the sticker, and so you have a “Storm Dragon”. The number 18 stickers on the side from the original release are also included in the sticker sheet.

Building was a real joy. You feel like a kid again, building your first Tamiya Off Road Racer.
We have installed a classic black Sport Tuned motor, a complete set of ball bearings and classic aluminum rim covers in our Super Dragon for that special custom look.

We really love this car. It brings back so many great memories from the 1980s, the golden era of the Tamiya RC cars.
Enjoy the Super Dragon!
We are really looking forward to the comeback of the Tamiya Fire Dragon.

Many thanks to Dickie Tamiya and Tamico for providing us with the Super Dragon kit.

Tamiya RC Holiday Meeting Live Video Report



Live broadcast of Tamiya RC Holiday Meeting (morning section) will be delivered. Please take a look at the venue.
Appearance
Tamiya Satoshi Maezumi, Riku Sunahara
Guest JUN WATANABE


We will deliver the Tamiya RC Holiday Meeting date (afternoon). As of now, Shizuoka City is planning to deliver a talk show, a machine introduction of Blockhead Motors, etc. due to rain.
Appearance
Tamiya Satoshi Maezumi, Riku Sunahara
Guest JUN WATANABE

Announcement of the 80th Tamiya Pachi Contest winning work

It started with the special issue of Tamiya News in June 1970, and this is the 80th time. This year, there were many applications for the 1/35 Soviet KV-1 1941, which was just released in June. In addition to its powerful style, it is also popular for its latest modeling and ease of making, but the barrel, which is not too long, fits well on the screen, resulting in a well-balanced photo. I was also happy to see that there were many applications for new products such as the French light tank R35, the German light tank 38 (t), and the German infantry set (mid-war). Mr. Shiba’s work in the gold medal in the scene photography category is a photograph that conveys the atmosphere of the battlefield with a novel composition that has never been seen before, but this also uses a new product. We stepped up every year from the Junior Award three years ago, and this time we won the Gold Award. There are 150 applicants from 8 to 79 years old. There were also participants from parents and children, as well as from overseas such as Hong Kong, China, and Australia. The deadline for applications for the click contest is September 1st every year. When the new product is completed, first click with the camera. Please take a picture of your masterpiece and apply.
⇒ How to apply for the click contest

Scene photography category prize-winning works


Gold medal
[Author] Hinata Shiba (18) Chiba [Title] Senior Soldier [Scale] 1/35
In this work, I made a diorama of the KV-1 that fell from the bridge and the German soldiers investigating it. The bridge is made of balsa wood, and the base with height difference is made of wood powder clay with styrofoam as the core, and pebbles and flowers are placed and painted. Soldiers add gun slings and helmet straps. I shaded it with an airbrush and then painted it with a brush. The shooting was done outdoors, taking advantage of natural light.


Silver Award
[Author] Shigehiro Yoshida (62) Aichi [Title] Assault KV-1 (1941) [Scale] 1/35
The work is an image of the assault scene during Operation Barbarossa in early autumn. I chose a figure with movement and tension and placed it under the line of sight of the tank soldier. For painting, prepare paints of the same color but different tones, and paint with the consciousness of fading on the side and top of the car body. The shooting was done under natural light with a diorama base set near the brown leaves.


Silver Award
[Author] Tomoya Kawada (22) Yamanashi [Title] Tank transport training [Scale] 1/35
I made it by adding the setting that several tank soldiers are checking and observing the work procedure while referring to the material photos during the tank loading work. In the image of late autumn, the vehicle was painted in a single color of dark yellow, and the surrounding area was made of dead grass. The dead grass is ready-made or deer hair, and the ground is reproduced by sprinkling it with a sieve of real soil. I used a single-lens reflex camera and a macro lens for shooting.

Work Photograph category Winning work


Gold medal
[Author] Yosuke Yamada (56) Hyogo [Title] RUSSIAN HEAVY TANK KV-1 [Scale] 1/35
Assembly is straight except for minor modifications (wire material change, fender damage processing, etc.). The painting is a two-color camouflage of green and brown, and the state where the white of the winter camouflage remains slightly is reproduced. At this time, we finished it while paying attention to the texture expression of the kit (armor surface, casting surface, welding marks, etc.) as much as possible. Also, as a color accent, I looked into the red cloth from the tool box at the rear of the car body.


Silver Award
[Author] Koichi Hoshino (53) Gunma [Title] German Heavy Tow Vehicle SS-100 [Scale] 1/48
I wanted to express the worn-out appearance, so I filed only the ground contact surface of the tire to express the feeling that the rubber was worn out. As for painting, use an airbrush and brush to clear orange for rust that has emerged or flowed out. Clear blue is mixed with German gray that I made to give a three-dimensional effect to the car body, and it is sprayed on the shadows, and XF-57 is used for dirt around the suspension.


Silver Award
[Author] Kenichi Sanada (49) Fukuoka [Title] JS-2 1944 ChKZ [Scale] 1/35
I chose the JS-2 this time because I wanted to make a rugged Russian tank with a more vicious image. Even if you remove the fenders to expose the tracks or arrange the equipment outside the car in a cluttered manner, the effect is great, and I am satisfied that the work was as intended. In shooting, I tried to keep the overall balance by turning the barrel backwards.

More awards (in Japanese language)

Tamiya TT02S vs M05RA RALLY – Audi Quattro vs Renault 5 Turbo gravel rally run video



Video description:

Hi there! My friend Rob had just finished his new rally car, the Tamiya Renault 5 Turbo on the M05-RA FWD chassis, so we thought it would be fun to put it through it’s paces with my Tamiya Audi Quattro A2 on the 4WD TT02-S chassis. We went to our favourite gravel rally circuit and gave them a few laps in each direction around the course.

The M05RA struggled to get going on the gravel surface, hampered by it’s un-damped suspension, but once up to speed it was surprisingly nimble in the turns! The TT02 carried an onboard camera for some interesting action shots, and we had a great time running and filming these RC cars.

PLEASE NOTE: This rally run was just for fun, and is not intended to indicate which is the best, we just thought you Tamiya enthusiasts would enjoy seeing two very different RC rally icons running together!

Both Tamiyas are stock, apart from:
M05RA – full ball bearing conversion
TT02-S – Rally Block tyres and a no-cost mod to the lower suspension arms to give increased travel and ride-height. See the mod here.

Many thanks to Rob (of Rob Brennan RC) for making this film with me – visit his fantastic channel here.
Thanks for watching, wishing you all fun RCing! 🙂

Source: Mark Bryan RC YouTube Channel

Tamiya RC Live – Introduction of Tamiya Grand Prix All Japan Championship East Japan Tournament & new RC products scheduled to be released in the fall and winter of 2020


Introduction of “Tamiya Grand Prix All Japan Championship East Japan Tournament” held from 10:00 to September

Talk about future strategies while showing videos of the race results of each class.

Introduction of new Tamiya RC autumn / winter products

Introducing new RC products scheduled to be released in the fall and winter of 2020 !!