Information from the designer that the “printing out” of the “No2 Powerful Gear Box” package was unearthed in the warehouse!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find “No1 High Speed Gear Box”.
Of course, it was manual work at that time. It was a block copy made by pasting phototypesetting. The handwritten line drawing is also very tasty.
See more here
Tamiya Chairman Shunsaku Tamiya = Shizuoka Hobby Square, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, November 8, 2020
Tamiya Chairman “Production is not in time”
RC cars that can be played by remotely controlling a model car can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Even adults, there are enthusiastic players like former Chunichi Dragons pitcher Masahiro Yamamoto, but although there was a big boom in the 1980s, it has been shrinking due to the ageing of the players since then.
The person in charge of Tamiya Public Relations Office explains that the demand is higher than before the expansion of the new corona.
“Demand for RC cars and other hobby products in general is higher than before Corona due to the prolonged stay home period.”
One of the factors supporting its popularity is that the number of followers on its RC-related SNS accounts has increased significantly.
The number of followers of the “Tamiya RC Models (@TAMIYAGP_STAFF)” (opened in June 2010) account, which disseminates RC car-related information on Twitter, has doubled from about 6,000 to 12,600 in the past year, and YouTube subscribers. The number has also increased significantly from about 70,000 to 130,000.
As Chairman Shunsaku Tamiya said, “Production is not in time and there are not enough products worldwide” (from the article delivered on December 27, 2020 in the Asahi Shimbun), we can see that it is a solid success.
Lively on SNS even if the event is cancelled
On the other hand, there are cases where the RC car competition event has been forced to be cancelled due to the corona damage. The industry’s largest exhibition “Shizuoka Hobby Show”, which is held in May every year, was cancelled in 2020, and in 2021, the acceptance of general customers was stopped and it was held only by distributors.
However, “the longer I spend at home, the more attention I have to the model hobby in general, has had a positive effect” (Tamiya public relations), and I am interested in RC cars via SNS and word of mouth. It seems that the number of users is increasing.
“(In response to rising demand for nesting), we will use YouTube and Twitter to send out product information and RC car driving videos, and actively carry out user-participation-type planning to increase the number of new customers, especially off-road buggies. Model RC cars such as “Glass Hopper”, “Hornet”, “Neo Mighty Frog”, and “Neo Scorcher” are performing well, and sales of reprinted models of RC, which were popular in the 1980s, are also increasing steadily. RC cars that you can drive and enjoy are also compatible with SNS, and by uploading images and driving videos of your car to Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, your share is expanding and the entire market is revitalised.”
Being able to share works on SNS also seems to be a tailwind.
Cooperate with real car makers
RC cars boomed in the 1980s, but the market has been declining since then.
“A major factor is that men in their 30s and 40s, who are the most voluminous zone of users, can no longer afford to spend on their hobbies, both in terms of time and money, and young people in their teens and 20s. One of the reasons is that we weren’t able to acquire a certain number of users” says a Tamiya representative, but the company is now trying to encourage middle-aged and its children, who know the boom of yesteryear, to enjoy RC cars.
“We are focusing on measures to encourage the resumption of RC hobbies for fathers who experienced the boom of the 1980s. Furthermore, automobile manufacturers (Toyota, Mazda, Subaru, Nissan, Honda, etc.) aiming to acquire younger users. We are constantly planning RC cars for families in cooperation with us, and as a result, the number of cases where families enjoy RC cars is increasing in recent years.”
Both have analysed the recent situation and are trying to break again as a hobby that parents and children can enjoy.
Source of original article in Japanese language: J-CAST News
2021.4.30 FRI – 5.5 WED
10:00 ～ 17:00 (5 days only 16:30)
* Admission is 30 minutes before closing
Venue
Sapporo Prince Hotel International Pavilion Pamir
(12-chome, Minami 3-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo)
Admission (tax included)
Adults (high school students and above)
Same-day ticket 1,000 yen / advance ticket 800 yen
Children (3 years old to junior high school students)
Same-day ticket 800 yen / Advance ticket 600 yen * Free for children under 3 years old
Parent-child set ticket
Advance ticket 1,200 yen
The “Tamiya Mini 4WD History 2020 Special” scheduled to be held from August 13th (Thursday) to August 16th (Sunday), 2020 has been postponed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. However, it will be held from April 30th (Friday) to May 5th (Wednesday) this year.
Tickets and various admission tickets purchased last year can be used as they are on the postponement schedule of this year.
Source in Japanese language: Hokkaido Television
By Takafumi Yabuki
Shizuoka City, which has a concentration of manufacturers such as Tamiya and Bandai Spirits and has an 80% share of the domestic shipment value of plastic models, announced on the 12th that it will install “plastic model monuments” in three locations in the city. It is said that an unveiling ceremony will be held in front of JR Shizuoka Station on the 19th.
The monument, which is about 2 meters high and is made of stainless steel, has the image of a “plastic model before assembly”. It is easy to take a commemorative photo, and the aim was to let tourists and foreigners know at a glance what Shizuoka is like. The Shizuoka Model Teaching Material Cooperative (Chairman, Shunsaku Tamiya, Chairman of Tamiya) also cooperated in the design.
The monuments located at Twin Messe Shizuoka in Suruga Ward and the south exit of JR Shizuoka Station, where the largest model exhibition in Japan, “Shizuoka Hobby Show,” will be held, will feature the characters “Model World Capital” and the city emblem of Shizuoka City. It was. In front of the station, an illustration drawn by Eiji Shimamura, who is known for the design of the plastic model box, is also attached. In front of the main building of the city hall, with the cooperation of Japan Post, the posts that can actually be used are expressed in the “before assembly” state.
In the future, he wants to cooperate with private companies to increase the number of plastic monuments that express products and corporate images. Mayor Nobuhiro Tanabe said at a press conference, “It’s better to have more monuments. I hope the company will have a win-win relationship that will attract customers.”
2021年3月19日に「ホビーのまち静岡」の新たなシンボル「プラモニュメント」が設置されました👏。設置場所はJR静岡駅南口広場、静岡市役所、ツインメッセ静岡の３カ所。静岡市にお越しの際は記念写真の撮影スポット📷としてご利用ください😉！ pic.twitter.com/G56bQnuSZW
— タミヤ (@tamiyainc) March 22, 2021
Source in Japanese language: Asahi Digital
Tamiya was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Yasuo Ohtsuka, the legendary animator. Otsuka-san had worked on the design of early Tamiya R/C cars and Mini 4WD, as well as military model figures. He is an integral part of our history and will be sorely missed, although we hope that he continues to watch over the model industry he so generously supported. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and loved ones.
Some samples of his work:
https://tamiyablog.com/2020/08/tamiya-63718-genkosha-yasuo-otsuka-art-book-lupin-the-third-and-the-car-and-locomotive/
https://tamiyablog.com/2019/06/creator-of-mini-4wd-the-future-of-plastic-models-interview-with-the-president-of-tamiya/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0652997/
Introduction of Tamiya RC Circuit Challenge and Tamiya RC High-Tech Course
・ Introduction of Tamiya RC Circuit Challenge
・ Introduction of how to use Tamiya Circuit and how to drive for beginners
・ Tamiya RC high-tech course << About damper for M chassis >>
TB-05R release commemoration, introduction of TB Evo series history
・ Introducing the history of Tamiya TB Evo series to commemorate the release of TB-05R
・ Looking back on the history and evolution of the Tamiya shaft drive 4WD racing machine, which continues from “TB Evolution” developed as a race specification machine in 2000 based on the “TB-01” chassis to “TB Evo.7”.
Appearance
Tamiya Satoshi Maezumi, Riku Sunahara, Takayuki Kono
Introduction of the morning section of “Tamiya RC Holiday Meeting” and Tamiya RC history to commemorate the renewal of the Tamiya Circuit Off-Road Course
・ Introducing the Tamiya RC Holiday Meeting held at the Tamiya Circuit Off-Road Course, which will be renewed OPEN (* The content may be changed in case of rain)
・ Tamiya RC History 《RC released in the early 1980s》
Appearance
Tamiya Satoshi Maezumi, Riku Sunahara
The results of this year’s Modell des Jahres (Model of the Year) are in! German magazine Modell Fan has announced its Modell des Jahres (Models of the Year). Tamiya is delighted that our 1/24 McLaren Senna and 1/35 Marder I models were honored with awards, which are chosen by the magazine’s staff and readership.
Item 24355 1/24 McLaren Senna
Item 35370 1/35 German Tank Destroyer Marder I
Introduction of new RC products scheduled to be released in the first half of 2021 part 2 and the story behind the development of TB-05R
・ Introduction of new RC products scheduled to be released in the first half of 2021
・ TB-05R development secret story
Appearance
Tamiya Satoshi Maezumi, Riku Sunahara, Takayuki Kono
