F1 Model kits getting hard to find?

[tagy]

I have noticed that F1 kits seem to be getting hard to find.

 

The Tamiya website only lists some vintage cars now, not even the recent-ish SF70H (compared to 1/24 cars that still lists all sorts that isn't being produced): https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/20car/kit20001.htm 

 

Fujimi F1 kits also seem to be harder to find, a few years ago there was decent selection of 90's-00's Ferrari's usually available from the usual far east places but that seems to be going out of stock.

 

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this or noticed it? I have a decent collection of F1 kits in the stash, but I'm wondering if something has changed? Maybe the licensing has has changed? Or are F1 cars just not popular enough?

Edited August 8, 2020 by tagy

[roymattblack]

TBH, I personally feel that most F1 cars for a good many recent years are just too boring.
Take away the team livery and you can hardly tell one car from another.
At least the 'old' F1 cars all looked different.
I suspect it's just a lack of interest which makes model creation not worth the expense.

[Roger Holden]

Completely agree there. Modern F1 cars are way too similar and very ugly with their long wheelbases and festooned with aerodynamic excrescences thanks to computational fluid dynamics (CFD). These days I prefer classic F1 (1960s-90s).!

[PHIL B]

Hobby Search (1999.co.jp/eng) seem to be getting quite a lot of Fujimi's F1 cars restocked lately. Sought-after kits like their Lotus 97T, Williams FW14B & FW16, MP4/6, Ferrari F1-87/88C & 641, BT46B and others are to be had along with a lot of Fujimi's 1/24 racing & road cars. 

You might have to use their "Notify when available" feature to get an email when the kit(s) you want are restocked and you might need to be quick to order when they are.

 

I reckon licencing issues loom large in Tamiya's & Hasegawa's thinking. For example Hasegawa's Lotus 79 is easily obtainable but their Ferrari 312T kits are rocking horse poo.

 

The most recent F1 kit I own is Tamiya's RB6 and that has the decal sheet stapled to the bottom of the box apparently to prevent Red Bull logos being traded or misused by us naughty modellers. Even Japanese modellers couldn't buy extra copies of the sheet as they normally can!

 

Am I dreaming to hope for an IM 1/20 F1 Mercedes? Its lucky I prefer older cars and Ebbro are still interested. Roll on their Tyrrell 005 & 006.

[JCH]

Picking back up on this hobby after many years absence I came to the same conclusion.  In my younger days I primarily built F1 cars so my first choice upon returning was F1.  I too was surprised at the slim pickings of the Tamiya catalog.  In the early '80s you could find mid to late 70's cars easily even in the 1/12 scale.  That is not the case today.  While MFH has some beautiful selections the vast majority, at least in the larger scale and higher detail, are classics.  

 

14 hours ago, tagy said:

I have a decent collection of F1 kits in the stash,

Such as...  Being a eBay maven, are you a non-smoker?  The condition of the tires?  Yes, interested!

[Orso]

Tamiya hasn't the license for Ferrari at the moment that is why the SF70 is out of production. 

[Steve Noble]

Apart from one or two releases Tamiya haven't produced any F1 kits for many years, same goes for rally kits too. To be honest I can't remember the last time I bought a new Tamiya kit? They've deserted us car model makers for what seems like forever. But, with all the new kits coming from Beemax, Belkits and the like I'm not too bothered. The latest Belkits Metro 6R4 kit is a real beauty!!

[Orso]

As I understand it: it was the old "Mr. Tamiya" who was into cars. The new boss isn't as much, and plastic kits isn't where the money is. It is the RC cars .

Even tough I have no interest in F1 cars after 1980 I thought about getting the SF70H just to compare the size. Well maybe someday in the future when Tamiya get a Ferrari license again.