Tamiya 1/32 Tornado with crew …

[viper-30]

Looks like Tamiya are releasing Italieri 1/32 Tornado but with two pilot figures .. showing in the new Tamiya catalogue.

[LanceB]

Already out, released last August.

[Homebee]

Italeri kit rebox

https://www.hlj.com/1-32-scale-tornado-gr-4-with-pilot-figures-tam25425

 

V.P.

Edited January 23 by Homebee

[bobsyouruncle]

I like the look of those pilot figures. Were they ones that were supposed to be in that NATO aircrew set that Italeri said they were releasing but I can't find them?

[viper-30]

5 hours ago, LanceB said:

Already out, released last August.

Not the Tamiya boxing 

[Jagdtiger1]

1 hour ago, viper-30 said:

Not the Tamiya boxing 

Appraently it is the tamiya boxing.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/italeri-25425-tornado-gr4-w-pilot-figures--1442865

 

If you zoom in on your image the last 3 digits of the kit number are 425. The same as on the scalemates link and the hlj link homebee posted.

[LanceB]

17 hours ago, viper-30 said:

Not the Tamiya boxing 

Yes, the Tamiya boxing, released August 2021 (so NOT last August as I said, but two years ago...)

https://www.tamiya.com/japan/products/25425/index.html

[ElectroSoldier]

Its different.

[alt-92]

1 hour ago, ElectroSoldier said:

Its different.

It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. 

Considering the partnership Tamiya and Italeri have, I'd go for the Italeri kit & box in a limited release with Tamiya-made crew*. 

Unless people prefer to ignore the evidence staring them in the face on big T's own website, of course, but in that case there's no amount of proof that will persuade people otherwise.
 

*which is not unique, Fine Molds have done that too.

[LanceB]

11 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

Its different.

Yes - one is Tamiya kit #25425 "1/32 Tornado GR.4 w/ pilot figures", a reboxing of the Italeri kit with Tamiya original pilots, as shown in a print catalog,  and one is Tamiya kit #25425 "1/32 Tornado GR.4 w/ pilot figures", a reboxing of the Italeri kit with Tamiya original pilots, as shown on their website from 2021.  Clearly two different formats.  Very different.   Would it have killed you to say "whoops, didn't know the kit was already out, my bad?"  No-one would have thought less of you for it - but here we are.

[IT_Man]

Any ideas of the provenance of the pilot figures? Is it just some that Tamiya have had sculpted specially?

 

I know including such things divides opinion (seems like most "serious" modellers aren't too keen!), but I think it does add a bit of life to a kit.

[viper-30]

On 1/25/2023 at 2:30 AM, LanceB said:

Yes - one is Tamiya kit #25425 "1/32 Tornado GR.4 w/ pilot figures", a reboxing of the Italeri kit with Tamiya original pilots, as shown in a print catalog,  and one is Tamiya kit #25425 "1/32 Tornado GR.4 w/ pilot figures", a reboxing of the Italeri kit with Tamiya original pilots, as shown on their website from 2021.  Clearly two different formats.  Very different.   Would it have killed you to say "whoops, didn't know the kit was already out, my bad?"  No-one would have thought less of you for it - but here we are.

I can’t find it anywhere or any actual pictures….so I’m guessing it wasn’t released then but will be this year 

[LanceB]

18 hours ago, IT_Man said:

Any ideas of the provenance of the pilot figures? Is it just some that Tamiya have had sculpted specially?

Tamiya says they are original Tamiya toolings.  They have done that before - as when they reboxed the Italeri 1/48 SR-71 years ago and added pilot figures and a standing maintenance crew.

[LanceB]

31 minutes ago, viper-30 said:

I can’t find it anywhere or any actual pictures….so I’m guessing it wasn’t released then but will be this year 

No, it was released: https://1999.co.jp/10802007

 

I believe the initial release sold out (Tamiya doesn't have any available on their webshop, but Hobbysearch and other webshops in Japan are saying they have stock), so perhaps the inclusion in the 2023 catalog means they will reissue it this year, but it was definitely released.

[IT_Man]

7 hours ago, LanceB said:

Tamiya says they are original Tamiya toolings.  They have done that before - as when they reboxed the Italeri 1/48 SR-71 years ago and added pilot figures and a standing maintenance crew.

 

Thanks LanceB. Wonder if the Japanese Market are more keen on seeing a pilot figure included?

[ElectroSoldier]

On 1/24/2023 at 4:38 PM, alt-92 said:

It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. 

Considering the partnership Tamiya and Italeri have, I'd go for the Italeri kit & box in a limited release with Tamiya-made crew*. 

Unless people prefer to ignore the evidence staring them in the face on big T's own website, of course, but in that case there's no amount of proof that will persuade people otherwise.
 

*which is not unique, Fine Molds have done that too.

I think you misunderstood what I mean.

It will be the first time Tamiya have put their own code on an Italeri box.

 

Tamiya have reboxed several dozen Italeri kits and always come up with their own box for it.

[viper-30]

10 hours ago, LanceB said:

No, it was released: https://1999.co.jp/10802007

 

I believe the initial release sold out (Tamiya doesn't have any available on their webshop, but Hobbysearch and other webshops in Japan are saying they have stock), so perhaps the inclusion in the 2023 catalog means they will reissue it this year, but it was definitely released.

Not in the Tamiya boxing though…..

[ElectroSoldier]

On 1/25/2023 at 2:30 AM, LanceB said:

Yes - one is Tamiya kit #25425 "1/32 Tornado GR.4 w/ pilot figures", a reboxing of the Italeri kit with Tamiya original pilots, as shown in a print catalog,  and one is Tamiya kit #25425 "1/32 Tornado GR.4 w/ pilot figures", a reboxing of the Italeri kit with Tamiya original pilots, as shown on their website from 2021.  Clearly two different formats.  Very different.   Would it have killed you to say "whoops, didn't know the kit was already out, my bad?"  No-one would have thought less of you for it - but here we are.

No I mean as far as Im aware it isnt just for the JDM and it will get its own Tamiya box for general release.

Not that its a different kit. Its exactly the same kit.

Hench the reason its in the 2023 catalogue and it was in the 2022 or 2021 catalogues inspite of it having been released then.

Edited January 26 by ElectroSoldier

[LanceB]

5 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

No I mean as far as Im aware it isnt just for the JDM and it will get its own Tamiya box for general release.

Not that its a different kit. Its exactly the same kit.

Hench the reason its in the 2023 catalogue and it was in the 2022 or 2021 catalogues inspite of it having been released then.

That's a fair point to make, the 2021 release was "Japanese market only", however I was not aware it had not been included in their print catalogs from 2021 or 2022.  So perhaps its inclusion in the 2023 catalog means they have altered their agreement with Italeri and will now distribute the kit through their overseas distributors or offices directly.  If they are showing it off at Nuremberg next week that would be a good sign that they intend to do exactly that.

 

Now, as for the box it will appear in... since the 2023 catalog shows the exact same product code as the 2021 boxing, I would rather expect them to do the exact same packaging they did in 2021: The Italeri box (right down to the Italeri code 2513 in the top right corner of the boxtop) with some stickers plastered on it for the additional pilot figures, new bar code and, perhaps, a Tamiya logo.  They *may* print all-new "Tamiya" boxes, however based on their past practices if that was what they planned I would expect them to use a product code in the 89xxx or 37xxx range, as they did for the Italeri Hawk 66, Reggiane, Hurricane or 1/48 Stuka.  Or perhaps even the 60xxx range, as quite a few of the "warbird series" 1/72 kits are Italeri reboxes.

 

The 25xxx product range is their "special project" range, aircraft kits in there have either been Italeri kits in Italeri boxes with stickers added (Tornado, F-35, F-104) or Tamiya kits in Tamiya boxes.  So this will not "be the first time Tamiya

have put their own code on an Italeri box" - unless again you mean "outside of Japan"?

 

Putting the same contents with the same item code/bar code in a "Tamiya" box would cause a bit of confusion in their main market (Japan), so I honestly don't think they will do that.  Wait and see, I think.

Edited January 27 by LanceB
edited for clarification

[LanceB]

8 hours ago, IT_Man said:

 

Wonder if the Japanese Market are more keen on seeing a pilot figure included?

I think it may be more of a "value added" sales point than anything else.  Tamiya also added a pilot figure to the Italeri 1/32 F-104G/S and sold it (in the Italeri box) in Japan with a Tamiya item code attached, and likewise with the Italeri 1/32 F-35A they added JASDF decals and a Tamiya item code for the domestic market.  Adding JASDF decals to the F-35A was a no-brainer (for a Japanese company trying to sell the kit in Japan), the pilot figures are, I think, probably just a way to do something very slightly different from what local modelers could get by buying the Italeri kits from overseas, and increase domestic sales of what are, frankly, low-turnover items.  1/32 modern jets (or a 1/48 SR-71) command quite a bit of real estate to display, and thus are not so popular to many modelers in Japan.

[spruecutter96]

On 1/23/2023 at 11:26 AM, bobsyouruncle said:

Were they ones that were supposed to be in that NATO aircrew set that Italeri said they were releasing but I can't find them?

Unfortunately, it looks highly unlikely that we'll ever see the Italeri 1/32 NATO pilots and ground-crew set. It was announced several years ago now and seems to have been quietly withdrawn. It's a shame - it would have filled a definite need and sold well, I think. 

 

I hope I'm wrong about the chances of it appearing...

 

Chris.   

[ElectroSoldier]

2 hours ago, LanceB said:

That's a fair point to make, the 2021 release was "Japanese market only", however I was not aware it had not been included in their print catalogs from 2021 or 2022.  So perhaps its inclusion in the 2023 catalog means they have altered their agreement with Italeri and will now distribute the kit through their overseas distributors or offices directly.  If they are showing it off at Nuremberg next week that would be a good sign that they intend to do exactly that.

 

Now, as for the box it will appear in... since the 2023 catalog shows the exact same product code as the 2021 boxing, I would rather expect them to do the exact same packaging they did in 2021: The Italeri box (right down to the Italeri code 2513 in the top right corner of the boxtop) with some stickers plastered on it for the additional pilot figures, new bar code and, perhaps, a Tamiya logo.  They *may* print all-new "Tamiya" boxes, however based on their past practices if that was what they planned I would expect them to use a product code in the 89xxx or 37xxx range, as they did for the Italeri Hawk 66, Reggiane, Hurricane or 1/48 Stuka.  Or perhaps even the 60xxx range, as quite a few of the "warbird series" 1/72 kits are Italeri reboxes.

 

The 25xxx product range is their "special project" range, aircraft kits in there have either been Italeri kits in Italeri boxes with stickers added (Tornado, F-35, F-104) or Tamiya kits in Tamiya boxes.  So this will not "be the first time Tamiya

have put their own code on an Italeri box" - unless again you mean "outside of Japan"?

 

Putting the same contents with the same item code/bar code in a "Tamiya" box would cause a bit of confusion in their main market (Japan), so I honestly don't think they will do that.  Wait and see, I think.

Im not entirely sure what is going on, all I know is this year its different.
Maybe that difference is that European based importers will be able to order it but everything else is the same, it might well be an Italeri box with a Tamiya SKU sticker over the top of some other code...
I dont see the point in that myself. There are a group of modellers who will only buy/build Tamiya models sure, but if its in an Italeri box then I cant see that group buying in to it the idea its a Tamiya kit so they will build it, like wise the wider modelling community wont buy it as it will be exatly the same as the Italeri kit but more expensive because of the shipping and import duties Ill have to put on top of the Italeri kit (Italeri produce in the EU so no import duties).
It was a solid seller at the start, when it was released, it got stronger when the retailers put their prices down from its RRP as always, but now its slow. Tamiya are late to the game if they want big sales.

 

If we hear nothing about it in Germany then I would imagine it will be as it was before but buyable by none JDM buyers. I cant see them releasing it that quietly as this year it has made an appearance in the catalogue for the first time.

 

[bobsyouruncle]

Quote

9 hours ago, spruecutter96 said:

Unfortunately, it looks highly unlikely that we'll ever see the Italeri 1/32 NATO pilots and ground-crew set. It was announced several years ago now and seems to have been quietly withdrawn. It's a shame - it would have filled a definite need and sold well, I think. 

 

I hope I'm wrong about the chances of it appearing...

 

Chris.   

 

Yes that's a shame and I agree about filling in a need. If Tamiya have modelled these figures then it's a shame that you'd have to buy the whole kit again just to get them (I presume they won't sell them

separately - I'd buy some if they did).

I think that they look really quite nice with what looks like a nice representation of Mk 10 Helmets and it's very refreshing to see some good representations of that era RAF pilots in plastic with the kit.

Yes I'm sure most modellers prefer to just have the (often aftermarket) seatbelts sitting on the seats, but I think it's a nice option to have the pilots included. 

I don't know if it's because most modellers think the figures don't look as realistic as the belts on the seats that we don't see pilots in seats much, but with these visors down and a bit of tweaking to connect the shoulders to

the seats, it would look pretty good to me (and at least you don't have to paint a face!).

If I'm out photographing the aircraft, personally I think they always look more interesting with the crew in, so the same goes for the model for me. It’d make a nice ‘reverse thrust’ option for this kit with a blurred runway base.

 

[IT_Man]

11 hours ago, spruecutter96 said:

Unfortunately, it looks highly unlikely that we'll ever see the Italeri 1/32 NATO pilots and ground-crew set. It was announced several years ago now and seems to have been quietly withdrawn. It's a shame - it would have filled a definite need and sold well, I think. 

 

I hope I'm wrong about the chances of it appearing...

 

Chris.   

 

It was still in last year's catalogue, so there may still be hope. It didn't disappear like the long list of other kits which I'm sure someone could appraise us of!