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RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

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Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#61

Post by hermitcrab »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #4

When I grew up I would spend hours looking through all the plastic model kits at the local hobby store. I just loved building plastic models. I never mastered painting them. The most advanced I got was rattle-can style spray paints — maybe masking a bit for a camouflage or what-have-you. Only when I got older and got back into plastic model building did I make the leap to air-brushing and really finishing models corr…

>I'm saddened that it kind of seems like another hobby, like R/C planes or model rocketry, that has fallen by the wayside.

I think physical hobbies like modelling find it hard to compete with the instant gratification of online dopamine fixes. However RC planes and model rocketry are still a thing. If you know any school age kids interested in engineering or rocketry and they are in the UK, point them at:

https://www.ukroc.com/

The US, France and Japan have equivalent competitions.

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#62

Post by hermitcrab »

firefax wrote: post #34

It makes me feel bad when I see an obituary like this. I had no idea he existed, but reading I can't question he had an impact on the world. Other corners of the internet people would shit on the hobby just because they don't share it -- me, personally, being on the autistic spectrum came with a side of fine motor issues, so I could never do the painting and prodding that the more complex kits required... it's an art…

I think it is a shame when kids get Lego kits and only ever follow the instructions to build the intended model. They should be encouraged to use their imagination and build their own inventions.

Tip: You can often buy random loads of Lego for cheap from Ebay or similar. Put it in a string bag and wash it in the dish washer on low heat. Good as new.

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#63

Post by rightbyte »

mediumsmart wrote: post #41
rightbyte wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I never mastered painting them. It was really hard to paint with these old oil based paints if you are as old as me or older. I struggled with that too. The water based one sold by e.g. Games Workshop I bought years later was way easier to work with.

I used to make the ww2 models as a teenager and loved painting them with the oil paints (you need the right brand but I can’t remember the name). I got really good at weathering them using the watered down paint cleaner/thinner that runs into the folds and produced tiny cracks in the paint and then drybrushing lighter colors over areas. I know I got it right because a shop in England selling those Tamiya models would…

Ye I might also have been to young to use them properly. But I remember cleaning brushes was a big hassle. And the fumes ...

My theory is that we adults feel bad when we know we are going to feel bad soon. Be it cold or thinner fumes. But children don't feel cold before they are cold.

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#64

Post by zephyrfalcon »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #54
mbrd wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's definitely not the hobby of choice for young boys any more, but it feels like it is having a golden age of kit quality aiming at an older audience with disposal income. Manufacturers like Tamiya, and also Eduard or Meng (those are my favs anyway) are producing extremely high quality kits. There is always consternation amongst modelers about where the next generation will come from, but the Gundam/Gunpla scene is…

I bought my first Gundam model the other day (never seen them before in shops, but they can be bought online) and I was really impressed. I've built two Revell models before and some Warhammer stuff in the past. This model was cheaper than all of those (about €19), bigger, multicolour plastic, different materials, the result is fully poseable, different weapons and hands, fiddly stickers and decals, the works. And it…

Also: Zoids... https://zoids.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Zoids

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#65

Post by [deleted] »

mediumsmart wrote: post #41
rightbyte wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I never mastered painting them. It was really hard to paint with these old oil based paints if you are as old as me or older. I struggled with that too. The water based one sold by e.g. Games Workshop I bought years later was way easier to work with.

I used to make the ww2 models as a teenager and loved painting them with the oil paints (you need the right brand but I can’t remember the name). I got really good at weathering them using the watered down paint cleaner/thinner that runs into the folds and produced tiny cracks in the paint and then drybrushing lighter colors over areas. I know I got it right because a shop in England selling those Tamiya models would…

[deleted]

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#66

Post by spython »

lmpdev wrote: post #46
jumpingMullet wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Grasshopper was good. An underpowered version of the hornet with a 380 instead of 540 motor. The longer run time on the old 7.2 battery was a benefit. Watching YouTube of the current cars, they are actually overpowered and in a way unusable. Many videos degenerate into how high can I jump this thing before it breaks.

I sell modern Chinese ones I have to often explain to customers after a certain price point (for me ~$200+ AUD) you have to turn the speed trim pot down for it to be enjoyable at all Similar to what Gran Turismo 7 players have realised with EV “Vision” Cars - car enjoyment greatly diminishes with speed after a certain point - instead of plateauing No-name Chinese build quality is actually a lot higher than I’d’ve ant…

Which one would you recommend for a novice?

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#67

Post by sho_hn »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #7
mbrd wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's definitely not the hobby of choice for young boys any more, but it feels like it is having a golden age of kit quality aiming at an older audience with disposal income. Manufacturers like Tamiya, and also Eduard or Meng (those are my favs anyway) are producing extremely high quality kits. There is always consternation amongst modelers about where the next generation will come from, but the Gundam/Gunpla scene is…

That's true — there are certainly a lot of variety now, especially with 3D printing and garage kits. The "long tail" has definitely been kind to the esoteric modeler. Adult-me recently took to designing a kit for a NASA "Space Tug" that never existed (only proposed "artist's renderings" from the 1970;s) [1]. It is so esoteric that no one made a kit for it — I had to learn to use Blender, ha ha. I just wish more kids…

FWIW, this kind of thing is a lot easier to model in a CAD package (e.g. FreeCAD or Fusion) than Blender. If you ever go again!

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#68

Post by 7thaccount »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #4

When I grew up I would spend hours looking through all the plastic model kits at the local hobby store. I just loved building plastic models. I never mastered painting them. The most advanced I got was rattle-can style spray paints — maybe masking a bit for a camouflage or what-have-you. Only when I got older and got back into plastic model building did I make the leap to air-brushing and really finishing models corr…

I think the kind of plastic model kits like building muscle cars and ships has died down, but Warhammer and Gundam are both extremely popular. Battletech and Star Wars are also popular in my area.

There are a lot of Warhammer models and the parent company "Games Workshop" is doing extremely well and expanding despite it all being built in Britain. One neat thing about Warhammer is that there are a LOT of books and video games as well, so the IP is very strong. There is always new lore coming out from the various factions too, so the models have special connections with the fans. I have 3 game stores in my medium-sized city that cater to Warhammer and there is always a game going on. Warning: it is a very expensive hobby.

There is also a lot of popularity with 3D printing. I'd check out thingaverse or other popular 3d model sites to see how many downloads are coming from WW2 and muscle car models to maybe get a feel why hobby shops are struggling.

Modeling never died. It just evolved a bit. If you were ever into the WW2 kits, I'd check out Bolt-Action if you're interested in wargaming with models. It's not as big as 40k, but people do play.

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#69

Post by miiiiiike »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #4

When I grew up I would spend hours looking through all the plastic model kits at the local hobby store. I just loved building plastic models. I never mastered painting them. The most advanced I got was rattle-can style spray paints — maybe masking a bit for a camouflage or what-have-you. Only when I got older and got back into plastic model building did I make the leap to air-brushing and really finishing models corr…

There’s a lot to modeling as well.

Getting the parts off the sprue, removing mold lines, getting the gap filler in the right places and sanding and sanding the filler down until you wouldn’t ever think that the part was anything but smooth.

I think the modeling is a much fun as painting for me.

Re: RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession

#70

Post by hibikir »

7thaccount wrote: post #68
JKCalhoun wrote: post #4

When I grew up I would spend hours looking through all the plastic model kits at the local hobby store. I just loved building plastic models. I never mastered painting them. The most advanced I got was rattle-can style spray paints — maybe masking a bit for a camouflage or what-have-you. Only when I got older and got back into plastic model building did I make the leap to air-brushing and really finishing models corr…

I think the kind of plastic model kits like building muscle cars and ships has died down, but Warhammer and Gundam are both extremely popular. Battletech and Star Wars are also popular in my area. There are a lot of Warhammer models and the parent company "Games Workshop" is doing extremely well and expanding despite it all being built in Britain. One neat thing about Warhammer is that there are a LOT of books and vi…

What is amazing is how much the modeling tech has improved. A modern warhammer model is much bigger and better not just than in the 80s or 90s, but even 110 years go. The painting experience is also much better. As for Gundam, the improvements in detail in assembly makes Games Workshop's models look bad and expensive. An amazing attention to the building experience. Even cheap HG model made this year would look like it was from Mars compared to the first few series, and it's still very cheap.
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