VehiclesTamiya

Tamiya

Tamiya is a Japanese model maker from Shizuoka that grew out of a sawmill founded in 1946, began making wooden models in 1948 and entered RC in 1976.1,2,4

VehiclesHistory and background

Founded
1946, as the sawmill Tamiya Shoji & Co. in Shizuoka1,2
Headquarters
Shizuoka, Japan3
Company
Tamiya, Inc.4

Key models

Tamiya vehicles

Monster trucks

Including stunt and speed monster trucks

Crawlers

Trail trucks, scalers and rock racers

Rally

Other classes

GT, formula, 1/8 on-road, side-by-side and others the classes above don't cover

About Tamiya

What it stands for

Tamiya says that since its start with educational wooden models it has striven to be "First in Quality Around the World."4 It says modelers the world over use the phrase "Tamiya Standard" to describe "the high level of quality unique to Tamiya."4

Known for

Its 1/12 Porsche 934 Turbo of 1976 set off the RC car boom.1,2 Tamiya has brought back its early models, with a limited re-release of the Porsche 934 in December 2006, a Sand Scorcher 30th Anniversary edition in March 2010 and a Blackfoot re-release announced in May 2016.1,5,7 Its Mini 4WD series passed 100 million units in total sales.2

Product portfolio

Everything here is a kit for the owner to build. Buggies make up the largest share, many of them revivals of early designs such as the 1979 Sand Scorcher and the 1984 Hornet.5,6 The Grasshopper II, Wild One, Avante and Boomerang sit next to DT-02, DT-03 and DF-03 buggies. On-road kits run from the 1/14 TT-01 Type-E MAN TGS truck to 1/10 TT-02 touring cars and the XV-01 rally car. The CW-01 Lunch Box and Midnight Pumpkin are 1/12 monster trucks, the Blackfoot and Monster Beetle are 1/10 ones, and the CC-01 and CC-02 chassis carry scale off-road bodies such as the Mercedes-Benz G 500.

Racing record

Tamiya's TRF416 World Edition carried TRF driver Marc Rheinard to the 2008 IFMAR ISTC touring car world championship.8 The TRF416 had made its debut with a win at the 2007 JMRCA Touring Car All-Japan Championships before winning big races worldwide.8

Timeline

  1. 1946Tamiya Shoji & Co., a sawmill and lumber company, is founded in Shizuoka.1,2
  2. 1948Starts making educational wooden models.4
  3. 1960Its first plastic model, a 1/800 Yamato battleship.1
  4. 1976The 1/12 Porsche 934 Turbo, its first RC model.1,2
  5. 1979The Sand Scorcher off-road buggy.5
  6. 1984The Hornet buggy.6
  7. 1986The Blackfoot monster truck.7
  8. 2008Marc Rheinard wins the IFMAR ISTC touring car world title with the TRF416 World Edition.8
  9. 2010A 30th Anniversary edition of the Sand Scorcher.5

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Tamiya Corporation.
  2. Tamiya, History.
  3. Tamiya, Access.
  4. Tamiya, Company Information.
  5. Wikipedia, Tamiya Sand Scorcher.
  6. Tamiya, 1/10 R/C Hornet Evo. (58742).
  7. Wikipedia, Tamiya Blackfoot.
  8. Tamiya, TRF416 Chassis World Edition.