In the formative experiences of most Hackaday readers there will almost certainly be a number of common threads, for example the ownership of a particular game console, or being inspired into engineering curiosity by the same TV shows. A home computer of a TV show may mark you as coming from a particular generation, but there are some touchstones which cross the decades.
Of those, we are guessing that few readers will not at some point have either built, owned, or lusted after a Tamiya model kit at some point over the last many decades, so it’s with some sadness that we note the passing of Mr. Tamiya himself, Shunsaku Tamiya, who has died at the age of 90.
For most of us the word “Tamiya” conjures up an image of a brightly coloured and well illustrated box with the trademark red and blue Tamiya logo containing a model kit, remote controlled car, or other wondrous piece of miniature engineering. Kids’ are shaped by the experiences their toys give them, and while it might seem strange to cite plastic models as a key influence for a hardware hacker, here were toys that could be built in all their intricate detail.
The Tamiya story started in the lumber business, diversifying into wooden toys, and then just like LEGO on the other side of the world from their Shizuoka base, into plastic injection mouldings. Shunsaku Tamiya was famous for his attention to detail and this very much came through in his products.
I learned this first-hand through a professional modeler friend who had the job of making the models featured on British Tamiya packaging. Though she dealt with the British agents of the company and could have spent her entire tenure talking to their marketing department, she found herself dealing with Mr. Tamiya personally. His box models were made by one of the best in the business, but even the quality of the packaging in a distant export market mattered to the boss.
We are sure the Tamiya company will continue to produce the best in plastic modeling, and we envy the kids who are now discovering them for the first time and sharpening an interest in making things that will stay with them for life. Thank you, Shunsaku Tamiya.
I never built the models but recognise the Tamiya brand as one that has been around since I was a kid. RIP, Tamiya-san, and thanks for all the fun.
I drove Tamiya RC cars as a kid. It was a lot of fun.
One thing that was annoying was the plugs on the batteries. They would melt frequently. Under load they could even glow. Replacing them by gold plated bullet or blade connectors was one of the first modifications I made. And now NVIDIA graphics cards suffer the same issues with similar connectors. I wish PSU, graphics card, and motherboard manufacturers would switch to a higher voltage and bullet style connectors just like the RC world has done many years ago.
So good to see his passing marked on Hackaday. As a child a good Christmas meant spending the afternoon making a Tamiya model plane. Even now whenever I visit Japan I seek out the old style model shops and enjoy browsing their collection of blue and red logo boxes stacked high on their shelves.
I have fond memories of these, getting them as birthday presents and building them. So much fun.
Tamiya produced some of the most exquisitely detailed and designed model kits. If a feature required 2 parts to “look” accurate or 1 part to be “reasonably accurate,” Tamiya would usually make it out of 3 parts and simply be accurate. I remember assembling a 1/48 scale model that had finicky little parts all over the engine bay that other companies just molded in one go. RIP Tamiya-san.
Scale model building is a form of hacking, these guys make their own tools and use ad-hoc ersatz material like no one else (the most famous example being the use of Future Floor Polish as acrylic varnish, but also using raw painter’s pigments to simulate dust and dirt, warming polystyrene to stretch it into plastic threads etc). One can get a ton of cool DIY ideas. Tamiya kits were always a nice compromise between being fun (as in not requiring a lot of hacking) and being able to produce a quality result… Haven’t built one in years but I still have a couple of 1:48 Tamiya armour kits waiting on a shelf somewhere.
Got my first Tamiya RC car in July 1986 and I raced one last night at a local club. Best RC cars to build/run/race and some collect. The passing of an icon.
Still have a tamiya manta ray in use , started with a military 4 wheel 40+ years ago , rest in peace and thank you mr Tamiya
The plastic model kits by that company (and individual it seems!) were always higher in quality than the competitors- thicker plastic with better fit-up, good directions, etc. I put together a plastic kit a week it feels like when I was younger and had the time. I still occasionally do plastic models when longer wood boat projects or balsa or other airplane projects get tedious. Next time I’m in the shop I’ll pick up a couple more Tamiya kits. What an unsung hero of my childhood.
Loved the Tamiya tank models. Tamiya offered so many varieties whether German, US, Russian, etc.; all having great attention to detail. I liked the motorized versions the best. My friends and I would have mock battles and utilize anti-tank mines. Buried firecrackers with nichrome wired fuses worked great. It is amazing that none of us blew off a finger. Hi Hi
The Tamiya motor/gearboxes were a real catalyst for me getting into robotics in the 90s.
Those gearboxes could be configured in so many different ways depending on speed or torque requirements.
The motors themselves had a limited lifespan but were inexpensive and easy to replace.
It is an end of an era now that Shunsaku Taniya has passed.
He has been such a positive influence for so many.
I hope the company carries on his philosophy and work ethic.
In a world dominated with so many monsters, it gives me inspiration to learn about people like him and hope there are more like him still out there.
This! I came here to exactly mention the twin-motor gearbox.
Aside from the models, Tamiya also had a strong DIY-enabling streak that set them apart from all the others at the time. Behind that was the idea that you could help push education by giving folks the bits to educate themselves, and I was one of many beneficiaries. A model company that launched a thousand hackers.
Respect!
Back in the mid-late 70s I lived in Japan for a while. Whilst there I feasted on Tamiya kits and especially loved their educational kits. I had a booklet of how to build some models that utilised the various motor, pulley, track sets and some years ago I scanned it:
https://archive.org/details/tamiya-educational-projects-1977-book-1
Also a few years ago I derived the dimensions of the cable car model in that booklet, drew them up in CAD and built it using the original 2xAA battery holder and switch I still had left from the 70s.
I also loved the Tamiya RC models. In 1977 I got (bought?/Christmas? I cant’recall) the 1/16 M4A3E8 Sherman. It had a design flaw where the sheet aluminium hull was nowhere near strong enough to support the track idlers properly and they bent away from the hull and the awesome link-pin tracks would come off. I used pieces of aluminium angle inside the hull to rectify this.
I have built many Tamiya kits over almost 50 years. Vale Tamiya-San and thank you.
My Tamiya Blackfoot was my all-time favorite R/C model, and it even won me a few races at my local club!
RIP, Mr. Tamiya. Thank you for your part in some of my favorite childhood memories.
RIP Mr. Tamiya, your rest was WELL earned.
Many built and I always appreciated the quality that was rarely present in other offerings.
Still have a Chatterham(sp?) Super 7 kit in closet :-).
Sigh…
Caterham? https://caterhamcars.com/en
A scale model by tamiya
oh wow, they still sell it:
https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/24357/index.html
I remember building the Grasshopper and the Rough Rider. Great cars…this was around 1982.
Back in the day, something that some Tamiya model kits had that (almost) all other kit lacked was motors. The were not just to look at, but also to play with. I recall really wanting a tank kit with the wired remote…
I’ve had many hours of enjoyment building, repairing, servicing, hacking on and even playing with Tamiya RC stuff, I must admit I’d never really thought about who was behind the name and feel a little bad I didn’t find out.
I hope he realised how much pleasure people took from his creations and that the name carries on for many new generations of people to enjoy.
Likewise, I didn’t realise there was a Mr. Tamiya. What a legend.
I always lusted after Kyosho, but it’s my 1987 Thundershot that I still have, albeit with a 3S brushless that’s powerful enough to drift it.
My dad and I moved from Revell to Tamiya models while a Marine/Marine brat in Japan c. 1968-70, and I’d never had guessed their plastic model business was barely older than I was.
R.i.p sir and thank you for all great childhood rc memories ❤️
Fabulous kits with fantastic perfectionly moulded parts.
Tamiya’s mini 4WD models were legends in Italy, thanks also for the anime aired in late ‘80s/early ‘90s.
Super emperor has still a spot in my heart
https://www.rchobbies.co.nz/tamiya-18070-dash-01-super-emperor-premium-super-ii-chassis-mini-4wd-car/
Tamiya is a wonderful company. Always enjoy, every kit, and the tools and paints are excellent!
I built his models. Remember the good times and say goodbye
I remember building these as kits (especially the Technicraft gearboxes)! They introduced me to some of the basics of mechanical engineering and electric motors, and now I’m an electronics hobbyist and hardware hacker. RIP Mr. Tamiya and thank you for inspiring so many others like me.
Haven’t built many Tamiya models, but recognize the high quality and attention to detail. RC Cars were out of my price range. Mostly built and obsessed over Hasegawa models.