is a Japanese manufacturer of plastic model kits, radio-controlled cars, battery and solar powered educational models, sailboat models, acrylic and enamel model paints, and various modeling tools and supplies. The company was founded by Yoshio Tamiya in Shizuoka, Japan, in 1946.
The company has gained a reputation among hobbyists of producing models of outstanding quality and accurate scale detail. The company's philosophy is reflected directly in its motto: "First in quality around the world". Tamiya's metal molds are produced from plans with the concept of being "easy to understand and build, even for beginners". Even the box art is consistent with this throughout the company. Tamiya has been awarded the Modell des Jahres (Model of the Year) award, hosted by the German magazine ModellFan.
Products currently commercialized by Tamiya include (toy and collectibles): scale plastic model cars, aircraft, military vehicles, motorcycles, figurines, radio-controlled cars, trucks, and tanks. Tamiya also produces materials and tools, including enamel paints, acrylic paints, airbrushes, aerosol paint, and marker pens.
History
Entrance of plastic models
The company was founded in 1946 as Tamiya Shoji & Co. (Tamiya Commerce Company in translation) by Yoshio Tamiya (15 May 1905 – 2 November 1988) in Oshika, Shizuoka City. It was a sawmill and lumber supply company. With the high availability of wood, the timber company's wood products division (founded in 1947) also produced wooden models of ships and airplanes, which later became company's foundation. In 1953, the company stopped selling architectural lumber and focused solely on model making.
In the mid-1950s, wooden model sales were decreased due to foreign-made plastic models starting to be imported. This led the company to also manufacture plastic models, starting in 1959. Their first model was the Japanese battleship Yamato. Tamiya's competitors already sold similar models for 350 yen, forcing the company to match the price. However, at this cheap price, Tamiya was unable to recover the cost of producing metal molds, so once again, they refocused on wooden models.
In the 1960s, using metal molds no longer needed for plastic toys, Tamiya was able to release a racecar mini-kit, which financed the production of their next plastic model. To their good fortune, it became a hit. They decided their second plastic model would be the Panther tank—it had a linear form, which would make the molds simple to produce. They commissioned illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki to do the box art. The Panther was motorized, moved well, and had a clear instruction manual, which made it easy to assemble, all of which gained it a good reputation. The model was made in a 1:35 scale—later to become a standard scale modelling scale for military subjects—because it was decided that the tank would use a single Type 2 battery (but would hold two of them).
Metal molds
Tamiya is known for the extremely high accuracy of their molds, which is reflected in the final product after assembly. For example, in the past, when Tamiya manufactured plastic models using craftsmen's skills and earlier designs, other companies' products represented bolts as simple hemispheric protuberances while Tamiya represented bolts more accurately as hexagonal posts. This level of detail and thoroughness with which they produced their models earned them a high reputation, even overseas.
Initially, Tamiya ordered metal molds from outside contractors, but often had delays and unclear pricing, which led to trouble. Then, they scouted metal-mold craftsmen into the company and in 1964 started their own Metal Molds division. Starting in 1966, they transferred a number of craftsmen to the Mold Manufacturing Factory. These craftsmen slowly gained the know-how and came to make molds for Tamiya. Today, computer-aided design (CAD) is also used in the development process.
Packaging
On early products (1961–1967), the box art was done by outsourced illustrators, including Shigeru Komatsuzaki. This box art, which expanded the product image and had a feeling of "compositions of achievement" or "a story contained in a picture", further enhanced Tamiya's brand.
