Let me be nitpicky here a little. Re: Doug said - the prices used in Japan should not be representative of what they will cost outside of Japan. You’d need to double that domestic pricing (especially considering shipping, tariffs, and customs cost, etc.). I know from experience that Tamiya kits are 1/2 the US price in Japan, while Academy kits are 1/2 the US price in S. Korea for example. Tamiya USA MSRP is 53 USD, which is more realistic:
$53+tax+postage does not appear “on a budget” kit.
I also disagree with Lee’s statement of “accuracy is in the eye of the beholder”. It sounds like a postmodernist point of view - OK, I get what you mean but accuracy should be objective, and it is not a subjective matter. The dictionary definition of “accuracy” is the degree to which the result of a measurement, calculation, or specification [conforms] to the correct (actual) value or a standard. It is a measurable, ascertainable data.
Beauty and taste of food are subjective, sure - based on personal viewpoints, experiences, cultures, or perspectives. Accuracy, however, is objective.
So an “acceptable level” of accuracy or “tolerance” of accuracy would be in the eye of the beholder but not the accuracy itself. Sure, no 1/35 scale kit is 100% accurate or even 90% accurate but what Tamiya is selling as these “Ukraine” war editions have disappointing accuracy level to many seasoned builders.
I know full well that these discussions lead to nowhere because they end up in the old “casual builder” vs. “rivet counter” argument again and again as seen on Armorama for the past 20+ years. No one in the other side is going to be convinced otherwise, but I am not in the business of defending major companies like Dragon and Tamiya shortchanging more serious builders (a.k.a. “rivet counters”), who strive for accuracy, with these misrepresentations. I understand that Tamiya made a business decision to market these as are but it’s condescending to me or disappointing at best. I do not think I am the only modeler feeling so.
Kind regards,
James
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Estimated price seems to be very close to spot-on
My favourite plastic pusher in Germany has it listed at
45:95 Euro which would be US $49:51- at todays exchange rate …
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Diplomatic answere. Everyone can agree.
For my mother (sorry Mom), everything having tracks and somekind of barrel is a tank. Hu
However. I point(ed) out the differences a bit based on my knowledge about the original and the kits. For free, for everyones free usage for whatever. Even to ignore.
I’m not talking about the molds of a 20-25 years old kit. In my beholder-eyes the smoke dischargers are the no-go point here - that are not nuts and bolts. It’s pretty easy to get informations about the nowadays configuration. And… the kits were produced when the tanks were still in Germany w/o markings.
But again. I live in free world and I hope the most of us as well.
Frank S. from Hoboken (New Jersey) sang ‘I did it my way…’
So we should do
The instruction issues of Border are minor. The real errors are corrected by an additional sheet, maybe they changed the issues at all meanwhile. I just have very early produced kits only.
The early and late alternative parts of L2A5 and A6 could be pointed out better. Therefor check this
The colouring and marking suggestions are a bit strange. That’s it.
…need the time for a closer look at RFM.
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I certainly do not agree with the statement (please see above my last comment) nor do I think it’s diplomatic.
I definitely agree with you that it’s bothersome how Tamiya decided to ignore some obvious inaccuracies (or changes) like the smoke dischargers and simply recycle a 20-year old kit with some “what if” decal.
Even though my hope is very low but hoping Tamiya will not do the same for M1A1 or even use their old M2A2 kit as “Ukraine” war versions…
Kind regards,
James
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I’m sure our understanding is pretty similar. Usually I try to get everything about L2. But the T offer about this I will pass. For ME it’s clearly too ‘simple done’. On the other hand I don’t want to judge others.
There is just a little mechanism behind all of this we should have in mind - nothing new:
Quality needs time. But the early bird offer sells. Who would buy a second ‘UKR Tank of same type’ later just because it is better in case of markings and updated parts?
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I’m too old to be post modern anything. That said, the folks disagreeing with me are all - to a man - folks who I would bet money will not either not purchase the Tamiya model or will modify it to account for their own ideas of accuracy. Accuracy as far as models go is absolutely subjective - every modeler has to decide for him or herself whether a model is accurate enough for their tastes OR their modeling skills to make better. For me, I’m not going to purchase the model - not because of accuracy but because I have plenty of Leopards in my stash already (and it would take a really spectacular real-life version for me to purchase aftermarket decals). My support for Ukraine consists of purchasing several ICM and Miniart models and from a retailer I know is Ukrainian. I buy Tamiya models because they’re engineered very well and they’re accurate enough for me. Completely subjective, that.
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I can’t agree with that, there’s an unambiguous dictionary definition of ‘accurate’ .
Either the kit has a high degree of accuracy or it doesn’t. Accuracy can be measured empirically.
This Tamiya kit is not even close to accurate, it is actually the wrong (an old version of the) tank in the first place.
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Okay, define the degree of accuracy then. Obviously this model isn’t accurate ENOUGH for you, but Tamiya is gambling that it’s accurate enough for plenty of other modelers. Everyone’s definition of accurate enough is different - subjective every time.
The issue with this kit isn’t really the accuracy level, but it’s the totally wrong version by about 30 years. If Tamiya uses the kit they show on the announcement, it is an early 1990s version with way outdated features that are not even close to what will be sent to Ukraine.
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I think you’ll find a dictionary definition of ‘accurate’ isn’t subjective.
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the operative word is ‘enough’.
The definition of accurate is fairly strict but
“accurate enough” is very subjective.
Enough for me might not be enough for someone else.
Define an accurate ‘short plank’.
Made of wood?
Length one foot, two feet? Maybe 12 inches, measured with an accuracy of 1/16th or 1/128th?
Gimme five short planks to put under the car, the jack isn’t reliable.
Anything between 8 and 40 inches is ‘accurate enough’ for that purpose as long as I get at least five of them.
Gimme five steel balls for the ball bearing means a totally different level of accurate.
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Yes, but I never used the phrase ‘accurate enough’, in any shape or form.
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He said ‘accurate enough’, i only said the dictionary definition of ‘accurate’ isn’t subjective, because since it is clearly defined, it can’t be.
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He said, You said,
I wrote
I got the impression you were both talking past each other.
Models:
Accurate in shape.
Accurate in materials?
Accurate inner workings?
Somewhere we draw a circle and say that everything inside is
required for accuracy and everything outside is not relevant.
The requirement for “same material” usually ends up outside the
circle. Operating breech block is also a non starter.
Functioning suspension? The real thing has it, but should we require
that the model also has it?
We define a set of requirements for “accuracy” and then approve or reject
models according to how well they fulfill the requirements.
The very basic requirement “correctly scaled down measurements” seems
to have been missed by Tamiya.
Not accurate enough for me 
I like to think of accurate as precise. The other term often used is “good enough.” If good enough is fine with you then so be it. I always have that little guy looking over my shoulder and telling me you could have done this or that a little better. Sometimes it gets under my skin, but will never die over it
gary
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The thing is, I don’y know how many of us cut our teeth with Tamiya, I know that I did, and was perfectly happy to do so. I thought they were wonderful creations.
But it turns out that Tamiya, especially in the earlier days (well, my days in the 80s) were never known for their ‘accuracy’ as it turns out. But as an individual, I believed that Tamiya walked on water.
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As my drill Sergeant would often say, “better is the enemy of good enough”…
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Me too.
Then I realised that the lower hull of Italeris Pz IV had actual details
and Tamiyas was simply a flat surface …
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