Will do I’m already pursuing the AFV Club kits and will use the panda kits and parts. What sucks is that I am a very specific subject builder and a lot of the vehicles that I am actively trying to build are only done by terrible kit makers or are so old that they were molded before I was born makes things a little interesting at times.
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AFV Club kits can be cranky at times, too. Don’t rate your ability on those, but they do build up into beautiful models.
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“Stay away from all Eastern European kits, too.”
Surely not!? You are denying yourself the joys of IBG, MiniArt, MasterBox and ICM if you do this! I especially like ICM kits, I have loads in my stash, they do interesting out of the mainstream items and they do them well. They are also freely available as some of their kits are boxed as Revell. Even Zveda, which used to be lumped with Alan as really dire kits (don’t ask how I know!) have upped their game massively in the past few years. The most frustrating kit I have done lately was by Gecko, that was mainly down to the smallness and intricacy of the parts and a plethora of PE which I hate.
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Maybe SSGToms was thinking about Eastern Express …
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I should have said “old eastern European kits”, as Hohenstaufen’s list of manufacturers does include fine kits.
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Yes, I can agree with that! If you are unfortunate enough to come across Eastern Express, Alan or early Zveda as SSGToms says - avoid!! I’d also avoid Nitto if you have any interest in accuracy! Anyone remember their Sdkfz251 and 250 with the batteries in the trailer!!!
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(was Nitto from the beginning but I got this release)
I still have the M8A1 in the vain hope of maybe being able to get it half decent.
The LVT fed the trash can as soon as something slightly better turned up
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This can be taken one of two ways:
People like us meaning modelers who enjoy certain features in their models, i.e. supreme accuracy, ease of build, low part count, etc.
or…
People like us meaning people of the non Jaopanese persuasion.
My. Tamiya himself told me in Shizuoka City that Japan is their largest market by far, and that the US is a small percentage of non Japanese sales.
I don’t remember the exact numbers but I may have posted them on rec.models.scale way back in the day.
Ergo, if the Japanese market is pleased with their offerings, they’ve little incentive to change what they’re doing. That said, I rarely find much to complain about with a 21st century Tamiya kit.
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When did that conversation occur?
If it was recent, Mr. Tamiya should fly representatives to every major US retail store and cut deals to get their models on US shelves. Most of the models sold in those stores are terrible. If similar chains exist in Europe and China, talk to their purchasing people as well. Create a store on Amazon. Sell Tamiya models to US schools as part of History, Science, and Technology classes.
That is a severe marketing fail.
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Those are all wonderful ideas. However, the conversation happened back in 1996 when they flew me out there after winning at Tamiya-Con. If he saw any of my current builds, he would probably turn the other way. 
But again, they really don’t concern themselves much with our market. I do know that the two Colpar’s in Colorado are very well stocked with the newest Tamiya kits. I’ve seen a few others as well. The problem is we just don’t have that many good brick and mortar hobby shops anymore.
I do want to give a shout out to this one though:
Phone will not upload right now. I’ll edit later.
I was just there this past Saturday, and it is a very nicely stocked hobby shop, mainly dealing with model railroader items, but still with a very good selection of plastic kits.
Third way: I meant people who post here. People who like doing something “more” in their modeling, however they define it, and make the effort to ask or offer how.
KL
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Modelers talking about hobby marketing are always eye-roller posts.
On one hand they think that model companies are all corporate giants with huge budgets and staffs for research, marketing, and advertising. In reality, most model companies are shoestring operations with 2 to 6 guys who do everything. Decisions are based on what the #1 guy likes and has convinced himself would sell enough to cover the cost to get the model he wants.
On the other hand, the true large (relatively) and successful companies like Tamiya and Revell are considered to be incompetent in running their business (despite decades of success) and are blind to the PATENTLY OBVIOUS techniques available that would EASILY allow them to sell hundreds of millions of model kits every year - IF THEY WOULD ONLY LISTEN!
If only the voices from the peanut gallery could provide a single scrap of specific documentary evidence to give them credibility. For example:
The number of model kits produced
A complete cost breakdown of model kit production
A company’s financial statement along with future projections
Sales data over time, or by market
I can’t say as I’ve seen any of these in 25+ years of viewing model forums and 20+ years of reading model publications before that. Yet the suggestions keep coming . . .
KL
Fail is not a noun, by the way.
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Ah. Okay. Thanks. That was 27 years ago. I would love to know what Tamiya sales figures look like today.
It’s okay, Mr. Laughlin. We’re just yakin.
Mr. Tamiya’s comment predates internet globalism, Amazon, Google, and a bunch of other revolutionary changes to how the world works. Therefore, as you wrote, the comment offers no insight into modern Tamiya sales figures.
We do know major craft chain stores in the United States like Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s, and Michael’s are not selling many Tamiya kits because they are not on the shelves and not in the corresponding internet stores. That begs the question, “Why?” Hobby Lobby used to sell many more Tamiya kits and continues to sell a goodly number of Ban Dai kits and Vallejo paints. What happened? How come Tamiya does not have a direct Amazon presence? I find those things curious.
A quick look at Amazon and HobbyLink listings for Tamiya kits demonstrates that they are popular and well regarded. Why is that not leveraged more heavily? By my reading, your post contains an underlying assumption that the Marketing and Sales people at Tamiya are doing the best they possibly can. I find that claim, or anything close to it, extremely dubious.
From the Cambridge Dictionary online:
Fail [noun] (informal): something that has been done very badly or gone completely wrong; a failure
In modern English, fail is regularly used in this manner. I suspect you already knew that.
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This for the US, not Japan.
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I was going to look that up next. 
Wow! They are way, way, way smaller than I thought!
I kinda feel like Tamiya is another potential LEGO. Back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, LEGO was struggling. They changed marketing focus, took on a bunch of franchise licenses, and became very successful. LEGO is a significantly bigger company than Tamiya. The Tamiya product line is very probably not as scalable, but I would bet money one of those billionaire marketing guys could massively increase those sales numbers. Some of the things they manage to pull off are really amazing.
Edit: According to the LEGO website, they had net sales of 1.96 billion US Dollars in 2021. According to Statistica, LEGO revenue was 147 million US Dollars in 2005 and 2 billion in 2021. That is an example of what a change in approach to marketing and sales can get you.
To be clear, I am not trying to suggest that model companies are run by a bunch of idiots as per an earlier post in this thread. I am wondering what would happen if a company like Tamiya, with a very good product line and reputation, were to become more aggressive with marketing and sales.
Sadly the inclusion of “fail” as a noun is a typical example of dictionary editors trying to be hip, trendy, and “down with the kids” by allowing slang to become established. “Epic fail” is not a correct use of the English language, even if the editors at Cambridge Dictionary think it makes them look as if they are in touch with trends…
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Tamiya kits also give you a lot of room to scratchbuild and add your own details. You can go as simple or complex as you like.
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In my opinion, you are incorrect. Only a dead language is immune to evolution. Living languages constantly change over time and English provides perhaps the best example of this process in action as as it slowly inches towards universal usage. An original King James Bible or play by Shakespeare demonstrates just how much English has changed over the past 500 years.
I very much do understand the desire to resist changes to English. In my opinion, many words now found in English dictionaries are stupid. However, I am not the final arbiter of the English language.
Queue Changes by Bowie…
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English has changed a lot less than for instance Swedish.
I have recently finished reading a book printed in 1822, original text is from 1780 something. The language was practically the same as today.
A 200 year old Swedish book would be much more difficult.