About twenty years ago a Harbor Freight near me somehow acquired a very large number of Eastern Express kits. I bought them out and resold most of them. Some sort of KV flamethrower tank. I still have a couple but it’s hot AF in the MSF (Model Storage Facility, otherwise known as my garage) so I’m not going to go look.
I find it interesting that JoAnns carries kits. I may have to take a look next time I’m there…
I think “za” was 1980s slang.
I heard it, but very infrequently.
I will put this in the folder with other situations where various groups or individuals say that other parties “should listen to our input.” Almost without exception, the petitioner is later upset and disappointed that the other parties keep doing what they did originally. It’s clear that petitioners believe “listen to me” and “hear what I’m saying” actually mean “Give me what I’m demanding.”
Yes, companies should “listen” to their customers, and it’s fine to try to learn how the business is run, but the public should remember that the company is under no obligation to disclose or explain their business practices, decisions, or plans to random strangers. Customers should also remember that “Thank you for your letter” is a complete and appropriate response to outsiders trying to tell them “better” ways to run their business. Total indifference and silence is likewise acceptable, by the way.
KL
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Was it only KVs? You didn’t happen to buy any BTR-Ds, did you?
KL
They dont all,our Joanns has no kits of any kind.
Well, yes. Of course. That is the nature of life as a member of a gregarious species. People ask for things they want. When they do not get them, they ask louder. When they still do not get what they want, some people take matters into their own hands, some people resign themselves to never getting what they want, some people get mad, and some people even become violent. Some people express their desires courteously. Some people are crude. Some people are patient. Some people are impatient. Some people understand business and economics. Some people do not. Some desires are reasonable. Some are crazy. So on. So on. So on.
When dealing with an ignorant person, one can try to respectfully provide information and cure the ignorance, one can walk away, or one can mock the ignorant person and write him or her off.
In my opinion, you are in the latter group. You decided the conclusion of this conversation before it even started. You disrespectfully wrote us all off in your very first post and have continued to disrespectfully write us off in every post since. That makes me very sad because I know you are a well regarded researcher and writer in model circles. I have personally benefited from information you provided on a few dozen occasions and have zero desire to upset you.
What happened to make you so bellicose?
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We have had the discussions about why did/didn’t or doesn’t manufacturer X make kit Y
for any number of combinations of manufacturers and objects.
After a while it comes down to: Their money & Their investment decisions.
We are a subgroup of a larger market and I am a very small minority of that minority
who would be extremely happy to see kits of Swedish armour and trucks, old and new.
I am fully aware that the big manufacturers couldn’t care less about my wants and needs.
It is what it is …
Only the KV’s. Only God know how they ended up with at least thirty of them. I even checked other locations to see if they had anything.
We were using “za” as slang forty years ago when I was an undergrad on Long Island. Like most slang it goes in and out of fashion - especially once your uncool parents start using it!
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Let’s look at things as being on a continuum of possibility. At one end, let’s say, is the possibility of your actions influencing the growth of your houseplants, and on the other is the possibility of you influencing Putin to leave Ukraine. Between those two endpoints are your efforts toward influencing Tamiya to correct their “severe marketing fail”, as you described it. You apparently think that situation is closer to the houseplant scenario on the continuum than I do. Much closer.
I am not obligated to be a cheerleader for people on this forum. I am not obligated to be silent, either. Life experience provides people the ability in various areas to appraise situations and determine their feasibility quite quickly, even if they have not tried to process the situation personally. In this case I am very confident in my appraisal that your efforts will be for naught I only mention it because my eternal optimism makes me think that people want to know that something is a waste of time beforehand.
But don’t just take my word for it. Has anyone in this thread said anything that provides even an inkling of hope that you might succeed? Are they writing you off as well?
I guess the bigger question is, Why do you care what I think? That’s a question you should answer for yourself, not me.
And with regard to dealing with the ignorant, is the world obligated to keep informing them ad infinitum? Are we to dismiss deliberate, obstinate, irrational rejection of the information by the ignorant and assume we just aren’t doing enough or aren’t doing it right? Must we blame ourselves when a full day of discussion and teaching has gone by yet we have not convinced the can of yams on our counter to fill out an application for Harvard?
KL
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Ach du Lieber Gott im Himmel…hier ist etwas echt TOTAL verrueckt!!!
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Well this thread has woven itself into quite a fabric -
Warps and wefts spinning off tangentially in many directions - grammar , language evolution, the merits of dead languages, evaluation of perception intelligence . I for one generally don’t mind these side journeys- lots of food for thought .
But maybe it’s time to let this one rest gents .
All have made valid points.
Cheers- RT
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I forgot one thing.
I’m not upset. Your words have created no negative effect on me, at all. I’m also not being aggressive, or itching for a fight. I just write what I think.
It’s incredible - to me, at least - how often people assume that someone is perpetually angry, aggrieved, snarling, and foaming at the mouth simply because they dare to follow up after someone responds to them. I guess that’s our world these days: Any discussion that goes on for more than 10 minutes must be between two irrational people, because once a meme or gif is posted, how can there be anything left to say?
KL
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As I stated before, my comment about a severe marketing fail was predicated on a anecdote that happened 27 years ago. I cannot find any numbers for Tamiya worldwide revenue over time. No one else has posted such numbers. Therefore, I cannot know how Tamiya sales did or did not grow over the last 27 years. Therefore, I cannot know if Tamiya marketing and sales in the United States are or are not a fail. I most certainly can wonder why Tamiya models do not appear in larger numbers on the shelves, and on the internet sites, of major craft stores. I can also wonder how the purchasing process for those large stores works. I can also wonder if and how the people at Tamiya sell their products to the education sector.
At no point have I stated that I have any desire to, or hope of, significantly influencing anyone at Tamiya. I do believe that people at model companies like Tamiya pay attention to model builder sentiments, in aggregate, as well as sales figures. I also believe such information partially influences design and production decisions.
Therefore, individual model builders have an interest in making their opinions known in forums such as this one, because their feedback becomes part of the collective aggregate and may ultimately result in a positive outcome for the model builder. This happens in similar fashion to the way individual votes influence an election involving millions of voters.
Further, a particularly eloquent, influential, and/or persistent person can have a far larger affect on such decisions than a normal person. This happens constantly in many venues, especially politics.
If it were within my power to make model building a more popular hobby, and building historically and technologically significant subjects a larger part of education, I would do so. Given my current situation, I am extremely dubious such a thing is possible, but to quote Debbie Harry, Dreaming is Free.
Your initial reply to my comment about Tamiya’s marketing was very disrespectful and dismissive. Since I know your are knowledgeable on a number of model related subjects, and since I wish to learn about those subjects, I was hoping to turn that around, reach some kind of accord, and make a useful friend. I was also trying to diffuse some of the disagreement in this thread. Obviously, those things did not work and I will now leave.
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I suppose they could but like mentioned above it’s probably not worth the expense. In addition to that, if they sold direct then they would have to absorb the shipping and tariffs etc. instead there’s I think 2 to 3 main importers they work with.
As far as their agreements for other departments, I know there’s obviously a few but I couldn’t speak with a lot of authority as I don’t know the brands. As far that bulk purchase scenario, I’m sure their buyers watch for local/regional and national bankruptcy where it makes sense, it’s certainly a one off type thing.
As far as the LHS, gas costs etc, if I can get what I want paying gas vs shipping then I’ll choose to keep my money in my home town. I’ll order from Sprue Brothers since I’m originally from the KCMO area and they are just outside of town.
And to clarify, I’m strictly in the middle class. Modeling is a luxury so I am careful with my purchases. I just hate the mentality of the big chains that deliberately target small businesses w lower prices, drive those mom and pops out, then raise prices (I won’t name names but one rhymes w Dalmart). Can I find Tamiya’s new F4 cheaper than $100? Certainly but I’ll pay a bit more to my local store in Billings MT, Central Hobbies cause they are the only one around in about 3 states. But they support the local modeling club etc and are great service wise so I do what I can.
Case in point, there is a locally owned gun shop that I bought 2 long guns and 1 pistol from. I volunteer for a non profit that does a banquet w guns as prizes, we look for help on the transfer. He did it once and said it was too much a bother to help. Yet Cabelas since 2 employees and is glad to help. Guess where I bought my last gun, and guess where we direct our guest too and guess who we don’t recommend…
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Speaking of Cabela’s - I went there today to puchase large Magnum pistol primers. Of course they’re still sold out. But they had the exact same little ammo cases for my reloads that Acadamy Sports has - for almost twice the price!
Passed on these “deals” from a hobby shop visit this week.
Reminded me of why having a fat stash is a very good thing.
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Sigh. Regarding the original question I don’t give a flying whatever. Nothing we think or say matters, Tamiya will do what it does & we’ll either love it or hate it. The End.
As for use of English that’s a far more interesting subject. For those of us over say 60 we were schooled (hopefully) in how to read/write proper. Ahem. Our parents & grandparents were horrified at the short-cuts & slang we used in our youth compared to their semi-Edwardian education. It pains me to admit it, but a living language can and will accept infinite variations, modifications, new slang etc., otherwise the language dies. I loath the trend towards nouns becoming verbs e.g to medal i.e. to win a medal, and many other abuses of what I was taught to be good grammar/spelling, but it’s unstoppable and who knows, maybe good? I’ll go to my grave fighting it but it’s a lost cause and I know it.
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‘properly’
or
‘proper English’
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LOL! Tamiya is just gonna tamiya… (That one was for the grammar guys!)
The company is absolutely capable of designing and producing “1000 part monstrosity” armor kits, but they choose not to. As evidence of their ability, you only have to look at a couple of their larger scale motorcycle, race car or aircraft kits or some of their ship kits.
And as much as I would wish that they would put their considerable skills and talents towards making armor kits as detailed as they do with many kits of other subjects, as Kurt noted in the first post, you do know what to expect with one of Tamiya’s armor kits when you open the box.
We can speculate all day long about why Tamiya doesn’t make armor kits like they make, say, their super detailed large scale auto kits, but in the end…
Tamiya’s just gonna tamiya.
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