[HN Gopher] Tamiya chairman Shunsaku Tamiya dies at 90
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       Tamiya chairman Shunsaku Tamiya dies at 90
        
       Author : mbrd
       Score  : 15 points
       Date   : 2025-07-23 05:22 UTC (2 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.dailyexpress.com.my)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.dailyexpress.com.my)
        
       | mbrd wrote:
       | I've found scale modeling to be a very rewarding (and screen-
       | free) hobby since Covid times, and I've built more Tamiya kits
       | than any other manufacturer.
       | 
       | I've heard that Mr Tamiya was very hands-on in choosing their
       | topics for kits so it will be interesting to see how things
       | change. But what a company he built!
       | 
       | Edit: here is the official Tamiya announcement
       | https://www.tamiya.com/english/pressrelease/20250722/index.h...
        
         | aardvark179 wrote:
         | I have also found scale model building to be a deeply relaxing
         | hobby, and Tamiya kits are definitely some of the most
         | rewarding and pleasant to build. They also make superb tools
         | and paints which I would hate to be without.
        
           | rjray wrote:
           | I've been a modeler since very very young. I took a break
           | during college while getting my CS degree, but was drawn back
           | into it when I learned that there were local clubs (IPMS/USA
           | chapters) where I could meet other like-minded people and
           | learn how to up my game. I've been balancing this non-screen
           | hobby with being a professional dev for about 35 years, now.
           | It's a fantastic way to relax and take my mind off of code.
        
       | pryelluw wrote:
       | Tamiya was a big part of my childhood. It was also part of my
       | young adult years when I worked as a "mechanic" in a hobby shop.
       | 
       | Their assembly manuals have always been top notch. Giving me
       | hours of entertainment even after assembling the model. It was a
       | great introduction to systems design.
       | 
       | I've been wanting to get a re-release of the original
       | grasshopper. It's too cool to pass up.
        
         | lttlrck wrote:
         | Be sure to use NiCad batteries and a mechanical speed
         | controller for the true retro experience!
         | 
         | My best friend had a Hornet. I was so jealous.
        
           | pryelluw wrote:
           | I hated those mechanical speed controllers. Burned so many
           | that would pick them up for two at a time.
        
         | saltcured wrote:
         | After the Grasshopper, I went for the Big Wig. I guess I had a
         | fetish for all wheel drive systems long before I had a driver's
         | license.
         | 
         | But you know you had a serious problem when you started
         | ordering sealed ball bearing kits to replace the teflon
         | bushings in the drive-train. That's where my adolescent paper
         | route income went, instead of drinks or drugs...
        
       | m463 wrote:
       | I find it a little sad that hobby stores seem to have disappeared
       | from the landscape. As a kid I remember most towns usually had
       | numerous hobby stores, and nowadays they're either gone, or
       | something super generic like Michaels which isn't too different
       | from walmart or target.
       | 
       | That said, I'm surprised once in a while, like Yodobashi camera
       | in Japan, or some other specialty stores in akihabara etc which
       | feature lots of this.
       | 
       | any other must-see stores?
        
       | toomuchtodo wrote:
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamiya_Corporation
        
       | mthoms wrote:
       | I'll never forget my Tamiya Grasshopper (it was the most
       | affordable of their RC kits). I spent more time upgrading and
       | tweaking the thing than I did driving it, but I loved every
       | minute of it.
        
       | diggernet wrote:
       | I've got their R/C Flakpanzer Gepard in a box somewhere. It was
       | great fun to build and run, except maybe the part where you had
       | to assemble the tracks piece by piece.
       | 
       | Of course the old NiCad battery is long since dead. And R/C
       | frequencies have changed since then, so the controller and
       | receiver are probably useless. But from time to time I wonder
       | about what it would take to modernize and revive it.
       | 
       | https://tamiyabase.com/tamiya-models/56003
        
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       (page generated 2025-07-25 23:01 UTC)