Tamiya has revealed its new tooled 1/48 scale Bf109G-6 on Facebook. Before you start groaning at yet another Bf109 release take a look at the innovative approach Tamiya has taken with this release

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Saw the video - very clever but I'm still gonna groan - another 109 .

How about a state of the art 1/48 Hayabusa ? Right up there with the Zero in terms of importance- or a Babs ? Or a Nell ? The list goes on and on yet here we have another 109 - What's next ? I know - another P 51

How about completing the F-16 Line? Or add to the F-14 line? There are so many 109's available WWII modelers have virtually anything they can desire. The addition of the 1/48 scale armor (M1A2) is a waste in my opinion. 1/35 is not too large and there is a large following for the braille scale 1/72 already. Very disappointed.....

I like that the configuration of the cowling parts can be changed after assembly! Just wish that same was true for the canopy. It would be great if they would do the same for the 1/48th F-16! A 1/32nd F/A-18 would also be great in 48th and 1/32nd with these positionable after assembly features!

Hi Tim

Thanks for the News.

It looks a beauty! That is a clever idea - and some would say it needs a fresh twist like that to justify yet another Bf 109G in this scale. Against that, we have to remember that Tamiya haven't released a '109 since their Emil way back in the last century, so for one of the "majors" not to have a new-tool kit of what is amongst the popular aircraft modelling subjects ever just doesn't make sense marketing-wise.

I also wonder whether it's a prelude to a 1:32 super-kit to sit alongside their gorgeous Spitfire Mk.IX?...

Back to the current release - at least they've included a full engine bay and haven't done a ridiculous "non-transparent transparent fuselage" like on their otherwise excellent Ki-61.

All that remains to be seen is what price this innovation comes at? While the new kit will undoubtedly sell thanks to Tamiya's reputation alone, with Zvezda's and Eduard's excellent Gustavs already well established and covering the low- to middle-price areas of the market, it will have to placed competitively. It could be very interesting...

All the best

Rowan

I'll dogpile on this.

Good marketing sense?? Maybe. Not good sales sense. Congratulations Tamiya, you're competing with very good extant kits that are already in people's stash.

Like. Every company laser focuses on what their competition has already done, and done well. It's counter intuitive.

And this is to say nothing of the fact that NO ONE (doogsmodels notwithstanding) seems to think its even mildly strange that Nazi subjects are so disproportionately modelled?

And another thing! Ask almost anyone what they're favourite defunct kitmaker is? Classic Airframes. Nine times out of ten. What did CA make? The underepresented aircraft.

I can't blame the manufacturers for making what they feel will be a profitable product with broad market appeal. I have to believe that a giant like Tamiya has a top flight team studying what modelers want - it would be fascinating to see how they arrive at the choices they make.

Continuing- I built the Classic Airframes Claude some years ago - thoroughly enjoyed it and have recently built two of FineMolds initial Claude releases - white metal parts and all - and found them to be very similar to Classic Airframes.
FineMolds has recently issued two new tool Claudes and they are waiting in my stash . I would love to know how successful these new tool kit are for FineMolds - If they can do it why can't Tamiya ?

Oh I agree a lot of time and thought must go into it Rich. But the same could be said of New Coke and Edsel, time will probably prove it to be a good business decision though, I must concede. Still it's frustrating because if you aren't a Luftwaffe modeller a huge proportion of the new toolings are just like; "get with the program, build Luftwaffe"

But I don't wanna ! I find Luftwaffe dull and repetitive. Like, Tamiya could have done a new tool quarterscale F3F, or I-16 or G.50 or whatever less traditional or conventional choice and made money. At this point it's more about just how insanely good the kits are than anything. Why not Rich's Hayabusa?

It's just more and more Mustangs and Messerschmitts and then more again from every manufacturer until all we have is a menagerie of these lionized aircraft.

I'm going to go sand my Centauro...

This is exactly what Tamiya should be doing, and the naysayers are all wrong.

The ease of assembly is what goes hand in hand with the infinite variety of schemes, and there is more decals for this aircraft, and more variety of schemes, than for any other type. I agree that a Ki-43II would have been a good choice, but this one, the MOST produced fighter variant of all time, at 23 000, they simply HAD to do...

The Zvezda is a hard build, and the Eduard still has a lot of accuracy problems (even the corrected mould).

10-15 years ago, all Tamiya was doing was wasting our time with one-scheme dullards like the He-162, Do-335 or, worse yet, the J1N1 Irving (Good Lord!). Even their inaccurate bellied, thick-framed Fi-156, and the ugly Swordfish (not Tamiya's fault, but still, no one forced them to pick this one) were hardly inspiring stuff...

I, for one, am glad they have finally STOPPED with this oddball trash, and FINALY improved in accuracy, because even their P-47D was a long way off from an accurate canopy and fuselage... Their F4U, Ki-46 and now their Ki-61 were really flawless, and hopefully, despite the dud that was the Il-2, this 109G-6 will finally establish this trend for good...

Gaston

The addition of the 1/48 scale armor (M1A2) is one of the best kits released by Tamiya. It is filling a need in the market, and at the same time exploring an area of modelling still very much untapped i.e. 1/48 Modern Armour. If the success of the 1/48 Type 10 is anything to go ny

Are people tending to forget what market this kit is aimed at? It certainly isn’t aimed at the North American or European markets. Tamiya’s primary market is Japan and given that fact, why shouldn’t they release this kit?

I also applaud them for releasing the 48th scale Abrams. After the Type 10 it’s good to see them continuing with modern armour subjects. I hope it signals the release of more modern 48th kits.

Hi Matt

I think the Gustav is pretty much guaranteed to appeal to a worldwide market. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the price at HLJ because it can often work out much cheaper than the UK price (even after postage and customs charges).

Do I need another '109? - of course not! But, to misquote Mal "You can't have too many '109s!"

All the best

Rowan

Got some mixed feelings regarding this new Gustav.

I am a die hard Luftwaffe builder, and 109 I have a bunch so I should be happy with this news right? Not so

True that being a Tamiya-san baby means a troubleless, simple & straightforward assembly, plus overall detail and shape as state of the art.
The fact that seemingly one can interchange from an open engine view to a closed nose puts the kit above all other Gustavs out there.

Now, the price factor (I think it will be the most expensive 109 out there) and the fact that there are already such good models available (Eduard and Zvezda just to stay in this century offers) makes me consider a one off purchase alone, unlike the other aforementioned brands.

Above all, I would expect Tamiya to bring out stuff that has been neglected by the market, as they have done in the recent past and in fact in most of their 1/48 range.
Just one example if they wanted Luftwaffe, how about BV 138? Perhaps their return of investment wouldn’t be so good I guess, but hey! wasn’t their Heinkel 219 a bang for each yen they spent??

All said, I still have to agree with Rowan and others I read elsewhere, it will sell well because it is a 109 and it is Tamiya.

Great news,why would I ever say another 109,Mustang,Tiger,Panther,or Sherman.Let the manufacturers produce all the kits they want,the more the merrier.Choice is always good.

I would however would like to see them do a P-38

A 109 is OK but why a G-6 model? Why not a G-14, K-4 something a little later in the war tht's not been overdone? They also could redo the 1/48 Corsair with newer models and give an option for wings down, I avoid Tamiya's Corsairs because of the horrible in flight wings!---John

Is this a precursor to a 32-scale Messerschmidt?

I've never built a German or Japanese aircraft to date, but Tamiya's offering most likely will be my 1st.

Bill, "this a precursor to a 32-scale Messerschmidt?" I wouldn't hold my breath. Everyone has their wishlists, and even some like Doog has his convoluted theories, and so far no one has come close to what Tamiya has in store for us. We didn't even get the scale right this year as the -1D really can't be considered a completely new kit.

Joel