It's Official. Tamiya R34 Z-Tune.

Hobby Search and now HLJ (http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM24282)

I'm super excited about this release. Of course, I would!

so it's the same car as Aoshima made...right?

so it's the same car as Aoshima made...right?
its probably has better detail and fittings?

That remains to be seen but Nismo classifies the "Z-Tune" as the newer limited edition version that everyone has been seeing.

I hate to assume but it makes sense that it would be the new body style seeing as the "Z-Tune" is being released along with all the publicity. The Nismo R34 like the Aoshima one could have been made anytime in the past 2-3 years.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/3024730004-01.jpg

Does anyone know if it will be the new body style and not just a new hood etc?

Yet another Skyline. Tamiya make me sick.

Go Fujimi go !

I agree, tamiya needs a greater selection of cars, they make tons of the same car

It would at least be nice if they configured it to have an engine.

It would at least be nice if they configured it to have an engine.
Could´nt have said it any better myself

i guess i have anthor kit for the wish list.

It would at least be nice if they configured it to have an engine.

Yeah, I agree but I doubt it for the price.

well if it was "official" wouldnt there be somthing about it on the tamiya site? :confused: :screwy:

Go to the "TAMIYA NEWS: 44th Shizuoka Hobby Show" thread, click the link, scroll down down down and sort through the Japanese characters (they haven't updated the Shizuoka show on the English language site yet) and you see:

24282 ニスモR34 GT-R Zチューン【仮称】

Looks official to me?

I saw this car in Sport Compact Car, and admittedly, even though it's a Skyline, I immediately began thinking about how to convert my old, unstarted Tamiya R34 to it... now I won't have to! Count me in (hides).

as excited as i am, i'm tired of skylines, time for tamiya to realise that the people of the car modelling worrld want something new, if they relased the E46 M3 sales would be seeing a boost, they need to realise we all have plenty of skylines and we want something new, its time for improvement, so Mr. Tamiya, if you're reading GET WITH THE TIMES !!!

as excited as i am, i'm tired of skylines, time for tamiya to realise that the people of the car modelling worrld want something new, if they relased the E46 M3 sales would be seeing a boost, they need to realise we all have plenty of skylines and we want something new, its time for improvement, so Mr. Tamiya, if you're reading GET WITH THE TIMES !!!

i know what your saying, but i think that with this release they will for sure see sales increase, i know that i for one am excited to build it, but newer stuff would be cool too

i also think its a shame that tamiya spend time making the equipment for what are effectively re-runs with new tooling (i know it doesn't sound right but try to undertsand) they should focus on the things the customer wants and not what they want. we all want more detail, engines etc.. i mean, when i bought the 350z i was really excited that this was now something i was one step closer to owning (so what if its only a model) but no D-I-Y underside detail, not even steering front wheels (although i did modify the front axle to give me steering wheels!) if they put an engine in the z people would be buying loads of them, we'd be putting them in our skylines (wahey, boost skyline sales) we'd have full-detail R35/infiniti g35 (?) i, and i'm sure many of you want to see tamiya satisfy our cravings for detail and change, that's why i loved making trucks, you can put in so much detail, sorry tamiya but face it, Aoshima's on a roll and tamiya's trailing slowly in their wake of new kits, dont you guys want more ? i know i do

Yet another Skyline. Tamiya make me sick.

Go Fujimi go !
Ditto. C'mon Tamiya - enough is enough!

Better idea, Tamiya. Slash the price of the R34 GTR kit and include ALL of the parts you've issued the kit with.

That means the wheels and body bits for the GTR, the V-Spec, and now the Z Tune. Put all the parts in one box and drop the price down from THIRTY BLOODY DOLLARS and you'll have some sales.

$30? In what currency? I'm paying less than $20US for my Z-Tunes.

now that I think about it I've never seen an Aoshima model with engine detail. They're probably out there, but I haven't seen a single one...

Well.....the MCR GT-R and the 2 drift Cefiros are out. Can't wait for my MCR!

Just about any Tamiya kit whose tooling is less than 7 years old is priced at about $30USD in local hobby shops, and usually at $35+ in chain hobby shops like Hobbytown USA.

great news... i guess. though still waiting for some official pics.

Just about any Tamiya kit whose tooling is less than 7 years old is priced at about $30USD in local hobby shops, and usually at $35+ in chain hobby shops like Hobbytown USA.

Ah. I think everyone knows that HobbyTown USA is a rip off.

I would talk to your LHS about the older kits. To them, they paid what they paid regardless of how old. Maybe you can convince them of a sale if they marked the older kits down?

It's not so much Tamiya's fault as it is part of the business since LHS' go through a distributor. By the time the kits hit the shelves in the US they have 2 middle men mark ups. Fortunately, my LHS only makes a dollar or two off Tamiya and Aoshima kits. Fujimi seems to be the most outrageous.

This makes overseas shops more desirable. Though you don't get instant gratification you get the newest kits before any shop in the US and for a cheaper price.

Usually the older Tamiya stuff is marked down (picked up the Tamiya Jaguar XJ220 for about $22 the other day) and my local hobby shop has a hard time getting their hands on Aoshima and Fujimi stuff.

In fact, most of their Fujimi stock is old stuff from the MRC days.

Pretty much, if it's a Japanese kit, and it's not Hasegawa or Tamiya, it'll be a pain to get from my local hobby shop. But, I still buy my kits primarily from them, because I want my local hobby shop to stay in business.

And, let's face facts, Tamiya has a much higher MSRP on their kits than most other companies. In fact, the only company I can think of whose MSRP's are consistently on Tamiya's level is Hasegawa, and Hasegawa is a company on par with Tamiya (higher, in fact, when you average out the past 4 years of new Tamiya kits against Hasegawa's).

Quite frankly, kits like the 350Z, the WRX, and even the R34 GTR range shouldn't be cracking the $20 mark even at the hobby shops. They simply don't merit the price when Revell can offer superior detail (and even in some cases accuracy) for $5-10 less.

Usually the older Tamiya stuff is marked down (picked up the Tamiya Jaguar XJ220 for about $22 the other day) and my local hobby shop has a hard time getting their hands on Aoshima and Fujimi stuff.

In fact, most of their Fujimi stock is old stuff from the MRC days.

Pretty much, if it's a Japanese kit, and it's not Hasegawa or Tamiya, it'll be a pain to get from my local hobby shop. But, I still buy my kits primarily from them, because I want my local hobby shop to stay in business.

And, let's face facts, Tamiya has a much higher MSRP on their kits than most other companies. In fact, the only company I can think of whose MSRP's are consistently on Tamiya's level is Hasegawa, and Hasegawa is a company on par with Tamiya (higher, in fact, when you average out the past 4 years of new Tamiya kits against Hasegawa's).

Quite frankly, kits like the 350Z, the WRX, and even the R34 GTR range shouldn't be cracking the $20 mark even at the hobby shops. They simply don't merit the price when Revell can offer superior detail (and even in some cases accuracy) for $5-10 less.

Tamiya Japanese MSRPs in Japan yen is not really outrageous. Lately, the prices have come up a little, but it's usually for fantastic kits. Many kits are available from Japan for less than 2000 yen. That's about $19 USD. Not much more then a Revell kit. And I find the tooling is much better then Revell, along with additional perks such as realistic rubber tires and crisper details (even if sometimes the details are wrong, it still looks good). Revell's tuner cars are somewhat a step in the right direction, but still fall short. Their offering of 4 sets of rims at first had me very excited... but then I reallized that the rubber is basically a rubber band and you only get one set of rubber.

Anyway... considering cost. A Japanese kit will cost at least $10 more than the similar American kit. It works the same way the other way... American kits cost much more in Japan... just look at HS's "Import" listing some time.

A good example to look at is the Aoshima Bomex Supra and the AMT FatF Supra... it's the same kit (same tooling, etc). The AMT costs more than the Aoshima in Japan, and the Aoshima cost more then the AMT in America.

Do you guys realize the MSRP in yen is printed on the boxes of most of the Japanese kits?

It's flat-out painful to pick up a kit, see that MSRP, do a quick currency conversion in your head, then look at the shop's price tag... :(

But you gotta pay the boat drivers....

It's easy to slaugh off on Tamiya, but I think it is unfair. Sure they cost more, but they are better. Fortunately they have an American arm, and better distributors than Fujimi and Aoshima, and are able to cash in on us and not charge the insane prices the other Japanese companies do. And Revell, while perfectly adaquate, is not to be lauded for their kits. Their moldings are always too soft for me to group them among good manifacturers. When resin kits have crisper details than your plastic, it's time to think about what you're doing. And the tuner series is especially deficient - no stock size rims or tires or in some kits, no stock looking rims and in other kits, no stock bumpers.... And when you begin to look at it closely, they share the seats between the Integra and the Civic kits - parts that don't look at all the same between the two cars! And add to that the miserable wheel mounting, well, you have kits that are a great starting point because they are the only starting point.

Blah blah Tamiya doesn't make a lot of kits, whatever. Nothing we can do about it. You could protest by not buying the kits they do make, but figure, that might contribute to their notion that auto kits don't sell so let's not make any. Blah blah Tamiya kits are expensive. Yeah, like it's been said, you gotta ship 'em and distribute 'em. They are not domestic. Blah blah Tamiya kits are becoming simplified and that's unnacceptable. They are probably doing that to woo new modelers in with simple kits that look great done, wait, didn't we laud Revell for making tuner kits to woo new modelers, and let them slide for this and that mistake in liu of it? Enough with the double stardard.

A KIT IS A KIT. BUY IT OR NOT.

I am getting the Z-tune. Do what you like.

I have no problem with Tamiya simplifying their kits to bring in new modelers. I DO have a problem with simplification not coming at a lower price.

Heck, Tamiya had it worked out back in the 80's with the Snap-Loc series. Decent detail. Good accuracy. Neat subject matter. Low price. Easy assembly.

Well, they decided when tooling up the WRX to go back to Snap-Loc style kits. Problem is that for the same price as the Snap-Loc level WRX you can get their Toyota GT-One TSO20 kit!

Therein lies the problem. $8 kits for $40. Tamiya wonders why their model car kit range is in a sales slump?

As for Revell, yes the Honda/Acura kits have been off the mark as far as accuracy is concerned (and many find the "tuner" parts a little dated) but they've been a hit with rookie/newbie builders because of there being a ton of options in the box and because you can pick them up at Walmart for $8 and some change.

Revell's fit and finish varies with the age and popularity of the tooling. Revell kits tooled up between 1992 and 2002 tend to be the best, especially examples like the 1969 Dodge Dart GTS and 1966 Pontiac GTO. However, some of their more aged tooling (like two 60's era vintage kits they reissued recently, the Miss Deal Studebaker funny car or the '31 Ford Model A Vickie) have so many tiny pieces and so much flash that it's near impossible to put them together box stock without a supply of fresh #11 blades, 20 flexi-files, and your pin vise.

I still stand by my stance that when Tamiya makes an excellent kit at a high price (like the Enzo or Carrera GT) it's 100% warranted, but too much money is charged for too many mediocre kits to offset the value of the higher level kits.

It would at least be nice if they configured it to have an engine.

+1. I'm losing interest quick in not being able to really see the interior or under the hood detail on my models without having to fabricate and kit bash. Would it be that difficult to mold the kit with an open hood and slap the RB26 engine parts tree in the kit for "advanced" modelers?

I'll buy the Z-tune kit, but I still hope for more from Tamiya, because we all know what they are capable of (reference R32 GTR).

I'll buy the Z-tune kit, but I still hope for more from Tamiya, because we all know what they are capable of (reference R32 GTR).
Me too. I have to support my hobby.:)

Do you guys realize the MSRP in yen is printed on the boxes of most of the Japanese kits?

It's flat-out painful to pick up a kit, see that MSRP, do a quick currency conversion in your head, then look at the shop's price tag... :(


thats why i always buy from Hobbylink Japan rather than my local model shop :)

bought Porsche Carrera GT MSRP 2800yen - paid 3700yen(5% discount) including postage from hobbylink which comes to £19 GBP, my local hobbyshop charged £36 GBP for it

Its that attitude thas gonna kill this hobby.Is it really that much chaper by the time you pay shipping?If 5 bucks is that big of a deal you probably should choose a cheaper hobby.

Its that attitude thas gonna kill this hobby.Is it really that much chaper by the time you pay shipping?If 5 bucks is that big of a deal you probably should choose a cheaper hobby.

That could be true, but those 5 bucks could be the difference between buying a detail kit or not. The way a lot of kits are nowadays, a detail kit is almost a necessity.

Business is business. If store has to rely on the sympathy of a few frequent customers, the business will be doomed for sure. There're a number of ways to improve business, and those who're willing to try new and clever approache can stay in business.

Yeah,But How Many "Hands" Does The Kit At Your LHS Have To Go Through
Before It Makes It To The Shelf?. It's Not The Guy Who Owns The Shop
Who Make's All The Money,It's The Wholesalers,Importers Who Cause
The High Price! HLJ Is Great! But At $20-30 A Kit And The Shipping Can
Sometimes Be As Much As The Kit! That's $40-60 So That $50 Kit At The LHS That
You Don't Have To Wait For May Not Be So Bad.
Sorry For The Rant,I Have Friends That Own Shops And I've Seen What
They Go Through, And Most Of Them Barely Keep The Doors Open.
I Buy Kits Of Ebay And From HLJ,Just Don't Forget The Hobby Shop

There's a line between supporting your LHS and being smart with your money. Fortunately, my LHS has awesome prices for Aoshima and Tamiya kits but I'll never buy a Fujimi kit from them. The mark up is huge compared to HLJ and others. I mostly buy kits I didn't need right away, discontinued kits and wheels. I support my LHS exclusively in my purchasing of paint and supplies.

The reason I spend more with Hobby World is because they give you credits (usually in Y500 increments) to use on future purchases. I got my MCR GT-R's for a good price and received them in 3 days. Doesn't get much better than that.

As far as wait time. That's up to the buyer. I personally hate waiting for new kits to filter through distributors.

I have a nice example :D :
I buy all of my kits at hlj, although I'm not a really big buyer with 5-6 kits a year. Lately I purchased the Tamiya Nissan Skyline V-Spec II. It cost me 13,45 Euro's including shipment. I could buy it in my LHS here in Holland for... 27,50 Euro's!!! Same for the Tamiya Enzo: 29,5 Euro's from hlj including shipment. 45 Euro's in the LHS. There's no way I'm gonna pay twice as much just to support my LHS or importer or whatever.

Hobby tools, paint and some detailing stuff like styrene are plenty available at my LHS. So I always buy that stuff there. Though lots of detail stuff like PE and CF decals aren't availabe. I think lots of LHS's should be wise and start focussing at hobby material rather then kits. More and more people get their kits elsewhere. The LHS's simple can't compete with places like hlj.

back to the topic... official pics came out...
http://www.tamiya.com/japan/hobbyshow/kaijousokuhou/photo/408.jpg
http://www.tamiya.com/japan/hobbyshow/kaijousokuhou/photo/408_2.jpg

and photo etching...
http://www.tamiya.com/japan/hobbyshow/kaijousokuhou/photo/409.jpg

definitely will buy one. :)

Eventually you will have no place to buy supplies and such because all the real stores will close.I just love ordering a bottle of paint Im out of and waiting a week.

Helloooooo!!! Tamiya!!!!

Mercedes CLS AMG, weird SLR F1, New SLK AMG?
BMW M3, M6 or even series 1? please consider also the M5 grrrr!!!
Maserati Quattroporte?
Aston vantage V8, vanquish or DB9? or even DBR9????
Ferrari 550GT LM, F430?
Noble M14?
Or even the new Morgan coupe?

Can we get more variety please?

Andrian aka spymaker

Okay, those pictures sold me. I'm getting one:)

>LS1Aaron

That's when someone else with a better business prospect will start a shop. As long as the demand exists, there will be supply. That's another principle of business. So, don't worry too much about it.

Back to the topic, obviously, the sprue for the wheels and brake disk parts are new, and am I seeing the concave LM-GT4 rear wheels, or is it just my imagination?

As I said before, yet an other Skyline. :disappoin

I reserve my Money for Fujimi this time.

Awseome job on the Z-Tune, Tamiya!

Everyone here on AF.com. Just remember who put the correct LMGT4 on a Nismo Skyline first because it looks like they finally got it right. LOL

Hobby shops are a pretty niche business, and they have to be careful not to focus too narrowly or they will suffer. My hobby shop does the vast majority of its business in building and repairing RC for customers, and selling RC cars, parts and equipment. Whenever I go in there, I am the only person of a half dozen customers that even goes into the plastic car section. That's how they keep afloat. I get all my Tamiya Acryls and styrene supplies there (I get a lot of that stuff) but they don't carry Tamiya sprays and do not carry many cars that I want. So, I get all that stuff mail order. And sometimes at Hobby Lobby half off. Hell, the shop owner goes to the half off sales! Them's the berries. He knows where to make money off his business, where his competition is, and where he won't make much, and has adjusted accordingly, and is doing well. If HLJ is really that much of a threat, then someone is doing something wrong.

The kit looks very promising. I've pre-ordered one for HW, which is rare for me, as I get most Tamiya kits locally. Wheels look great; no more harvesting Xanavi GT-R's for better LMGT4's. Plus the body with the hood and the front fender flares look good, too. P/E parts look nice as well.

Why hasn't this kit shown up on HLJ yet? I've seen it on 1999.co.jp, already. Just curious. Probably won't order this one from overseas, anyway, I'm guessing it will be fairly common here. Could probably get it during a Hobby Lobby sale.

eh? Are you referring to the Z-Tune? It's been on HLJ for a while now. They had the Early Bird but it seems that's no longer available.

Damn, I missed it then.

I reckon so. Very official. Unless something unfortunate happnes to the mold.
http://www.hobby.co.jp/hobby_show/japan/pla/173.jpg
http://www.hobby.co.jp/hobby_show/japan/pla/172.jpg


Frank X.

is this Z-tune a limited run from tamiya like the NSX type R?

i hope not

Looks like Aoshima is making one also. http://www.hlj.com/product/AOS03620

Aoshima Z-Tune is out right now!
http://www.1999.co.jp/asp/GoodsDetails_e.asp?Bno=&It_c=10044472&Typ1_c=102&Typ2_c=106&Typ3_c=118&Spage=1&SC=0&app_url=top_right102_e.asp

I saw that on hobbsearch the other day.. i'll wait for the Tamiya one..

I am pretty excited about it though. I just watched the Best Motoring Video with the Z-Tune.. it's a damn awesome beast.

why the hell do they make a photo etch set seperately?
couldn't they just add it to the kit to make it a bit more attractive to buy it?
:2cents:

why the hell do they make a photo etch set seperately?
couldn't they just add it to the kit to make it a bit more attractive to buy it?
:2cents:

That would be nice.. but i'm sure we all know the answer to your question..

http://bhop73.com/stuff/money-stacked.jpg

Aoshima never got the proportions of the Skyline right, if you ask me.

that aoshima kit is the same as the previous z tune with the exception of the fender flares. The only difference is that you don't get the nismo decals to go with it. :frown: