Tamiya Aston Martin DBS - discontinued?

[exhaust smoke]

I just browsed through Hobby Link Japan's website and it is showing that Tamiya's Aston Martin DBS kit is discontinued.

Have I missed something, or are Tamiya going to release a better version, as this kit has not been out that long?

[star21]

Maybe Tamiya was only licensed to do a certain number of kits, they might've had the licensing rights for only a certain period of time, or like you said they might be re-tooling the kit? Either way it's sad to hear. If you really need one though I'm sure other shops may still have them, like Hobby Search: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10111278

[exhaust smoke]

It does seem a shame. I have purchased one already, but because it is quite an expensive kit, some modellers have to save for a while in order to afford one, now BANG, it's not available anymore (at least through HLJ).

Let's hope that Tamiya have something up their sleeves.

[indy_231]

Still loads available on eBay.

One kit which did disappear quickly was the Fujimi 458!

[drunken monkey]

They don't produce kits continuously.
The standard practice is to have a scheduled production run. It is likely that "discontinued" only means that the current run is finished.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by indy_231

Still loads available on eBay.

One kit which did disappear quickly was the Fujimi 458!

It's not been discontinued, and I don't follow kit sales via Ebay; I can find reputable sources for kits without ever needing to purchase via Ebay or deal with Ebay. I cannot fathom why any builder would now buy a Fujimi Italia with the Revell kit available. The Revell kit is a far better model...regardless of the fact that it's much cheaper (at least in Europe or the US), and also regardless that it has full detail inside/out. Fujimi really punted on the Italia...rushed it to production, but they weren't shy about pricing it as if it was a quality kit. My Fujimi Italia looks decent, but the Revell kit is so much more satisfying to build and detail. Comparisons between Revell's rough 360's vs. Tamiya's 360, or Revell's F430 vs. Fujimi's just don't stand up this time. Revell greatly improved their game w/the Italia...Fujimi greatly reduced kit design/quality with their 458 vs. their F430's and Scuderia. It's going to take awhile for builders to come to grips or acknowledge the fact that Fujimi quality is going down, while Revell's is improving dramatically. People complain the US retail of the Aston Martin kit is $71, yet it is viewed as an excellent model. The US retail of Fujimi's Ferrari 458 disaster is about $68. Most online places that discount have the Aston for less than the 458. In Japan the price of the Tamiya Aston Martin is the same as Fujimi's 458, both at 3800 yen. That is a complete joke. Fujimi should be ashamed of that nonsense

[indy_231]

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

It's not been discontinued, and I don't follow kit sales via Ebay; I can find reputable sources for kits without ever needing to purchase via Ebay or deal with Ebay. I cannot fathom why any builder would now buy a Fujimi Italia with the Revell kit available. The Revell kit is a far better model...regardless of the fact that it's much cheaper (at least in Europe or the US), and also regardless that it has full detail inside/out. Fujimi really punted on the Italia...rushed it to production, but they weren't shy about pricing it as if it was a quality kit. My Fujimi Italia looks decent, but the Revell kit is so much more satisfying to build and detail. Comparisons between Revell's rough 360's vs. Tamiya's 360, or Revell's F430 vs. Fujimi's just don't stand up this time. Revell greatly improved their game w/the Italia...Fujimi greatly reduced kit design/quality with their 458 vs. their F430's and Scuderia. It's going to take awhile for builders to come to grips or acknowledge the fact that Fujimi quality is going down, while Revell's is improving dramatically. People complain the US retail of the Aston Martin kit is $71, yet it is viewed as an excellent model. The US retail of Fujimi's Ferrari 458 disaster is about $68. Most online places that discount have the Aston for less than the 458. In Japan the price of the Tamiya Aston Martin is the same as Fujimi's 458, both at 3800 yen. That is a complete joke. Fujimi should be ashamed of that nonsense

I know that you always go on about the Revell being better than the Fujimi and I agree with you.

All I was saying is that the Fujimi 458 seems to have disappeared off the shelves really quickly. I made my mate buy a Revell 458 today, and I am pretty jealous! I'm still relatively new to modelling, so I'm not good at all at making "a revell look better" in terms of the brakes and wheels/tyres. I really like models to look good on display and I think personally that once built the Fujimi looks better on display (just my opinion) purely because of the brakes and wheels, but I do agree the Revell will be more fun to build. For this reason I'll buy a Revell 458 in the near future and have a go at that one aswel.

As for purchasing off of eBay, that's where I buy most my kits, as I always use PayPal to purchase. It's also difficult to find anything Fujimi or Aoshima in shops in the U.K.

Also, prices are much greater in shops than on eBay as you can usually import kits from Hong Kong etc.

I treat eBay just like a normal store, which is what it is. I buy my kits from sellers with eBay stores. They are no different than purchasing from places such as HobbyLink etc.



EDIT: I've just looked through your album and the Revell wheels and tyres really aren't that bad, so yeah I'll concede now, I wish I held out for the Revell! I'm not fussed though will be nice to have two different 458's on display!