Who,s going to make the f1 cars for the 2014 season

[Seiiki]

... I was interesting in the Red Bull until I saw the price (close to $100 at my local hobby shop). ...

What!?! That much in the States!?! The RB6 is selling for about US$55 at hobby shops here in Japan -- and I thought that was expensive..!

I'd buy a 2014 Williams kit... Ticks enough boxes for me...

Me too. I'd welcome a Williams. I'll buy this rumored Tamiya F14T if they make it. But I've already got a meter high stack of Fujimi Ferraris to build.

Chris

Chris, you shouldn't be 'that' surprised. A typical Tamiya kit is often twice the price in USD or CAD from the retail Japanese price on the box. After the shipping, freight, customs and of course the markup. They are passed onto the customer. My local hobby shop in Canada charged about $110 CAD for that exact kit. Luckily, I got about half on store credit so it didn't bite me quite as hard. That's why living in Japan, you got the luxury of the early release and the best price available.

[Eagle50]

Are any of these 2014 models still available for purchase in the UK or have I missed the boat?

Thanks guys!

Just about everyone missed the boat with AMC's 2014 FW36, Tyrone. AMC had to stop making the FW36 pretty darn quick -- probably after producing just one lot -- after they got a cease and desist letter from a company whose er.., initials are, um.., "Williams". It's a beautiful kit -- I've seen two built at hobby shows here. But the few who grabbed one, in the few weeks it was on sale, probably aren't going to part with theirs now.

Chris, you shouldn't be 'that' surprised. A typical Tamiya kit is often twice the price in USD or CAD from the retail Japanese price on the box. After the shipping, freight, customs and of course the markup. They are passed onto the customer. ...

I stand humbled, Canice. I just thought that plastic kits cost roughly the same everywhere, with the freight and customs offset by a lower wholesale price overseas, so that the product still sells. You know, like the way computers, cellphones and electronics generally cost about the same in any country (that I've been to). I know that 1/24 Revell kits cost two to three times here in Japan, what they do in Europe, but that's to be expected with the way Japanese customers are gouged for anything "foreign and exotic".

Back to the thread topic (kind of): who's going to make a 2016 car first? I'd love to see this year's Merc in 1/20 plastic!

Cheers, Chris

[JM]

What a horrible thought. Cars that are so ugly that they shouldn't be allowed to exist and now you want them to reappear in a miniature form:

I'm absolutely with you Orso. Well said.
But then - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So all of you who like these modern cars - please don't feel offended.

[lezdep]

Ebbro has posted photos of MP4/31 prototype early this year. No word since, if they will actually go ahead with production.
But there is hope. Beside that, nothing else I am aware of in plastic.

In resin, who knows. Most of the kits in resin are not licensed now and sold "below the radar".

[Blue]

wonder if Tamiya are also going to wake up and stop re-releasing old kits and make some new f1 cars for a change think the last kit was the f2001 apart from the rb6 and the rb6 is almost 4 years old fujimi has been killing Tamiya in sales the all the cars they have available

Well its 2024 and the only new F1 car I know of that they made was this. The Vettel/Raikkonen Ferrari from 2017. Its rare and pricey. $360. Why not a Max Verstappen Red Bull or Leclerc Ferrari for $70

[tubegenius]

The Tamiya Ferrari F60 is about the only thing you'll find for $70 that is kind of in the "modern era".

[lezdep]

Yes, why no F1 championship winning car with Japanese engine ?
Why no F1 car with Japanese driver and Japanese engine ?
Is F1 so unpopular in Japan nowadays ? Many questions, no answers

[steinietrabi]

It's the old tiresome topic...
incredibly high tool prices, licenses and so on...

I don't think it's really lucrative for the manufacturers Tamiya and Co at the moment.

[SBEST]

It's the old tiresome topic...
incredibly high tool prices, licenses and so on...

I don't think it's really lucrative for the manufacturers Tamiya and Co at the moment.

I agree. If Tamiya is not doing it they have done the research to determine it is not a value proposition.

[stubeck]

Yes, why no F1 championship winning car with Japanese engine ?
Why no F1 car with Japanese driver and Japanese engine ?
Is F1 so unpopular in Japan nowadays ? Many questions, no answers

It isn't as popular in Japan, unfortunately. When I went in April I saw far fewer plastic model kits, and far far fewer F1 then I did in 2019. Even military kits were decreased.

We saw a similar run of history with the Williams FW24 kit that we saw with the Red Bull RB6 and the Ferrari SF70H. Once a kit is released and isn't a blockbuster, Tamiya takes a step back for a while. The heyday of kits having minor changes (looking at you Lotus 102B/C/D) and being inexpensive isn't the case anymore, so each kit is a completely new mold and a large investment. The fact Tamiya didn't renew the Ferrari license right after the SF70H is also a big reason we haven't seen that car too.

This is why its so important for us to support new kits when they come out. I got the Meng MP4/4 at release even though I didn't intend to build it immediately to show there is interest. Its a bit disheartening to see people make posts about somewhat minor issues with the kit and have others say they won't get it because of that...when the fix is typically less time than polishing white metal pieces of a kit 3 times as much would take.