RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made plastic model kits a global obsession
63 comments
·July 29, 2025JKCalhoun
hermitcrab
>I'm saddened that it kind of seems like another hobby, like R/C planes or model rocketry, that has fallen by the wayside.
I think physical hobbies like modelling find it hard to compete with the instant gratification of online dopamine fixes. However RC planes and model rocketry are still a thing. If you know any school age kids interested in engineering or rocketry and they are in the UK, point them at:
The US, France and Japan have equivalent competitions.
rightbyte
> I never mastered painting them.
It was really hard to paint with these old oil based paints if you are as old as me or older. I struggled with that too. The water based one sold by e.g. Games Workshop I bought years later was way easier to work with.
mediumsmart
I used to make the ww2 models as a teenager and loved painting them with the oil paints (you need the right brand but I can’t remember the name).
I got really good at weathering them using the watered down paint cleaner/thinner that runs into the folds and produced tiny cracks in the paint and then drybrushing lighter colors over areas.
I know I got it right because a shop in England selling those Tamiya models would give me a few of the kits for one painted and showcased them. good times
rightbyte
Ye I might also have been to young to use them properly. But I remember cleaning brushes was a big hassle. And the fumes ...
My theory is that we adults feel bad when we know we are going to feel bad soon. Be it cold or thinner fumes. But children don't feel cold before they are cold.
whartung
Oh boy, yea.
I tried to put together a helicopter (probably an Apache) a few years ago, and got a couple of those classic Testor paint bottles to help finish it.
I had to put it all away. The fumes from the paint, my reaction to it was nothing like I remembered. I had no issues with them as a boy. But, today, yea they were making me loopy. I’m surprised the AQMD in California still allows these.
I’d like to try again with some modern acrylic, but the only place in my orbit is a Michaels, and they really don’t cater much to plastic kits. So opportunity has bumbled my way yet.
The other trick is to keep it me and not be intimidated by the YouTube experts. Easier said than done.
wredcoll
The michaels and hobby lobby near me both have a fair amount of acrylic paint for what it's worth, but have you looked for any gaming stores? Lots of them carry warhammer and thus carry model acrylic paints.
bigstrat2003
If you don't have anything near you, I would look for acrylics designed for models online. Games Workshop sells them, but there are other brands (Vallejo, Reaper, etc) which are also quite good and generally cheaper. And they will, as a rule, be more pleasant to work with than the acrylics you get at Michael's/Hobby Lobby.
gerdesj
Enamels vs acrylics. Brush vs airbrush vs air gun (not to mention sponge, cloth and even toothbrush). Your air brush can have one or two controls - one for the amount of compressed air and one for amount of paint. For models like airplanes and tanks, a single control is enough to get a flat smooth finish.
Then you discover washes and other techniques and it goes on 8)
I still have a scar in the side of my thumb where I stuck an Xacto blade into it, 45 years ago.
wiz21c
Enamel, Xacto,... Memories !!!
mbrd
It's definitely not the hobby of choice for young boys any more, but it feels like it is having a golden age of kit quality aiming at an older audience with disposal income. Manufacturers like Tamiya, and also Eduard or Meng (those are my favs anyway) are producing extremely high quality kits.
There is always consternation amongst modelers about where the next generation will come from, but the Gundam/Gunpla scene is supposedly very large in Japan and growing in the West.
JKCalhoun
That's true — there are certainly a lot of variety now, especially with 3D printing and garage kits. The "long tail" has definitely been kind to the esoteric modeler.
Adult-me recently took to designing a kit for a NASA "Space Tug" that never existed (only proposed "artist's renderings" from the 1970;s) [1]. It is so esoteric that no one made a kit for it — I had to learn to use Blender, ha ha.
I just wish more kids were into modeling.
[1] free to download: https://github.com/EngineersNeedArt/Space-Tug_3DModel
wiz21c
Really nice job !!!
Joel_Mckay
It is funny, as the metal 3D printer I've been working on is designed to handle printing/repairing large girder structures. Making things work in vacuum is an interesting design challenge, but also opens a lot of design possibilities for arbitrary structures that can't launch on cargo rockets.
People are often too judgmental these days, and youth must make their own decisions about the world they want to live in.
If you know the history of how JPL started, than you can probably guess it is the "odd" ones that tend to change science for the better. =3
Cthulhu_
I bought my first Gundam model the other day (never seen them before in shops, but they can be bought online) and I was really impressed. I've built two Revell models before and some Warhammer stuff in the past. This model was cheaper than all of those (about €19), bigger, multicolour plastic, different materials, the result is fully poseable, different weapons and hands, fiddly stickers and decals, the works. And it's very cleverly designed, no glue needed.
I'd argue that if someone wants to get started with building models, Gundam is the way to go. Painting optional, no glue needed, etc. Plus, giant robots are cool.
zephyrfalcon
Also: Zoids... https://zoids.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Zoids
the_af
The wargaming hobby (yes, Warhammer but not limited to it, there are very brands nowadays) is going stronger than ever. Plastic, resin ans 3D printed kits galore, which require painting, converting, etc.
imdsm
I'd love to get involved in R/C planes but in the UK it seems there's nowhere to do it, and with the law due to drones, it feels impossible to get started even just with starter kit
lebski88
There's a model aircraft club near to where I live (UK). They have a runway and people use it most days. In the summer they have a two day festival where people come and camp and do model plane stuff. Presumably it's the Glastonbury of model aircraft. It's quite fun to watch them fly around for a couple of hours.
Anyway, my point is that if I didn't live just around the corner, I would never have known it existed. I'd imagine there are similar setups around the country. You do need quite a big space and a runway is presumably helpful, so it probably makes sense for them to be collectively run.
samlittlewood
Have a look at the BMFA - http://https://bmfa.club. They have a directory of clubs and pointers for learning.
You will need insurance and CAA flyer/operator IDs. This can be arranged through club, or directly via the BMFA above.
Some of the clubs can be rather .... err ... clubby - older members whose hobby has become running the club the way see fit, vs. flying planes.
hermitcrab
RC aircraft flying is very much alive and well in the UK:
There are also some model rocketry clubs. However model rocketry is a relatively small scene in the UK, compared to RC planes.
Lio
I've seen people flying RC plains at disused airfields in Suffolk. Even some RC jets.
I'd contact your local RC club and they'll help you get into it.
VTimofeenko
I'm kinda in the same boat. Built quite a few kits back in the day but never painted them (at least to a quality I would admit to). I picked up a ww1 British tank some time ago and hope to finally get it right. When I was in the store, however, I'd say the majority of customers in the model kit section were teenagers.
Maybe there's just more hobbies available these days so fewer folks end up building the models.
pjmlp
Yes, a 1970's child, I built quite a few airplane and helicopter models during my teenage years, painting skills were lousy though. :)
eleveriven
There's something almost meditative about the process
Joel_Mckay
The kits with decals only required a primer and a gloss base coat.
I often ponder if it was the main reason the 3D printing hobby gained popularity.
People that add more fun to the world are always needed in manufacturing. =3
louthy
In the 80s I had the Tamiya Grasshopper [1], which was the greatest remote control car ever (opinion).
I remember attaching three battery packs (instead of the standard one)—to make it drive at roughly 8 billion miles per hour, in the process ripping the tyres to shreds and pretty much ruining the car—because it couldn’t turn without flipping several thousand times.
Still, for those initial few seconds, it was glorious.
RIP Grasshopper and RIP Shunsaku Tamiya
[1] https://cdn.thingiverse.com/assets/8b/e7/0c/d6/a0/IMG_6201.j...
jumpingMullet
The Grasshopper was good. An underpowered version of the hornet with a 380 instead of 540 motor. The longer run time on the old 7.2 battery was a benefit. Watching YouTube of the current cars, they are actually overpowered and in a way unusable. Many videos degenerate into how high can I jump this thing before it breaks.
lmpdev
I sell modern Chinese ones
I have to often explain to customers after a certain price point (for me ~$200+ AUD) you have to turn the speed trim pot down for it to be enjoyable at all
Similar to what Gran Turismo 7 players have realised with EV “Vision” Cars - car enjoyment greatly diminishes with speed after a certain point - instead of plateauing
No-name Chinese build quality is actually a lot higher than I’d’ve anticipated though - brushed thick aluminium and even steel chassis are pretty common now
firefax
It makes me feel bad when I see an obituary like this. I had no idea he existed, but reading I can't question he had an impact on the world. Other corners of the internet people would shit on the hobby just because they don't share it -- me, personally, being on the autistic spectrum came with a side of fine motor issues, so I could never do the painting and prodding that the more complex kits required... it's an art form, a craft that takes skill.
It's a shame it's not as popular -- it worries me a bit that we're so... online. I was more into Legos, but I wandered into the kids section for the first time in ages the other day at the local big box retailer and it feels like the kits are simpler now, and they're often branded to tie in with movies rather than being a generic thing like space, or pirates, or... space pirates.
Anyway RIP dude -- true hacker, had a passion and pursued it.
hermitcrab
I think it is a shame when kids get Lego kits and only ever follow the instructions to build the intended model. They should be encouraged to use their imagination and build their own inventions.
Tip: You can often buy random loads of Lego for cheap from Ebay or similar. Put it in a string bag and wash it in the dish washer on low heat. Good as new.
eleveriven
Totally agree that model building is an art form, one that doesn't get enough credit
radpanda
> Famously, while creating the model kit for the 1976 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR, Tamiya-san sent his designers to Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory several times to get the measurements and details just right. However, despite repeated trips there were still doubts about the kit’s accuracy. So Tamiya bought a Porsche 911 and completely disassembled it to get every detail correct.
I don’t know anything about Japanese tax law but if an American did this I’d assume they were just trying to get a sweet tax deduction on a new Porsche. “Oh sure, that was 100% a business expense”.
toomuchtodo
Related:
Tamiya chairman Shunsaku Tamiya dies at 90 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44655946 - July 2025
spankibalt
Never cared much for building models (mostly Plasticart) after my day school year in the GDR, but there was a small railway modelling shop that also sold plastic model kits, especially after the fall of the Iron Curtain. That shop has a large hand in igniting my love for all things design and illustration. Beautiful box tops! Albeit back in the day I was partially to Dragon Models (DML).
RIP Mr. Tamiya
Lio
Ah I have fond memories of my Hornet and then later a 959.
There was always that thing that kids would do where you'd get the OK from your friend and then pick up their car to about 5cm and drop it to test the suspension. Then you'd all nod sagely as if something important had been decerned.
Silly but happy memories. RIP Mr Tamiya.
billforsternz
I find it strangely pleasing how a bunch of boutique(ish) companies from the UK, France, USA, Japan (others maybe?) all make plastic model kits of a variety of classic aeroplanes, WW2 planes in particular, in a series of scales.
When I was a kid I was quite interested and I could have reeled off the manufacturer names easily (um... Airfix, Revell, Heller, Frog, Tamiya, I want to say Haya-something-or-other, others). I will still look at the displays in hobby stores on occasion and many of them survive, so they've been doing this for 50+ years at this point.
I have no particular point, I just find it cool. I wonder if there are rock-star like artisan mold makers known to everyone in the industry. "Ah, this 1-50 scale Messerschmidt BF-109 vertical stabiliser is unmistakably the work of Pierre McFloogle ... chef's kiss!"
hakfoo
I was always sort of curious how they determine which prototypes to go after-- it seems like some classes are much more widely produced than others. It seems like in WWII aircraft, Japanese and Soviet designs are underrepresented compared to US/UK/DE ones. Ship models seem aligned towards ones that sunk famously over ones that survived and were retired after long service.
With railway models, there's a selection bias because people tend to model a coherent scene. If you've decided to model Quebec in 1952, you probably can't find a way to fit in a British Rail class 66. But most other model hobbies don't have that restraint going on.
mirkodrummer
Super nostalgic, I remember building mini 4wd with my dad. It was such a magical experience, I wish young people could experience it too. I remember breaking down the ac motor just out curiosity, thinking it was cool and magical but at the same time build an intuition for how it works
verytrivial
I had to take a few runs at that domain name before I could parse it!
kawsper
It even leaked into other hobbies, airsoft and drones are full of tamiya connectors.
guidedlight
Unfortunately Tamiya connectors are known to melt when paired with modern RC electronics (Brushless motors and LiPo batteries). Most hobbyists use Deans or XT connectors.
esafak
I had a load of these. This and painting Warhammer 40,000 miniatures kept my kept my fine motor skills in tune.
When I grew up I would spend hours looking through all the plastic model kits at the local hobby store. I just loved building plastic models.
I never mastered painting them. The most advanced I got was rattle-can style spray paints — maybe masking a bit for a camouflage or what-have-you. Only when I got older and got back into plastic model building did I make the leap to air-brushing and really finishing models correctly.
So many YouTubers (Aztec Dummy comes to mind) have since showed me that assembling the model is more or less nothing. Painting, lighting the model is everything.
I can't complain though. There was a joy putting together the models when I was young. The smell of the glue of course — the spatial reasoning it fostered... It was like sculpture to my young mind — forms, shapes in three-dimensions. I grew to love the lines of certain cars, planes, spacecraft…
I think too it fueled a kind of designer mindset in me. I would soon draw cars, spaceships, etc. of my own design.
What a great hobby.
I'm saddened that it kind of seems like another hobby, like R/C planes or model rocketry, that has fallen by the wayside. I mean I feel like most boys when I was growing up had a model or two hanging from their bedroom ceiling. Right?