Tamiya Model Kits: Lineup, Scales and What Each Line Needs

What Tamiya makes

Tamiya makes plastic model kits and the supplies to finish them. Tamiya's own company page lists static models of cars, motorcycles, military vehicles, aircraft, ships and dinosaurs, plus tools and paints: acrylic, enamel, lacquer and spray. It also makes RC models and other lines that aren't on this site.

In our Amazon US data, the Tamiya model kits lineup splits into five groups:

• Cars and one motorcycle, at 1/24 and 1:12
• Aircraft, at 1/48 and 1/32
• Armor and military vehicles, at 1/35
• Ships, at 1/350 and 1/700
• Cement and an airbrush cleaner

The grid above holds all of them. It's a big grid, so the notes below go line by line, using what each listing states. Tamiya's listings state less than some makers' do. Few give an age, and none in our data give a piece count. Where a field is blank, I don't fill it in.

Tamiya's company page says the company started with educational wooden models in 1948. It also says Tamiya handles its own planning, design, mold making, molding and packaging, including the instruction manuals. That's all I'll say about history, because that's all the first-party page states.

How to read a Tamiya listing

Tamiya listings in our data are short on the fields a buyer usually wants. Here's how I read one anyway.

1. Find the item number. Most titles carry a five-digit number, like 24116 for the Mazda RX-7 R1 or 35216 for the Tiger I. The first two digits group the kits: the 24s are 1/24 cars, the 35s are 1/35 military, the 61s and 60s are 1/48 and 1/32 aircraft, and the 78s are 1/350 ships, going by the titles in our grid.
2. Check the scale in the title. Every car, aircraft and armor listing here states one. Three ship listings don't.
3. Look for "paint and glue required". Several car listings say it. None of the kits in our data say they include either.
4. Look for an age. Only one Tamiya listing in our data states one. If yours doesn't, the listing photos or Tamiya's own page may show the box side.
5. Match the number on Tamiya's site. The product page there shows what the maker says is in the box.

That's five checks in about two minutes. A survey crew would call it a short traverse: start at a known point, check each leg, and close back where you began.

The item number habit pays off twice. It tells you which listing is which when two titles look alike, and it tells you which scale family a kit belongs to before you read another word.

Tamiya 1/24 car kits

The car line is the largest group in our data. Every car listed here is 1/24. That makes shelf planning easy: they all line up.

What's in the grid:

• Japanese sports cars: Mazda RX-7 R1, Mazda Eunos Roadster, Toyota Supra, Honda NSX, Nissan 300ZX Turbo, Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec II
• Race cars: Calsonic Skyline GT-R, Castrol Toyota Tom's Supra GT, Castrol Celica, Porsche 911 GT1
• European road cars: 1988 Porsche Turbo Road Version, Porsche Carrera GT, Volkswagen 1300 Beetle 1966
• Rally-bred road car: Subaru Impreza STI

Several car listings say paint and glue are required and not included. The Castrol Toyota Tom's Supra GT is the only Tamiya listing in our data that states an age: 10+. The 1988 Porsche Turbo is the only one with a finished length: 7 inches.

A 1/24 car is about the length of a dollar bill, give or take. Five of them take a shelf about a yard long, with breathing room. That's arithmetic, not a test: five times seven inches is 35, and a yard is 36. Within tolerance.

Who suits the car line: builders who already own cement, brushes and a cutting mat, and who like a car that matches its real one. Who should skip it: a young first-timer who wants to skip glue. Tamiya cars in our data aren't snap kits.

For more car kits from every maker, see model car kits.

The 1:12 Honda CB750F

One motorcycle sits in the car group: the 1:12 Honda CB750F. The listing says paint and glue are required, not included, and decals are in the box. At 1:12 it's a larger model than the cars. Plan a deeper shelf.

Tamiya aircraft kits

The aircraft come in two scales in our data.

At 1/48:

• A-10 Thunderbolt II
• Vought F4U-1D Corsair
• Douglas A-1J Skyraider USAF
• Lockheed Martin F-16CJ
• P-47D Thunderbolt Bubbletop

At 1/32:

• McDonnell F-4 C/D Phantom II
• Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Fighter

A 1/32 airplane is half again as big as the same airplane at 1/48. The F-4 at 1/32 is a centerpiece kit, not a row kit. A 1/48 fighter sits comfortably on a normal bookshelf.

Who suits 1/48: anyone building their second or third aircraft. Who suits 1/32: builders with a deep shelf and a long winter. Who should skip 1/32: anyone with a crowded display, or anyone who hasn't done a full paint scheme yet.

Tamiya 1/35 armor and military kits

The military line is all 1/35 in our data, so tanks, trucks and figures share a scale.

• US Medium Tank M26 Pershing
• U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman
• British Churchill Mk VII Tank
• German Tiger I Early Production Tank
• Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.J
• German Hanomag Sd.Kfz. 251/1 half-track
• US 2.5 Ton 6x6 Cargo Truck
• US Army Infantry figures (35013)

That shared scale matters. The 1/35 infantry set can stand next to any of the tanks and look right. It's the same idea as a survey crew working from one datum. Everyone reads off the same reference, so the numbers agree.

Tanks bring tracks and road wheels, and those take patience. A truck with six wheels brings six wheels to clean up. Plan an extra evening per wheel set.

The infantry set is also the smallest step into 1/35 figure painting before a whole tank. Faces, hands and uniforms at that size teach brush control fast. If the figures go well, the tank's crew hatches will look better for it. If they don't, you've learned that on a few small parts instead of a big hull.

Who suits the armor line: builders who like weathering and camouflage. Who should skip it: anyone who dislikes repetitive small parts.

Tamiya ship kits

Ships in our data:

• 1/350 British King George V
• 1/350 German Battleship Bismarck
• German Battleship Tirpitz
• Japanese Navy Submarine I-400
• Fletcher Class Destroyer
• 1:700 Japan Nagara Light Cruiser (WL series)
• 1/350 USS Enterprise Aircraft Carrier

The USS Enterprise carrier is the one ship here with a flight deck. At 1/350 it shares a scale with the King George V and the Bismarck, so the three sit well together on one long shelf.

At 1/350, a battleship is a long model. At 1/700, it's a model that fits on a desk. The Nagara at 1:700 is the small end here. The Tirpitz, I-400 and Fletcher listings don't state a scale in our data, so check the box on Tamiya's site before you plan the shelf.

Tamiya cement and supplies

Two Tamiya cements are in the grid:

• Extra Thin Cement, 40 ml, fine tip
• Liquid Cement, 40 ml

Tamiya's own page says Extra Thin Cement is made to flow into the small spaces between two plastic parts that are already fitted together, and the bottle has a pointed brush in the cap. You hold the parts, touch the seam, and the cement runs along it.

There's also a 250 ml Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner. For airbrushes themselves, see the airbrush kits page.

Tamiya's site also lists its acrylic paints as water-soluble acrylic resin paints that work for brush or spray painting. Those paints aren't in this grid, but they matter for the comparison with Vallejo, which has its own block on that page.

Tamiya vs Revell

Both makers cover cars, aircraft, armor and ships, and both sell their own cement and paint. The differences in our data are in what the listings state.

Field in our data	Tamiya	Revell
Car kit scale	1/24	1:24 and 1:25
Skill level on listing	not stated	level 4 or 5 on car kits
Piece count on listing	not stated	stated on car kits (48 to 302)
Age on listing	one listing, 10+	most kits, 8+ to 13+
Snap kits in our data	none	several, ages 8+

If you want the listing to tell you how hard the build is, Revell's car kits state more. If you want a whole shelf at one car scale, Tamiya's cars here are all 1/24. See the Revell page for its lineup and level chart.

Tamiya cement vs Testors

Both brands sell several plastic cements in our data. Here's what the listings and maker pages state.

Field	Tamiya	Testors
Thin, flowing cement	Extra Thin Cement, 40 ml, brush in cap	Liquid Cement, 1 oz, precision applicator
Regular liquid	Liquid Cement, 40 ml	Liquid Plastic Cement, 1 oz
Tube cement	not in our data	Plastic Cement, 5/8 oz tube
Clear parts glue	not in our data	Clear Plastic Parts Model Glue

One ounce is about 30 ml, so the bottle sizes are close. The bigger difference is the applicator: a brush in the cap versus a needle-style precision tip. Testors also lists tube cement and a clear-parts glue. More on those on the Testors page.

How to pick within Tamiya

Start with the shelf, then the subject.

• First Tamiya kit: a 1/24 car or a 1/48 single-seat fighter. One clear subject, a normal shelf, and a scale with plenty of company.
• Matching a shelf: stay in one scale. All the cars here are 1/24; all the armor is 1/35.
• Big project: a 1/32 aircraft or a 1/350 battleship.
• Small space: the 1:700 cruiser.

Then add what isn't in the box. For the car kits, the listings say paint and glue are required. Add a thin cement, a few paints, a hobby knife, sprue cutters and sanding sticks.

If the age matters, check it before you order. Only one Tamiya listing in our data states an age. For the rest, look at the box on Tamiya's site or the listing photos. Don't guess.

Safety at the bench

Cut away from your body on a cutting mat, and keep blades away from kids. Work with good ventilation and follow the cement or paint maker's label for masks and gloves. The EPA's indoor air page says to add fresh air and follow label directions with products that give off fumes.

Same scale on the shelf, same cement on the bench. Then the evenings get easier.