It sounds like a riddle, when you think about it: one of the most prolific carmakers on the planet doesn’t actually have any real cars. It’s reproduced some of the world’s most iconic shapes, birthed its own concepts, has surfed the currents of fashion and technology during 77 years of existence, and been responsible for more joy than it’s possible to measure. Tamiya is, in a small, quiet way, a legendary carmaker. And yet all it makes is toys.
But to describe Tamiya’s output as ‘just toys’ is to miss the point by quite a – scale – distance, and to figure out why these little agglomerations of plastic and metal are so compelling, we need to know where it all started. So here’s a little potted history of the art of tinyperfection. But in 1976, Tamiya produced a 1/12th scale Porsche 934 Kremer Turbo, kicked off the radio control car boom and secured its own legacy. If names like Sand Scorcher, Wild Willy, Avante, Hornet, LunchBox, Rough Rider or the Wild One are familiar, you’re a Tamiya kid.
