Military Vehicles
The oldest category in Tamiya's export line has been the "Military Miniatures" series of 1:35 scale figures and vehicles. The series has focused on World War II military subjects though a growing minority of kits in this line come from later periods. The collection of German vehicles is especially strong.
The products are characterised by striking full colour paintings on the boxtops. Tamiya molds are generally very clean and almost no flash is found on their products. It was Tamiya themselves that established the 1/35 scale for military models (now the accepted standard size in military modeling in general); the scale was the result of the design of the initial kit, the motorized Tiger tank, being designed just large enough to contain the motor assembly and battery pack.
In addition to vehicles themselves, the category includes soldiers and weapons sets, and scenery items (e.g., brick walls, signs, barricades) for use in dioramas.
Tamiya also produces an expanding line of 1/48 military vehicles, designed as a smaller alternative to the larger 1/35 kits. Kits from this new series features metallic chassis, which serve to add weight to the models of this smaller scale.
Recently Tamiya has found a niche market of smaller 1/48 scale military miniatures. As the average Japanese household is much smaller and cramped than any other amongst developed nations, smaller kits that can be neatly put into smaller kit boxes after assembly and stored away are proven to be more popular by necessity. Tamiya has great experience in 1/35 scale military vehicles. Utilising the specs of 1/35 kits, many parts in 1/48 scale kits are simply scaled down versions of the 1/35 counterpart, with a notable exception of tracks being molded in plastic in 1/48, instead of somewhat less detailed vinyl tracks often seen in 1/35 kits. Tamiya has been putting out about 1 new kit a month for the past 3 years, as a way to blocking entry of Chinese makers into 1/48 scale market. Already over 30 models are available from Tamiya in 1/48 scale, representing most of the popular tanks and vehicles. New entry into the 1/48 market would have to offer more than what Tamiya already does.