CAT Productions

Anyone else get the sense that Tamiya as a company most likely does very well financially? Just seems to me that they probably make money hand over fist (and righfully so; the models are beautiful), especially with the large & lucrative market for vintage models at ebay and forums like this. Wonder what the margin is like on a model like the TRF415MSXX? When Tamiya releases a new model, more often than not, it does well. I should read my copy of Master Modeler.

Anyone based in Japan on here? If yes, educate us...

AWK

iTrader: (9)

I guess if that was the case, they wouldn't be selling the building they have owned the last 15 years, and have moved into a leased office space within an office, and sent their warehouse off to be controlled by some other company and be closing their factory Tamiya USA track along with selling their building.

Sorry to come off so sarcastic, but "making money hand over fist" is really wrong, or at least in America. Business is not horrible from what I know, but is not great by any means. As they told me when they announced they were moving and selling off their building, the market has changed and is changing as far as profit goes in America so they are transitioning their business model to change with the market.

CAT Productions

Oh, I realize things aren't always as they appear, and I know making money "hand over fist" isn't always a reality. But I do think Tamiya is very strong in the brand recognition category. For example, log onto ebay most anytime, and do a search, and you'll usually find a vintage Tamiya model (Bruiser, Avante, 959, etc) at the top of the list. I believe that has a positive impact on a company's health in the long run.

In addition, I woudn't necessarily assume that a company isn't in good health based on the real estate situation. Fact is, many (if not all) companies frequently have to make tough decisions with respect to real estate. Through all that, the core values of the company (quality, effective marketing, r & d, etc) should endure. At least that's the hope.