Two posts today. News first.
As promised I forwarded the results of our "The Japanese aircraft kit you'd die to see (re-)released" and....drum roll...drum roll...we got an answer from Hasegawa!
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株式会社ハセガワの久保山と申します。
ARAWASIさまで行われましたアンケートの結果を拝見させていただきました。
多くの方の多くの希望が伝わってきました。
中にはかなりマニアックな機体もあり、皆様の知識の多さに驚きました。
ハセガワでは1/32零戦52型 1/72二式大型飛行艇と続けて大型キットを開発し
沢山の方に喜びのコメントをいただきました。
今後も大小問わず飛行機モデラーの皆様の期待に応えられるよう、
今回のアンケート結果も参考にさせていただきつつ、
新製品の開発を続けてまいりますので、今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。
(My name is Kuboyama of Hasegawa Corporation.
I was presented with the results of the questionnaire done by ARAWASI.
I was presented with the results of the questionnaire done by ARAWASI.
Many wishes from many people have been conveyed.
Among them were aircraft types only great (aviation) fans would know and I was surprised how knowledgeable everybody was.
We recently developed two large kits, the Zero Fighter Model 52 in 1/32 and the Type 2 flying boat "Emily" in 1/72 and many people sent us happy comments.
In Hasegawa, we will continue to develop new products, in order to meet the expectations, regardless of size, of all airplane modellers, taking ofcourse into account the results of this questionnaire.
In Hasegawa, we will continue to develop new products, in order to meet the expectations, regardless of size, of all airplane modellers, taking ofcourse into account the results of this questionnaire.
Thank you all in advance for your continuous support.)
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What do you all think?
Also, after the Shizuoka 2017 photo report, we are back on our on-line "Hayabusa" contest.
So far we have 13 beautiful entries! Here they are one more time and the votes they have received so far. We would all appreciate it if you could find the time to leave a comment on each entry with your vote.
Zbigniew Malicki (1 model) - 3.9, 4.3, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, 3.8, 4.8
Derek Cooper (1 model) - 3.8, 3.9, 3.9, 3.9, 3.9, 3.9
Mark Jahsan (8 models) - 3.9, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, 4.5, 4.0
Fabrizio Tommasini (1 model) - 3.7, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, 3.5, 4.5, 4.0, 3.7
Jean Barby (3 models) - 5.0, 5.0, 4.7, 4.8, 4.1, 4.3, 5.0, 5.0, 5.0, 5.0, 4.5, 4.8
Allan "The Kit Slayer" Jeffery (3 models) - 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.0, 4.0, 4.8, 4.5, 4.0, 4.0
Fabio Balzano (1 model) - 4.6, 3.9, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0
Michael Thurow (1 model) - 4.2, 4.5, 4.9, 4.9, 5.0, 4.9, 4.5, 4.4, 4.9, 4.5
Calin Ungureanu (1 model) - 4.2, 4.8, 4.9, 4.8, 4.8, 4.3, 4.5, 4.8
Miroslav Zajíc (1 model) - 4.8, 4.8, 5.0, 5.0, 4.9, 4.1, 4.5, 4.5
Cameron Lohmann "Fluffysmodels" (2 models) - 4.9, 4.8, 3.8, 4.5, 4.7, 3.3, 5.0, 5.0, 4.5, 4.5
DizzyFugu (1 model) - 5.0, 5.0, 4.7, 4.9, 3.4, 3.8, 3.4, 3.9
Michael Furry, the only so far to have posted an on-going WIP, has finished his model. Check it out, HERE, and VOTE!
We were asked how the winner will be decided. I think that by calculating the average of all the votes would be the most fare. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.
7 comments:
"What do you all think?"
A polite and meaningless response from Hasegawa; no surprise.
Somewhat vague, but then again, I doubt Hasegawa are going to reveal any secrets. I would hope that they would act upon the information, but there is no way to be sure. So, we are back to being hopeful.....
I'm sure Hasegawa, Tamiya and other big model/toy companies around the world do their market research and are aware what kits sell well or bad based simply on crude sales numbers. What we did in this blog was to go beyond these numbers and give a chance to the modelers to communicate their wishes directly to a certain major company.
That they acknowledged the results of our voting is to me a clear indication they heard us. Whether they will take this voting into consideration for their future releases remains to be seen and I certainly didn't expect them to say "hey guys, thanks for the suggestions. We'll release a "Sally" next year because you asked us to".
But if Hasegawa releases for example a new "Jake" in 1/48 in 2-3 years you will know you played a part in their decision to do so.
So, let's all stay optimistic and continue to promote Japanese aviation subjects we all like so much.
Yes, getting an acknowledgement is a positive sign. Many companies keep things secret for the pure fact that they don't want to have someone else beat them to market.
The fact that Hasegawa released the H8K might be (to some) considered somewhat of a gamble, but I'm sure they did their market research. I'm always amazed how much the forums light up when there is the question of a new Hasegawa/Tamiya release. It must always be remembered that it's a big investment to produce any kit, so it's best if sales numbers meet expectations. If they don't, future projects will be set back.
I look forward to see what comes next.....
And, if anyone finds a long lost manual to the Ki-51/C5M, PLEASE share it! :)
I say they'd better take their time and produce a first-class model instead of releasing a quick fix that's out of shape or matches poorly because it allows them to issue a dozen variants.
For the competition: Some extra points for the number of comments received? ;)
They also want to get the most bang for their buck. Not just different variants with a few parts changes in the parts but also decals. Look at what they do with the Hayabusa for example: different variants from a few different parts but also reboxing for lots and lots and lots of decal options. Printing decals is like printing money.
I'm so glad that we got an Emily! The army planes seem to have a million paint and marking options compared to the navy so I would have expected Tamiya or Hasegawa to go that way first.
About that Hyabusa....
The one thing that I think Hasegawa goofed on was the wingtips. They made it very difficult by splitting the ailerons, that area could have been handled better. However, I do agree about the possible variations for IJAAF aircraft.
I give them high marks for coming out with the Emily, an expensive kit to produce. It's well detailed and is very impressive.
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