RIP Shunsaku Tamiya, the man who made model kits a global obsession

Shunsaku Tamiya, former president and chairman of Tamiya, Inc., passed away on July 18. His death was announced on July 21, with funeral services attended by close family and friends. Mr Tamiya led the transformation of Tamiya into a world-renowned manufacturer of high-precision plastic model kits, radio control vehicles, and motorized Mini 4WD racers.

When he joined his the company founded by his father originally as a transport firm, which switched to supplying lumber after the war. That brought about an expansion into wooden models, primarily of ships and planes. After a fire destroyed the company’s lumber supply, it focused primarily on the models.

Not long after, plastic technology improved and began taking over the model kit market. Shunsuke Tamiya spearheaded the shift to puramo (a portmanteau of “plastic” and “model”) and in the process changed the industry. He helped fuel enthusiasm for cars, as well as other types of transportation, for generations of children and adults alike.

Shunsaku Tamiya was responsible for creating Tamiya’s signature branding and reputation for quality. He invited his brother Masao to create the “twin stars” logo and hired illustrators to create the “white box” look that made Tamiya stand out in sharp contrast to the box art of other model makers.

Most of all, he was the driving force in the unmatched precision Tamiya kits have come to be celebrated for. Famously, while creating the model kit for the 1976 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR, Tamiya-san sent his designers to Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory several times to get the measurements and details just right. However, despite repeated trips there were still doubts about the kit’s accuracy. So Tamiya bought a Porsche 911 and completely disassembled it to get every detail correct. Eventually, the car was put back together, and Shunsaku Tamiya personally ferried Jody Scheckter and his wife to the 1976 Japan Grand Prix in it.

In 2018 Shunsaku Tamiya was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival for his contributions to the hobby industry. His contributions to the imaginations of petrolheads, however, will live on for many more years to come. Shunsaku Tamiya was 90 years old.