laststandonzombieisland

If you grew up like I did, the names Testors, Revell, and Tamiya were commonly encountered on your desk.

Founded by Yoshio Tamiya in 1946 as a small sawmill and lumber concern, the company started using scrap wood to craft scale models, which grew so popular that, by 1953, the company pivoted into a full-time model maker.

In 1960, they switched to plastic, and their first release in that medium was a 1:800 model of the battleship Yamato.

In the 1960s, Tamiya perfected the concept of box art, with Shigeru Komatsuzak’s and later Masami Onishi’s superb works bringing the models alive before the box was even opened, and set the stage for what would become the standard.

In 1966, Yoshio’s son, Shunsaku, began a regular series of pilgrimages to places like Aberdeen Proving Grounds and the Royal Tank Museum in Bovington to visit the company’s subject armored vehicles up close and personal, making detailed drawings to make sure future portrayals were correct.

Shunsaku became chairman of Tamiya in 1977. This week, he passed at age 90.

Thank you for your help over the years, sir.