Will there be another Tamiya special edition PH car?

 

Ferdie Kahn

After the Jeepney, Tamiya just might have another special edition Philippine car.

Ferdie Kahn, the official distributor of Tamiya cars in the Philippines, said so in an interview held recently at The Brickyard which he owns.

"We are in the process of designing it," said he, who designed the Tamiya jeepney. "We strive to highlight the Philippine itself, whether it's through the flag, the colors, or something special, like the Philippine eagle."

It is said that the Jeepney is one of the best-selling Tamiyas, and that it is on display at Tamiya's official store in Japan.

Recall that Ferdie was able to invite Shunsaka Tamiya when the former opened his store at Glorietta 2 in 2018. 

Shunsaka is the son of the late Yoshio Tamiya, founder of Tamiya Corporation.

Tamiya, which was big in the Philippines three decades ago, is making a comeback. This was seen a week ago with so many people attending a build-and-race-your-car indoor event at The Brickyard inside Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

"As a fan of Tamiya kits myself, I wanted a place where builders and racers could hang out and play," said Ferdie. "The Brickyard is where we can introduce the hobby to more people."

The Brickyard hosts races yearly to qualify racers that could represent the Philiplines internationally. 

"We actually won when we hosted in 2009," Ferdie recalled. "Then we made it to the semis in 2022 and 2023."

On Nov. 14, two racers from the Philippines will compete in Japan in the big Tamiya RC competition known as the World Challenge. 

"Those two racers won the regional, which we hosted a month ago at Circuit Makati. That one had about 100 racers," he said.

Among popular Tamiya car models are Tamiya Jr. Neo-Vqs, Tamiya Mini 4wd, Tamiya Geo Gilder, and Tamiya Festa Jaune.

Ferdie said beginners could start with minis then later, the larger models.

"Starter kit of Tamiya is less than a P1000," he said.

More than selling car collectibles, Ferdie said concept behind The Brickyard is to build a feeling of community among enthusiasts.