Hasegawa model making - quality and tradition
Hasegawa Corporation Kabushiki is a Japanese company that manufactures plastic model kits of various vehicles, including aeroplanes, cars, ships, military vehicles, model tanks, spaceships and science fiction models. Hasegawa was founded in 1941 and originally produced school supplies and wooden models. In 1961, the first plastic model was produced, followed in 1962 by the 1/450 scale model of the ship Yamato. The company is based in Shizuoka, in the immediate vicinity of its competitor Tamiya.
It produces model kits of the highest quality, similar to Tamiya, but does not have such an extensive product range. Hasegawa model kits are generally considered to be very precise, but not quite as easy to assemble as those from Tamiya, although they are still of very high quality.
Hasegawa kits are currently imported into North America by Hobbico's Great Planes Model Distributor Division. In early 2010, Hasegawa terminated its long-standing agreement with Dragon Models Limited for distribution in the United States.
Hasegawa also imports Revell kits to Japan and sells them under both the Revell brand and its own brand. Revell, on the other hand, mostly uses its own new packaging for Hasegawa kits for the European and North American markets. While Revell products refer to their own colours in their instructions, Hasegawa kits come with instructions that refer to the use of Gunze Sangyo products, in particular the colours of the GSI Creos brand. This is also completely different from Tamiya products, which require the use of their own brands.
Car models are produced in 1:12 and 1:24 scale. These include many historic vehicles such as the Toyota Celica LB 1600GT and the VW T2.
Hasegawa offers a very interesting selection of vehicles on the themes of agriculture and construction sites in 1:35 scale. The beverage vending machine, so typical of Japan, is also included in the Construction Worker set.
Military models, especially aeroplanes, are available in 1:72 scale.
The company offers a wide variety of Japanese brand motorcycles in 1:12 scale.
Ships are mainly available in 1:350 and 1:700 scales.
Another special feature in the range is Hasegawa's Eggplane series. This egg-shaped and therefore unusual interpretation of historical and modern aircraft has been a successful part of the range since Easter 1972. The series is characterised by a low number of parts and easy assembly. The series is therefore well suited for beginners and newcomers. Hasegawa is known for releasing a large number of minor variations of its main products, often adding or changing only a small number of parts or changing only the decals for the kit. This product strategy allows for a faster return on investment in the kit tools, as such minor variations cost significantly less than the manufacturing costs of the original. Most of these variations are usually only released once. It's important to act quickly, as these products often sell out fast!
It produces model kits of the highest quality, similar to Tamiya, but does not have such an extensive product range. Hasegawa model kits are generally considered to be very precise, but not quite as easy to assemble as those from Tamiya, although they are still of very high quality.
Hasegawa kits are currently imported into North America by Hobbico's Great Planes Model Distributor Division. In early 2010, Hasegawa terminated its long-standing agreement with Dragon Models Limited for distribution in the United States.
Hasegawa also imports Revell kits to Japan and sells them under both the Revell brand and its own brand. Revell, on the other hand, mostly uses its own new packaging for Hasegawa kits for the European and North American markets. While Revell products refer to their own colours in their instructions, Hasegawa kits come with instructions that refer to the use of Gunze Sangyo products, in particular the colours of the GSI Creos brand. This is also completely different from Tamiya products, which require the use of their own brands.
Hasegawa: Model making - Product range
The product range includes aeroplanes, cars, ships, military vehicles, model tanks, spaceships and science fiction kits.Car models are produced in 1:12 and 1:24 scale. These include many historic vehicles such as the Toyota Celica LB 1600GT and the VW T2.
Hasegawa offers a very interesting selection of vehicles on the themes of agriculture and construction sites in 1:35 scale. The beverage vending machine, so typical of Japan, is also included in the Construction Worker set.
Military models, especially aeroplanes, are available in 1:72 scale.
The company offers a wide variety of Japanese brand motorcycles in 1:12 scale.
Ships are mainly available in 1:350 and 1:700 scales.
Another special feature in the range is Hasegawa's Eggplane series. This egg-shaped and therefore unusual interpretation of historical and modern aircraft has been a successful part of the range since Easter 1972. The series is characterised by a low number of parts and easy assembly. The series is therefore well suited for beginners and newcomers. Hasegawa is known for releasing a large number of minor variations of its main products, often adding or changing only a small number of parts or changing only the decals for the kit. This product strategy allows for a faster return on investment in the kit tools, as such minor variations cost significantly less than the manufacturing costs of the original. Most of these variations are usually only released once. It's important to act quickly, as these products often sell out fast!
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