How to tell a Tamiya Mini 4WD first release from a reissue

Tamiya reissues classic Mini 4WD kits under the same five-digit item number they carried thirty years ago. A 1988 Dash-1 Emperor is 18012, and a later reissue is still 18012. On the shelf, the box art looks almost identical; in a collector's market, the price is not.

Dash-1 Emperor12 versionsCar page ›

In the Kit Finder, 92 classic item numbers have confirmed release checklists built from real boxes. Rather than trusting a seller's "vintage MIJ" label, check six places on the box and inside the tray.

The six telltales

1. Oshika, First release and First print (comic) on Racing Mini 4WD

On the earliest Racing Mini 4WD kits (18001 through 18017), there is more than one Japanese run. Take Dash-1 Emperor (18012) and Dash-2 Burning Sun (18015):

Dash-2 Burning Sun7 versionsCar page ›

• Oshika (earliest Shizuoka address): Made in Japan box, 600 yen price, No comic under the tray, Green print tin grease, “Made in Japan” + car name on the sprue, and Hotshot Jr moulded on the tyre sidewall.
• First release: same Made in Japan box, 600 price, No comic and Green print tin grease, without the Oshika tyre pairing.
• First print (comic): still Made in Japan and 600, but flip the bottom cardboard tray over and a mini manga strip (Comic) is printed underneath, paired with Blue print tin grease. From Dash-3 Shooting Star (18019) onward, the comic print is the first run.
• Reissue: Made in Philippines box, the comic under the tray is replaced by the Warning Cartoon, and the metal grease tube is replaced by Plastic blue grease.

2. Why "Made in Japan" on the box is not enough

On 1990s Fully Cowled and Aero Mini 4WD kits such as Magnum Saber (19401) and Max Breaker (19601), Tamiya produced a Reissue (Made in Japan) before moving production to the Philippines.

Max Breaker8 versionsCar page › Magnum Saber8 versionsCar page ›

Both the First print and the Reissue (Made in Japan) of 19401 and 19601 say Made in Japan and 600 on the box. The difference is inside:

• First print (19401 / 19601): Comic under the tray, Blue print tin grease, “Made in Japan” + “Magnum Saber” (or “Max Breaker”) on the sprue, and Made in Japan on the tyre.
• Reissue (Made in Japan): Warning Cartoon under the tray, Plastic blue grease, and the sprue already has No “Made in Japan” or car name.

If someone sells a 19401 or 19601 as a first release based only on a photo of the box lid, ask to see the bottom of the inner tray, the grease tube and the sprue tab.

3. Box price tags on Avante Junior and Hotshot Junior

Even when a kit keeps the same item number across decades, Tamiya updated the yen price printed next to the item number on domestic Japanese boxes. On Avante Junior (18014), our data tracks four official box-price runs: the original ¥600 price tag, followed by ¥780, ¥900 and the latest ¥1,100 reprint. Hotshot Junior (18001, originally 2901 in 1986) shows the same jump from the 600 Oshika and First release boxes to later reissues.

Hotshot Junior8 versionsCar page › Avante Junior8 versionsCar page ›

The same discipline applies to vintage option parts such as the Dash-1 Emperor Gold-Plated Body, 15031, versus modern special body sets like the Dash-1 Emperor Silver Color Plated Body Set, 95712: always check the five-digit item number and the packaging era together.

95712Dash-1 Emperor Silver Color Plated Body SetPart page › 15031Dash-1 Emperor Gold-Plated BodyPart page ›

Check a kit before you buy

Open any of the 298 cars in the Cars directory to see its item numbers and release dates, or open the kit drawer in the Kit Finder to tick off individual print runs (Oshika, First release, First print (comic), Reissue) in your collection.

In this post

Dash-3 Shooting Star7 versionsCar page ›