translated by Giles Murray The blue and red star logo of Tamiya is now recognized internationally as the mark of model kits of unrivalled quality and precision. It was not always so. In the 1950s Shunsaku Tamiya joined the family firm-a debt-ridden lumber business in an air-raid flattened city. He started manufacturing wooden models-only to have that business wiped out by the arrival of plastic model kits imported from America. This autobiography shows how he responded to that challenge, successfully switching from wood to plastic before producing a series of hit products-1/12 formula one cars, slot racing cars, military miniature tanks, warships, radio control and 4-wheel-drive cars-that continues uninterrupted to this day. Model maker, craftsman, photographer, machinist and accidental businessman-this book is the self-portrait of a man whose energy, curiosity and love of perfection created a new standard in modelling and gave pleasure to millions of fans the world over.