Tamiya Benetton B190??

[OultonPark]

So I was looking through the stash today and happened across the Tamiya 1/20th driver/pit crew I’d long forgotten I had. The driver decals are for Senna and Berger for the McLaren MP4/5B, Capelli and Gugelmin for the Leyton House CG190, 2 kits Tamiya built from the 1990 season, so far all makes sense, but the third driver pairing is Piquet and Nannini. So my question is did Tamiya intend to make the Benetton B190 at some stage?
The decals are useful anyway as I’ll be building my B188 as Nannini as soon as I get round to it

[daveyman]

I always thought it was an odd choice too. Why not go for Williams as they made the FW13B that year, remember when Tamiya made three F1 kits from one year. The Benetton decals are useful tho and the Nannini helmet decals would transfer to the B188. The race suit decals would be different tho.

[TvD]

Actually, the FW13B had a driver figure and decals for Boutsen and Patrese. So that would explain why they weren’t in the driver/crew kit

[daveyman]

That's true, I miss those days.

[JamesB]

Or they thought of developing the B189.
It was driven by them early 1990. I think one of those group pictures of models in their catalog included a pair of 188 disguised as 189B with the F189s and the ‘90 kits

[daveyman]

I remember in the 1988 catalogue they showcased the Lotus 99T racing against an FW11 that had been converted into FW11B spec, livery and tech detail. I desperately wanted that to be released.
Took me ten years before I found a transkit for it.

[Steffen_T]

I think OultonPark is right and Tamiya considered to make a B190 at one point in late 1990 or early 1991. After all the car took a 1-2 in the Japanese Grand Prix. Otherwise the decal options doesn't make any sense.

But what I find more interesting, is that Tamiya did this several times!
If you take a look on the box of the tire changing pit crew, you will find an illustration of a Ferrari 643. The lollipop also has the 1991 paintjob. In 1989 it looked different.
Well, at least Tamiya released the 643 as die-cast.

And just recently, I found Tamiya themself released an aftermarket decalsheet for the 1970's racing pit team.
This set included decals for the pitcrews of the P34 from '76, the M23, the WR01, the FW07 and the JS11.
And additionally you got decals for the pit crews of Martini Lotus, Renault with Arnoux and Jabouille(!), and Warsteiner Arrows(!!!) with Patrese.

Tamiya really had some ambitions in the early 1980's! I wounder how far they went with these intended kits, before the development was stopped.

[OultonPark]

Steffen, great work showing the big T’s history of this teasing of possible models. On the basis that the Martini Lotus 79B cases out 33 years later I think we can probably expect the Benetton B190 this year
I would have loved a 1/20th Tamiya B190, although Mansell and Williams were my faves at the time I’d learned to appreciate that Piquet was a great and the wins he had at Benetton, and I always loved the Benetton colour schemes. I’d build 3 of them for Piquet, Nannini and Moreno.