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Tamiya Adhesives Suspended from Online Sale, Plastic Model Community in 'Uproar'

[비즈한국] Dedicated adhesives used for plastic assembly models (plastic models) have been pulled from online sales due to a lack of "child-resistant packaging," causing significant ripples among hobbyist clubs and enthusiasts. It appears that the importer and distributor, Tamiya Korea, had previously been distributing these products for household use without meeting safety standards. The products were only recently included in the sales restriction list after a similar product from the same company was subject to administrative action.

13 Types of Plastic Adhesives Pulled from Online Sale

Recently, Tamiya Korea suspended the online sale of 13 of its products, including adhesives for plastic models and decal adhesives. Products were removed or listed as sold out on most shopping platforms, including the official online mall, and are now only available on a few select sites.

This is understood to be a follow-up measure after the Han River Basin Environmental Office, under the Ministry of Environment, uncovered that Tamiya's adhesive products failed to meet safety standards and issued a corrective order. In January of this year, the Han River Basin Environmental Office, which manages chemical safety and monitors chemical emissions and distribution in the metropolitan area, issued a ban on the import and sale of Tamiya’s decal adhesive for violating the "Act on the Safety Management of Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides." Although the product is a consumer chemical product subject to safety verification, it had been imported and sold without meeting labeling requirements or child-resistant packaging standards, such as safety caps.

Plastic models refer to scale models or assembly toys made by manually assembling various plastic parts. Plastic adhesive is a key material that determines structural integrity and the quality of the finished work by firmly fixing parts together. Unlike super glue, which bonds or hardens instantly upon contact with skin, this adhesive is specifically designed for plastic, slightly melting the surface to fuse pieces together.

Child-resistant packaging refers to containers or packaging designed to be easily opened by adults but difficult for children under the age of 5 to open within a certain timeframe. This applies to liquid consumer chemical products such as automotive windshield washer fluid, antifreeze, insecticides, and pharmaceuticals. Tamiya is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in models and plastic kits, producing a wide variety of hobby products worldwide, including plastic models, mini-cars, and radio-controlled vehicles.

During the process of implementing corrective actions, Tamiya Korea completely adjusted the sales methods for 13 products, including the aforementioned adhesive and other plastic model adhesives suspected of similar issues. Consequently, online sales for some adhesive products were suspended around early August, and they are now only sold at offline stores after receiving an expert verification signature from the buyer.

Reported and Distributed as 'Non-Household' to Avoid Safety Obligations, Leading to Late Corrective Action

Tamiya's plastic model adhesives fall under the criteria for substances requiring child-resistant packaging. If a product is intended for "household use," it is mandatory to include safety devices like safety caps, and it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment. However, Tamiya Korea classified these adhesives as "non-household" at the time of reporting. Products for professional use do not carry such mandatory safety device requirements. It appears the products were able to be distributed without these safety devices under the premise that they were not intended for use in ordinary homes.

An official from the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute explained, "Even though these products contain substances that require child-resistant packaging, Tamiya originally reported them as non-household products. Since these products could eventually be purchased by general consumers and used at home if sold online, we are guiding them to sell exclusively to experts offline, or to verify buyers' business registration numbers when selling online." A Ministry of Environment official added, "Products not intended for household use are generally not under the Ministry of Environment's management, so it seems they were outside the scope of our jurisdiction."

Tamiya Korea has strengthened its sales procedures for professional use. According to the industry, Tamiya stated in an official letter requesting cooperation from sellers, "This product is an adhesive for professional use and is inappropriate for use by general consumers. Therefore, those purchasing and using the product must be experts who fully understand the characteristics and safety guidelines of the product." They also specified, "Distributors must ensure that the precautions and safety guidelines for the product's use are conveyed and that the other party adheres to them."

When visiting a Tamiya store in Seoul on the 11th, customers were required to fill out a personal information consent form and a purchase agreement for expert verification when buying adhesives. All applicable products were affixed with stickers marked "Consumer Chemical Product Subject to Safety Verification," and the store was adhering to relevant procedures by providing business-card-sized information cards to notify customers of these details.

The sudden suspension of sales for these products online without specific guidance caused confusion among hobbyist clubs and plastic model enthusiasts. In particular, those living in regional areas where specialized stores are rare are complaining that it has become difficult to purchase products as there are no viable alternative retailers.

Concerns are also rising in the field. An industry official remarked, "Large companies like 3M or Loctite comply with domestic laws, meeting safety standards like child-resistant packaging. However, the market for plastic model adhesives is relatively small, and the containers are structured to be optimized for their specific use. If basic materials like adhesives become difficult to access, it could negatively impact interest and sales for plastic models themselves."

If a company reports a product for household use and manufactures or imports it with all the legally required child-resistant packaging, such as safety caps, it can undergo the Ministry of Environment's safety verification and be distributed through online channels for general household use. However, realistically, it is difficult to expect the immediate application of child-resistant packaging given the structural nature of product packaging and the characteristics of a small market. Regarding whether Tamiya Korea plans to change to a child-resistant packaging method, the company stated, "Nothing has been decided yet regarding how we will proceed."