Hiiiiiiiii, dear SWS fans all over the world!
Thanks for visiting the Old Man Blog after such a long time.
Actually, besides "Zoukei-mura", manufacturer specialized in the development of scale model kits, I also manage a Hobby-company called VOLKS, which kept me very busy because of the several big events held in a sequence this spring.
This time I will give you all at once the SWS information gathered since last time. In early summer I feel much more grateful to share the same dream with you aircraft fans.
First, the "F-4S" type:
●Released on June 10th (Sat) at 7,500 JPY (without tax)!!
*Japan Standard Time
Then,
●Simultaneously released on July 26th (Wed) – 29th (Sat)
for US Friend Shops and IPMS Omaha!!
The long awaited S-type is finally coming to you. Please thoroughly enjoy the charm of the S-type, so different from the excellent J-type. I am falling in love with the image of those two machines, one next to another. The mock-up of upcoming C and D types will be displayed at Zoukei-mura booth, during the IPMS in Omaha. C-type will be painted with the so called Vietnam Camouflage (SEA Scheme), while the D-type will have surfacer applied so that even tiny details will be scrupulously observable. If you come to IPMS Omaha, look forward to them!!
So let's see the main differences between the SWS J-type and the forthcoming S-type.
▋S-type's release has finally come closer!
VF-161, the fifth carrier air wing stationed in the old Atsugi base. Then, the splendid camouflage found on the air carrier Midway, has been adopted for the decal of this kit! In addition, the decals to reproduce the colorful markings of the different units, usable with F-4 J/S, will be eventually released as extra parts! More and more chances to reproduce the sight of those fierce men with the F-4. Honestly, there are so many that cannot choose.
▋In the picture, newly developed runners for the S-type release. The yellow tags show the parts used in the S-type, different from the J-type. Easy to build, fun to build, this F-4S will be soon flying to reach you. Oh, and about this S-type: just a little of work and you can reproduce the cool scene of the launch from the carrier. Also, missile parts have also been renewed and have finer details. Please expect that sharp result!!
▋Zoukei-mura received this beautiful plate!
The IPMS Odessos branch (Bulgaria) chose our SWS F-4J as the "Model of the Year" for 2016! We will keep developing better and better kits to make sure we deserved this honor!! This will strengthen the will and the courage of the Development Team.
▋And to celebrate the release of the SWS F-4S Phantom!
A new diorama base that represents the area surrounding the flying deck catapult of the US Carrier CV-41 Midway will be released. Of course, you just need to attach it to the catapult hook of the SWS F-4 to have a flawless scene. And the base is so cool that it comes pre-painted just as you can see it in the picture. (The wooden base is sold separately.)
○Diameter: 295mm ○Thickness: 6mm ○Weight: 437g
○Suitable aircrafts: F-4J/S
A massive product by Zoukei-mura, hand-made, hand-painted. Just few pieces available. Be quick to get it.
Celebrative release pre-painted Diorama Base
"SWOP 1/48 Diorama Base 04 CV-41 Flight Deck"
Price： 2,000 JPY (without tax)
Release date: July 8th, 2017 *Japan Standard Time
And from the SWS 1/32 series!!
The Do 335 twin-seat version (A-12), long-awaited from Dornier fans will finally be released for 17,800 JPY (expected price)!!
Named "the anteater" for its particular shape, this aircraft model that is worth celebrating, will be finally released as an SWS kit, full of its unique charm.
Oh!
The finished kit will be early displayed at Zoukei-mura booth during the IPMS Convention to be held in Omaha, USA. All you guys coming to the IPMS, look forward to it!! The more you look at it, the more you feel the deep strength of Luftwaffe, no, of Dornier Company.
For this SWS kit, the following molds have been added to the base model of the highly acclaimed Do 335 single-seat version (A-0). Our 1/32 A-12 kit will be the first and most unique of its kind.
Single-seat kit is nice of course, but isn't this fascinating twin-seat really cool?
Please make it part of your collection.
▋How is this power?
The fierce figure of Do 335 A-12 is finally coming at you!! Oooh, that giant body and that balance are just awesome! This Do 335 is so cool that if you could have the finished display item in front of you, all your thoughts would just be blow away. Put it next to the single-seat A-0 and compare. That is like a celestial bliss for a modeler.
▋As usual, the outer panels are made in clear parts to let the cockpit of the twin-seat model, reproduced in high-detail, completely visible. Besides the instrument panel, the control equipment has been finely reproduced as well. This is indeed a particular aircraft, with its peculiar shape, somehow linked to the beauty of current aircrafts.
▋This finished kit is the fierce Do 335 A-12 made by Master Naoki Kobayashi.
Release is scheduled for the second half of the year. Maybe we will make it on time for the IPMS Telford. A famous kit given to you, Luftwaffe fans. I guarantee that the pleasure of building this kit is like in your dreams. Look forward to it!
SWS 1/32 kits' new interesting development gone so far!
Henschel Hs 129 Development Report
Known by different names like flying "can opener" or "tank buster", this unique Luftwaffe raider has finally started to show its figure as an SWS kit.
Plus, in the most wanted 1/32 scale!!
In the front lines of all the fiercest WWII European battlefields, vested with a bulletproof armor against anti-aircraft fire, it bombed every kind of enemy that might wriggle on the ground, while allied soldiers welcomed it with cheerful voices, just as they were excited children. That is the Hs 129.
As SWS kits, we will first develop separately the B-2 and B-3 types. Decals and equipment that will cover all the battlefields in which the 129 was deployed will also be included.
Of course, we are challenging ourselves to reproduce a kit without neglecting any of the secrets of this little-known aircraft, from the plane structure, engine, cockpit, armament, landing gears, fuel tanks, to the storage of the first kit aid. Speaking for myself, I will be also looking forward to seeing this kit coming to you shortly, Luftwaffe fan. The pictures you see in this entry are from the latest mock-up. The first display is scheduled for the IPMS Omaha, at Zoukei-mura booth. Stay tuned!
▋How is the shape of the Henschel Hs 129, this tough can-opener?!
This is where we are with the mock-up; we can finally see its outer shape. If we think its shape is ok (in fact it is!) we will move on to the copper cast. And, if there is no problem, we will go on to the production of the master, where it will not be possible to step back.
Despite being small as a twin-engine aircraft, there are heaps of parts worth seeing! Hey, this is the admirable "natural enemy" that you AFV fans cannot miss!
▋Regarding the details under the fuselage, nothing is forgotten. Weapons and bombs, then equipment and maintenance background, you will be able to complete this rare Hs 129 model, just the way you picture it in your mind. Every Luftwaffe fan, every Hs 129 fan, feel free to have high expectations for this kit but you just need to be patient before it is available!
*You will be able to see this mock-up with your own eyes at Zoukei-mura booth, IPMS Omaha.
▋See, the Hs 129 is an incredibly, incredibly small aircraft. Since it smashed into pieces every tank, vehicle, bridge, base or even locomotive that might be on the ground, it doesn't pale beside heavy bomber Do 335. But due to the short flying range, which is why it was frequently hit, and the high number of enemies, it underwent a hard treatment after another… seriously. It did actually well, from the sky over the desert right below the equator, to the frozen eastern front!! We will create and give you a stunning kit. Promised!
This is also cool!!
One more SWS 1/32 kit! The Type 2 Two-Sea Fighter Ki-45 Kai "Toryu" has come this far.
Toryu flies in the sky of the imperial capital!
From the battle front of South New Guinea, Rangoon, Sumatra and Philippines, to the air defense of Japanese mainland starting from Kitakyushu, and until the time of the final battle in the imperial capital, the plane ventured one hard battle after another! Zoukei-mura aims to finally release an incredible model kit for this special aircraft that engraved its name in the history of Japanese Imperial Aviation during the last heroic days of the suicide attacks!
That Toryu. First, we can roughly identify two types of planes: the "short nose" and the "long nose", and we are developing both. Then, we are planning to represent six different types in total, based on the combination of the armament equipped on three different models, "Kinoe", "Hinoe", and "Hinoto".
As usual, it will be possible to reproduce every type of armament until the days of the suicide attacks, from nose weapons to the all the weapons under the fuselage.
Of course, as you would expect from an SWS kit, this aircraft will be faithfully reproduced in details, from its structure to the engines, cockpit, weapons and landing gears.
Only with SWS, you can get the real pleasure of working and completing a model with an unstoppable attraction. The beautiful curved lines of this Japanese aircraft are indeed seriously fascinating. Japanese aircraft fans, we are now in the final phase! This mock-up will be displayed at the IPMS Omaha too. The beauty of this delicate Japanese aircraft will stun all the visitors.
▋Dear fans of Japanese aircrafts, this is "Toryu"!!
Isn't it beautiful just like a white crane that got down on the ground?
The day this irresistible, beautiful Japanese aircraft will revive as an SWS kit is close to come! I am so happy I can't even believe it myself. I am stricken by this particular aircraft that fought so much, from the continents to the southern front, and from the inland until the air defense of the imperial capital, bravely facing a cruel fate in almost every battlefield of the Great East Asia War. In the picture above is shown a mock-up where you can see the shape of the plane. Hard work is waiting for us from now! But we will fight hard!!
▋The Ki-45 Kai "Toryu" is a beautiful aircraft but, on the other hand, it is very hard to reproduce its sequence of curved lines. But it will be a pleasant work so we will not stop.
As a typical Japanese aircraft deployed in many fronts, every type of weapon, as well as the detachable and maintenance equipment will be reproduced. The fun of reproducing the weapon selection will tickle the modeler's soul. However, it gets very sad when you have to remove all the weapons and the skin, leaving the Toryu completely unvested.
▋I am staring at the image of the "Toryu" carrying a desperate full attack on a B-29. This is the package art for the SWS Ki-45 Kai kit. (Kaiten Unit No.4 Lieutenant Yamamoto's aircraft decals included.)
We are deeply thankful to Mr. Haruo Umeda, Captain of the 13th Flight Squadron (Kashihara Base) for giving us the precious picture this illustration is based on.
He shared the same fate of "Toryu" in the sky of Osaka and he returned home alive. With Captain Umeda's cheerful voice in our heart, we are moving on with this SWS kit development too. We also thank Mr. Totsui from Sankei Shinbum for introducing us Captain Umeda. Thank you very much!
Ooooh!! This is also very nice!!
The 1/72 scale version of the extremely popular SWS 1/32 and 1/48 "Ho 229" will join the series?
Yes, this is true!! And, in the same box you will find a "bonus" item: the 1/144 Ho 229!!
And this one… It might be a "bonus" but it is a stunning, cool and small kit. What a small Ho 229!
Dear 1/72 and 1/144 scale fans, sorry for having kept you waiting.
▋See the 4 machines carrying a surprise attack on the Avro-Lancaster bomber-formation! The SWS 1/72 and 1/144 Ho 229 stand beside the 1/32 and 1/48 ones!
The day you can reproduce that dream-like scene is finally coming. Release has not been scheduled yet but we will let you have the Horten from 1/32 to 1/144 scale for real.
Dear 1/72 and 1/144 scale fans, just have a little more patience for the moment!!
Right now, the development is proceeding by this motto: "See the Horten displayed in 4 scales!!" The rumor happened to be true. Soon, that beloved Horten with its singular shape will be yours in a size that fits the palm of your hand, and you will get two models, one small and one big, at once. You'll love them!!
Of course, even in 1/72 scale, it will still be a Zoukei-mura-style kit.
Structure and armament will be reproduced with as much detail as possible in 1/72 scale! And all reproduced from the aircraft frame to the engine, the cockpit and the landing gears!!
Zoukei-mura goes so far!! This level of detail is the real climax of the kit.
However, we beg your pardon but of course there will be no internal structure in the 1/144 kit.
Maybe you wanted to build it yourself…
Anyway, feel free to expect two planes with their unique external shape, faithfully representing the mysterious beauty of the Horten.
●1/72 Horten Ho 229 (1/144 kit included in the same box)
Release planned for "end 2017". Price to be confirmed
How was the Old Man Blog, after such a long time?
I just realized that it is already early summer. From now Japan will enter the boring "tsuyu", the rainy season. There are just few weeks from spring to the rainy days. During this period, mountain chains get the color of a green field as the vivid sprouts of the new vegetation.
I wonder what spring and summer are like, in the place you live. Winter is coming in the Southern hemisphere. Please take care.
Zoukei-mura will keep creating stunning models for all the airplane model fans.
Please keep always supporting us.
See you next time! And thank you for reading this blog.
Bye, everyone!
Hideyuki Shigeta
President, Zoukei-Mura
Old Man Blog No.092
Happy New Year 2017!
Old Man Blog No.094
We went to IPMS Nationals in Omaha!! (Part 1)