▋The heroic sight of the Bf 109 G-14 just about to take off!
The thunderous sound of the DB 605AM engine echoes through your chest!
It has been two whole years now that have started and ended with news of COVID-19, but at last we are starting to see the end of its tumultuous run. How are all of you doing, my SWS brothers?
Here in Kyoto, Japan, the colors of autumn deepen with each passing day, and the trees on the mountains surrounding this ancient capital of Japan are beginning to show more red and orange leaves every day.
And as I write this, here in front of me is the test build of the 1/32 Bf 109 G-14 which has finally passed the prototype mockup stage and the initial stage of injection molding, “test-shot #1,” from the tooling factory, and just had its details checked and adjusted by our team.
From here, we will continue to modify and improve it over and over, until “test-shot #5.” If it can manage to pass our final inspection, at long last the mass production will begin. Following the mock-up photos from my previous blog, I would like to share this in-depth update with you that fills me with both joyous anticipation and nervous anxiety.
This test-build prototype will also be used as a sample model to check the assembly process for the instruction manual included with the kit, and to test the included decals, so it is already very close to the final product.
Even for those who are not huge fans of Luftwaffe aircraft, this kit is unmissable for all modelers who want to build a collection of the most successful and famous WWII fighters using SWS kits.
I was surprised to see that the Bf 109 would be released before the Fw 190, another Luftwaffe aircraft that we started development on earlier. My heart is full-to-bursting with surprise and joy.
What’s that you say? “I feel the same way”?
Yes, of course you do! This incredibly famous aircraft, which was active throughout Europe and North Africa during WWII, will soon be appearing before your eyes as an SWS kit. Please look forward to it with anticipation.
To commemorate the first release in the 1/32 Bf 109 kit series, a special limited-edition pre-order version will be available, featuring the G-14 piloted by Erich Hartmann, the WWII Luftwaffe ace who shot down the largest number of aircraft in the history of air combat.
In addition to the Cartograf-printed exclusive decals featuring the famous black tulip, a resin figure of Hartmann himself by Master Box will also be included with each pre-ordered kit!
This bonus will only be included with the kits pre-ordered during the designated period. Be sure to keep an eye out for it so you don't miss out!
*Image shows a test-shot used to test fitting, and therefore parts from different variations are included together.
▋With a compact fuselage structure that retains the cross-sectional area of the DB 605 engine, the wing structure and internal construction of the Bf 109, which also excelled at hit-and-run attacks, have been recreated in a way that only SWS kits can. Furthermore, the operation and structure of the radiator flaps and ailerons is clearly understandable from the faithful replication.
On the right is the resin model of Captain Hartmann (as he was ranked in 1944) that comes with the limited-edition kit commemorating the kit’s release.
*Image shows a test-shot used to test fitting, and therefore parts from different variations are included together.
▋Check it out! This is heart of the Bf 109 G-14! The top of the DB 605 is equipped with an MG-17 machine gun, and the Bf 109's unique cockpit, neatly configured like one big mass of rationality revealing the genius of Messerschmitt.
You can feel the true sense of unity between the aircraft and the pilot, who had to cram his body into that confined cockpit.
Following the great success of the B-type in the Spanish Civil War that broke out in 1936, the aircraft evolved into the C-, D-, and E-types, finally becoming the world's most powerful fighter with the F-type, and then the G- and K-types, which continued to be developed throughout WWII until the end of the war.
*Image shows a test-shot used to test fitting, and therefore parts from different variations are included together.
▋From this angle you can get the greatest sense of the actual aircraft, as only an SWS kit can give you. The connection between the fuselage and wings reveals the deepest secrets of this aircraft. The replication showing the operation of the main landing gear and its structure is an incredible wonder to behold. The connection of the engine to the fuselage shows painstaking effort. The structure of the radiator flaps, which may have contributed to the aircraft’s revolutionary performance improvement, is another highlight. The propeller mounting is a precise creation of mechanical prowess that is distinctive to the Luftwaffe, and one just can’t look away.
One of its very few weaknesses is the small fuel tank, which carried only 400 liters, perhaps due to the narrow airspace. I could go on and on, there so more to enjoy about this kit!
▋If you realized “Aha! That’s a G-14!” from just a glance at this photo, you are truly a passionate Bf 109 fan. The Bf 109 was the only Luftwaffe fighter aircraft that continued to fight valiantly until the very end against the surging Allied aircraft that filled the sky. From Africa to the east and the west, to central Europe and the homeland air defense of Germany, the Bf 109 flew over many skies with the loud roar of its DB 605 engine.
From the outbreak of WWII in 1939 to the end of the war in 1945, the Bf 109 gave way to many ace pilots until it finally disappeared into the yonder. Still, its brave form is still burned into the mind’s eye of all aircraft aficionados.
▋The Messerschmitt Bf 109, mainstay of the Luftwaffe in WWII, finally joins the SWS fleet after years of painstaking preparation! The first SWS Bf 109 kit will be a special recreation of the aircraft piloted by legendary fighter ace Erich Hartmann. You will be floored by not only the faithful replication of the outer form, but the incredible realism of the Daimler-Benz DB 605 inverted V-12 liquid-cooled engine!! The SWS design concept of “replicating the real thing” has produced a kit like none before it!!
“We’ll get around to producing these kits again soon,” we told ourselves over and over, and before we knew it, these SWS kits were almost impossible to get one’s hands on. To mark the tenth year since the first SWS kit was released, we will at last fulfill the fervent demand by producing these kits again.
As we have advertised in various hobby magazines, these restocked kits will be available for purchase at the VOLKS Online Store, VOLKS stores all over Japan, and SWS Friend Shops all over the world. Don’t miss out on this special chance to get these kits bearing the true essence of Zoukei-Mura!!
▋This is it! The momentous world-debut kit of SWS!
Indeed, this is the Japanese Imperial Navy fighter, “Shinden.” With its extraordinarily unique canard-based fuselage design and the 30mm machine gun in the nose, this land-based interceptor has an unforgettable mysterious charm, replicated in the kit in a way that only SWS kits can. As a very early work from Zoukei-Mura, it still has some issues with roughness and difficult assembly. Nevertheless, it is a kit with an impressive form, and you will surely feel an indescribable sense of achievement when you conquer its assembly. Don’t miss you chance again to get this kit!!
▋This is another kit that stirred up a sensation in the world of scale model aircraft, with its builds winning many contests worldwide.
From the mysterious wing structure of the Ho 229’s fuselage to the jet engine, landing gear, cockpit, armament, and wing details, this plastic-model-history-making kit has received worldwide acclaim. Yet again can only be reproduced in an extremely small quantity. We strongly recommend that you purchase it as soon as you get the chance.
▋Shinden, developed toward the end of WWII as Japan’s ace-in-the-hole against B-29s has at last returned after much demand! This kit still gives the airplane dimensionality with a fewer number of pieces, and faithfully replicates the fine details even in a smaller scale! The model can even be displayed with the internal structure showing. The internal structure is packed with details on the Shinden’s unique frame that extends from the nose to the tail, and the model could easily be mistaken for 1/32 scale. This is your chance to see it for yourself at last!
▋This kit recreates the commemorative aircraft that participated in William Tell, the aerial gunnery competition organized by Air Defense Command (ADC) at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, held in October 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial. At long last it will be restocked!
The flashy checkerboard pattern and commemorative bicentennial logo are distinctive to this fascinating aircraft. Check out the short-nozzle J79-GE-15 engines, the newly-added oil receptacle for aerial refueling, and other differences from the U.S. Navy F-4s!
▋This kit will be coming back too! This model recreates the U.S. Air Force 497th TFS (Tactical Fighter Squadron) “Night Owls,” who were assigned to overnight precision attacks during the latter half of the Vietnam War.
The fuselage underside is painted jet-black for nighttime attacks, and there are distinctive white owl and moon markings beside the intake to symbolize the squadron. The LORAN-D antenna on the upper rear fuselage for the long-range air navigation system was called the “Towel Hanger” for its distinctive shape. Along with your F-4C, be sure to get the F-4D kit as well with its further-improved electronic system!
We heard you all, loud and clear!! Here comes another production of the highly-requested F-4EJ Kai Phantom II “Phantom Forever 2020” kit!
After these kits sold out during the pre-order period, we received much demand from fans worldwide for another chance to purchase this special kit. And now that time has come at last!
Of course, the content of this kit will be the same as the limited-edition kits sold at the end of 2020. The exclusive decals printed by the famous Cartograf will be included again. This kit is sure to be a precious part of your collection in the decades to come.
Please be sure to take advantage of the opportunity this time.
▋Don’t miss your chance again!! The much-anticipated restock is coming!!
This kit features the special 2020 retirement markings of the 301st TFS of the 7th Air Wing based at Hyakuri Air Base! This popular aircraft’s markings feature the F-4 emblem character “The Spook” on the horizontal stabilizer and squadron’s frog symbol painted in a distinctive metallic blue. Don’t miss your chance to fly this kit into your hands!
*This image is a work in progress. The final package artwork will differ.
Following the “Phantom Forever 2020” kit, another commemorative F-4EJ Kai retirement paint scheme called “Go for it!! 301sq” from the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron arrives in a bright flash of yellow!
The aircraft itself is the same F-4EJ Kai. It goes without saying, but the SWS kit includes finely-detailed Cartograf decals of the distinctive bright markings, in a quality suitable for this fascinating subject. The rest is up to you and your creative workmanship!
At last, the day has arrived when you can recreate with 1/48 SWS kits the two aircraft taking off in tandem from Runway 21 of the JASDF Hyakuri Airbase in that historical flight.
These two aircraft are sure to never fade in their glory in the world of scale models, revered as legendary kits even 50 years from now.
As these kits are commemorative limited-edition items, they will only be available to those who pre-order during the designated period. Please be sure not to miss out on the change to pre-order this release as well.
▋After the overwhelming popularity of the “Phantom Forever 2020” kit, another commemorative retirement paint scheme from the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron joins the SWS fleet! The bright and bold yellow of aircraft no. 315 is sure to draw attention. The SWS kit includes faithfully-replicated decals of the distinctive markings, including the large frog on the vertical stabilizer!!
I know that many modelers are very much looking forward to the upcoming IPMS Scale ModelWorld in Telford this year. We were all looking forward to it as well, but unfortunately Zoukei-Mura is unable to join the show this year. Despite the dramatic decrease in COVID-19 infections here in Japan, we still must remain careful and vigilant. Even if we were able to enter the U.K., we would be required to self-quarantine for two weeks before participating in the event, which is just not possible with our limited resources. It is very hard for us to give up, but there simply is no choice but to miss the show this year.
I started growing a moustache with the hope that COVID-19 would end, intending to shave it off as soon as the pandemic was over. Now, two years later, it has grown to be quite thick and robust. I wonder when that day will come when I can shave it off…
Even now, Zoukei-Mura is always striving to make your dreams come true, with our slogan of “your hobby is always here for you.” Please, dear reader, take care of your health and spend every day happy and well. I wish you all the best from these skies in Kyoto, Japan.
Hideyuki Shigeta
President, Zoukei-Mura
Old Man Blog No.113Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of SWS!! Thank you for supporting our 34 releases!!
Old Man Blog No.115
Thank you very much for the pre-orders from all over the world!!!