We are finally here at the final episode of the introduction of SWS32 Raiden.
How are you all doing my SWS brothers? Here in Japan we are still fighting against the covid omicron and having tons of positive cases every single day.
We still need to be careful by staying away from a crowd and wearing mask, especially places crowded with young people like disco is where you need to forget about for the time being, while what you should really focus on is sharpening your skill along your scale model journey which as the representative of young generation, this is my wish delivered from the sky of Japan.
Of course you should also stay away from those will destroy your life like alcohol, cigarette and drugs, and please always stay healthy and safe for your life ahead.
Let’s end our interesting battle with SWS Raiden in this episode, and I hope my introduction so far would help my brother who is interested in this kit but haven’t had it in their collection.
There are still a few stock available in our VOLKS stores , VOLKS official online store and our world wide Friend Shops. This will the chance for my brothers to have the precious airplane representing the old Japanese Navy Airforce into your collection which I absolutely highly recommend.
▋In the flap parts that will determine the moving direction, since the gluing surface is small, it probably would fall apart if you only hold the main wings area with your fingers trying to move it. Therefore, you should always hold the fuselage if you would like to adjust it for display. It is the same in the aileron area as the rare light is tiny and you should be careful not to lose them and if it were me, I will lick my fingers and then proceed to attach each parts.
In this final episode, I will start from the assembly of flap and aileron and then the sighting device and bulletproof glass. After that, we will move to the details of canopy area including the ladder, fuel tank, navigation light, pitot tube and antenna to complete the assembly.
Here you need to pay attention to the sighting device and bullet proof glass in the 3-7.D section. Although the sighting device seems to be big on the instruction manual, it is just like a rice grain in 1/32 scale, and the aiming plate is even smaller with only 2 mm in size. Please make sure that you will not lose these tiny parts on your desk with the similar black background or you will have to call for search rescue around your desk just like me. Also you will need to confirm the angle before you glue the bulletproof glass on the instrument panel.
As for the canopy, you can choose to assemble it to the window frame or normally pain the window frame. In my blog, I build it by assembling it to the window frame as it will better for me to explain. Either way is OK as long as you want to truthfully recreate the kit and this is exactly the challenging part.
Both ways will require you to confirm the fitting and carefully and slightly use the fluid type glue to process your works, or the glue might get into the gap between the parts and make the glass unclear.
▋As you can see that the old Japanese Navy airplane were all painted in typical dark green because the Navy airplane take off from warship and basically having mission above the sea, while Raiden mainly take off from land base as interceptor aircraft, it will be even more realistic if you put some dirt or oil effect, or the chipping effect showing the lack of resources situation at the final stage of the war.
There are 2 types of decal sheet in this Raiden kit. The bravery lightning painting on the side of the fuselage is the famous lieutenant aircraft belongs to the Nagasaki Omura Base Airforce 352 unit team leader “Aoki Yoshihiro”.
The other one is the recreation of the painting at the final battle for the lieutenant aircraft belongs to the Kanagawa Atugi Base 302 unit team leader“Itoh Susumu”
▋This is the sample of the assembled Raiden 21 type without painting. Relative small main wings attached to the thick fuselage and the heavy armament with four 20mm guns, which you can see the old Japanese Navy fighter airplane that was not benefited by the powerful engine until the end. Even though, I believe it still will be an outstanding kit among your numerous collections.
▋The huge space in the cockpit that can hold 2 rather small Japanese pilots, and it is interesting to discover that the thick bulletproof glass is also well equipped. Anyway, the tactics at this stage is like the KamiKaze attack that basically don’t think of survival or saving any fuel for the way back.
Although it is simply assembled and without any painting, you can still feel that Raiden is still carrying on its legacy as an old Japanese Navy interceptor aircraft with remarkable achievement to fulfill its original mission which is to fight against the enemy heavy bombers.
Even though it was not a easy airplane to operate, it still would become ferocious fighter with brave warriors from Navy Airforce on it.
Above the cumulonimbus cloud in the sky of the midsummer, the Raiden making steep climb all the way to the top will always be the most reliable guardians for the Japan airspace and continue to tell us its story.
Last but not least, please take a look of the parts and runners of Raiden kit.
As one of the basic concept of SWS kit, with only the plastic material that you can have them all assembled to be magic scale model. Along with all your passion, experience and the skill, you will further get the unique one and only precious airplane model in this world.
There is no words that I can describe the beauty and the happiness that the scale model can bring to us and I have always dreaming about that one day we can all get together sitting in front of our beloved kits and sharing each other’s model journey.
In the next episode of “Enjoy the best part of SWS kit with the instruction manual Part 3”will be featuring the He219 Uhu, which its development purpose and mission is different from Raiden, however it successfully defended the British Royal Airforce unit at its debut. Please keep an eye out for the next episode on the most famous twin engine aircraft and the best night fighter during WWII.
Until then, I hope everyone is doing well!!!
Hideyuki Shigeta
President, Zoukei-Mura
Wow!
Here we have another exciting email coming all the long way from Norway, and guess what? Raiden is exactly the first ever kit he has build! How amazing is that!
I have had his permission to post his email and I can wait to share this with all my SWS brothers.
Thank you so much Mr. Robert for your kind words!
But a figure of The Old Man? That is totally out of my imagination!
Hello Dear Zukei-Mura team,
After years of doing nothing with model building (I started in the 60s with Airfix bags and ended in the early 80s due to work), I picked it up again in 2020, when I had moved from Holland to Norway, married and both my wife and I retired.
I have, in the meanwhile, build as many models as financial constraints allowed. Anything from Airfix to complex 1/32 Tamiya passed my hands. I wanted to raise the ladder a bit and after selling all my unbuild 1/72 models I had in my stash, I scraped enough together to lay my hands on a 1/32 Zukei-Mura kit, the 1/32 Raiden!
Here in Norway, we have no shops close, the closest is 70km away. I am never able to see inside the boxes of the kits before I buy, so I must rely on reviews on the Internet. The actual shopping is done on the net as well. The shop 70km away, where I buy most of my model building materials, is, by accident, a ‘SWS Friend’ shop (HobbyM in Oslo), so when imports permit, they have most of the kits on stock (not for long though, they go out fast).
So, last week, I ordered my 1/32 SWS Raiden and received it a day later in the post in pristine condition. My last ‘wow’ moment was when I opened the Tamiya 1/32 Mustang but receiving and opening the Zukei-Mura box was a double 'wow’ moment.
Well packaged with a GREAT manual, with all the relevant information, the right colours for my setup (Gunze Mr. Color, AK 3rd gen is my other paint I use) and enough information to get it build in the proper way. For the Raiden, ‘The Old Man’ Mr. Hideyuki Shigeta has no ‘Old Man Blog’ reports (as far as I can see), which is a pity, because in the last weeks I have ‘munched’ thru all the other ones.
The sprues and individual components, what can I say, the delicacy of some of the part I have never seen before in plastic in any previous model. Some parts are even more delicate than some of the photo etch I have seen and used. I am used to Eduard, ICM, Tamiya and Hasegawa for most of my models, with some Trumpeter for 1/32, some Special Hobby, Arma and one or two Dora Wing short runs. The option to use real frames on the canopy parts is great as well, if you take care and use the right glue.
Boxing, layout, tooling and mostly engineering is beyond Tamiya, which I consider to be one of the best engineered kits. The fit is very good and flash and sink marks are minimal or non-existing. And talk about a catching image on the front!
I am sure that you have heard this all before, but you can never hear it enough, I think. I am now considering the ZM Shinden, the ZM Pfeil (very expensive here), the ZM Horten in 1/32 and mostly the ZM Mustang IV and perhaps the other one as well (my 10th or so) and the upcoming BF 109 to add to the building line.
I need to consider selling a part of my precious 1/48 stash to make that all happen as these fantastic kits come at a high price. Not if you consider the work, love and understanding put into these kits, but barebone facts are the price tags.
If there is anything that I miss in this kit, it is a (plastic or raisin) figure of ‘The Old Man’ sitting or standing, that can stand on the work desk, to make us remember every time we do something on a ZM SWS kit, to do it with care, maximum attention and love and to learn something from it. A kind of Star Wars ‘Yoda’ for model building. Or as in Japanese tradition as a kind of protective amulet (学業成就 gakugyou joujuin in this case to give wisdom) 😁 (sorry if the translation/meaning is wrong).
Great to get a mini ‘Old Man’ in raisin in some kit. Perhaps something for a limited edition or as a surprise in a certain kit!
For now, I will have many hours of fantastic building pleasure, building up a Raiden from inside out, resulting (I am sure) in a great model.
I wish the whole team all the success, you earned it. Hasegawa, then 2 steps up and comes Tamiya and then 10 steps up and comes Zoukei-Mura. Develop and publish many nice models in the coming years.
My special thanks to Mr. Hideyuki Shigeta for his guidance, his spirit and his fantastic blogs where he reflects, sometimes meddles and always positively pushes the builders into making something out of the kits. I really hope we see him in some kit as a miniaturized amulet to give inspiration to its owner! If we would have model shows in Norway where Z-M and ‘The Old Man’ would attend, I would surely stand in line to give him a deep bow and a hand.
Many thanks for this great pleasure you have given me with this J2M3 Raiden alone. Just lingering on the thought what would come after that (an Airfix kit… muhahaha) makes me want to win the lottery and buy all available SWS kits in 1/32 and 1/48.
Please also pass my greatest respect and the positive comments above to ‘The Old Man’.
With best regards and a deep bow,
Robert Willem van Hoeven
Mysen, Norway
Let’s cheer for Mr. Robert and Norway!
I have never prayed so much for my SWS brothers to win a lottery like this so far , but for people who haven’t bought a lottery ticket in their life like me, would probably never have a chance to win though.
Old Man Blog No.122Enjoy the best part of SWS kit with the instruction manual Part 2: 2nd
Old Man Blog No.124
Enjoy the best part of SWS kit with the instruction manual Part 3: Heinkel He 219 A-0 Uhu