Exactly.
It is unbelievable but true that the Horten Ho 229 “B” is actually being produced in SWS 1/32 scale!!
The main differences between the previously released “Ho 229” and “Ho 229 B” kits are as follows.
(Please check the kits for the small details.)

SWS 1/32 Ho 229 B Assembly Kit

●Body
The previous SWS kit ‘Ho 229’ was based on the unfinished prototype “Ho IX V3” and was reproduced as a single-seater fighter-bomber according to the original plans by assuming that “Ho 229 would have been used in actual combat”. This new “Ho 229 B” is reproduced as a two-seater, night fighter, which was expected to be highly practical among the many planned aircraft.

●Armament
In addition to the two 30mm cannon “MK 103” mounted on the day fighter “Ho 229”, the night fighter “Ho 229 B” was also equipped with four additional 30mm cannon “MK 108" made by the same company, Rheinmetall. The SWS kit beautifully recreates the conceptional aircraft of a night fighter, envisioned to have overwhelming firepower with six 30mm cannons, capable of taking down a B-17 or B-24 with just four direct hits.

●Equipment
As it was a two-seater night fighter, the narrow cockpit was a front-rear tandem two-seat configuration, with a radar operator in the rear seat. The FuG 220 Liechtenstein radar antenna, which was used on the He 219, was equipped for night spotting. The SWS kit includes finely detailed and characteristic antenna parts.

●In addition
The single-seater cockpit was made from a pipe frame and metal plates, but the two-seater cockpit was designed as a tandem bathtub shape. It is said that the underside and sides of the bathtub were planned to be bulletproof. Both the front and rear seats were equipped with ejection seats, and the front edge of the seat was also equipped with a footrest for ejection. The rear seat, which was the radar operator's seat, was equipped with a radar scope, etc. Furthermore, the outer panel parts in this kit are made of clear plastic, so you can fully enjoy the concept of “reproducing the actual aircraft in a model”. Please compare it with the single-seater model.

How are all of you SWS brothers around the world?

Kyoto city, Japan, where Zoukei-Mura is located, is currently in the midst of winter. Last week, the strongest cold wave of the season hit, bringing very cold temperature. The downtown of Kyoto had several centimeters of snow, which is unusual.

This winter, there is an unusually large amount of snowfall, and on the Sea of Japan side of the long north-south Japanese archipelago, there is more than two or three times the usual amount of snowfall. Some areas in the Hokuriku and Tohoku regions experience snowfall exceeding three meters, affecting their daily life and transportation.

Please be careful when shoveling snow off the roof and always have another person with you while working. Take precautions to prevent accidents from falls or avalanches.
Our company, Volks Group, has retreat houses for employees on the Tango Peninsula in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture. Unfortunately, they have been closed this winter due to more than 50 cm of accumulated snow, with additional snowfall continuing.
I hope that spring will come soon.

In this issue, we will showcase some of the package art for the upcoming SWS 1/32 kits.

Although it will still be a little while before each of these kits is released, please enjoy the beautiful artwork as a preview of the real thrill of the kits.

The Fw 190, the natural enemy of the B-17,
takes down the P-51!

▋This is the SWS package art for the “Fw 190 A-8” newly painted by Dennis, who is known to all of you.
The large formations of Allied B-17 and B-24 surging in like a raging torrent.
The scene of the fierce battle with the formidable enemy P-51, which accompanies them as a fighter escort is vividly depicted.

Recreate the homeland defense battle with the Fw 190, versatile fighter plane in your hands!

The long-awaited SWS 1/32 Fw 190, A-8 is under development.
The details are as follows. Please add the best fighter aircraft of WWII to your collection. You can compare it with the A-4 type, which is available now, and the A-3 type, which is planned to be released next. Please wait a little longer for its completion.
(Due to space limitations, the following description only covers the main parts. Please enjoy the parts that have been produced based on the in-depth research. It is exactly the kind of thing that those in the know will appreciate.)

SWS1/32 Fw 190 A-8 Assembly Kit

●Engine
Please note the “BMW 801 D-2”, an air-cooled, double-row, 14-cylinder engine manufactured by BMW. Like the A-4, it featured Kommandogerät that was the forerunner of engine control in current aircraft.
The exhaust pipes, which have a single collection point on the underside of the nose, and the engine mount, which is connected to the firewall through a truss-shaped support with a mechanism for distributing the load to the firewall and longitudinal members, etc. It is the true essence of SWS that you can feel the aircraft structure and the engine flow while assembling it.

●Body
The A-8 type was a representative late-stage type and boast the largest production number of all Fw 190 variants at around 8,300. It had an exterior design that had been modified to incorporate equipment meeting the demands of the front line, such as the addition of bulges on the upper surface of the wing and minor changes to the hatches on the lower surface, to potentially carry more armament. The difference between the A-8 and A-4 was while the basic structure remained the same, each component of the A-8 was more advanced. Notable internal changes include the extended engine mount, which was lengthened at the A-5 stage, the strengthening of the armament, the addition of extra fuel tanks, and the relocation of the radio equipment to accommodate these tanks. The external structure has been modified to support these internal changes, and additional antennas have been added.

●Armament
The standard fixed armament of the A-8 includes four 20mm machine guns in the wings and a 13mm machine gun in the upper nose. These powerful guns are a carryover from the A-7. The details are as follows. The MG 131/13mm machine gun on the top of the nose has a capacity of 400 rounds each (2 guns). The MG 151/20mm machine gun on the inner wing has a capacity of 250 rounds each (2 guns). The MG 151/20mm machine gun on the outer wing has a capacity of 125 rounds each (2 guns).

●Equipment
The Fw 190 variants starting from the A-5 type onwards, adopted a reinforced main landing gear. This landing gear featured a slightly thicker tube, around 5mm in each section, and the design was slightly simplified. It was used from the A-5 to the Dora. From the initial type to the later types, the weight of aircraft significantly increased, but only small modifications were needed. This strongly reflects the foresight of Dr. Kurt Tank.

●Decal
The unit is 5/II/JG300. Ernst Schrade’s aircraft “Red 19” is reproduced beautifully and in vivid detail with brilliant Cartograf decal.

●In addition
While the basic configuration was inherited from the A-4 type, the cockpit was gradually improved by adding an operating system that corresponded to the equipment installed in each part. The main instrument panel and the panels on the side console were changed. One of the features of the A-8 type was the addition of a manual pump for fuel injection to assist with engine starting, located near the rear of the port console.

The detailed expression of 1/32 scale and the thrill of exploring the real aircraft make this kit irresistible and attractive.
For both you and me, who have a longing for the Fw 190, the promising kit is currently under development. Please look forward to its launch!

P-51 would be even!
The esteemed aircraft that earned the complete trust of Japanese Army Air Force pilots has finally coming!

▋A round of applause to Darryl's illustration, which beautifully depicts the fierce G-forces and an aerial battle with the enemy aircraft. This Ki-100 Otsu belonged to the Army's 111th Air Corps. The day when this package art finally arrives in your hands is drawing near. Stay tuned!

As long as we have the Ki-100,
we don't need anything else! The extraordinary fighter plane that made veteran army fighter pilots say so will soon be in your collection!

At the end of the Greater East Asian War, a new fighter plane appeared in the skies over mainland Japan, suddenly dispelling the mood of war-weariness!
As soon as its engines started, the airplane soared into the sky, like dancing with its glittering bodies. This fighter plane was the Japanese Army fighter plane Ki-100 “Type 5 Fighter”, capable of confronting the formidable enemies on equal terms.

It is finally coming from Zouke-Mura SWS! Please wait just a bit more for it.

Thank you for the long wait!
The G-4, a key aircraft that connected the early and late models of the Bf 109 G, will soon be in your hands!”

▋I can hear the rumble of the DB605 engine in my ears as I look at Vincenzo's illustration, which beautifully depicts two aircraft flying on patrol over the African front and the deserts of North Africa, with their invincible spirit carried on the roar of the engine. Now, I wonder how you are going to recreate the G-4 type with your hands. I’m getting excited too!

The Bf 109 was a famous aircraft representing the German Luftwaffe during WWII. Produced in limited numbers, the G-4 type served in specialized roles, including photo reconnaissance and operations in the African front with sand filter-equipped specifications, making it one of the most remarkable variants.
Now, it is finally coming as the latest SWS kit.
The differences between this kit and the previously released Bf 109 G-14 and G-14/U4 are as follows.
We try to faithfully reproduce all the differences within the limitations of the 1/32 scale.
Anticipate the excitement!

SWS 1/32 Bf 109 G-4 Assembly kit

●Engine
Most of the G-type aircraft were equipped with the liquid-cooled inverted V-12 “DB 605” engines. The DB 605 was an upgraded version of the DB 601, which had been installed in the Bf 109 F. It featured a larger displacement of 35.7 liters compared to the DB 601’s 33.9 liters, while maintaining the same size. Additionally, its maximum rpm increased from 2,600 to 2,800. The power output increased from 1,332hp to 1,455hp. and it was possible to use boost systems such as the MW 50 and GM-1. In the SWS kit, the G-14 type features a water-methanol tank installed in the rear of the fuselage as standard, allowing the MW 50 power boost to be used. However, the G-4 type is reproduced without the tank, similar to the G-2 type.

●Body
A detailed reproduction of the Bf 109 G-4/R6 Trop with sand filter, deployed on the African front. Unlike the G-14, which was the last mass-produced model in the Bf 109 series, the G-4 was often used as a photo reconnaissance aircraft. It had a body with almost the same specifications as the G-2 and did not feature a pressurized cabin, similar to other early G types.
This kit faithfully reproduces a medium-altitude fighter with R6 specification, equipped with the MG 151gun pods under the main wing instead of a camera.
Please enjoy the differences between this G-4 and the G-14, which is currently on sale.

●Armament
Both aircraft were equipped with Rheinmetall-made aircraft machine guns: the G-14 was equipped with two MG 131/13mm machine guns on the upper surface of the nose, and one MG 151/20mm machine gun as a motor cannon in the engine shaft, while the G-4 was equipped with two MG 17/7.92mm machine guns on the upper surface of the nose, and the same MG 151/20mm machine gun in the engine shaft.

●Equipment
Compared to the Fw 190, which had sturdy landing gears, the main landing gears of the Bf 109 were rather slender. The G-14 type featured landing gears for large tires with standard wheel hubs used in late models, while the G-4 had landing gears for small tires with spoke-type wheel hubs used in early models.The difference between the two can be distinguished by the presence or absence of mold on the oleo strut (the G-4 version does not have a mold). Furthermore, the umbrella hole, which is almost always installed in aircraft designed for desert use with a sand filter, has also been faithfully reproduced. Even the smallest differences in equipment have been completely reproduced based on thorough research of the actual aircraft.

●Decals
There are two options. The ‘Black 1+Black I’ with its distinctive white band and white rudders on the rear fuselage, belonging to 8./JG53, and the “Black<<+Black I” with its yellow band on the rear fuselage, belonging to III/JG3, are beautifully reproduced by Cartograf.

●In addition
The canopy shape, which is one of the most important parts highlighting the differences among the various Bf 109 models, has been precisely reproduced down to the smallest detail The G-14 type used the later ‘Erla-Haube’ clear canopy with fewer frames to improve the pilot's visibility, whereas the G-4 type used the earlier box-shaped canopy with thick frames that was used from the G-2 to the early G-6 types.
Other small parts, such as the radio equipment and corresponding antennas, are also reproduced in detail. The true essence of SWS lies in the opportunity to learn the differences between the early and late series of the G type, the most widely produced of all the Bf 109 models.

In this issue, we showcased the package art for the upcoming SWS 1/32 kits.

Although the kits are still some time away, please count down to the release dates.

The harsh winter days continue in the northern hemisphere. I hope that all of you SWS brothers stay warm and take care not to catch a bad cold.

May the gallant figures of the SWS kits always dance in our hearts.

Hideyuki Shigeta
President, Zoukei-Mura

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