The same 65 years have gone by for me and my Mustang kits.

At the same time, it's been an exceedingly interesting 50 years, in which I have watched many P-51 kits come and go, each passing the position of being "the best" on to the next new kit in an endless baton race.

The memories cause such nostalgia.

When speaking of P-51 kits from 50 years ago, they were produced in the good old days when, as long as the final product looked sort of like the actual plane, they were good enough.

There was also the reality that the research materials that form the foundation of development were almost impossible to obtain, and what could be obtained were mostly fragments of photographs, or illustrations drawn to look similar to the real thing.

All details aside, I feel that it was an era such that just knowing that the plane was supposed to represent the US Army's excellent Mustang fighter was enough.

It was in the midst of this era that the new hobby known as plastic modeling made its appearance in the world of models.

In a modeling world where model airplanes had long been built out of wood, metal, and paper, the method of using metal molds to cast parts out of plastic, which were then used to assemble the plane piece by piece, was an entirely new practice that transformed the commonly accepted knowledge of the hobby at the time.

All at once, the method of making models which had been used up until then, in which material was built around a central axis and then repeatedly molded and refined, became old-fashioned.

And then came the era when the passage of time had, at last, clearly revealed the true shape of the P-51. At the same time, the plastic model kit hobby truly made its start, blooming in popularity around the world.

As could well be expected, here in Japan, it was unavoidable that the kits of Japanese planes would lead the way in popularity, but even so, as the the pages of WWII aviation history were turned, the true form of the P-51, as well as the roots of its popularity, became clear.

The world's finest fighter aircraft.
What is this plane of planes, this P-51D that can boast of having the honor of this title!?

As the secrets of the actual aircraft were revealed, I grew to admire the Mustang more and more every day.

And since then, 50 years have flown by in a flash.

I want the most beautiful, most accurate scale model possible of the P-51!!

If possible, I want the D type!! Eh? You want the B type? Yeah! I want the H type, too.

How long have I continued to harbor these dreams? And rather than growing weaker as the years passed, my hopes and feelings only grew ever stronger and greater.

To tell the truth, I don't have much time left. Before I knew it, I had come to the age where I could no longer afford to patiently wait for what I wanted.

Well then, if that's the case, why not try and make the ideal P-51 myself??!

"If it were me, I'd want the P-51!"

My master? The thorn in my side? No, no – my beloved wife, who cheered me on with those words.

We were able to draw closer to the answers to several old mysteries, such as how the twist in the blades is expressed in the shape and pitch of the propeller, as well as exactly what the P-51's airfoils are like, including their structure and form, and how they integrate with the fuselage.

Anyway, the most important thing for me is that the internal structure, mechanisms, and components of the plane finally became clear and I could see the hope that we could truly create its scale model.

The shape of this beautiful aircraft, which has the fine Packard Merlin engine, is mysterious and streamlined, from the tip of the propeller spinner to the end of the fuselage.

Recreating the mysterious shape of the P-51D accurately will be the most attractive point of this kit.

In what manner was the engine mounted to the aircraft? How was the recoil from the rotating propeller absorbed to pull the fuselage into the sky? How did each part work to control the aircraft in the air with three-dimensional motion? What were their structures? What were the well-designed points of the exterior?

Moreover, how can we fully enjoy the best point of the SWS development, assembling the kit in the same way as the actual P-51D?

Truly, the new world of scale model building is moving toward the day when dreams of the next dimension of airplane recreation will become possible.

SWS No. 4 P-51D is looking to be a kit amazingly packed with such dreamed-of features.

The exterior design is accurate and beautiful to the utmost, and as you build, you will come to comprehend the aircraft's internal structure and organization, as well as its peripheral equipment and their mechanisms. And goodness, soon I – or rather, you will be able to build the P-51D using your own hands.

If that cannot be called happiness, then I don't know what else it can be called.

It truly makes my heart dance.

I will show you more details of the SWS P-51D kit along with photos which we have all long awaited in my next blog post here.

Of course, let me also introduce to you the aircraft which we announced at the Nuremburg Toy Fair with photos to vividly recreate the atmosphere of the event site.

I think that's good for today. Be careful not to catch a cold! Take care!

Please look forward to my next post!!

Hideyuki Shigeta
Representative of Zoukei-Mura

If you have any opinions, questions, or requests regarding the SWS, please don't hesitate to let us know.