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First of all, thank you for the support and friendship we receive from all around the world!

Spring is supposed to come in March but cold days are back and continue. But how are you doing?

Speaking of March, I cannot forget the 11th.

That day…
5 years have already passed since that day when a huge earthquake of magnitude 9 hit the North-Eastern region of Japan.

Even today hard reconstruction works continue.

For us, it is impossible to forget the friendship and the courage of a lot of US Navy soldiers, beginning with those from the US Navy carrier "Ronald Reagan" who helped us promptly in the middle of this tragic accident and regardless of the danger.

Even if Japan and the US concluded the "US-Japan Security Treaty" as allies, could you imagine how important for the stricken area was the support and the emergency help received thanks to Mr. Tom Burke's (Captain of the carrier at that time) courageous decision?

Later, this action was called "Operation Tomodachi" and became a joint operation between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the United States Armed Forces. You would be surprised by how fast the muddiness airport of Sendai was rehabilitated. Also, the US Marine Corps, the US Army and then the US Air Force came from the skies and the seas to this isolated mountainous stricken area where even getting in touch with someone is difficult.

They developed a tremendous support in all kinds of aspects.

Thank you!! Sincerely, thank you very much!!

I am grateful to all the US Armed Forces men and other concerned people who participated in the operation. Of course I am grateful to our Japanese Self-Defense Forces, fire-brigades, guard costs and policemen too!!

Furthermore, because of this disaster we received warm contributions and supplies from so many governments, cities, groups and even individuals from all over the world.

Among them, Taiwan sent the huge sum of 200 billion yen making the Japanese really grateful and deeply impressed.

Thank you to all the Taiwanese! Thank you to everybody in the world!!

Speaking about that, even our company VOLKS contributes a little with the "One for All Operation". So far we have received not less than 80,000,000 yen from donators, and could send this money to the disaster area. On this occasion, I would like to express my warm gratitude.

So, here is the third entry about the SWS Do 335 assembly.
This time, I will talk about the work on the cockpit!

▋I have cut some parts of the cockpit, but few very tiny parts are still on the runners in order not to lose them. I may sound insistent, but this is just my own technique to explain you the build. Please do not do the same and enjoy the assembly by following the instruction manual.

What about the cockpit of this amazing Do 335 that had twice the usual power thanks to the two engines skewered back and forth!?

So, how does the cockpit look like? You don't want to see it?

Of course everybody wants to see it, right?

This is a mystery, a question that not only the Do 335 fans, but all the aircrafts fans should have to think about once or twice in their life.

By the way, even me, if I had the chance of building this plane as a SWS kit, I would make the cockpit by checking it precisely. I thought all the time that the cockpit is the thing I would like to check carefully.

The time has come when I can check the cockpit with my eyes and my hands.

I am so happy and excited!! This is the kind of mood that makes me hum.

"Hum hum hum", can you hear the humming of a light old man?

What?! You are humming too! Of course you are.
I can understand precisely this feeling! "Hum hum". "Hum hum!!"

But please be relief.
The pre-orders for this kit will start soon.

When the pre-order period starts…!!!
Whatever happens, whatever you may be told, please do not miss this kit. This is your promise!!

If you miss it, I don't want to know that you cannot hum anymore.

Half of a man's life is fight spirit. Half is determination. Because life is "compromise" and "conciliation".

▋The kit design is based on the plane under restoration at the Smithsonian, but it is possible that a part of the design or some already repaired detailed parts are not from the original plane fully deployed at war. That is the reason why in the SWS kit we worked on the reproduction of the plane with Mr. Bentley's exact drawings and Mr. Nielinger's (one of the most famous researcher of the Do 335) advices and supervision. The wonderful shape of the Do 335 has been reproduced thanks to them.

▋Pay attention to the finished ejection seat. The advanced equipment that were the first to be introduced in worldwide reciprocating engine look like that! We tried to reproduce the plane with as less parts as possible, and with the maximum of details. Of course you can move some parts up and down! This is to avoid that the ejected pilot strikes in the rear propeller or in the tail wing. That's typically German. Well done!

▋I continue the work very fast!
The front and rear propellers' shapes are different. You can see the powerful liquid-cooled engines mounted back and forth too. Then, by adding powerful equipment to the huge fuel tank and the exhaust mechanism, you can understand little by little the mystery of the Do 335. What a creative plane!!

▋I have turned upside down all the parts. Look at that: even the not visible areas are reproduced faithfully following the SWS development concept. You will loosen your cheeks in front of the reproduction of these attractive shapes.

▋A view to the cockpit and the underside of the fuselage. As usual, if you do not cement the parts immediately but continue the work by doing a lot of test-fittings, you will really feel comfortable and enjoy the kit. Also, when cementing the parts, please use "extra-thin cement". Just a push and the extra-thin cement will penetrate between the parts and fix them for sure.

▋In this blog, I am just explaining you the assembly without taking into account any painting. So please consider these blog entries while thinking about where and how you would like to paint the parts.
If you do only the assembly, as I did, the work ends in just few hours. I am completely satisfied with this!!

▋Here are the detailed cockpit and ejection seat. Tiny parts have been assembled, and the very interesting internal structure of the fuselage has been revealed. Each part, all kind of rods etc. are also beautifully connected. This is really interesting!!

▋From now on, each part of the internal fuselage will fit altogether, and when putting together the left and right fuselages (clear parts)…
The whole aspect of the Do 335 will be revealed!! If you polish patiently the clear parts with a compound, you will be surprised by the transparency you can get. "Let's challenge!!"

▋Next time, finally let's continue with the wings! Please look forward to it!!

This time too I have moved forward quite fast, but what did you think about the work on the SWS Do 335 cockpit?

Did you say: "Ho…I cannot wait for it!!"

Of course you did, of course!! I understand you!! For sure.

I cannot wait to deliver you this kit as soon as possible too!

For both of us this is the limit of our patience!

But dear fellows, this is the hard side of being a man.

In ancient times in Japan, men grew with this moral education called the "way of the samurai".
Yes, we go back to there!

Whatever happens, men stay inflexible but stay patient. They are patient for things they cannot wait for. That is what we call "gaman" in Japanese.

The measure of patience is just a measure of the men spirit, of their conditions.

The more you wait for, the more you will enjoy the SWS kit.

For all of you who are patient, finally next time we will plunge into the "wings' assembly"!!

Please look forward to it.

Hideyuki Shigeta
President, Zoukei-Mura

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