For the first time in three years!
Zoukei-Mura participated in IPMS Texas San Marcos in the U.S.!

It's another summer day with dangerously high temperatures and sunny skies. Here in Kyoto, Japan, it is so important to stay hydrated. How are you doing, SWS brothers?
In this issue of The Old Man Blog, I would like to report on the IPMS/USA National Convention held recently in San Marcos, Texas, U.S.A.
Unfortunately, I was not able to participate this time, but the members of Zoukei-Mura SWS development team from Japan and the staff members from Volks USA participated in the event for the first time in a long time!

IPMS 2023 was held in the middle of summer, and in a lovely city called San Marcos in the vast state of Texas. Despite the scorching heat, the scale model event was energetic! I was glued to the photos that were sent to me one after another during the four days of the event.

Please look at the photos from IPMS that was held in midsummer.

▋Look at the Zoukei-Mura booth. We are ready to rock!
Although we were not able to bring Fw 190, our latest kit, to the event, thanks to big help from Volks USA, we were able to gather a large selection of our products for IPMS. I wonder how much will be left on the last day of the event!

▋The venue offers a full lineup of after-market parts; they add more value to Zoukei-Mura kits. We also have "SWS Zoukei-Mura Concept Notes," "Zoukei-Mura Original Tools," and other references...will the visitors like them? I can feel the tension in the air.

▋Ten years of development!
Fw 190, which has earned a brilliant reputation as a truly masterful all-around fighter, from air control to conquest to ground attack is going to be delivered to you soon. Known as the "Würger of Bremen", its rugged yet beautiful silhouette awaits to be added to your collection.

Wow! An amazing, finished kit of the " 1/32 Fw 190 A-4 Siegfried Schnell" was already on display at Zoukei-Mura booth!
This commemorative Schnell kit is already sold out via pre-order. For those who pre-ordered, we will ship them out sequentially from October 7th (scheduled release date in Japan), please wait a little bit until you will receive this wonderful SWS latest kit.
In the meantime, please enjoy the delicious anticipation!

As always, this finished kit is done by a master finisher, Naoki Kobayashi, with his heart and soul.
We are currently planning an exhibition of his works at Volks stores in Japan.

▋And this gentleman is Dennis-san, who did the amazing painting for the package art of 1/32 Fw 190 A-4 Siegfried Schnell.
He came all the way from Colorado to attend the event as well as to see the actual kit in person.
I am filled with anticipation to see what kind of artwork he will create for the SWS kits, A-3、A-4、A-5、A-6、A-7、A-8 following the 1/32 Fw 190 A-4 Siegfried Schnell. THANK YOU, Dennis~~~~!

▋Oh~~! Thank you again for your purchases~!
Many aircraft modelers' beautiful smiles burst out all over IPMS San Marcos venue! I hope from the skies of Japan that the SWS kits will give a lot of impact and joy to your collections.

▋Please take a look at the finished SWS kits that gathered at the Zoukei-Mura booth.
As usual, each piece is the ultimate scale model kit, from the engine to the cockpit, from the structure of the fuselage to the details of the mechanism, you can experience the pleasure of assembling the actual aircraft.

▋As is typical of IPMS, the number of visitors was smaller on the first day, but increased dramatically as the days went by.
It seemed that the circle of happy, cheerful conversation among the old modelers spread out all over the venue.
Many items sold out one after another at Zoukei-Mura booth! It was well worth the trip all the way from Japan to participate. Thank you very much to everyone who purchased our products!

▋Oh, my! Poncini-san! All the way from Switzerland! He contributed to our Zoukei-Mura Concept Note No. IV P-51D Mustang. We are so grateful to you for your great article!

▋A reliable reinforcement, "Young Ron (on our right)," helped the Zoukei-Mura stand!
He was a classmate of my children whom he helped when they were studying at the University of Oklahoma. When he heard that Zoukei-Mura was attending IPMS in Texas, he decided to be there to help out. Thank you so much, Ron! You did a great job throughout the event from setting up the booth to taking it down~~!

▋It's time for Zoukei-Mura's famous raffle!
Look at the happy faces, faces, faces of these old guys! There is nothing more exciting than a raffle, both for us and for the participants. If you win, you get a kit that costs more than $100 for free. You can’t help getting your hopes up. Many lucky modelers won the prize. Thanks to all who participated in the raffle! ~~~~

▋Next to Mr. Kobayashi, the person with a wonderful smile is Radu-san, a SWS brother who came all the way from Ireland to participate. We are so thankful for your cooperation!

▋Plastic model contest is one of the main features of IPMS. As you see, there are so many amazing entries from across the country. It makes me happy to see some entries using SWS kits here and there. What a surprise to see two of our "TORYU (NICK)"!
Very cool! In addition to many F-4s, the "Bf 109" is standing out among the entries with its excellent workmanship! US modelers are so awesome! Every time we are impressed by the momentum of the talented modelers and the quality of their work!

Four days of thrills and excitement!
Can you imagine how exited I was to see the IPMS reports from Texas? I was almost too excited to sleep.
The team reported that the event went off without a hitch, that they sold out of almost all of the SWS kits, tools, and supplies that they took with them, and above all, they were all moved by the warm cheers of the SWS brothers in the US who stopped by Zoukei-Mura booth with many kits in their arms, giving pleasant comments to the team.

Thank you so much to all the SWS brothers who went to IPMS San Marcos~~~~~!
Your valuable feedback and opinions at the event surely be utilized in our future SWS kit development.
We hope that you will continue to support and look forward to Zoukei-Mura's efforts in the future.

Hideyuki Shigeta
President, Zoukei-Mura

Give you a sneak peek!
Revealing the details of SWS Focke-Wulf Fw 190 kit!

At long last, Fw 190, the product of thorough research and study of the actual aircraft that only SWS can produce, will be unleashed upon the world soon. Whether you are a fan of Luftwaffe aircraft or not, we hope you will build this SWS creation with Zoukei-Mura's whole soul.

In the next issue of this blog, we will feature "Enjoy the best part of SWS kit with the instruction manual.”, and all the details of the "Fw 190 A-4 Siegfried Schnell”, which is about to go on sale! It is the latest SWS kit that Zoukei-Mura worked so hard on its development over the past ten years. Please look forward to it!

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