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Zoukei Mura in 2018 - Ki-45 / Hs -129 NEWS


Jan_G

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Jealous!  Japan is on my bucket list for SURE. The Japanese and their culture are so quaintly unique and weird (in a great way!) that it really makes me want to go there. I love any culture that can  even be insulting to you and be so polite about it that you would never know you got insulted. 

 

Weird....yep....I've seen a lot of stuff (especially in Akihabara) that you'd probably ask security to help them out of the store in another country  :hmmm:

Insulting and polite at the same time...yep and yep haha

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And here I was thinking I was the lone ranger living in Japan! Whilst perusing the ZM site I found their link to the Volks stores, I think there's 8 or 9 total in Japan and - surprise! - one in Funabashi. I'm based in Narita so Funabashi saves me about 45 minutes on the train, assuming the store is stocked well. I'm in Tokyo for training for the next month so won't get a chance to check that out for a while. 

 

Thanks for the info on Yodabashi Camera - I'll be checking them out this weekend!

 

On an amusing note, I'm currently residing in Minato and on a nice day a few weeks ago went on walkabout - just by chance happened to come across the Tamiya Plamodel store!. It's small but has some good features. One, it's 3 stories, the basement is r/c cars, main level is plastic models, and the second story is part race track but part building center which allows kids to interact. Something other locales should be doing if we want our hobby to survive the digital/video game era. The Tamiya store has the full 1/32 aircraft line at killer prices.

 

I'm moving next week close the the Kamata station (closer to training center at Hanaeda) and there's a Yellow Submarine one stop south from there at the Kawasaki station. I'll report on that when I get there. Always nice to have a hobby shop close by for those hobby emergencies!

 

Mark san

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 Hi Bill,

 

Happy to help, as others have already linked a site which explains a lot of hobby stores in Japan I'll just post a couple of pictures of where the stores are in relation to the nearest train station, because thats the easiest way to get to these places really :)

 

I'll rank the places in order of my preference...

 

  1. Yellow Submarine : Best selection of PE, a different selection of kits to Yodabashi...and I can buy AK interactive/MIG there.
  2. Hobby Square Tokyo : This is where you will find all the ZM stuff including all the accessories for each kit they make, good selection of Vallejo paints
  3. Yodabashi Camera: By far the biggest kit volume in Tamiya (even more than the actual Tamiya store) and good for Trumpeter etc, good for tools as well.
  4. Volks: Where you can also buy ZM kits, but they don't seem to stock as many accessories, great for Vallejo as well, also sells Alclad paints.
  5. BIC Camera: I go here because they have the cheapest Mr Hobby thinners ($6 for 400ml of levelling thinner!) and paints :) but very limited on kits.
  6. Tamiya Plamodel: Worth a visit for sure, but underwhelming on kit selection...I go here to get my Tamiya Model Magazine which they sell in English.

 

 

Yellow Submarine (level 6) and Hobby Square (level 8) are in the same building (Radiokaikan)...use Akihabara JR Station

 

Radiokaikan address: 1 Chome−15−16,Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021

 

Yodabashi (level 6) address:1-1 Kanda Hanaokacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-0028

 

Volks (level 5): In a separate building to Yellow Submarine and Hobby Square, but next door...use Radiokaikan address and go one building West

 

Bic Camera (Level 4...I think)...1-11-1, YuurakuchoChiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006....theres also a shack shake nearby!  :beer: Use Yurakucho Station

 

Tamiya Plamodel : 4-7-2 Shimbashi, Minato, Tokyo 105-004...use Shimbashi Station, 5 min walk from the station

 

 

 

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Sorry one last picture....these are retailers around the world who stock the ZM Super Wing Series, found the list in Hobby Square:

 

ol2PV6.jpg

 

 

Hey !!!  Esswex, my local haunt. They have a huge range.....

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...one last picture....these are retailers around the world who stock the ZM Super Wing Series, found the list in Hobby Square:

 

ol2PV6.jpg

Over a dozen outlets in Europe but none in fair Blighty; no wonder there are no Z-M in my stash!

 

Tony

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And here I was thinking I was the lone ranger living in Japan! Whilst perusing the ZM site I found their link to the Volks stores, I think there's 8 or 9 total in Japan and - surprise! - one in Funabashi. I'm based in Narita so Funabashi saves me about 45 minutes on the train, assuming the store is stocked well. I'm in Tokyo for training for the next month so won't get a chance to check that out for a while.

 

Thanks for the info on Yodabashi Camera - I'll be checking them out this weekend!

 

Mark san

When you get to Osaka make absolutely 100% sure yiu get to the shops in Namba. The Volks there is 6 stories high with floors dedicated to armor, aircraft, ships, sci fi, tools.

Makes the Volks in Akihabara look tiny. There are also a huge Tamiya shop.

If you get to Kyoto always visit the headquarters of ZM.

Been operating in and out of Japan for over 10 years, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo/Narita lucky its only 7 hours from home.

Such a great place to visit.

Yellow Sub and Volks both had big shops in Akihabara pity they had to move and squash into the new location.

Some of the world best beer, foid and scotch and the home of hobbies...you dont really need anything else! Lol..

Edited by Darren Howie
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RB Productions carry Zoukei Mura. Not sure if that's close enough geographically.

Carl

Thanks. Like other UK'ers here, I regularly buy from anywhere in the EU and even direct from Japan, but Z-M kits are so much more expensive I'd like a peek in the box before buying.

 

The forthcoming Z-M Ki-45 is something I would buy without having first held the box. I like the Japanese doing Japanese subjects. Leave the European stuff to European manufacturers (and the American subjects to the Chinese - LOL! - although the Mustang seems to be doing well for Revell-Germany which is good for everyone).

 

Tony

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It is a pity there is no more large scale plane plastic kit company in the US. It is also weird considering the market size. Revell is still there but all LSP are produced by Revell-Germany since the F-15C release. Fortunately, there are still Fisher and a small bunch of American aftermarket companies who are doing a good job with resin and decals.

 

In Japan, Tamiya, ZM or Hasegawa only release kits here and there (essentially one per year if we are lucky). And China is not anymore the Eldorado it was promising to be as we just got rare releases from Trumpeter, HKM and KH. WnW is clearly an exception in the landscape. Western Europe is mainly limited to the recent entry of Italeri on the LSP scene as Revell-Germany kits are as far as I know made in Eastern Europe.

 

So, currently, I am wondering what we would do without Poland, Czech Republic and Ukraine?  Think two seconds if we did not have Special Hobby, Aires, Eduard, HPH, ICM, Fly, Techmod or Roden...

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I concur, and tend to count in Eastern Europe even if it's not EU, as Britain wants to go :-(

 

At least Z-M seem to be proceeding with 1/32 in a land beyond 1/48 Phantom II's with funny bottoms.

 

Tony

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Bring them all on. All current projects coming from Z-M are certainly going to be best sellers. So stoked to see a Hs-129 and Ki-45 come to life...

 

The comment from Darren above has also a lot of merit. Visiting the Osaka Z-M store and hobby area is to almost be in heaven. Every aftermarket offering, booklet along with every kit are all there. The shop also has a perimeter display area with loads of 1:32 and larger scale aircraft and jets throughout. Certainly a must see to believe shop on multiple levels. There is one floor dedicated to just armor.

 

Z-M has certainly captured a lot of our attention over the past few years. I wish them all the best health and success going forward.

 

Troy

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Bring them all on.

 

Agreed , I'm not concerned with where they come from

as long as they keep coming.

 

 

Z-M has certainly captured a lot of our attention over the past few years. I wish them all the best health and success going forward.

 

I'm looking forward to their 'Basic' line (if it ever gets here).

The rest of their SWS kits are nice for sure but too much

stuff for too much money.

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It is a pity there is no more large scale plane plastic kit company in the US. It is also weird considering the market size. Revell is still there but all LSP are produced by Revell-Germany since the F-15C release. Fortunately, there are still Fisher and a small bunch of American aftermarket companies who are doing a good job with resin and decals.

 

In Japan, Tamiya, ZM or Hasegawa only release kits here and there (essentially one per year if we are lucky). And China is not anymore the Eldorado it was promising to be as we just got rare releases from Trumpeter, HKM and KH. WnW is clearly an exception in the landscape. Western Europe is mainly limited to the recent entry of Italeri on the LSP scene as Revell-Germany kits are as far as I know made in Eastern Europe.

 

So, currently, I am wondering what we would do without Poland, Czech Republic and Ukraine?  Think two seconds if we did not have Special Hobby, Aires, Eduard, HPH, ICM, Fly, Techmod or Roden...

 

 

Out of that list, the only one I would vastly miss is Eduard. The rest, no interest but glad for those that do

 

Dave

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