I searched the forum and did not find this so I hope it’s not a repeat…
Just received a Hobby Boss 1/48 Wildcat and a Hobby Boss 1/48 F6F from Lucky Model. Both kit boxes arrived opened but all parts are inside as far as I can tell. Thing is the kill flags on the box AND the decals inside of the Wildcat were blacked out with a marker but the F6 kit was not. The kill flags on the F6 are even larger on the box front and F6 kit was on top.
Has anyone seen this when ordering from Lucky. My guess is customs marked them, but why mark one and not the other?
Odd, the only censorship on models I had seen was the “no swa$tikas” rule in Germany & some other European countries. I’d never heard of the Japanese flags getting blacked out before. If they arrived in the same box, it may have been an issue at Lucky rather than Customs.
I remember when Monogram Luftwaffe kits not only had the Hakenkreuz (“Hooked Cross”, literally,the actual German name of the Swastika) removed from the decal sheets, but kill markings featuring the symbol were changed to the Balkenkreuz. But , one kit I had, and for the life of me I can’t remember which one it was, was actually printed backwards. The Hakenkreuz and flag were on the inside rather than the outside, and once you cut it out and put it in water, it slid off revealig the correct kill-markings there… However, this is the only time I’ve ever heard of it…
You case seems to be a little different… I’m guessing that the models are done as USN/USMC PTO aircraft and not FAA aircraft in the ETO, correct? You’re saying that the Japanese Hinomaru “with rays” is blacked out? I’ve never read or heard of the Imperial Japanese Naval ensign being illegal to display, even in Japan…
Not knowing where either you or Lucky Model is located, I dunno what to tell ya, but I highly doubt it was Customs that did it… I’d damned-sure be giving them a call though… And if that’s their policy, I’d re-think ordering from them… Granted, it’s probably easier to just find an AM decal sheet of Kill-markings, but I’ve never been one to do things the easy way…
They made it in years ago regarding the swastika. But now the Rising Sun? Which is not banned anywhere I know of by law…[^o)] I understand the Chinese animosity towards Japan’s WWII and pre war conduct and actions but…
The Kit is Hobby Boss 80328. It is to be painted as listed in the instructions F4-F VMF-223 Guadalcanal, 1942 Captain Marian E. Carl (HB typo, It should have been ’ Marion’ ).
The kill flags used are the ones to the right, Hinomaru. These flags are blacked out on the box cover/sides, instructions and paint sheet. Looks like they used a sharpie.
Kit came from Lucky Model in Hong Kong and delivered to Alabama.
Like I said before I also got the HB F6F-5 kit number 80339 and the flags were left alone.
No sane person can condone the actions of the Nazi Party or their Japanese allies before or during WWII. The accurate and factual reproduction of war machinery decals does nothing to support that endeavor.
If the Europeans won’t print swastikas, then I suppose the same could be said of the Rising Sun in the Far East. Sometimes healing takes a long, long time. Sometimes it never does.
I think it’s ironic that they boycott the decals, but produce the instrument of warfare in plastic. Just saying.
My guess is that the kit has been bought and sold a couple of times, between distributors, and that at some point someone made a personal decision that they didn’t want it there. That’s absolutely the first time I’ve ever heard of marking out the japanese flag.
They don’t get the best seats at the bar in the Philippines, either.
Hakenkreuz is another story. It’s been chewed over so many times that it’s not worth bringing up again, and no it’s not a “PC” issue. There’s an IMO very well written article on Wikipedia about the symbol, under “Swastika”, that is well worth reading.
But I’ve been aware of quite a number of times where that was erased from models that would seemingly be immune- not made in or intended for, the BRD then or Germany now. One such was an Airfix Luft bomber someone bought in Holland that was missing the insigs. It turned out that it had been in a hobby shop in Germany at some point, where it got marked out, and then resold at least once before it ended up in Holland. Simple as that.
Hong Kong, eh? So much for callin’ them… But since the Hinomaru with rays is the most “notorious” version of the Japanese flag, I’d reckon that’s the one that’ll give someone a case of the Red-Azz… I know my Uncle John still hates anything with “Mitsubishi” painted on it, lol…
Another strange thing to me anyways is that theyre KILL markings for a US aircraft...if I was an upset Chinaman I would be delighted in seeing symbols for dead Japanese pilots. Maybe it was a Japanese person visiting Hong Kong, didnt like seeing those kill markings and had a Sharpie in his pocket…[^o)]…The plot thickens…lol
Another strange thing to me anyways is that theyre KILL markings for a US aircraft...if I was an upset Chinaman I would be delighted in seeing symbols for dead Japanese pilots. Maybe it was a Japanese person visiting Hong Kong, didnt like seeing those kill markings and had a Sharpie in his pocket…[^o)]…The plot thickens…lol
Heh… I remember my last year at CAF Airsho… I was sitting down in the “Colonel’s Area” watching the show, right behind a group of about 15 Japanese tourists that were “outside the wire”, so to speak… They “Oohhed” & Ahhhed" their heads off at the Tora Squadron’s “Pear Harbor”"and “Coral Sea” performances, were thrilled at the “Battle of Britain” and “Bombers over Hitler’s Europe”, but got up and left when “FiFi” started turning over her engines… Didn’t see hide nor hair of any of 'em after that…
I have story like that. I went to see Midway on opening night when it came out all those years ago. Seated directly behind us were some Japanese folks. As the battle opened in the movie they were were cheering as the Japanese on screen mowed down the Americans from the opening attack on Midway to all the Torpedo Squadrons. But when the Japanese Carriers are finally hit and the whole audience burst into cheers, they did not…[^o)]
