Thanks to Pat Ohta I’ve just posted an interview with Tomio Matsumoto of Shoei (added to the interviews/reports seciton of the articles section):
It all started back in 1967, when the company first opened its doors. Shoei did OEM sales for the metal model company CMC when model guns were all the rage in the 1970s says Tomio. Models such as the CMC Mauser Kar 98k are treasured by collectors today. We then started to make our own products. We therefore think that Shoei is one of the firms of long-standing here in Japan. We are a family-run company. We originally began with only 4 members, my father (President), mother, elder brother and myself, but now we employ 2 experienced part-timers.
Model guns are detailed replicas of their real steel counterparts. They are built to function and operate just like the real guns. Most can be assembled and taken down just like real guns. Many have working blowback mechanisms and eject spent shells, which is why they are sought after by collectors and re-enactors. The only thing they dont do is fire a projectile. Model guns use firing caps. When fired the sound and action carried out by the gun simulates the real thing.
