Model guns made in Japan (6)

Two Mauser pistol model guns: respectively made by Marushin and MGC in the 1980s

Marushin  Mauser M712

A wooden holster using a hook and lock system

A close look of the pistol showing the fine details. All parts are movable.

Marushin Mauser  M712 pistol with wooden holster attached

Marushin, apart from making the Mauser M712 using alloy and plastic in the late 1980s, also manufactured an assembled model of Mauser M712 using alloy metal only. The outlook of this pistol is the same as the plastic M712 as introduced in my blog dated 3th August 2019 except that it is gold color plated. In this full metal version, the spent cartridges could still be ejected despite the heavy weight of the metal slide. Another different feature is that it has a wooden grip. Also, as an optional accessory, a wooden holster can be attached to its grip to make the pistol working like a rifle. This wooden holster, using a hook and lock system, can be fitted to the grip nicely thanks to the precision manufacturing skill of the model gun maker.

MGC Mauser Model 1916

MGC in early 1980s also made a full metal Mauser pistol, it was the Model 1916, using metal alloy only. But this model has no firing selection mode and thus has only semi-automatic function. Also, the ammunition input method is restrictive: it can only be loaded from the top of the pistol because there is no detectable magazine as the Mauser M712. Its grip is made of plastic. Although a wooden holster could be bought as an optional accessory which can be fixed to the gun’s grip, the locking system is not authentic. It uses a screwing system to connect the pistol’s grip to the wooden holster instead of using a hook and lock system as seen in the M712 made by Marushin.

MGC Mauser pistol  Model 1916 with a wooden holster attached

The wooden holster for Model 1916. Note the big round screw

Cartridges are loaded into the magazine from the top

Model guns made in Japan (5)

Mauser M712 model gun made by Marushin

A user-guide on Mauser M712 Model gun by Marushin

In the 1980s Marushin manufactured a model gun of Mauser M712 using cheap alloy and plastic. It has a switch for the user to choose between semi-automatic and fully automatic firing mode. Basically Mauser pistol is the semi-automatic, that  means it is a self loading pistol, e.g. the Mauser Modell 1916 which was manufactured in early 20th century.  Later Mauser company produced an improved version in that a switch is added to choose a full-automatic firing mode, such as the Mauser M712.

A finished M712 model gun

A loading bridge and a 10-round magazine

Major Frederick in his book entitled “Modern Small Arms” of 1978 introduces the history of Mauser pistols and says that “Peter Paul Mauser is probably best known for his work with rifles . . . He first became really interested in pistols in the 1870s and in 1878 he produced an ingenious revolve . . .  He then turned to self-loading pistols and after various experiment produced his Model 1896, followed by possibly the best known of all, the Model 98 . . . It was a pistol of this type that Winston Churchill carried in the Omdurman campaign when a shoulder injury prevented him from using a sword. . . [The Mauser Modell 1912] was made in large numbers right up to 1918 and is probably the commonest type to be found today.” This Frederick also says that “it is often believed that a full-automatic version was used in the period 1914-18 but his is not so . . . it was not a great success because it overheated’.

A drawing of the Mauser M712 model gun parts

This model gun Mauser M712 made by Marushin comes with several accessories, e.g. the ammunition loading bridge used to load ten rounds of ammunition from the top into the standard magazine of the gun. Also, there is an optional 20-round magazine. There is also a wooden holster. Besides being used as a holster, it can be fitted to the grip thus turning the pistol into a rifle to facilitate the user to take aim more accurately at long distance shooting objects. In fact, the aiming device gives a reading of up to 1000 (feet?)

The sight with a 1000 marking

Mauser Model 1916 (A model gun by MGC)

A switch to choose N (Normal) or R (Repetition)

This model gun is relatively difficult to assemble as there are a lot of small moving parts. When I assembly this model gun, I have the feeling of assembling a watch. The model by Marushin is perfectly done as this manufacturer can balance the authentic appearance of the gun while at the same time making sure that the firing mechanisms of the pistol can work smoothly. For me this pistol has a rich historical meaning. In Europe it was widely used by the Germany soldier during the WWI.  In China it was used by the authorities during and after the 1911 Revolution, and also by the anti-Japanese Chinese forces during the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945.

A Mauser pistol in a wooden holster with a leather pocket attached

Model guns made in Japan (4)

Model guns of Colt .45 – two versions made by Marushin

Two versions of the Colt.45 by Marushin

Colt Government M1911A1 by Marushin

In the 1980s Marushin manufactured two versions of the Colt. 45: one was the regular M1911A1 model which is same as the one made by MGC introduced in my earlier blog. The other is Colt .45 the ‘Colt’s Combat Commander’ model. The only different between these two guns are the length of the slide: The Commander model has a shorter slide. As indicated in Marushin’a instruction manual (取扱い説明書) the material used for the model is shock resistant ABS (耐衝撃ABS製). ABS is Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. It looks like plastic.

The firing-pin and the extractor look real

The focus of Marushi in making these two models is more on the appearance rather than on the smooth firing of the gun. I say this because the cartridge of Marushin’s Colt .45 cannot be extract smoothly when a shot is fired. Yet this deficiency is compensated by the authentic look of the model. For example, in the design of the magazine locking system. Like the real gun, the locking system uses a spring. Also, the cartridge extracting system looks real from the outside although it is not a full-length extractor (legend no. 6: extractor extension). The same is also true regarding the firing pin (legend no. 60: firing pin). From the outside of the gun, you can see a firing pin while in fact it is only a fraction of the normal length.

A drawing on the gun's parts with a legend

This model gun can be field stripped by pushing the ring (legend 11: barrel pushing) to the left and then pressing down the round button (legend 16: plug). Another great feature of the gun is its grip safety catch (no. 31: grip safety), it is perfectly made and can function perfectly. Thank to this grip, this pistol can be fired only when properly held in the hand of the user. This is important because this can avoid accidental firing.  Such a safety design can only be found in Colt .45 pistols.  I think it was one of the selling points of the Colt.45 pistol and enabled it to get the production contract from the US military in the early 20^th century.

Steps to dis-assemble the Colt.45 pistol

My conclusion is that the Colt .45 M1911A1 model gun made by Marushin is done perfectly. Another plus of this model is the fact that it is not more expansive than the M1911A1 made by MGC.

Model guns made in Japan (3)

Model gun of Colt .45 M1911A1 – a regular version made by MGC

MGC Colt .45 A1911A1 kit model

The above is a box of model gun kit of Government Colt .45 M1911A1 at 1/1 scale made by MGC in the 1980s.  The Japanese words 組立キットモデル (Assembling Kit Model) are written on the right-hand upper corner of the box.

Patent information of the Colt .45 is marked on the gun slide

In the 1980s Modelgun Corporation (MGC) manufactured several kinds of model kits based on the Colt .45 1911 model, including the assembled model and the unassembled model. For the 1911A1 model gun discussed here, on its gun slide, it was marked with following wording: “COLT’S PT F.A. MFG. CO HARTFORD. CT. U.S.A.”. Also, it showed the patent of this gun as: “PATENTED APR 20.1897 SEP.9.1902 DE.19.1905 FEB.14.1911. AUG 19.1913”. If a buyer is looking for a smooth cap-firing function model gun, this gun can satisfy the needs (I call it trigger happy). But for those serious collectors who also pay attention to the internal functioning of the parts, this 1911A1 model gun would be inadequate.

A cartridge is being ejected from the Colt 45

When MGC designed this model gun in the 1980s, it gave priority to the cap-firing functioning. This gun can extract a spent cartridge smoothly just like the real gun when firing, yet it cannot be dis-assembled (field stripping) following the steps of the real thing. This model is less true to the real gun’s design when compared the Colt.45 1970s Series made by the same model gun company which was introduced in my blog on 7th June 2019. When compare these two models, several major differences can be observed:  first is the magazine catch, the 1911A1 model uses a thin metal sheet instead of a small spring to provide the re-bouncing force needed to hold the magazine in place. Second the 1911A1 model cannot be field stripped because the gun’s disassemble method is different from the real gun. I think the reason is that such a design could reduce the production cost. Third, the cartridge extracting system in 1911A1 is much simplified by using only a metal plate when compared with the 1970’s Series which uses an independent extractor. Fourth, the hand grip of the 1911A1 is shorter than it should be.

The magazine catch (note the false screw and the metal plate)

The Colt .45 1911A1 is on the left

When I compare the drawing on the internal parts of the two guns, I notice several major differences. First, the 70’ Series uses a barrel push (number 13 in the legend) which is the key part to start field stripping the whole gun just like the real thing, while the M1911A1 model uses a top ring (number 4 in the legend) thus making it impossible to do the field stripping easily. The second major difference is the cartridge extracting device. The extractor (number 11) in the 70’s series is simplified into a firing-plate (number 25) in the 1911A1. The third part is the magazine catch. In the 70’ Series it uses a spring (number 20) while in 1911A1 it is simplified into a thin metal sheet (number 11).

Internal map of the Colt .45 70'Series

Internal map of the Colt .45 1911A1

In conclusion, it can be seen that MGC was flexible in coping with the market demand. For the Colt .45 1911 model guns, this company could produce a cheaper model and a more superior model to meet the expectation of different consumers groups.

Model guns made in Japan (2)

The Colt.45 1911 model gun made by MGC

Colt’s MK IV Series’70s Government Model .45 Automatic Caliber

Major Frederick Myatt M.C.  in his book entitled ‘Modern Small Arms’ published in 1978 in UK introduces Colt.45 1911 says that by the end of the 19^th Century the great firm of Colt, like many other manufacturers, had decided that the time had come to produce a self-loading pistol. After practical troop trials, Colt were asked by the US authorities to product the 1911 Model. It was extensively used by the US Army in WWI. This model remained in production for a long time with minor modification and remained in service with the US Army throughout WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The assembled model gun, a regular version

The marking showing the name of  the gun model

Colt.45 is one of the most popular model guns that the Japanese manufactures have chosen to make. Models have been respectively produced by Marushin, MGC (Modelguns Corporation), and some other companies. Even within the MGC, Colt.45 in different version have been manufactured. Some are of ordinary quality and some are higher, depending on the company’s marketing strategy. The model now introduced is a 1:1 scale model made by this company using plastic and metal alloy. It is the ‘Colt’s MK IV Series’70s Government Model .45 Automatic Caliber’. About this Series’70s model, it is a fully assembled model. MGC first manufactured a regular version of this pistol in the 1980s and later made the Heavy Weight (HW) version. 

The Heavy Weight (HW) version

The cartridge

In general I think this MGC model  is better than those made by other manufacturers such as Marushin. The reason is that the firing system of this MGC model is particularly smooth. Also, it is rich in details and many features are true to the original gun, for example the way to disassemble the gun. When examining a model Colt .45 pistol, I usually look into its craftsmanship in several aspects.

The magazine locking system is perfectly done

To unscrew a cartridge to put in a firing cap

The first one is the magazine locking system. This one has a locking mechanism that is working like the real one. For some cheaper version, this system is much simplified by the manufactures. The second part is the hand grip, whether it is made by wood or plastic. The third part is that whether this model could be dis-assembled as the real gun (field stripping). The fourth part is the safety system of the gun. The fifth part is on the gun’s plug-fire system, to see whether the cartridge could be ejected and reloaded smoothly.

For all .45 Colt pistols, when the last round is fired, the gun slide will be at a locked-up position.  When the locking lever is pressed down, the gun slide will return to the original position.

To press down the circular button to dis-assemble the gun

The safety grip must be depressed when firing

The gun is locked up when the last round is fired

When this model gun was sold the 1980s, coming together with it was an operation manual that taught the buyer on the steps to operate the gun: 1. put a plug-fire cap into a cartridge 2. loaded the cartridge into the magazine 3. Unlock the gun's safety lock 4. to clean up the used cartridge by water after using. 

Another information sheet taught the owner on how to dis-assemble the gun and then restore it.  To dis-assemble the gun, just press down the circular button at the gun’s nose. One special safety feature of Colt.45 is that it could not be fired if the gun is not properly held in the hand. Thanks to a safety grip at gun’s handle, if the safety grip is not depressed, the gun could not be fired.

Model gun's operating manual

Model guns made in Japan (1)

 Marushin advertising its model guns

Model guns made in Japan

Japan has been using cheap alloy metal and plastic to make 1:1 scale model gun since the 1970s. To-day, still we can see some earlier period Japanese model guns being offered for re-sale in e-Bay by collectors in America. In the late 20^th century, due to its high quality in craftsmanship, Japan was one of the leaders in making 1:1 scale model gun: pistols, sub-machine guns and rifles. The Japanese brand names included Kokusai, CMC, MGC, Hudson and Marushin etc. 

Model guns made in Japan on sale at e-Bay

The model guns that I am talking about here are guns than cannot shoot out any projectile, different from air soft guns which can shoot out plastic pellets etc. The peak period for Japan in producing non-shooting model guns is probably from the 1980s to the 1990s. Yet with the arrival of air soft guns in large varieties in late 1990s produced by some Asian countries such as China, Korea and Taiwan on top of Japan, there was a change in taste among model-gun buyers: they preferred the air soft guns more.  A few non-shooting model guns manufactures in Japan were closed due to shrinking demands etc., for example MGC.

A model gun kit - MP40

A  model gun kit - Enfield revolver

In the late 1980s and early 1990s I had bought some of these ‘made in Japan’ model guns. I collected those guns that had been used by soldiers in major wars fought in the 20^th century. It gave me a sense of history.  I admired craftsmanship of these models. Within the limits of the controlling laws, Japanese manufactures tried to copy the real gun’s appearance and its internal mechanical parts as far as possible. I regarded these model guns as a piece of artwork in its own right as they were made with much care, even very minor details were copied from the real guns. For marketing reasons, there were two types of 1:1 scale model gun offered on the market, one was a fully assembled version. The other was the unassembled version, the model kit, which buyers had to put the parts together by following an instruction guide. The assembling process was both fun and challenging.

Manufacturers when designing a model had to struggle with two conflicting goals: to achieve the gun’s authentic look versed being true to the internal working mechanism of a real gun. There were several areas that the manufactures had focused on when making the models. The first one was to achieve an authentic looking in terms of color and size etc. About the appearance of model guns, some looked so real that it was used for display or decoration by collectors. The second one was that the gun could be assembled and disassembled like the original.  

 A model gun kit box showing a pistol  in cation

 One box of  'plug-fire cap'

The third one was on the functional aspects; the Japanese manufactures invented a ‘cap-firing system’: model guns could produce a shooting action. It was a challenging area for the manufactures as they had to invent a totally different firing system to achieve the effect that was similar to firing a real gun. Such a requirement was probably intended to prevent modifying the models to shoot real ammunition. Through this ‘cap-firing system’ a spent cartridge (a dummy shell) could be ejected smoothly in semi-automatic model guns and the next round being loaded into the firing chamber. If the model was a sub-machine gun or an automatic rifle, it should achieve a continuous burst, just like the real thing.

A ‘plug-fire cap’ was needed in this ‘cap-firing system’. The ‘plug-fire cap’ was a small plastic cap laced with a very small amount of gun-power.  Thanks to this cap, which was put inside a cartridge when use, the model gun could give out a firing sound together with gun smoke when the gun trigger was pulled. A cartridge could be reused many times. In some high-quality model guns, the ejection of dummy spent casings and the safety mechanism of the gun were working just like a real gun.

Parts seen in one gun model kit

Manufactures also paid attention on the weight of the model. As the model was mostly made of plastic, its much lighter than the real thing. To compensate for this, the Japanese model gun makers added metal powder into the plastic material to make it weight heavier. The manufacturers called this series of models the Heavy Weight (HW). Also, often manufacturers added metal pieces (usually hidden under the hand grip) to add weight to the models.

Parts of a semi-automatic pistol

In my next blog under the same hashtag, I shall introduce the Colt 0.45 semi-automatic pistol made by MGC, a famous Japanese model gun manufacturer in the 1980s.