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The story
A thread titled “Things that come to mind when you hear ‘revolver’” popped up on the 5ch forums. Replies kicked off with gun-related puns, but soon turned into serious talk about real-world classics like the Sturm Ruger, S&W Model 29, and Colt SAA, before expanding into the model-gun culture of the 1970s–80s. Toy makers like Takatoku Toys, Masudaya, Yonezawa, and Tokyo Marui came up one after another, as older posters traded memories and sparred over paint quality, ejection-gimmick craftsmanship, and which brand ranked where.
What people said
Naturally — Doberman Cop (manga/anime famous for its .44 Magnum)
It's been so long I'd completely forgotten about that one
Used to console myself with Tokyo Marui's “Build-It” model gun series.
Primer wasn't really a thing back then, so the paint never took well.
Going non-fluted is trying way too hard to look cool.
If I had to carry one for real, that's probably what I'd pick — though the round count is a bit worrying.
That dull Haruka Ayase movie (Revolver Lily)
Lately more new 9mm Parabellum revolvers have been hitting the market, so maybe there's a comeback brewing.
The hawk nose is similar, but the sharpness in the eyes is totally different.
Had no clue about current trends, so thanks for the tip.
Apparently there are this many.
https://youtu.be/_hdGM3dx1j0?t=65
No need to be that picky about it lol
Thanks for the reply
that bayonet-fitted Enfield in “Secret Agent JJ” (the “gentle hawk”)
was apparently Mochizuki Mikiya's own original design — what great taste, Mikiya… aaargh, don't go dying on us!! (Mochizuki Mikiya, manga artist behind “Secret Agent JJ” and “Wild 7,” passed away in 2016)
Guess that's different from the Marui I remember, the one firing those drum-cap rounds.
I only knew about Norinco lol
True, if we're talking compact pistols for civilian self-defense,
9mm Para is a reasonable choice.
Takatoku
Masudaya
Yonezawa
Falcon Toy
and then Marui.
Which maker made the Detachable again?
Not a revolver, but I always wanted one.
Takatoku and Falcon were impressive, with their own ejection gimmicks and the like.
And Tokyo Marui — which was still fumbling around with that “Build-It” series and other experiments at the time —
ended up becoming the dominant player later on. That's a genuine bubble-era miracle.
Guess that counts as a revolver too?
Oh! Good memory there, old man lol
Sticking lotus root in there totally wrecks any serious kid's worldview lmao
What's that, some manga?
For my generation, CMC meant that shiny chrome post-regulation stuff —
the company was already on its way out by the late '70s.
Of course, being an old man myself, I don't actually know the pre-regulation “golden age” (ironic, lol).
Wonder if those would sell.
I'm an old guy too, and I've got Gun, Combat Magazine, Koku Fan and the rest left behind at my parents' place.
Aaargh, maybe it's better not to sell them and just get buried together instead?
https://img.svgr.jp/system/content_section_images/images/000/000/102/817/M_image.jpg
Nah, I have absolutely no idea what this is.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
“Model guns” were once at the heart of boys’ culture in Japan, with makers like Takatoku Toys, Masudaya, Yonezawa, and Tokyo Marui competing on the quality of their ejection gimmicks and paint finishes. Eventually, legal regulations restricted metal construction and firing mechanisms, triggering a shakeout among manufacturers — the thread’s references to “before the regulations” and “after the regulations” point to this shift. Tokyo Marui later became the dominant force in the airsoft market, even though testimony in the thread recalls it once ranking below the established old-guard makers — a sign of just how dramatically the industry’s pecking order flipped over time. What split commenters wasn’t an objective ranking so much as a generational difference in memory over which maker deserved to be called “top-tier” — worth noting these are personal recollections rather than settled fact.
※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Things that come to mind when you hear “revolver”.”
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