Tomenosuke's letter to OG Blaster owners

[phase pistol]

Given the events surrounding the 2009 raid and the current postings to the Tomenosuke blog, I thought a new topic was in order rather than continuing to add to the "PRO" topic.

New today, here's Tomenosuke's open letter to OG owners

http://tenshu53.exblog.jp/11873527/


Karl

[BR12819]

any chance of getting a translation on this?
_________________
full tilt boogie baby

[phase pistol]

I hesitate to recommend the machine translations by Excite (linked off of the blog) and by Google, since they are barely comprehensible. An example

http://tinyurl.com/36rbvgy

Perhaps one of our Japanese members can offer a better translation?

Karl

[phase pistol]

My contact at Tomenosuke confirms for me that the statement "The PRO has been approved by STGA so there is no issue with that product" is a true one.

He adds that the rumor about "The police raiding their houses and confiscating their blasters, based on lists of customers which they took from Tomenosuke" is just that, a rumor. No buyer's homes are being raided, according to Tomenosuke's manager.

Karl

[joberg]

Good news for all the parties involved

[phase pistol]

I have a message from Mr. Shinji Nakako, the producer of the Tomenosuke shop. Hopefully this will help clarify the situation. I have edited it slightly for grammar but if there is any error or mis-statement the fault is mine. - Karl



Dear Karl-san,

Following is the summary of my latest blog:

Dear Tomenosuke Blaster OG owners

・As you may know, “OG” is a garage-kit model meant for display only.

We produced about 100 pieces total of the complete model and kit versions. Based on advice from professionals and researchers in the industry, we complied with safety rules while giving the replica as much as possible an accurate appearance and weight. Tomenosuke Shoten sold the kit, and our business partner Hollywood Collectors Gallery sold the completed model.

After some time, a trial product of “Tomenosuke Blaster AP” which had been mine and customized by Mr. Hidetsugu Shimada was seized by local police and was judged as an illegal replica gun. However, my statement will be sent to the prosecutor and a final judgment has not been given.

・Additional information on the “PRO” released on December 26 2010.

The components of the PRO were selected based on secure safety standards by Marusin Kogyo, one of the oldest model gun manufacturers (established 50 years ago). A sample of the PRO was sent to and passed inspection of The Foundation of Japan Recreation and Miscellaneous Goods Safety.  The product has a certification from the All-japan Safety Toy Gun Association (STGA). The PRO was released as a plastic model gun which was compliant with the law. We and Hollywood Collectors Gallery of course rely on Marusin Kogyo.

・The difference in components between the PRO and AP/OG: PRO uses an integrally processed plastic bulldog frame and barrel, while AP/OG used a resin frame with a short barrel attached via a metal barrel jacket. We considered recalling the complete OG model to improve components and make them the same as the PRO. Ultimately we decided that replacing the customer's OG barrel with the newly released ABS plastic barrel jacket (aka “recall barrel”) is the best solution for OG owners.

・If the prosecutor judges the AP to be illegal, any OG which has not had its barrel replaced with the recall barrel will also be illegal. HOWEVER, since there is no clear regulation for this kind of toy gun, it is possible that police may still declare the OG with the recall barrel to be illegal, although the PRO is legal.

If that happens, we will prepare two options. One might be that we and Hollywood Collectors Gallery would recall all products with our responsibility and return payment.

Another potential option is that we would make a “recall version” of the receiver and do another replacement.

We hope our important product OG’s life is extended, at all our cost.  We never want to let the OG vanish from the history of blasters.

・Anyway, rest assured that OG owners will never be bothered by police. We wish for your cooperation and understanding regarding this recall.


Thank you very much for your support!

Shinji