Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com

[gwsiii]

I'm getting ready to do a 'trench art' page, so I took some pictures tonight. Glass topped wicker furniture is great for converting in to shadow type display boxes. The models (awesome aren't they?)are all built by my Dad, the Seiran was built from scratch out of balsa and with a Schematic from the excellent book on the I-400 Japan's Secret Aircraft-Carrying Strike Submarine by Sakaida, Nila, & Takaki. The pages will be added to the main site at some point.

Please note some of the following pictures do contain pin-up style nudity. I'm especially fond of nude trench art bayonets/souvenirs so if you have something I might be interested in, let me know.








Anyone else have anything neat? Trey
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[new sks 2005]

that trench art is awesome!! what are those clear grips made out of?? plexiglass maybe or some kind of clear plastic??

[gwsiii]

Its plexiglass I guess. Pretty neat stuff!!!!
Thanks, Trey
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[Hopalong]

I love your Trench Art, thanks for sharing your pictures. Mike

[Jareth]

Story goes that "plexi" is cut from aircraft canopy/glass.

[gwsiii]

This might be a question to ask about on the other Boards and in BANZAI: Did anyone actually fashion some clear grips for a bayonet/pistols whatever from Plexiglass from a downed plane?
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[Francis C. Allan]

I have been asked by many collectors if these plexi-customized grips are postwar fabrications. Some 30 years ago when Nambus could be had for $25, I ran into a collector who had two with plexiglass grips. Both were original vet bring backs and "original" in every way. The preseumption was that they were fabricated from canopy plexiglass. One had a photo of an attractive Japanese young lady in traditional kimono under the "new" grip on one side and a young child was under the other.

The other pistol had plexiglass grips and a rayed naval flags under both grips.

There was no reason to have these faked back in the 1970s. I am sure they were original Japanese field trench art or whatever you want to call them. These were in a large collection and were NOT for sale. So I do beleive they were authentic.

Frank
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Francis C. Allan
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[oopy38]

A close friend of mine advised me that his father who was an Army Air Corp pilot in the Pacific told him the following......"We fought the Japanese in the air during the daytime and even on islands that were "secured" we fought the Marines at night". If we did not post guards on our planes, the Marines would bust out the plexiglass to make grips for pistols, bayonets, etc.

[gwsiii]

Appreciate the updates guys. I don't think they are recent manufacture, but I do feel like they were fabricated by our guys. Of the ones shown here, only 2: 1 bayonet (type 30) and 1 pistol (type 14), have Japanese or even Oriental photos/motiffs.
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[type-14]

When you start your trench art posting you can use these. Remember this little guy?

[new sks 2005]

very cool ashtrey trench art made with a japanese shell.

[gwsiii]

I found that, bought it, Dale had done me a good turn on some grips, felt like I ought to let him have it, maybe he'll leave it to me in his will! Trey
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!