By: Noel Carpio

In the morning of December 25,2004, I took my family to Hong Kong. My wife and I agreed to visit this city after asking ourselves "why have we not gone to this place when we have toured other countries as far as the United States?". It was a timely trip. It was cold in Hong Kong (14 to 7 degrees celcius) - my son and I loved that! There was a city-wide sale  and a friend of mine offered their condominium unit  as our temporary residence.

Hong Kong is very clean (they probably learned to keep it clean after the SARS outbreak). The transport system is very organized and you can easily go from one point to the other without difficulty. The main means of transportation in Hong Kong is the Metro Transit Railway (MTR). Everything seems to be cheap in Hong Kong except its food. To give you an idea, I spent HK$106 (about 765 pesos) for Mc Donald's Value Meal for three  adults and a Happy Meal for my son!!! We even splurged for two cups with two scoops of Hagen Daz Ice Cream on each costing me a sum of  HK$97!!!
A MODELER'S OASIS...IN HONG KONG
TO MAIN EDITORIAL PAGE
Editorials
version. They had all the kinds of helmets as well. They even sell Night Vision Goggles and Fighter/Pilot Helmets!!! There were even M60 MACHINE GUNS and granades, russian type machine guns (I am not familiar with these stuff though) and all variations you will find in Gun Magazines...they have it there! I also entered a shop that sold military uniforms. They had original World War II uniforms from different countries (yes, even the German Autumn Uniforms), they had badges and the works. Yes, they had Nazi Uniforms and uniforms used in modern times. There were also at least 20 shops that sold radio control kits. You would truly be amazed with the collection they have.

The shops I spent most of my time in were the model shops. I got into a shop named Sunny Models Co. also along Kwong Wah Street. They had a large variety of model kits of ALL categories and brands. There were Heller Kits, Trumpeter, Tamiya, Dragon and a lot more. Their merchandize was relatively cheaper than the other shops. They had 1/144 scale armor-diorama kits to as large as 1/144 Ships kits that were "RC-able". I got my dream model from this shop - a 1/200 scale Nichimo Yamato. My wife bought it for me as a late christmas present!!! The box and the hull was more than four feet in length. I got this kit for HK$1,280...still far from the american price of USD$280. Sunny Model Co. had the 1/144 USS Spruance and other large scale "RC-able" kits. I also got the newly release 1/350 Liberty Ship by Trumpeter at a cheap price of HK$168 ( about Php1,200). The only thing I didn't like about this shop was the poorly customer-oriented owner. But with the good price his shop had, I dealt with him fairly enough.
The first thing I did when we were done going around the tourist spots of Hong Kong and allowing my wife to do much of her christmas shopping was to hunt for the plastic model retail shops in Hong Kong. I had tips from the forum board of Fine Scale Modeler before I left the Philippines. But being new in Hong Kong made it a challenge for me. I had to walk and almost get lost in this crowded city but I found it eventually. I found an "Oasis for Modelers".

I took a train to Mongkok. I exited Gate D and into Exit Gate D3 and walked the lengthy and crowded street market of Mongkok. I took a left turn at Soy Street which was filled with chinese restaurants and the popular "Ladies Market". Before the the end of Soy Street  was Kwong Wah Street - the street famed for all hobby stuffs..

You will literally drool when you get there. Khong Wa Street is lined with shops selling models, military dolls (GI Joe's), Air Soft Guns and accesories and a lot more "Toys for the Big Boys". I hopped from one shop to the other appreciating whatever each store was selling. There were models that were as small as HO scale including armor and other stuff not available in the Philippines. There were resin figures everywhere. I saw the intricate kits of Andrea Models and that store was even selling a complete line of paints best used for these models. I saw GI Joe figures with all the accessories that could come with it...even an M2 Bradley Tank that had a GI Joe Figure riding in it. Airsoft guns where everywhere!!! They had a collection of all the rifles, pistols and automatic weapons in airsoft
TURN TO PAGE TO OF THIS ARTICLE
Khong Wa Street at Mongkok - A Must-See Place
My son, Leandro, poses at one of the Airsoft Gun Shops
a 1/144 USS Ticonderoga RC-able model