Tokyo Model Company

First we need a lesson in geography. Hong Kong is on the southern edge of China. The country is split into two sections, the island which is actual Hong Kong, and the China peninsula known as Kowloon. Hong Kong island is the more up-scale tourist area of the two, where as Kowloon is for the working man and the bargain hunters. The majority of airsoft shops are in Kowloon, in a district called Mong Kok. Within Mongkok is a small triangular block on Kwong Wa Street. This is where 80% of the airsoft shops in Hong Kong are located including Tokyo Model Company, War 4 Toys, Guns N’ Guys, Classic Army, Armed Forces, Den Trinity, Modern Model Company, Gunner, S3, and several other companies. All of these shops are located within two buildings, it’s virtually an airsoft mall. It’s very easy to find everything, but it’s even easier when our good friend Clarence Lai, the Airsoft Surgeon, takes us there (especially in his 4 door Skyline).

Clarence Lai

Classic Army

The first shop in the “mall” is Classic Army. They have a huge store, which is mostly empty. It’s the cleanest store with a nice tiled floor and bright lights in a space that looked about 800 sq. feet. The left and right walls were lined with showcases showing CA products, guns on one side parts on the other, and nothing in between. I only saw tourists walk into that store. Considering just a few steps away are shops with Guarder, PDI, and Laylax parts (which perform much better) I don’t know why CA even opened a store here.

Modern Model Company

Next was Modern Model Company. This is more like a typical Hong Kong store, packed full of guns and parts. They have a lot of pistols and handgun accessories, especially for SV’s, STI’s, and similar guns. They were very busy with a lot of customers.

There are a few “garage shops” after that where it’s literally a garage stall with some generic P.O.S. Chinese guns like Well, Both Elephant and CYMA on the ground. Again, why anyone buys this stuff when there are all the other shops is beyond me, especially the tourists. If you can spend a couple thousand bucks to have a vacation in Hong Kong then you can afford the extra $50-100 and buy a Tokyo Marui.

War 4 Toys

War 4 Toys Intl., an ASH BASH sponsor, is next. Their shop is deceiving because when you first look you just see a small space behind the door, then you notice it expands to quite a nice shop in the back. They had a lot of nice custom built guns, especially STAR rifles such as the L85/L86 type. They also had a lot of spare parts most places don’t sell such as screws, selector switches, trigger guards and grips.

Gunner

After is Gunner. This is one of the most disappointing shops ever. Very very very small. They had a shipment and they were organizing it on the ground outside, while smoking and dropping ash all over the product mind you. A lot of people on Arnies keep saying Gunner is the best place to go to. Did they not notice the other ten stores on the same block?

There is a bunch of small specialty shops also. One specialized in taking real gun parts and modifying them for airsoft. Don’t remember the name but I remember the high prices.

Outside you’ll find Tokyo Model Company, another ASH BASH sponsor. They have a nice shop filled with stuff. They don’t have much walking space but they have tons of showcases full of parts from Laylax, PDI, Systema, Tanio Koba, and all the other big names. One of the best shops for finding upgrade parts. When I went to Hong Kong a few years ago their airsoft selection was just a few cases and model cars and Gundam took up the whole store. Now it’s all airsoft.

Guns N Guys

A few stores down is Guns N Guys. They are another big shop with tons of guns and parts. Lots of metal body parts and conversion kits from HurricanE, King Arms, Proud and other companies to choose from. They also have a lot of upgrade parts as well.

Armed Forces

Inside Armed Forces Shop

Around the corner is Armed Forces. They have the nicest display of guns with showcases lining the whole store. I wish my store looked like this, it’s even nicer than the DEN shop. This is a big improvement from the white walls and shelves that I remember from a few years back. They also have a good selection of body kits and upgrade parts.

S3

Across the street is S3. I wish I could say something about them but I never saw them open for the whole week I was in Hong Kong. I was more interested in checking out the Charlie Brown Café next door.

DEN Trinity Shop

Finally was DEN Trinity. They had a good selection of parts and guns in a nice display, but no customer service. I wanted to buy a tool that I saw in the showcase and I had to drag they guy over to get it, otherwise he was busy reading a book or something.

Inside WGC Shop

So where are the 2 biggest airsoft companies in Hong Kong, RedWolf Airsoft and War Gamers Club? Well they actually don’t have stores. However if you do go to their offices you can ask them for stuff and they’ll fill an order on the spot. War Gamers Club, or WGC, has their office located near Mong Kok.

The office of Redwolf Airsoft

RedWolf Airsoft, two time ASH BASH presenter, is located north at Cheung Sha Wan in the V-Ga building (I don’t know what that stands for). You’ll need to take the MTR subway up for about a 10 minute ride, too far to walk from Mong Kok but close enough you can go up there on a whim. There you can meet Paul Chu who has been at the 2005 and 2006 ASH BASH and will be here for 2007. Tell him you heard about us from Airsoft Hawaii.

If you’re looking for airsoft stuff you’ll find almost everything in Hong Kong. It’s the easiest place to find what you need, and the stores are so close together you can go back and forth to compare prices. Unlike Japan or even California where going to different stores require lots of travel time you could literally do all your shopping in Hong Kong in one afternoon. I love Hong Kong.

Hong Kong travel tips:
In Hong Kong there are a few HUGE shopping centers but unless you’re looking for specific name brands you can find great clothes for much cheaper in small shops all over Mong Kok and Jordan.

Don’t expect to find fake LV and Rolex like in the good old days. Since 2007 they have been cracking down on counterfeit bags and jewelry.

Go when it’s cool, like early spring or late fall. Don’t go in the summer. Humidity is so high you will sweat more than you thought humanly possible. Plus all the furniture in the hotel will feel wet. Very disgusting.

Don’t be afraid to try different food. Food is so cheap in Hong Kong if you try it and it’s bad you can just pay the bill, go somewhere else and not feel ripped off. But just make sure you know what animal it is and what part it came from.

Look around and don’t spend all your money in one place. A lot of the shops repeat block after block (like Giordano and G2000) and if one shop doesn’t have something the next one will.

Take large bills to places like the airsoft shops where you know you’ll spend a few hundred dollars, but have lots of small bills for all the cool things you’ll find in the small shops and the street markets. With $2 CD’s, $5 DVD’s, $7 dress shirts and slacks, and tons of toys Kowloon is Impulse Buy central.

And most important, take large suitcases with lots of space, you’ll need it.