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Mushroom Model Publications Mitsubishi A5M Claude By Tadeusz Januszewski Reviewed By John Lester #36807 |
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During the long windup to World War 2, most Western militaries regarded Japanese pilots as buck-toothed, nearsighted inferiors flying obsolete copies of Western designs. Had anyone been paying attention to the Sino-Japanese war, and later combat with the Russians over Mongolia, they would have been swiftly disabused of those notions. Mitsubishi’s A5M (Allied reporting name: Claude), in frontline use with the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1937 until 1942, was an excellent case in point. Designed by Japan's foremost aircraft designer of the time, Jiro Horikoshi, the fixed-gear, open cockpit design was an excellent plane for its day and the IJN’s first monoplane fighter. The type saw extensive combat in the Sino-Japanese War, literally flying circles around anything the Chinese or Russians could put in the air to oppose it. It weaned the Japanese pilots from their beloved biplanes and enabled them to develop the experience and tactics with which they would soon savage the Allies all across the Pacific theater. The latest installment of Mushroom Model Publications’ aircraft specials covers the A5M series in exhaustive detail. Six chapters of text, lavishly illustrated with plans, detail drawings and photographs, detail the operational history and technical details of each variant (prototype, A5M1, A5M2, A5M3, A5M4 and A5M4-K). Plans, drawn in 1/72 scale by Andrezj Gorczinski, detail all the major subtypes; some include fuselage cross sections. Detail drawings are particularly helpful in distinguishing the slight differences between sub-types (for instance, one set shows the 5 different windscreen arrangements used on the A5M2 and early A5M4 versions, and there are detailed drawings of different seats used as well). All this is followed by 26 pages of color profiles by Zygmunt Szeremeta depicting 40 separate airframes. If you’re looking for an exciting history of the Sino-Japanese war – look elsewhere. The text is a rather dry, cataloguing major engagements fought in the type and the exploits of the pilots who flew in them. However, if you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all things Claude – this is the book for you. The comprehensive technical information, detailed drawings, photos and profiles present the modeler with everything necessary to build any of the sub-types of this historically significant airplane. Model kits were made in 1/48 from Fine Molds and Classic Airframes; in 1/72 Fujimi and Nichimo kits are available, for those that don’t want to go the scratchbuilding route. If you can’t find the book at a hobby shop or bookstore, it can be ordered from Squadron in the US at www.squadron.com, Stock No. QM6107) for $17.97. Highly recommended! |
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