Model Art Co., Ltd.

Model Art Modeling Magazine #794, April 2010

Reviewed By  Scott Hollingshead, IPMS# 34786

MSRP: 1150 YEN (about $12 US) Website: www.modelart.jp Imported by: Dragon Models USA www.dragonmodelsusa.com The April offering from Model Art Modeling Magazine is dedicated to Japanese Navy experimental aircraft and features articles on the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden, Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui, Kawanishi E15K1 Shiun, Nakajima Nikka, and Kugisho R2Y1 Keiun. As is typical for Model Art, the magazine measures 182mm by 258mm (about 71/8 by 101/8 inches), and is printed on thick, glossy paper. The production quality is high with this magazine, and just over half of it is printed in color with black and white pages running from page 41 through 72, and then from page 113 to the end of the magazine. Just in case this is the first review of a Model Art magazine that you are reading, understand that the entire magazine is printed in Japanese with only an occasional English subtitle. A 1/32 scale kit of the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden, produced by Zoukei-mura and built by Akiyama Isami, starts the magazine out, and this runs from pages eight through fifteen with plenty of in-progress photographs of the build focusing mainly on the engine, cockpit, and gun bay details. Pages 16 and 17 contain black and white line drawings of the guns, landing gear, engine, and exhausts. On page eighteen, there is another build up of this same Zoukei-mura kit, this time built by Kawano Yoshiyuki, and running to page 23. Where Mr. Isami built his kit with open panels to accentuate interior details, and features a Japanese Navy green over gray paint scheme, Mr. Yoshiyuki opts for closed panels, a green over bare metal finish, and includes eight figures that I am assuming come with this kit. Pages twenty-four and twenty-five show a 1/48 scale Hasegawa release of the J7W1 built by Nomura Yukihiro, and pages twenty-six and twenty-seven feature this same kit built by Hayashi Kohji (this also features removed panels and some great detail). On page twenty-eight we break away from the Shinden, and move on to the Fine Molds 1/48 scale release of the Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui (the Japanese version of the Messerschmitt Me-163 Comet) built by Kitazawa Shun. This article features two museum photographs of the real planes as well as in progress photographs of the cockpit. A simple two-page article follows on the Nakajima Shisei Kikka (the magazine spelling not mine) 1/48 scale kit released by Fine Molds, and built by Nomura Yukihiro (this plane is similar to the Messerschmitt Me-262). Pages thirty-four through thirty-seven encompass the Fine Molds 1/72 scale Kugisho R2Y1 Keiun as built by Nomura Yukihiro. The final Experimental plane covered in this issue is the Kawanishi E15K Shiun featuring Aoshima's 1/72 scale kit built by Kato Hiroyuki that runs from page thirty-eight to page forty-one. There is an article on pages forty-two through forty-five that appears to be on the 1/32 scale Shinden kit by Zoukei-mura that was featured in the first pages of this issue. A two-page article follows this on the Shinden that includes a single black and white period photograph of the real plane. Pages forty-eight, forty-nine, and fifty-one are dedicated to showing the various kits available representing Japanese Navy experimental aircraft, while page fifty has black and white line drawings of the Shinden cockpit. New kit reviews are next in this issue, and beginning on page fifty-two, there is an appraisal of the 1/700 scale AFV Club Knox class frigate (including one page of photographs of the real ships). Several pages of advertisements and then pages seventy-two, three, and four provide a walk-around of the T-6 G Texan focusing on the cockpit follow this. The ship reviews pick back up on page seventy-six with the Fujimi 1/700 scale IJN battleship Nagato from 1941, and Revell Germany's 1/700 Colombo Express container ship. Up next is Hasegawa's 1/48 scale F-22 Raptor, which looks very nice, Revell Germany's 1/24 scale Trabant 601S, Tamiya's 1/35 scale Italian heavy tank P40, Tasca's 1/24 scale Panzer II Ausf. F, and to finish the armor is the Hobby Boss 1/35 scale Sd.Kfz. 222. The 43 Garage+ article this month that runs from page 104 through 107 features the Jaguar XJR-9 IMSA GTP (1988) in Castrol markings. The remainder of this issue contains short write-ups on new kits, decals, finishing supplies, and tools from various manufacturers and the obligatory advertisements that help to keep the magazine in print. If you have an interest in Japanese Navy experimental aircraft, especially the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden, then this would make a great reference book for you. Although the magazine is written entirely in Japanese, the great photography and drawings will benefit any model enthusiast. Personally, I also enjoy seeing what other modelers are doing, especially those from other countries. My thanks to the folks at Model Art and Dragon Models USA for making this issue available for review by the IPMS Reviewer Corps, and thanks to you for taking the time to read it.