Hasegawa

1/72 Nakajima G8N1 Renzan Attack Bomber with "Goh" Guided Bomb & Kyushu J7W2 Shinden Kai Fighter (Special Version, 3 Kits)

Kit Number: 00987

Reviewed by  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $79.95 Kit suupplied by Dragon USA - Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com Introduction: These kits are a combination of two kits issued a number of years ago, but the theme is different. In fact, it amounts to a Japanese version of Luft 46, which I call "Banzai 46". These kits are models of hypothetical or fictional aircraft that might have been used by the Imperial Japanese Navy had the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki not finally convinced the Japanese that further resistance was, as Emperor Hirohito said in his radio address to the nation in 1945, "not necessarily to Japan's advantage". Each aircraft existed in prototype form only, with only four G8N1 Renzans and two J7W1 Shindens completed. In fact, no J7W2 Shinden-Kai was completed, as this was the jet-powered project which probably might have been flown in late 1945 or early 1946 had the project continued. In addition to the jet powered Japanese fighter, a rocket powered guided missile is included for the Renzan's main armament, although the only reference I could find to special ordnance carried on this aircraft was a drawing in Koku-Fan of a Renzan with a standard Oka-11 suicide bomb, and a drawing on Koku-Fan No. 50 (June, 1974) showing a Mitsibishi Ki-67 Hiryu with the type mounted in the bomb bay. No other source I found, including the internet, gives any reference to a "Goh" guided bomb, except for a source which lists the weapon as part of this kit. Francillon's book lists several Japanese guided missiles, but this one is not among them. References Although there is not a lot of material available on either of these two aircraft, and very little on the guided bomb, the types are described in detail in Dr. Rene Francillon's excellent "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War". In addition, Koko Fan, an old Japanese periodical printed mainly in Japanese but with a few English subtitles, covered both types in detail. No. 10, October, 1977, gives much material on the G8N1 bomber, while No. 129, January, 1982, covers the J7W1 Shinden. There is no illustration of the J7W2, although I cannot tell from the Japanese text whether mention is made of the jet-powered project. Both texts have many photos and drawings of these aircraft, and should be in the library of any aviation enthusiast interested in Japanese aircraft, regardless of linguistic ability. History The Kyushu J7W1 Shinden (Magnificent Lightning) was a product of the First Naval Technical Arsenal after a proof of concept aircraft, the MXY6 glider, was built to test the flight characteristics of the unusual aircraft's canard configuration. Later a powered version of the MXY6 was flown, followed by the development of the J7W1 fighter prototype. Design work on the full scale fighter started in June, 1944, and the first flight was on 3 August 1945, just days before the end of the war. The aircraft was unarmed. Three flights were made, with a total of 45 minutes flying time on the airframe at the time of the surrender. The plane was powered by a 2,130 hp. Mitsubishi Ha-12 radial engine in the fuselage, and a six bladed pusher propeller. A second prototype was completed but not flown, and this example was taken to the United States, where it was evaluated as T2-326. It currently resides at the NASM's Silver Hill facility in an unrestored state. Although plans were made to produce the Shinden in quantity, no production model was completed. A design study, designated J7W2, which was to be powered by a 1,984 pounds thrust Ne-130 turbojet engine of indigenous Japanese design, was never built, and I have never seen a drawing of this project. However, this is the subject of the kit, and the original J7W1 cannot be made from this kit, as the cowling is missing from the sprue. Nakajima began design work on the G8N1 Renzan heavy attack bomber (Mountain Range) in late 1943. The result was a large aerodynamically clean monoplane powered by four turbosupercharged 2000 hp. Nakajima NK9K-L Homare 24 radial engines driving four bladed propellers. The first prototype flew in October, 1944, and three subsequent prototypes had flown by the end of hostilities. The project was eventually cancelled due to shortages of light alloys, although an all-steel model, designated G8N3, was still under consideration. One aircraft, the fourth prototype, was eventually completed by Nakajima under U.S. supervision, and this aircraft was shipped to the United States, being marked FE-2210 and T2-2210. It was test flown and ferried by Col. Watson (of Watson's Whizzers) and Maj. William Webb, and underwent some trials at Patterson Field, Ohio, in 1946. Although originally earmarked for the proposed Air Force Museum, it was, unfortunately, later scrapped. Many photos exist of this airplane in U.S. markings, but even the Koko-Fan book only has one photo of the type with any kind of tailcode marking, and even this photo is of marginal quality. Francillon's book has a drawing of the aircraft in colorful orange overall training markings, but Koko-Fan shows the same airplane, J-G8-1, in medium grey overall. I would opt for the grey. Other photos show the aircraft in what was presumable the standard color, dark medium green above and medium grey underneath. Although this is probably the colors the production models would have carried, the whole issue is conjecture. Most photos in Koko Fan show the airplane in a light overall color, presumably IJNAF Grey. The Kits: The G8N1 Renzan kit was issued many years ago, probably in the sixties or seventies, and it is probably a contemporary of the Hasegawa "Emily" flying boat kit. Being that old, it has petite but definite raised rivets and subdued raised panel lines. I noticed some slight changes in the propellers, but otherwise, it is the same molding as the original issue. That being said, it is a good kit, accurate in outline, and goes together like an early Hasegawa kit. There is plenty of glass to mask and paint, and the cockpit and interior detail is very sparse, especially the insides of the landing gear cover doors. In short, it is not a modern kit by those standards, but it is very buildable, and produces an excellent, if not too detailed, model. The only real change is the inclusion of a "Goh" guided missile which is carried in the bomb bay. The bombs and bomb bay doors are to be left off, revealing a not very detailed set of bomb racks inside the fuselage, to which the guided missile is to be attached. The J7W2 Shinden-Kai is the same kit that was originally issued in 1997 according to the one I already had. It has been issued a number of times, and has at least 7 different kit numbers besides this one. The only difference, and one must assume that this was in the designers' minds when they originally issued the kit, is that the small sprue section containing the engine cowling has been deleted and replaced by another one, not included in the original kit, which simulates the jet engine cowling and exhaust, and enlarged airscoops. The six bladed prop is still there, marked 'don't use". So with this kit, you have to build the jet version unless you want to do some fancy surgery to reconstruct the piston engine configuration. This is a much better kit than the G8N1, but that is to be expected, as it is about twenty years newer. The kit itself is excellent, comparable to other Hasegawa offerings of the same vintage. The outline is accurate, detail well done, and the panel lines are finely inscribed and recessed. The instructions are clear, but be sure to include some ballast in the nose, or the plane will sit in an embarrassing tail-down position. The only problem is that the original prototype J7W1 was unarmed, and photos show no gun positions on the forward cowling. Production models would have been armed, however, so the armament would be correct for the J7W2, although not for the J7W1, the propeller driven version. The "Goh" guided bomb is presented on a single sprue, and consists of 8 parts. It is nicely molded with almost no flash. The only problem is that the fuselage has the mounting attachments molded on it, and these would be tricky to remove if you wanted to model the airplane with the missile on a dolly next to the model, as I did. Otherwise, it is an excellent little model. Decals Since this is a "Banzai 46" model, the decals are for totally fictitious aircraft. The G8N1 bomber includes markings for two aircraft of the 721st Naval Air Group, presumably operating from the Home Islands during 1946. In addition, one Luftwaffe version is included, coded DF+OV, and supposedly operating in 1947. It appears that Russian Front markings have been applied. The J7W2 decals depict two different aircraft of the 721 Naval Air Group, again presumably operating from Japan during 1946. Likewise, a Luftwaffe aircraft is also included, although the fictitious unit it belonged to is not stipulated. Why they didn't include a set of decals for the J7W2 in the colors of the Toyota Trophy Race, part of the 1949 Japanese National Air Races in Tokyo, is a mystery. Now, THAT would have been a colorful airplane! Assembly Instructions The instructions are typical Hasegawa, with detailed assembly drawings that are very well done. Even a modeler with limited experience should be able to build these kits. Good drawings are provided for the fictitious color schemes, and whoever did these must have had a pretty good imagination, and there are several Luftwaffe schemes provided also. Assembly: Renzan This kit was originally issued almost thirty years ago, and to be honest, it is showing its age. However, it is the only show in town, and if you want a model of this airplane, this is the only option. That being said, it is certainly better than a lot of kits of that vintage, and with a little work, a respectable model of the Renzan can be made. The original issue was molded in brittle, dark green plastic, while the current product is in slightly higher grade light grey plastic, although it is still somewhat brittle, which means that you still need to be careful removing the parts from the sprue or some filling will be required. The raised rivets and panel lines need to be sanded down, although leaving a slight trace of them is effective in showing detail. The kit is very basic, and does not contain a lot of highly detailed parts. Some flash is present, and this needs to be trimmed off. The wings go together easily, and not much trimming is required here to clean up the leading and trailing edges. The engine nacelles are a little difficult to line up properly, and some work is needed there. The main landing gear struts have to be installed before the nacelles are attached to the wing, but these can be folded up into the wheel wells and left there until they can be glued in their proper positions towards the end of the assembly process. Of course, the interiors of the wheel wells need to be painted before they are joined. Incidentally, the wheels are nicely done, and can be painted easily without masking as the hubs are raised. The basic outline appears to be accurate, and the finished model looks like the airplane, and that's the idea. The most difficult part of the kit is the fuselage, which consists of the two main fuselage halves, two ball type turrets, a bomb bay floor, a flight deck consisting of five rather generic-looking seats and an instrument panel, front and rear turrets, and several clear windows. The interior should be painted first, and after the flight deck is assembled and detailed, the turrets are the next step. These need to be painted after attaching the guns in their proper positions. Masking them off is very time consuming, as the raised frames on the turrets are not very pronounced. However, a drawing or photo of the turrets should help, and it is merely a matter of time. Once the inside is painted, the flight deck is prepared, and the windows are installed, the weights should be added. I used buckshot held in with white glue, and this worked fine, although my model is quite heavy now. I probably used much more than necessary, but at least the model will never sit back on its tail. The fuselage lined up almost perfectly, although a little putty was needed to smooth out the seams. I attached the cockpit canopy and front and rear turrets later, and masked off the ball turrets before the painting process could begin. The wings attach to the fuselage with two round pegs that fit into the wing root, and these presented no problems, although a little filling was needed in the wing root section. At this point, I masked everything, including the flight deck sans canopy, the bomb bay, and the wheel wells. The engines are very nicely done, and although there are no engines provided, they aren't needed, as the little cooling fans, similar to those on an FW-190, completely obscure the engine. If you want to scratch build an engine, it would be a lot of work. The tailplanes and rudder are a snap to install, although again, some filling is required. Painting Although this is a Banzai 46 kit, I elected to do one of the prototypes for two reasons. First, the hinomarus in the decal sheet appeared to be a little small, and I thought they would look funny on the airplane if I used them, although they seem to be of very fine quality. Secondly, I don't generally build models of speculative aircraft, such as Luft 46, so the models I build have to be models of actual airplanes. Therefore, as I had never built this particular kit before, I opted for one of the early prototypes in the pale grey overall scheme, using a set of old AIR decals for the hinomarus. The Koko Fan book on the Renzan has a number of photos of the various prototypes, and although one of them appeared to carry a tailcode, I selected an unmarked airplane. Some sources list the prototypes as being brilliant orange, but I cannot imagine the Japanese being dumb enough to paint an airplane of this size in bright orange in late 1944, when carrier planes were starting to roam the Home Islands looking for targets. The first Renzan appeared in 1944, and of the four eventually completed, three apparently survived the war, of which one was flown in the US in American markings. The original kit had decals for two different aircraft, one of which was the American example, but I built the unmarked version.

Assembly: "Goh" Guided Missile The missile consists of 8 simple parts on, appropriately, Sprue "G". They are cleanly molded, and can be assembled in about 10 minutes, requiring no putty and very little trimming. The fuselage of the missile is cast with the attachment fittings designed to fit into the bomb bay. Obviously, the bomb bay doors have to be left off if the missile is to be carried. The instructions state to paint the missile "Nakajima Green". I painted mine light grey, similar to the Baka Bombs.

Assembly: Kyushu J7W2 "Shinden-Kai" This kit has an accurate basic outline, and it is much improved over the old Aoshima kit first issued many years ago. It has good detail and recessed panel lines. The only difference between the J7W1 and J7W2 is the replacement of the prop, rear cowling, and small airscoops with a different cowling and larger scoops. I began with the cockpit interior, which is nicely done. It has an instrument panel, floor, seat, control stick, oxygen bottles, a fire extinguisher, and a roll bar. The instrument panel has a very nice little decal. The gunsight is molded into the left fuselage side. The nosewheel well can be attached to one side of the fuselage, and after installing the completed cockpit, the fuselage halves can be joined. While filling the seams, I added a little buckshot to the nose section as a weight, securing it with white glue. When dry, I attached the forward section that contains the canards. The wings are in three sections, one bottom and two tops, and these are easily joined and attached to the fuselage. Again, a little filling is required, and be careful not to knock the pitot tube assembly off, as it is cast into the wing section. Mine didn't survive, so I drilled a hole and mounted it after final assembly and painting. The canopy fits very nicely onto the fuselage assembly, and this is easy to mask after installation. The landing gear is well designed, and snaps into place at the correct angles. The parts appear to be a little flimsy, but once on the model, they hold the weight of the plane very well. Remember that the landing gear struts are flat black, with only a little silver in the oleo strut areas. Wheel wells were apparently light grey, although this is from the kit instructions, not any documentation. Gear doors are the same as the underside color, light grey. Painting I chose to paint the model at this stage. I used Japanese Navy sky grey underneath with Japanese Navy Green topsides. First, I painted the inside wing leading edges yellow, as was standard on JNAF aircraft. I then applied the standard camouflage colors. Using Model Master paints, I discovered that these colors, for whatever reason, and glossy rather than flat like most other Model Master paints, so they took longer than usual to set up. After painting the bottom half light grey, I masked it and then gave the topsides a coat of JNAF Green. Since I did a J7W1 alongside the J7W2, I painted the six bladed prop yellow before masking off the stripes at the tips and painting the prop and both spinner parts medium brown. By the way, kit instructions for the J7W1 do not mention the propeller tips being yellow, but the photos definitely show this. Decals I only used the basic insignia on both models, abstaining from the fictitious unit markings. Decals on the newer kit were of much higher quality that those of the original issue, but they need to be trimmed on the outside edges, as the carrier film shows through if left untrimmed.

Finishing Touches The J7W fighters would probably not have been weathered to any extent, although the jet might have been had it been used in combat. Since the J7W1 prototype has only about 45 minutes on the airframe, and was damaged and rebuilt at least once, it probably looked like a brand new airplane. The J7W2 is open to the imagination. Recommendation I would highly recommend this kit to anyone interested in conjectural models. The only problem I found was that the J7W2 kit in this issue cannot be made as the prop driven version, as the cowling and airscoops are not included for that model, although the prop is. I don't know about the availability of the earlier issue, although it is listed on several sites, so this may be the only way you could obtain a kit of the G8N1 bomber. In any event, this is a model worth getting. It is a fun kit to build, and leaves a lot to the imagination. Thanks to Dragon USA, Hasegawa and IPMS's John Noack for the review sample.