Orlik Kyushu J7W1 Shinden in 1/33 scale

[Isaac]

My preference in building model aircraft is to go for the unusual, prototype or otherwise what other in the west do not build. In the past it steered me to Soviet, Luft 46 and early jets. Most of it in plastic, but I wanted to do it in paper.

A couple of months ago, I purchased the Hasegawa 1/48 and 1/72 plastic models of the Shinden. I also saw the new 1/32 scale kit that just came out ( pricey ).


This is a really interesting aircraft. In reality it is not so unusual even for its type. The design is a canard pusher aircraft ( just like the Wright brothers flyer and many others ). The primary purpose was to cluster all the guns up front, so you don’t have to either fire thru the prop, or the spinner hub or at the wings which all had issues. So placing the engine in the rear with the prop solved all that. However, in WW2 the canard pusher was considered unconventional and was only considered as an experiment. The US also has a similar aircraft called the Curtis Ascender. It too never made it beyond experimental stage ( I had the good luck to actually see it at a museum ). A little side note on the name Ascender. It is a play on word in which the people on the program were a bit playful with the name. They meant Ass Ender but spelled Ascender ( get it? ).


The kit

This is Orlik’s design originally published in 3/2005. By comparison to their kits today, it is considered rather simple. The kit price is reasonable ( even though I purchased it in Japan which is 3 times as much as in Europe or the USA ). The paper is rather thick card and the colors are basic. The aircraft is represented as overall dark green with gray underside. The wing leading edge are typical yellow.



Observations.

There were 2 threads a few weeks ago regarding the availability and quality of the kit. I have to say that both turned out to be available and also not poor quality either.. Even though the kit is not top notch and has errors, it is easily fixed and the final product is very pleasing ( I have seen much worse on this forum ).

The colors may be a bit too dark green. Also, some parts are different shades of green. However the variation is not extreme and is quite plausible in actual aircraft in which sections were built and painted by different sources and the assemble aircraft looked like a patch work. The reality is that this aircraft only made it to the prototype stage, so it is easy to make mistakes in shape and color.

Another observation is that even though there are many sketches and views, there is missing information on some parts and the only way to go forward is to refer to photos of other models ( there are 2 build logs on the Polish forum and finished photos on the Orlik web site ). I also used my Hasagawa plastic kit as a reference and made changes to the rear of the aircraft.

Lastly, Other than the old Maly Modelarz basic kit which I also built many years ago; there is no other kit of this aircraft.

Only Orlik makes this and the other pusher concept prototypes from WW2.




So far, it is both a challenge to build and a fun project.



To make things easier, I purchased the laser cut frames. Made a big difference here.


Thanks

Isaac

[YankeeBoy]

When I tried to build this one using the laser frames I found that some of the laser parts were not the thickness called for in the instructions. I also encountered fit issues and unclear diagrams. All I can advise is that you double check fits and thicknesses and proceed very slowly. Good luck!

[Fishcarver]

Isaac:

I too have this Orlik kit and have the same interest in the aircraft as do you!

I look forward to watching your work on this! (and learning!!)

No kit is perfect, and I've been known to "bash" (modify) the odd one in my time!

Sincerely,
Jim

[cblf49]

Actually, there is another kit of this plane:
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I haven't built one, but there are other free kits on his site (click the "FREE" button) to give you an idea of what building his J7W1 would be like.

[hatsudoki]

There is also the PModel Shinden. It looks elegant, and the PModel kits offered free by Canon get good reviews.

[Isaac]

Cockpit and nose gear frames


I started with the internal frames. The major forward sections are around the nose gear and the other is around the cockpit area.

The nose section frames need to have the interior of the gear well laminated with the colored sections which are thin paper. Pay attention to the canard swivel frames. Even f not moveable, they serve a structural purpose. I use a paperclip for the swivel shaft.

The cockpit frames go on easy, but the illustration needs careful study as some parts are not clear as to their orientation ( I had to do some surgery to correct ). The interior walls are laminated to the frames and the rest of the interior is built. My best reference was to check out the build on the Konradus Polish forum. The cockpit floor is a series of frames and plates. There are two cylinders in the back . One is a fire extinguishers, the other looks like an oxygen bottle, but it is a strange location for it and I really don’t know what it represents. Also, their position is kind of strange, but I decided to place them in the shown position. I decided not to use the kit parts and instead made them out of wood dowels shaped and then painted. Only part used was the handle.


The instrument panel was a combination of the laser frames and the kit parts. It came out OK. The rudder pedals are simple, but add a nice touch and a sense of realism. The pilot seat is easy to fabricate and the seatbelts look good in place. There are tiny small parts attached to either side of the seat, which I omitted since I really could not see what they were for and really you can barely see these parts.

Once the two framed sections are done, you can skin the outside surfaces. The gear and the cockpit sections are then butt joined.





Isaac

[Isaac]

Originally Posted by cblf49

Actually, there is another kit of this plane:
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I haven't built one, but there are other free kits on his site (click the "FREE" button) to give you an idea of what building his J7W1 would be like.

Interesting site with good reference.

I did not download the file, so not sure what is the exact scale or complexity. Did you download it?

I also have seen the jet version in model form. Some people just removed the propellor and kept the intakes as is which is not correct for the jet. Same story with the landing gear which is shorter on the jet concept ( which was never built).

Also, there are many Japanese cartoons showing this plane in various fantasy colors.

Thanks for the link


Isaac

[Tim Crowe]

Looking good, Isaac.

I have found these Orlik kits really, build up quite well. The laser parts make a real difference to the build.

Tim

[rjm]

Isaac, I didn't download that weathered one but the site says Lenght 39.5 cm
Width 45 cm. I think that makes it between 1/24th and 1/25th scale. I didn't
see any other planes available but there are some free cars.

Bob

[Isaac]

So far the Orlik Kit is going well and is probably as good if not better than the others. Also, it has a good cockpit detail.


Bob

Thanks for the link on the other Shinden as well as the other suggested PM model. It is good to have choices for others as they read this build log.


Isaac