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OTDAEABT 2 - Maly Modelarz 3/99 Shiden
Herewith begins Boose’s OTDAEABT Shiden build thread.
The kit is Mały No. 3/99 and is by Ryszard Maj, who seems mostly to have designed armored fighting vehicles, although he did also design the Mały Grumman J2F-5. The aircraft depicted is a Kawanishi N1K1-Ja Shiden [Violet Lightning]. The N1K1-Ja was the early model of the land-based fighter version of the Kawanishi Kyofu floatplane fighter, with the mid-wing configuration and long undercarriage. The later, improved, N1K2-J Shiden Kai had a low-wing configuration and other changes. The difference between the N1K1-J and the N1K1-Ja is that the "a" model had no 7.7mm machine guns in the nose, but was armed with four 20mm long-barreled Type 99 Mark 2 Model 3 cannon; two in the wings and two in gondolas under the wings. The model is consistent with this configuration. The upper surfaces of the model are printed in a very dark green that is roughly consistent with the "black green" associated with the Shiden. The undersurfaces are gray. The interior is also gray and probably should be a shade of green. The only markings are the red Hinomaru national markings, outlined in white on the fuselage and with no white outlines on the wings; bright orange leading wing inner leading edges; and the katakana character “tsu” [ッ] dash seven [ッ-7] on the vertical stabilizer. This would indicate that the model represents Aircraft No. 7 of the Tsukuba Kokutai [Tsukuba Naval Air Group], an operational training unit located at Tsukuba Air Base in Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo. The model description includes the sentence, “Model samolotu został opracowany w skali 1:33 w barwach japońskiej grupy szturmowej marynarki wojennej ‘Tsukuba’.” I make this out to mean something like “The model aircraft was designed in the scale of 1:33 in the colors of the Japanese naval assault group "Tsukuba". All the references I can find to the Tsukuba Air Group indicate that it was an OTU, but perhaps Shrike, Charlie C, Mike Krol, or one of the other markings mavens can provide more info. The kit consists of four pages of thin glossy stock on which the cover, instructions, and Mały advertisements are printed; four pages of thin matt stock on which the three-view drawing, assembly drawings, and the keel, formers, spars, and ribs are printed; and four pages of .009” (0.23mm) stock on which the colored parts are printed. The .009/0.23mm stock is of a slightly soft consistency, but does not contain mineral impurities and is nothing like the 1980s-era Mały paper. It is certainly superior to that of my Horrid Hampden. It can be rolled (carefully) without cracking and will take a compound curve, especially if dampened slightly. As I have said elsewhere, my current printer is adequate for printing out downloaded models, but does not seem capable of accurately scanning the colors of this kit, so I have ordered a couple of spares (I actually had two kits, but one of them had the framework parts out of register, so I scanned that sheet – black and white scans are okay). I also scanned some of the parts, such as the cowl, for test fittings, in the course of which I found that the parts do not actually match up well – it is a pre-2000 Mały after all – so I can blame all of my poor craftsmanship on the kit! More later, when I get the szkieletowej of the kadłub assembled. Don |
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Don,
Tsukuba Naval Air Group was a training unit, but in May 1945 it became an operational combat unit flying Shiden fighters. It looks like everything is as it should be. I will be watching your build closely since I have this one in my 100%-to-do list :D
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Constructive criticism of my builds is welcome - if I messed up and allowed others to see it, I certainly deserve it Michael Krol |
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Quote:
Regards, Charlie |
#4
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Good point, Charlie.
Meanwhile, I have cut out the wzdłużnicy (keel, parts A and B), along with wręgi G through D. I like this form of construction, which is reminiscent of stick-and-tissue modeling and may help a duffer like me when it comes time to attach the fuselage skins. I do not recall ever seeing this construction method before. The orange peels next to the agari cup are a test shot for the cowling. Time to call it quits for today, but as Porgy says at the end of the opera, “I’m on my way!” (私はそちらに行きます!) Don |
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That's interesting, what kind of plane construction are you used to?
Me having mostly MM kits, this is really common for me. The other being cylindrical sections with formers on both ends. Personally I prefer this style better, because you don't get the potential gaps between sections. This kit always looked relatively nice and I've been eyeing it for years.
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- Kuba |
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#6
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A Japanese fighter Don? I'm surprised, not, the sheets look like this will build up to a fair sized model. Sorry about the scanner problems. That complicates things.
guddorakku! |
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Kuba -- Most of the kits I have, including most of the Małys are of the kind with cylindrical sections with formers on both ends, with (preferably) or without joining strips. And, of course, most of the Fiddlers Green and DGA models have no formers at all in the smaller scales. I am more comofrtable with this approach.
Douglas -- Eventually, I'll get the printer problem sorted out. For now, I have some back-ups in case I make any drastic errors, so the inabilty to use scans is not a show stopper. I've had this kit for a long time and built it in my head repeatedly. I have been wanting to start on another 1/33 model of a Japanese fighter ever since I finished the Hampden and this one intrigued me. If I succesfully complete it, I hope to start on a line of GreMir and other Nakajima fighters. Now, LIl has cooked up some Ramyun and I we are going to settle down to noodles, kimchi, and the Superbowl. Don Don |
#8
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Very cool Don, love this airplane, MM version may not be perfect, but will look forward to seeing this plane!
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regards Glen |
#9
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Thanks, Glen. I've had my eye on it for a long time. It is my favorite Japanese Navy fighter -- I think the seaplane version is one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built. The extended landing gear of the N1K1-J is fascinating. And the model appears to be reasonably well engineered. I'll soon find out how the fit of the parts is, but it didn't take a second for me to jump in on this contest. Don
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#10
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The 'covered framework lattice' method of the planes is prevalent in most of the newer computer-drawn aircraft kits. You can think of this one as your 'intruduction to Halinski's' :D
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-Dan |
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