A surprise announcement by Revell of a 1/72 kit of the Mitsubishi Ki-21-1ko Type 97 bomber 'Sally' to be released in May this year. The general presumption seems to be that it is a re-release of the ICM kit but there seems to be a difference in the number of parts and the Revell website states that the kit will have 'an extensive bomb load for individual design'. Intriguing. Has there been a resurrection?
Image credit: Heading photo © 2024 Revell GmbH
14 comments:
HI Nick, interesting information. I checked the ICM website abd both the Ki-21 I and b have 170 parts, so this appears to be a new tool kit by Revell.
Woody
That's very peculiar. Revell has been producing ICM-designed kits for awhile and it would be very odd if they went ahead and made their own from scratch.
Well the strange thing is that the ICM Ko kit has no bomb load and the bomb doors are moulded in the closed position whereas the Revell website specifically mentions a bomb load for their kit. Also the Revell kit has less parts! The ICM kit does have ten parts shown as not for use but that would make 160 vs 140. Did the old Revell kit have 140 parts and a bomb load?
Regards
Nick
Fascinating and intriguing...if I recall correctly, the "vintage" Revell Sally had an optional pair of folded open bomb door parts and was composed of no more than 70 or 80 parts in total....again, this is just an approximation based solely only on my hopefully not too fading memories :))
The 1975 Revell kit had some 66 parts (Scalemates). Is the new one possibly an MPM reboxing?
Oh I hope not! ;-) Perhaps Revell upgraded ICM kit with bomb bay and bomb load?
Which of course would suggest more parts in the kit and not less! A mystery at present.
More investigation shows that the published dimensions are different as well:
Revell: Length 229mm Wingspan 312mm
ICM: Length 226mm Wingspan 314mm
So perhaps the Revell kit is, oddly, a new tool. Possibly the same situation as Academy releasing the A6M2 a year after Eduard did (with the development possibly taking place at the same time).
Woody
Models2u.uk says its ex-ICM
What we need is a Ki-21-IIa and -IIb...! According to what I've read, the old Revell/Takara Ki-IIa/b kit has accuracy issues in the fuselage cross section (too fat), nacelles, and canopy being too shallow.
And the MPM kit is just a copy, so that's no help.
Maybe with what all is going on in the world, Revell is partnering with ICM to get the product out.
I'm trying to model a Ki-21-IIa, as I understand that was the version used in the Philippines in 1941-42. Any insights?
What you 'need' John and what others need might not be the same things! ;-)
The Revell/Takara Sally models by Gonzalo Guzmán shown here on 31 Jan and 1 Feb look pretty good despite any flaws. Pity you couldn't comment positively on those splendid models rather than carping about the venerable Revell/Takara kit here!
IMHO the best English language reference on the Ki-21 is the excellent Arawasi Eage Eye Series No.3 which features photos of II Ko over the Philippines but is not always specific in text as to type and it is apparent that I Ko was still in service during the early 1942 campaigns.
As for the new Revell kit the data released so far simply does not match the ICM kit so it remains to be seen whether it is the same, modified or new.
Regards
Nick
Hi Nick,
My focus wasn't necessarily on anyone's work, so I didn't feel the need to comment on the well-executed examples of the Revell kit. Sorry if my concerns were interpreted as "carping". I actually think the kit looks pretty good and is well-engineered, aside from the issues as described. I have a 1980 issue and was happy to get it.
My point is, even if the Revell/Takara kit was completely accurate, it's not readily available. Pricey, if you can find one, and supposedly the molds are at the bottom of the sea, so no chance of a reissue, unless this upcoming Revell release is a pleasant surprise.
And so I reiterate the need for a decent, affordable, mass-market Ki-21-II. It's a noticeable gap in Japanese twin-engined subjects.
Thanks for the info on the -I vs. -II deployment in the Philippines. I had read that the -Is were pulled back from front-line service by 1941, and that the -IIbs didn't come out until mid-1942, so I assumed -IIs were used over the Philippines.
What I might do is pick up an ICM Ki-21-I and see how the fuselage and canopy compare to the Revell kit. My plan was to try to splice the larger -II Revell tail onto the ICM -I fuselage, and also the Revell wings with aftermarket nacelles.
Respectfully,
John
Well John, whatever the focus, of course I'd like to see more comments on the models shown. Not for my own sake but for the benefit of those kind enough to contribute their photos and details. It takes less time to comment than to build the models and craft the blog articles, especially with Google's Blogger 'improvements'! I always thought that the Revell kit looked a wee bit 'squashed' and with an inflated centre section but the canopies were not really in the same league as the low profiled disappointments so often produced by Matchbox. Comparing the ICM and Revell would be an intriguing exercise. I have both kits but have not tried it yet. Maybe you could contribute a feature here on just that exercise?
There's a tendency in modelling to polarise unit variant introductions into a short, sharp changeover from one to the other, whereas more typically the transitions were often longer and with the simultaneous operation of different types as they gradually re-equipped, with exceptions of course. This came up recently with a question about submarine borne E9Ws vs E14Ys in early 1942.
Hopefully ICM will eventually release a II Ko and Otsu. Sadly gone are the days of getting all the options in one box although Fujimi seem to be bucking the trend with the re-release of some of their series kits in one box.
Regards
Nick
I've just taken a look at an image of the sprues of Revell's ki-21 Ia. In my opinion it looks the same as ICM's and I didn't seen any bomb bay doors or bombs...
Post a Comment