Hasegawa Ginga Flies Again

Hasegawa's fine 1/72 Ginga (Kugisho P1Y1) kit flies again in a Special Edition featuring Tadashiro Kato box art and a choice of two torpedo carrying Type 11 Yokosuka Ku aircraft. The kit includes a resin torpedo with the plywood stabiliser extension and a resin interior piece to extend the bomb bay which attaches to the rear of the kit's cockpit floor after cutting away the ventral bulkhead. Decals are provided for ヨ(Yo)-231 or ヨ(Yo)-233 of Yokosuka Ku at Oppama airfield in 1944.

The resin parts are crisply moulded in grey and once the kit's bomb bay doors have been separated the torpedo is fitted semi-recessed beneath the aircraft. A torpedo carrying Ginga was previously released by Hasegawa in 1999. The standard Hasegawa Type 11 Ginga kit is currently available as a stock item.

Image credit: Box art © 2025 Hasegawa Corporation    

1/72 Mitsubishi A5M4 Details from Marabu Design

Marabu Design, whose photo-etch products have previously featured here and here  have now added another Japanese subject sheet to their range intended for the Fujimi 1/72 scale Mitsubishi A5M4 'Claude' kit. And advise that a sheet for the A5M2 is also on the way. 

Set M72061 contains comprehensive cockpit details including seat, instrument panel, gun breeches, rudder pedals and sidewall details, engine ignition harness and flap detail as well as other small details. Step by step instructions are clearly set out. 

With thanks to Radek of Marabu Design for alerting AoJ to this new release.

Image credit: All M72061 sheet images © 2025 Marabu Design; A5M4 kit box art © 1997 Fujimi

1/72 Siai Marchetti SM.75 GA Rome to Japan Longe Range Aircraft

Another gem kindly shared by Harvey Low with a most interesting back story of an epic but little known flight, about which some more in due course. Over to Harvey then:

'The Savoia-Marchetti (SM) 75 is well known among Italian WW2 Aviation Enthusiasts. But it also has a direct connection to Japan. The SM.75 held many speed and endurance records in the 1930’s as it was powered by three 559kW (750 hp) Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 radial engines, making it suitable for extreme long range flights. With such performance features, a SM.75 was tasked for a secret flight from Rome to Tokyo to deliver new diplomatic codebooks to Italy's Axis partner. It was suspected that the Allies had broken their international radio codes in January 1942) and as radio was the most vital means to communicate with the Japanese, the Italians needed to deliver new codebooks to Japan.

'So a SM.75 GA (for Grande Autonomia, meaning "Long Range") Matricola Miltare number MM60539, was specially modified for this single plane flight from Rome to Tokyo and back. In June 1942, this aircraft (an earlier variant GA), was designated the SM.75 RT (for Rome-Tokyo). Flying from Rome on 29 June 1942, first SM.75 flew to German-occupied Ukraine, to be refuelled by an Italian ground crew, then over the vast Soviet airspace to Japanese-occupied Mongolia for another refuelling stage. The aircraft was then repainted with Japanese roundels as a precaution for flying across Japanese airspace. With a Japanese Interpreter now aboard, the remaining distance to Tokyo was flown, landing on 3 July 1942.

'This is the 1/72 resin model from Balaton Models, modified to this unique variant. The model is a conversion from the Civil Passenger version to this long-range military aircraft. I made a number of modifications unique to this specific aircraft, including an entirely new tail, different window configuration, new exhausts, and other smaller details such as pitot tube and landing lights - as none were provided in the kit. The greatest challenge was the absence of the noticeable and thus essential Savoia Marchetti manufacturer logo! My good friend and Italian aircraft expert Tom Ricci stepped in to create these custom logos for me from his design and inkjet printer – thanks Tom!

'The model represents a little-known but significant part of aviation history, and a testament to the engineers, flight crew, and maintenance crew who achieved this flight. The Rome to Tokyo flight was arguably one of the Regia Aeronautica's finest hours. A diorama is now in order showing Japanese airfield crew and trucks servicing an Italian aircraft!' For a full description of this project please refer to Guideline Publications, Scale Aircraft Modelling August 2023, Volume 45.

With special thanks to Harvey for photos of an intriguing model representing an intrepid flight.

Image credits: All model photos © 2025 Harvey Low; Heading Photo via Harvey Low; Tailing photo via Aviation of Japan; Box art © Balaton Models

Rising Decals

In response to recent queries about the availability of Rising Decals please note that they now have two retail outlets in the USA:-

Scott's Model Workshop (via eBay)

and

M&Models

Image credit © 2025 Rising Decals

Ushi 1/72 Aichi S1A 'Denko' Experimental Night Fighter

Due for release this month in the Ushi Models range of fine resin kits from Japan is this IJN Aichi S1A experimental night fighter Denko ('Lightning/Electric Light' - 電光). The crisply moulded Ushi resin kits of Japanese experimental types tend to slip in under the radar and disappear quickly so if you want one you gotta be quick! Fine details on this kit appear to be 3D moulded and the canopies are vacform.  Decals are included for a 'what if' Yokosuka Defence Ku aircraft YoD-1136 and both 'Ko' prototypes. Direct from HLJ it will cost £57.36.

The two prototype 18-shi aircraft were destroyed in bombing raids when 70% and 90% complete respectively so Denko never took to the air. The aircraft was to have a heavy forward firing armament in the nose of two 'original and efficient' Type 5 30mm and two Type 99 Mk.2 20mm fixed machine guns with an additional two Type 99 Mk.1 20mm machine guns in the remote controlled dorsal barbette. The radar operator/dorsal gunner astrodome could be raised for better observation and the dorsal guns could be elevated to fire obliquely at a 30 degrees angle. Gyoku-3 radar equipment was planned but installation arrangements are uncertain. Retractable air brakes under each wing were designed to allow the aircraft to slow and formate with its intended B-29 targets and to increase lift of this heavy aircraft at takeoff bakelite wing tip extensions were designed to be jettisoned once airborne. The Nakajima Homare 22 engines had cooling fans and thrust exhausts. Production aircraft were planned to have turbosupercharged Homare 24 engines to achieve a top speed of 422 mph. 

Image credit: All © 2025 Ushi Models via HLJ