Green Cross Mavis by Mark Smith

Once again Mark Smith beguiles with a model which can easily be taken for a larger scale - the graceful Type 97 Flying Boat  (Kyu Nana Shiki Hikoh-tei 九七式飛行挺 or Kyu Nana Taitei 九七大挺), Kawanishi H6K 'Mavis'.

Rainy Day Kit: Trumpeter's Mavis

by Mark Smith

The Trumpeter 1/144 scale kit of the Kawanishi H6K Mavis flying boat has been around since 2003, and has always seemed a bit of a sleeper. It’s an accurate but simple kit which looks great in military or civil markings.  Considering the size of the original, it’s perfect for those who don’t have space to display the ancient 1/72 Hasegawa kit - generally the less accurate of the two. The usual suspects have it in stock for twelve to fifteen dollars (listed as £10.99 at Hannants in UK but currently on backorder. Ed) . It’s always been in production. Of course, if a rumor got round that the molds had been destroyed in a rare head-on train collision, then we’d be talking about a hundred-dollar collector’s item. So best get one now.

It was a relatively quick build with good fit, with the exception of the central V-shaped pylons for the wing; here the join is secure but needs special attention and some filler to fair things in smoothly. Only the clunkiest parts were redone here, necessitated by molding limitations - the unusual center-wing pitot tube, rdf loop, and antenna masts have been replaced by items made from brass rod. There appear to be two different versions of these molds released, civil and military, with beautiful box art for each. (The kit was also released in both versions by Monochrome which appears to be a Japanese outlet for Trumpeter kits. Ed)) In fact, lift the lid on either, and it’s the same kit with the same lovely decal sheet, which covers both options. The aircraft offers the modeler a wider scope for markings than some Japanese types: a civil-operated a/c in pristine natural metal, or IJN versions in overall grey or green over grey.

I built this one in the surrender markings of an aircraft found near the seaplane ramp at Yokohama. with only the back half of the fuselage in the prescribed white with green surrender crosses on the fuselage. Someone in charge had obviously thought it through: 'With a wingspan of about 131 feet, and a wing area of 1,830 square feet, on a cloudy day how many gallons of white paint would be required to evenly cover the surface of a Kawanishi flying boat wing?'  (Correct Answer: 'D. Too many').

Trumpeter's model comes with a clear stand, which I found unattractive, to display the model in-flight.  The finished project, with its rigging and antenna aerials, suggested an accident waiting to happen. So I built a V-shaped plinth for the hull to mount it, with the plate below finished in aotake, with brass plate underneath to give it weight.

This model was very much inspired by seeing Steve Hustad’s remarkable 1/72 Hasegawa build, and the article and photos he shared on j-aircraft many years ago.

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With special thanks to Mark for sharing these images and details of another superbly realised 1/144 scale model.    

Image credit: All photos © 2024 Mark Smith

The Nichimo E13A 'Jake' revisited by Michael Thurow ‒ Part 3

The history of the Nichimo 1/48 scale (ex-Marusan 1/50 scale) 'Jake' kit was the subject of Part 2 of 'Jake a Tale of Two Scales' way back in November 2016 here. Now Michael Thurow presents the third and final part of his impressive resurrection and improvement of his own, older build of that kit, as so splendidly realised in the heading image above. The previous parts 1 and 2 of his article are here and here. Over to Michael then:

The Nichimo E13A 'Jake' revisited ‒ Part 3 

Michael Thurow

The third part of my 'Jake' renovation story describes the final assembly and finishing of the model's main components.

Before painting the fuselage I asked advice from Nick regarding an amber grey variation for the E13A which I then tried to approximate with a home-made mixture that appears more amber than in Fig.12ff. Basic decals came from the spares box and the tail code was printed on clear decal film (red outline filled with white colour). A few extras are highlighted below -

The floats received prop warning stripes and indicators for the beaching trolley. I painted the underside dark grey, probably an anti-corrosive, that was not generally applied to 'Jake' floats but can be observed on a few examples (MM p.5, FAOW 207 p.12) and presumably on ZI-23 (ibid p.22). It lends a more elegant shape to the float which is a bit too deep for 1/50. Other details as described in Fig.13 -

The folded wings help to disguise the deficient chord at the wing root but caused an extra problem of spotting details on the few blurry pictures existent. My best effort is presented below. Even so, having a model with folded wings adds a special touch to my collection.

(4) Maru Mechanic (p.58) describes the stripes as drift marks. I'm not convinced because on photos (MA p.38) they appear straight and parallel and not angled like typical drift lines. They might as well be indicators for the leading edge tank or for the pilot to judge the float dimensions. Apparently not all early 'Jakes' were decorated in this way. (Dive angle indicators. Ed)

And here, finally, is the finished model -

ZI-22 was one of four Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplanes aboard the tender Kamikawa Maru. The ship and her compliment of 'Jakes' seem to have participated in several offensive operations during the first six months of the Pacific War. FOAW 207 shows them floating at Saint-Jacques near Saigon in late December 1941 during the landing operation in Malaya (p.23). Carrier Operations Vol.II has them heading for Batavia on February 24, 1942 as part of the Java Invasion Force (p.29), and SPAW Vol.3 locates them at Deboyne Is. in the Coral Sea in May 1942 supporting the planned seizure of Port Moresby. The Kamikawa Maru soldiered on until May 29, 1943 when she was sunk by the submarine USS Scamp.

The beaching trolley is enclosed in the Nichimo kit as a bonus part. Some photos enticed me to upgrade it to a trolley-cum-work-platform shown here in more detail. With this picture I'd like to round off my seven months of involvement with this venerable kit. Thank you for your interest and for your kind comments.

References

CARRIER OPERATIONS IN WORLD WAR II, VOLUME II, DAVID BROWN, SHEPPERTON, 1974

TYPE 0 RECONNAISSANCE SEAPLANE, MARU MECHANIC NO.12, TOKYO 1978

IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY RECONNAISSANCE SEAPLANES, FAMOUS AIRPLANES OF THE WORLD NO.47, TOKYO, 1994 IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY SEAPLANES, MODEL ART NO.565, TOKYO, 2000

IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY SEAPLANES, NOHARA SHIGERU, JAPAN, 2007

SOUTH PACIFIC AIR WAR, VOLUME 3, MICHAEL CLARINGBOULD / PETER INGMAN, KENT TOWN, 2019

TYPE 0 RECONNAISSANCE FLOATPLANE, FAMOUS AIRPLANES OF THE WORLD NO.207, TOKYO, 2022 WWW.AVIATIONOFJAPAN.COM/2010/04/AICHI-E13-JAKE-INTERIOR-COLOUR.HTML

CORRESPONDENCE WITH NICK MILLMAN, 2019/2021/2023

With special thanks to Michael for this thoroughly exacted account of the resurrection and improvement of this older model - and how! A masterclass in how not just an older kit but an older model can be brought up to something beautiful to behold. 

Image credit; All photos © 2024 Michael Thurow 

Jake Rides Again

Since the last AoJ surveys of Hasegawa 1/72 Aichi E13A1 'Jake' kits in November 2016 and March 2021 (seems like yesterday!) blog articles 'Jake - A Tale of Two Scales' Parts 1 and 3 here and here respectively, the long running 'only game in town' for that scale has seen further re-releases. Box art and details of the subsequent releases as follows:-

In 2022 a re-release of 'Jake' and catapult with markings options for B3-11 and B3-12 from the battleship Kongô (shown below) in 1943. The accompanying made up model shown as heading image draws attention to the canopy profile but otherwise looks 'no bad'. Perhaps one reason we might not see a kit from any other manufacturer in this scale. But surely Hasegawa know and should at least replace the canopy with a new tooled item? Constructed by Vickers in England as a battlecruiser and launched as Kongô in May 1912 with completion in August 1913, the first of her class, and the first and last IJN capital ship to be built outside Japan, to be followed by Hiei, Haruna and Kirishima. A scandal of corruption pertained to the order for Kongô, disgracing the Navy and ultimately leading to the downfall of Gombei Yamamoto's cabinet in March 1914.

Fast Battleship Kongô - Fujimi 1/350 kit box art 

From 1933 to 1940 three of this class, Kongô, Haruna and Kirishima were re-armed and reconstructed as fast battleships, increasing their speed from 26 to 30.5 knots. In 1935 she was fitted with a catapult and rails for three floatplanes, at that time the Nakajima E8N1 Type 95 and Kawanishi E7K1 Type 94. Kongô had a long and distinguished service with her floatplanes playing a significant part in Pacific War campaigns until she was sunk by submarine USS Sea Lion II (SS-315) in a torpedo attack off Formosa on 21 November 1944.

In 2023 a re-release of 'Jake' and catapult with markings options for a clandestine overall grey 'X-5' on seaplane tender Kimikawa Maru (shown below and not to be confused with sister ship Kamikawa Maru) operating near the Kurile Islands in 1942, or a green over grey X-7 on the same vessel operating in the Aleutians the same year. The decal sheet included a run of white codes from X-2 to X-7 to represent any of the seven aircraft aboard that vessel. By the way the catapult in the Hasegawa 'Jake' and 'Alf' kits was originally moulded by Ross Abare in the USA and sold by Unique Scale Accessories in Springfield, Massachusetts for $3. Hasegawa eventually bought the moulds for inclusion in their  'Jake' and 'Alf' kits.  It's a great way to display the floatplane models as the heading photo shows.

Note this blog article has been updated as the details of the two combo kits were already included in the March 2021 article which I had overlooked - doh! That  blog article also addressed the question of the kit's accuracy with suggested improvements.

That's it folks! Please let me know if I've missed any. Stay tuned for more 'Jake' later.

Image credit: Aichi E13A1 'Jake'  box art and images © 2022 & 2023 Hasegawa Corporation; Kimikawamaru box art © 2015 Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Co., Ltd.; all sourced via HobbySearch Japan.

A Remarkable Model

Back to IJN floatplanes and a hat tip to Aviation of Japan's Texas correspondent Mark Smith for alerting to this remarkable 1/72 scale US Navy aircraft recognition model of an Aichi E13A1 'Jake' in the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) collection. The model reportedly dates to 1943 and is of wood construction with a clear plastic canopy. It was transferred to NASM custody from the US Department of the Navy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Sharp eyes may note that it includes a crew of three figures and panel lines are represented. Mark suggests that this appears to be the type of model photographed from various angles for the images to be included in recognition books.

Apart from the obvious errors in the form of the canopy it is arguably a better representation of 'Jake' than the venerable Hasegawa kit! Mark has speculated that the model may originate from studies of the first aircraft of this type to be captured. He writes as follows:-

'Being built in 1943, that charming model is a reference in itself.  Recognition models often don’t look right because the markings are not correctly placed and the colors are an afterthought.  Here every color seems carefully considered And while there is no way to be sure of this, I would not be surprised if the colors were of Japanese origin from captured stocks, sent to Washington.  I would never make that claim, but it’s an interesting possibility.

'The markings reflect the two Jake hulks that were measured and photographed carefully by American intelligence, so I would imagine that is the source of its accuracy.  The one place where this fails is the canopy: its unique windscreen with its cut back angle, the rear section, and the framing itself.  I think this is due to the fact that the canopies were probably not present on the wrecks.  At least I don’t remember seeing them though I do recall some nice shots of the pilot’s cockpit, although it was stripped of much equipment - I forget whether those were found at Attu or Kiska. The only sign that I could see of any damage or missing part was one of the float Rudders gone.'

The colours are convincing. The 'warm' grey under surfaces are to be noted and can be compared to the 8609 2-6 (post J3) colour shown in an October 2023 blog from L*a*b* measurements of the original swatch by the Japanese Aeronautic Association. The upper surfaces appear similar to D1 Deep Green Black although a wipe over with vegetable oil might reveal a slightly richer green colour closer to D2 Green Black. The Hinomaru colour appears spot on. The 'MI' tail code is associated with the minelayer Okonoshima. Markings details extend to the tailplane drift lines and the float pontoon stripes but note the absence of yellow wing leading edge IFF strips which does suggest an early to mid-1942 aircraft. The dimensions of the model are 5.1 x 15.2 x 20.3cm (2 x 6 x 8 in).

With special thanks to Mark for a most interesting and intriguing discovery and to NASM for preserving and photographing the model 

Image credit: NASM Collection, Inventory # A19470046000  

LS and Judy Part 3

The Scalemates website lists the LS Judy box shown above as released in the 1980s and after the 'white box' release. Whether other box variants existed is unknown, but before their demise in 1992 LS issued the kit in the 'grey' box type shown below, and this time with an improved and more complete decal sheet containing tail codes for our old friend Yo-201 - with the yellow command stripes - and for a 523 Ku aircraft 鷹-3 (Taka-3 - 'Hawk'-3). The sheet included white blanks to apply the six Hinomaru to, basic stencilling, flap warning outlines, a data plate and even white drift lines for the tailplanes.

In 1995 Arii re-released the kit in an identical box and contents, shown above, including the same decal sheet (shown below), with just the logos changed. And this kit has been available intermittently ever since, most recently at HLJ for the princely sum of £4.59. Probably not first choice now for a Judy model given the scale, 'fatal flaw' and emergence of more modern kits from Fujimi and AZ Model. But at least the Arii releases offer the chance to retro-model the LS Judy as intended, whether from nostalgia or just curiosity, without spoiling a potential collectable.

The instructions and decals in the Arii-Microace release (shown above) are unchanged from the LS 'grey box' release which presented more detailed colour schematics than before and referencing Gunze paints. LS were evidently intent on upping their game in competition with other Japanese kit manufacturer house styles, but Fujimi's Judy was already approaching its tenth birthday so the market for the 20-year old LS kit was ever decreasing and sadly their planned Mitsubishi G4M2 kit was never to be released, a 'Betty' variant which would be kitted by Hasegawa four years later. 

To be continued . . . 

Image credits: Boxes © 1980s & 1990s L&S Co., Ltd and box, instructions and decal sheet © 1995 Arii/Microace

LS and Judy Part 2

By 1968 LS were presenting in Japanese as エルエス (Eruesu - LS) and in English as the more conservative L. & S. Co., Ltd. In 1966 they had released their 'Twin-Engine Series 1/72-1/75' with models of the Mitsubishi G3M 'Nell' and Ki-67 Hiryu. In an ambitious marketing decision each type was released in three separate kits with different parts and decals to suit.  

• G3M1 Model 11/21 with parts for either early or late versions with flat-topped or domed turrets
• G3M2 Model 23 with 'turtle shell' dorsal turret
• L3M1 Type Nippon-Go which could be completed as the civilian trail-blazing and world circumnavigating pioneer J-BACI with alternative decals for J-BEDA Soyokaze-go, J-BEOC Yamato-go, J-BEOG Matsukaze-go, or IJN transports from 1 and 1001 Ku
• Type 4 Ki-67 bomber
• 'Yasukuni' Ki-67 torpedo bomber
• Ki-109 Interceptor

The first kit boxes displayed the scale as 1/75 with '1/72-1/75' presented in the 1968 catalogue, but subsequent boxes displayed 1/72. Special 'chrome-plated' versions of both types were also released. More about these appealing kits and their wonderful presentation in due course but suffice to say that they became popular and essential models for collections of Japanese aircraft. Even into the 1990s they held their appeal and two kind souls once generously gifted their very well-made silver and red G3M1 to the author after he had admired it, and it is still treasured and admired (thank you both). Arii re-released all the G3M and Ki-67 kits in the 1990s with revised and re-printed decal sheets and on opening the boxes they still cry out 'Build me!' whereas the Hasegawa versions from 1997 and 1999 look daunting. But there was more. The LS Ki-109 faithfully reproduced the modified cockpit configuration of the interceptor complete with ammunition rack and cannon whereas the limited edition Hasegawa kit of the same variant retained the standard bomber cockpit and just provided a new resin nose to wrestle with. 

By 1971 the LS catalogue was presenting the kits as 1/72 scale and the mystery of the strange base in the 1968 Judy kit was solved - it was indeed intended for motorisation.      

In 1972 LS released a completely revised 'Judy' kit, moulded in pale grey plastic and with the nose halves separate from the fuselage halves in order to facilitate release of a companion D3Y3 Model 33 variant with radial engine. According to 'Encylopedia of Military Models 1/72'* this release was also lengthened to match 1/72 scale. The original kit was further enhanced with boxed in wheel wells and a rudimentary cockpit interior consisting of floor, seats, instrument panel, compass, joystick and machine gun. Two crewmen apparently closely modelled on the aliens from Invaders from Mars (1953) could be sat somewhat awkwardly on those seats but were a poor replacement for the original seat bound pair who were actually not that bad.  Unfortunately the kit retained the engraved Hinomaru positions and the decal sheet was reduced to providing just eight Hinomaru. Although the new box art by one Ikematsu (shown above) depicted Yo-201 (without the tail stripes) no tail code decal was included. Other improvements were a complete optical sight very finely moulded to the fuselage halves, a separate intake with splitter plate and more finely moulded undercarriage legs with commendably thin wheel covers. The working bomb bay doors and bomb were gone with the doors now moulded integrally with the fuselage halves and closed. There was no stand included.

Still designated as No.3 in the 1/72 Series the box was also marked as Kit No. A103:100. The instructions were on two sides of a single sheet, in English, shown above. There was a schematic and list of the kit parts with an exploded view on one side prominently marked with 'Super Scale Aeroplane No.3', and on the other side excellent step by step assembly instructions with text and pictures culminating in an illustration of the completed model and a painting guide. 

A smaller sheet of Japanese instructions was included with some kits, as shown above. So far the kit boxes had been the same size - approximately 20 cm x 12 cm - but a later second release was presented in a smaller box - 17.5 cm x 11.5 cm - with an area of white cutting across the box art diagonally (shown below). The kit itself, instructions and decal sheet were otherwise unchanged.

The D4Y3 Model 33 was released the same year as the revised kit, but moulded in dark green plastic and in a box marked both No.7 and A107:100, It was identical to the earlier kit except for the provision of new cowling parts, consisting of two halves and front with a two-part twin row radial engine. Box art was again by Ikematsu, shown above. The 'fatal flaw' of both kits was the too narrow fuselage in plan view. That slim fuselage could be fattened with plastic shims but that spoilt the fit of the canopy. In 1983 the Fujimi release of the D4Y2 and D4Y3 in 1/72 scale effectively supplanted the LS kits and in 2012 AZ Model also released a family of 1/72 Suisei kits. Both the Fujimi and AZ Model Suisei families included the night fighting D4Y2-S variant with oblique armament.

The original 'six' and the D4Y3 in the 1983 L & S 'Pla-Model' Catalogue

* Encylopedia of Military Models 1/72' by Claude Boileau, Huynh-Dinh Khuong & Thomas A Young, English language edition. by Airlife Publishing Ltd., England, 1988

To be continued . . .

Image credit: All © 1966-1983 L & S Co., Ltd.