Special Hobby

1/32 A5M2b Claude 'Over China'

Product # 8185 from Hobby Link Japan

Product Article by Dave Johnson on Aug 26 2010

 

1/32 A5M2b Claude 'Over China' (http://www.hlj.com/product/SPH32034)

In 1934, the Imperial Japanese Navy prepared a specification for an advanced fighter, requiring a maximum speed of 350 km/h (220 mph) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft) and able to climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 6.5 
minutes. This specification produced designs from both Mitsubishi and Nakajima. Mitsubishi was assigned the task of designing the new fighter to a team lead by Jiro Horikoshi, who would be later responsible for the famous A6M Zero. The resulting design from Mitsubishi was designated as the Ka-14, was an all-metal low-wing fighter, with a thin elliptical inverted Gull wing that featured a fixed undercarriage. The aircraft far exceeded the requirements of the specification, with a maximum speed of 450 km/h (279 mph) being reached. The second prototype was fitted with a revised, ungulled wing, and after various changes to maximize maneuverability and reduce drag, it was ordered into production as the A5M series. The aircraft entered service in early 1937, and soon seeing action in pitched aerial battles at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, including air-to-air battles with the Chinese Air Force's Boeing P-26C Model 281 "Peashooters" in what was the world's first-ever aerial dogfighting and kills between monoplane fighters built of mostly metal. The A5M series proved themselves the better of every aircraft they encountered, though the Mitsubishi team continued to improve the A5M, working through versions until the final A5M4, which added a ventral drop-tank for extended range. The Flying Tigers encountered the Type 96, although not officially, and one was shot down at Mingaldon airfield, Burma on 29 January 1942. Some A5Ms were still in service at the beginning of World War II in the Pacific. United States intelligence sources believed the A5M was still the primary Navy fighter, but they had already been replaced by the A6M Zero on first-line aircraft carriers and with the Tainan Air Group. Other Japanese carriers and air groups continued to use the A5M until production of the 'Zero' caught up with demand. The last combat actions with the A5M as a fighter took place at the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May 1942, when two A5Ms and four A6Ms of the Japanese carrier  Shoho fought against the US planes that sunk their carrier. Most remaining airframes were used for kamikaze attacks in the closing months of the war.

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When I heard Special Hobby announced that they were going to be releasing, I was looking forward to seeing the kit in the flesh. Once the box arrived from HobbyLink Japan, it was the first thing I dived into the box for. Once opening the conventional style of box  top for this limited run kit, you have 5 sprues of medium gray plastic which contains 67 parts and 1 clear sprue that hold 3 parts in the box. Also included is a Photo Etch fret that contains 35 parts. The thing that surprised me was the size of the kit, I though that the A5M2b Claude was a bit smaller but in fact is has a impressive wing span. The instruction sheet is printed on 3 sheets of A4 paper and clear and easy to follow steps during the build process.

Some times I have found in the past with limited run kits that the detail can be lacking in some areas. But Special Hobby has produced a nice looking product. The exterior panel lines are molded beautifully with crisp lines that you would expect from a Hasegawa or Tamiya kit. The fabric control surfaces feature have also a nice touch to them and are not overdone. I have notice on this sample that I have received that there is a funny bump/excuss plastic on the starboard of the wing. It appears that it could be a repair in the tooling, this it not a huge problem just a light sand will fix the problem. Also with my past experience with limited run kits there is always a small amount of flash on the parts, well I am glad to say that there is hardly, if not any present at all. Also included is a nice example of the 477kW (640hp) Kotobuiki 3 Engine that powers the A5M2b Claude that requires 5 parts to build it up. You will have to supply some .3mm diameter rod or stretched sprue to create the pushrods for the engine. Unfortunately there is no ignition wires supplied in the Photo Etch sheet. Again some fine wire can do the trick for the ignition wiring or you could wait and get the Photo Etch set that Eduard is planning to release shortly, which they gave a sneek peek on their Facebook page the other week, which surely would include the ignition wiring harness. The cockpit detail is has been nicely done, but is a little bit to soft for this scale. Most of the kits components are for the cockpit area. 

The kit decals provide colourful two schemes for the A5M2b that have red tails, the two options are - 

  • A5M2b, Kyosaku Aoki, 12th Kotutai, Hankow, China, October 1938.

  • A5M2b, Pilot unknown, 14th Kotutai, captured by the Chinese, 1940.

The decal sheet has been superbly printed by Aviprint and designed by Rising Decals in the Czech Republic. The sheet is printed in good colour saturation and excellent register and minimum carrier film. But I have spotted one small error on one of the decals, The call out number is printed within one of the Japanese characters decals that features on the wings (see photo). Again its not a huge error to correct.

Special Hobby has produced another fine quality semi-short run kit that should build into a very fine model of the A5M2b Claude. This kit would be a great addition to anyone who is interested in early or Japanese aviation. It wouldn't be recommended to a beginner, as the kit has hardly any locating pins/tabs.

I would like to thank Hobby Link Japan for providing this review sample.

Dave Johnson

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Photos and text © by Dave Johnson