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primary Navy fighter, but they had already been replaced by the A6M Zero on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.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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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