Recent Rising Decals Releases

March 25, 2015, 1:36 am

≫ Next: John Haas' 1/48th Ki-64 'Rob' Completed!

An interesting collection of releases from the prolific Rising Decals recently. First up is set RD48020, a sheet of 1/48th scale markings for two foreign service subjects. Firstly an ex-582nd Kokutai A6M3 Model 22, painted white with green surrender crosses and the partially visible original unit code 2-152 as flown briefly by the RNZAF and now surviving at the Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand. Secondly an A6M2-N 'Rufe' float fighter evaluated by ATAIU-SEA (Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit - South-East Asia) and flown briefly and fatally in Indo-China by the French in September 1946.

Captured Japanese aircraft subjects seem to be perennial favourites with modellers and both these will present engaging finishing and weathering challenges in order to produce unusual models.

The next 1/48th scale set is RD48021 Zero Pt II offering a second set of decals for seven examples of the ever-popular Mitsubishi A6M.

A6M2 Model 21 of 331st Ku at Balikpapan, Borneo in October 1944 with the tail code 31-130. This aircraft in standard deep green black over grey scheme except for grey painted tail fin and wing tips applied for air defence recognition purposes.
A6M2 Model 32 of Tainan Ku at Buna, New Guinea in August 1942. In standard early factory scheme with tail code V-177, blue fuselage band with unusual red fin and rudder tip.
A6M2 Model 21 of Konoike Ku at Konoike, Japan during 1944. This aircraft carries the tail code コウ-176 (KoU-176) and appears to be in a camouflage scheme of dark green mottle over the original standard early factory finish.
A6M2 Model 21 of Kanoya Ku at Rabaul, New Britain in November 1942. In standard early factory finish with tail code K-108, presentation legend on fuselage and diagonal red tail band.
A6M2 Model 21 of 22nd Ku in Indo-China during the offensive into Malaya in the winter of 1941-42. In standard early factory finish with tail code II-131, red fuselage and tail bands with six 'bird' victory markings applied to the fuselage. The aircraft number '131' is speculative as the tail is out of view in the reference photograph.
A6M3 Model 22 of the 331st Ku at Magwe, Burma in December 1943. In deep green black over grey with tail code 31-161. This aircraft has the grey painted tail fin and starboard wing tip used as recognition markings during a joint IJAAF and IJNAF raid against Calcutta but sources differ as to whether just one or both wing tips were painted for the operation.
A6M2 Model 21 of Atsugi Ku at Atsugi, Japan in the Spring of 1943. This aircraft carries the tail code R3-116 on an overpainted band and the appearance suggests that it is an ex-carriet aircraft. The tatty looking scheme appears to be either a very heavily weathered deep green black over grey or the standard early factory scheme worn down to reveal the red oxide primer coat.

This set provides for some of the more unusual Zero schemes in a popular scale but provides plain and bordered Hinomaru for only one aircraft.

In 1/72nd scale set RD72068 presents markings for two unusual Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate:-

Ki-84 Hayate from first batch of prototypes in the probable markings of the Rikugun Kokugijutsu (Army Flying Test Centre) at Fussa (Yokota), Japan in August 1945. This aircraft appears to be in a heavily weathered depot-applied scheme of dark green over natural metal with Homeland Defence 'bandages'.
Ki-84 Hayate of the 2nd Yuso Hikotai, Rikugun Koku Yuso (Army Air Ferry Command) as flown by Lt Shuho Yamana on a reinforcement ferry flight from Ota, Japan to Saigon, Indo-China during 1944. This aircraft sports an unusual for type 'giraffe-pattern' depot scheme of dark green over natural metal and the personal marking of a white tiger painted on the tail fin. More on this scheme in the final part of the blog series Hayate Thoughts - to come.

Two most interesting Ki-84 subjects for the Sword and/or Hasegawa kits, although Lt Yamana's Hayate already features as a subject on the Lifelike Decals sheet for Hayate Pt.2 72-027.

Finally and also to 1/72nd scale, no less than five resin/vacform accessory and decal sets for the Tachikawa Ki-9 trainer (RS Models) featuring blind flying hoods, different undercarriage configurations and markings for different flying schools.

RD Acr-010 (above) includes alternative markings for the Utsonomiya Army Flying School and Army Air Academy together with a resin blind flying hood of the soft top type.

RD Acr-011 has civil registration markings for J-AJTI of the Matsudo Local Advanced Pilot Training Centre at the Ministry of Communications Air Crew Training School together with the resin soft top blind flying hood.

RD Acr-012 has markings for a Ki-9 of the Kumagaya Army Flying School with a vacform solid type blind flying hood. Alternative red or black flying school insignia are included. This aircraft also has an unusual white star marking on the cowling.

RD Acr-013 has resin parts to represent the early undercarriage style with spats and the markings of a trainer at an unidentified Civil Flying School with the fuselage number 2032.

RD Acr-014 combines the early resin undercarriage and vacform solid type blind flying hood with markings for a trainer at an unidentified Army Flying School with aikoku presentation markings for # 133. All these sets offer plenty of alternative and colourful options for finishing the very nice RS Models Ki-9 kit.

With thanks to Mirek of Rising Decals for kindly providing all the review samples detailed above.

Image credits: All © 2015 Rising Decals

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John Haas' 1/48th Ki-64 'Rob' Completed!

April 2, 2015, 3:17 am

≫ Next: Key Data ~ Raiden Colour Notes

≪ Previous: Recent Rising Decals Releases

Expert craftsman John Haas has now finished his 1/48th scale Kawasaki Ki-64 'Rob' project and here it is. Previous in-progress instalments can be found here, here, here and here. John concluded that although the model had not been easy to build he was pleased with the result. He hopes that blog readers will enjoy these images of the model and find inspiration as to what is possible with old school woodcraft.

A most interesting concept, the Ki-64 explored performance with twin engines mounted in tandem driving two contra-rotating propellers and cooled by a vapour-phase steam condensing system. The rear engine drove the variable pitch front propeller via an extension shaft passing above the cockpit floor between the pilot's legs whilst the forward engine drove the rear fixed pitch propeller. Each engine could be operated separately and it was envisaged that for cruising the forward engine could be shut down with the aircraft flying satisfactorily on its rear engine and front propeller alone.

The cooling system, which was designed to reduce the drag and vulnerability associated with conventional externally mounted radiators, operated with a flash steam generator-centrifugal separator with a pressurised liquid coolant. The generated steam was circulated through 130 sq ft of wing panels and the condensed water pumped under high pressure into two 18 gal wing leading edge supply tanks by ejector type venturi pumps using the engines as a source of power. 98% of the pumped water was re-circulated and only 2% flashed into steam. There was also an auxiliary top-up water tank in the rear fuselage. For these reasons the designers believed that the coolant system was actually less vulnerable to damage during combat (and not more vulnerable as some sources have suggested) since any loss of coolant through leakage should be adequately compensated by the amount of excess water available in the supply tanks and auxiliary tank. In a post-war report on the system the Kawasaki designers Takeo Doi and J Kitano stated that:-

"As the vaporised water is small compared to the circulating water it will be apparent that it is not vital if the wing is punctured by gunfire or by missiles."

Comparison of Ki-64 to Ki-61 Hien 'Tony' ~ same scale

The port wing condenser panels and supply tank served the front engine whilst the starboard panels and tank served the rear engine. Prior to installing the system on the Ki-64 it was tested and improved using a modified Ki-61 with the conventional under fuselage radiator removed (cue unique modelling subject) which made 35 flights from October 1942 until the end of 1943. Once installed in the Ki-64 only five test flights were made before an emergency landing following an in-flight engine fire wrecked the aircraft. Plans to test the system in extreme cold weather conditions using methanol instead of water were never achieved. A disadvantage of the system was the lack of space available for fuel tankage and consequently the Ki-64 would have had a relatively short range of 620 miles. Had it been developed into operational service external drop tanks would probably have been used to extend its flight time. The cooling system was considered to be of sufficient merit by the US Air Technical Intelligence Group which evaluated it post-war as to warrant further study at that time.

With very special thanks to John Haas for sharing a unique and fascinating project with Aviation of Japan.

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Key Data ~ Raiden Colour Notes

April 12, 2015, 4:10 am

≫ Next: 1/48 Thrick Resin A5M4 by Don Alberts

≪ Previous: John Haas' 1/48th Ki-64 'Rob' Completed!

Further to the blog on 'A Gaggle of Old Jacks and Random Thoughts', a pdf on the subject of Raiden colours is now available for those who expressed an interest. Raiden Colour Notes consists of 10 pages with nine colour chips and explanatory notes, the first of Aviation of Japan's new 'Key Data' guides designed to assist modellers and artists with basic but essential information.

Available on request free but with donation appreciated, thank you.

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1/48 Thrick Resin A5M4 by Don Alberts

April 30, 2015, 1:17 am

≫ Next: In Memoriam ~ Mike Goodwin 1960-2015

≪ Previous: Key Data ~ Raiden Colour Notes

Aviation of Japan's Texas Correspondent Mark Smith kindly steps into the breach with a timely reminder of something good from the past as well as a reminder of how swift is the passing of the good, a sadly increasing theme for old duffers like me. Over to Mark:

"These (images) show a remarkable 1/48 A5M4 “Claude” model by the late Don E. Alberts that won First Place in a very tough category at an IPMS-USA Nationals many moons ago. I wish the pictures were a little better, but thought this blog’s readers would appreciate it. This was built shortly after a Japanese company called Thrick, doubtless a much more sonorous name on a Japanese tongue, had come out with a 1/48 solid resin model that was exceptional for its accuracy of shape and contour as well as for the potency of its resin! (No wonder it was so expensive, it came with its own contact high). The cockpit, being hollowed out of the solid piece, was a bit simplistic – shall we say ‘indicated.’ But not after Don had finished with it, using several burrs and woodcarving tools, then duplicating the Maru Mechanic cockpit painting in three dimensions. It was an exotic kit, but it was not an easy build by any means.

"The A5M4 “W-102” first came to light upon Aireview’s superb gatefold painting by Rikyu Watanabe in the late 1960s. On its reverse side were sixteen extremely colorful side-views. It was flown from Soryu in 1939, usually by Matsuo Hagiri, who graduated flight school in 1935. After combat in China, he served as an instructor before being posted to the 204th Kokutai in the Solomons, where he scored well but was severely wounded in a fight with F4Us. After recovery he served as a test pilot, returning to combat duty in time to down two B-29s, but seriously wounded again during another B-29 attack. He had a distinctive moustache, and Don’s figure of him was the spitting image (I believe it was all his own creation). Hagiri is usually credited with 13 victories. He died in 1997.

"Don Alberts was a professional historian, passionate modeler, and U.S. Air Force veteran who lived in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He published several books and many magazine articles and monographs on military and Civil War history. He was a professor to many over the years, and following his active service was the Chief Historian of Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was also an exceptional craftsman, artist, and painter. He’s missed."

Toycraft Berg of Japan also issued a fine resin kit of the A5M4 to 1/48th scale in 1992 but I do not know if there is any connection between the two, both as rare as hen's teeth. With special thanks to Mark for sharing these images and his kind thoughts.

Image credits: All via Mark Smith

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In Memoriam ~ Mike Goodwin 1960-2015

May 3, 2015, 7:46 am

≫ Next: Lifelike Decals Trio for 1/72 Ki-27

≪ Previous: 1/48 Thrick Resin A5M4 by Don Alberts

It was a shock followed by great sadness to learn of the recent and untimely death of Mike Goodwin.

Mike and I never met face to face but we had corresponded on and off since he was at the University of Manchester studying Physics. We exchanged letters in long hand in those days and Mike was always the better correspondent. He shared an enthusiasm for the Japanese aircraft kits available at that time and his burgeoning interest in the specifics of Japanese aero engine technology and experimental prototypes was already apparent. Many of the model conversion projects he discussed back then were based on kits quite crude by today's standards and neither of us could ever have guessed how the hobby would develop and the superb kits of obscure Japanese aircraft that would later become a reality.

After university Mike entered the world of IT through an industry training programme, later working as a developer and systems analyst throughout Europe before settling for a quieter life in the UK. After a couple of years he moved to New Zealand, becoming an IT lecturer at Otago Polytechnic.

Mike renewed our friendship via the IPMS (UK) Japanese Aviation Special Interest Group (JASIG) led at that time by Peter Starkings. He wrote an exhaustive and meticulous series on 'Japanese Aero Engines 1910-1945' for the SIG newsletter 'JAS Jottings', carefully charting civil and military aero engine development in Japan, excellent articles which still provide a seminal and definitive English language reference on the subject. That pioneering work deserved to be published more widely in concentrated form and thankfully plans are now in hand to make that happen.

Last year Mike kindly reviewed parts of the draft manuscript for 'Ki-61/Ki-100 Aces' for Osprey publishing. He had agreed to scrutinise those sections dealing with the engine development of both types and as expected provided a most courteous, positive and useful input with carefully explained suggestions and corrections. Mike was never aggressively competitive as some in this field of interest but was always friendly, patient and willing to share his enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise. It was a privilege to have his input for a book that will now sadly be dedicated to his memory.

Mike leaves behind his wife Fabienne and son William. For those who knew him or appreciated his work donations to his memory may be made to theRoyal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Image credit: via Fabienne Lecomte.

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Lifelike Decals Trio for 1/72 Ki-27

May 6, 2015, 8:17 am

≫ Next: VE Day - 1945-2015

≪ Previous: In Memoriam ~ Mike Goodwin 1960-2015

Lifelike Decals have released a welcome trio of 1/72 sets for the Ki-27, scaled down from their popular 1/48th sets for this aircraft.

Set 72-034 Type 97 Fighters Part 1 (above) features decals for seven subjects as follows:-

Ki-27 of Maj Takeo Miyamoto, 246th Sentai, Kakogawa, Japan, Dec 1942 - this colourful Homeland defender in factory finish flown by the unit CO features a large red eagle on the fuselage.
Ki-27 of Lt Col Saburo Hayashi, 4th Sentai, Kikuchi, Japan, Sep 1940 - a Type 97 in spendid blue plumage flown by the unit CO, with markings quite well known in the West as a result of a now hard to find 1995 special edition of the venerable Hasegawa kit with Aeromaster decals.
Ki-27 of Cpl Susumu Kajinami of 246th Sentai, Kakogawa, Japan, Jan 1943 - another 246th Sentai aircraft flown by a pilot destined to become a Hien ace over New Guinea, this one featuring red cowling and fuselage flash.
Ki-27 of 1Lt Iwori Sakai of 64th Sentai, Ertaokou, China, Nov 1938 - the aircraft of the 2nd Chutai leader, well known from the original issue box art of the Mania 1/48th kit also featuring a red cowling and fuselage flash.
Ki-27 of M/Sgt Katsutaro Takahashi of 59th Sentai, Hankow, China, 1939 - the aircraft of the leading ace of the Sentai. Lifelike have chosen green for the Sentai lightning bolt, but the Chutai colours for this unit have been variously depicted and are not agreed.
Ki-27 of 77th Sentai, Lampang, Thailand, 1942 - this Pacific War era fighter had the wings and tailplanes expediently camouflaged in two colours during the invasion of Burma, making for an interesting and unusual scheme.
Ki-27 of the Manchukuoan Air Force 1942 - this was the third aircraft purchased through subscription by the citizens of Antung, Manchuria and carries the sponsorship dedication on the fuselage side in large black characters.

These are well chosen subjects and the inclusion of two early Homeland Defence aircraft is especially welcome. In addition to the subject specific markings the sheet contains sufficient stencilling and Hinomaru for two aircraft, the latter printed in the correct bright red colour. Two of the subjects will require the cowling painted red to match the fuselage flashes which could be a challenge. The recommended kit is the Hasegawa Type 97 but the decals would probably fit the ICM and RS Models kits too.

Set 72-035 Type 97 Fighters Part 2 (above) features decals for six subjects as follows:-

Ki-27 of an unknown training unit in Manchuria - the caption tentatively identifies the unit as the 28th Kyoiku Hikotai at Shimen (now Shijiazhuang?), north China during the summer of 1944, taken from an online Japanese source. That unit does not appear to be part of the 2nd Air Army in Manchuria. Whatever the pedigree of the unit this camouflaged example has a splendid tail insignia of a winged horse set against a yellow or orange rising sun.
Ki-27 of Sgt Totaro Ito, 5th Sentai, Kashiwa, Japan 1940 - the pilot of this multi-striped fighter flew against the Doolittle raid in April 1942 and went on to become a Ki-45 Toryu ace over the East Indies, New Guinea and Japan, claiming 13 bombers including 9 B-29s.
Ki-27 of Maj Tateo Kato, 64th Sentai, Kwangtung, China, May 1941 - this less well known aircraft of a famous commander was revealed in a partial photo published in the March 2007 Koku Fan magazine. The markings were also featured in a special edition of the Hasegawa 1/48th scale kit. The colour of the arrow marking on the tail is speculative.
Ki-27 of 10th Independent Chutai, Taiyuan, China, 1929-30 - the caption dates for this distinctively black tailed Type 97 appear to be in error as the unit was first formed in 1937 and that aircraft only entered service in 1938. The 10th were stationed at Taiyuan from December 1938 to March 1941. The sheet provides decals for the tricky white border to the black tail and a template for painting the black.
Ki-27 of 50th Sentai, Clark Field, Philippines, Jan 1942 - a red star was added to the 50th's lightning bolt on 3rd Chutai aircraft, said to represent the sub-unit being detached to the 10th Independent Air Group under the command of Col Komataro Hoshi ('Hoshi' means star) on 7 Jan 1942 when the 1st and 2nd Chutai were transferred to Thailand with the 5th Air Division.
Ki-27 of Cap Toshio Sakagawa, 24th Sentai, Hailar, Jan 1940 - the mount of another distinguished commander who after service as 3rd Chutai leader over Nomonhan would go on to command the 47th Independent Air Squadron which introduced the Ki-44 Shoki to action, then the 25th Sentai in China flying the Ki-43 Hayabusa and finally to serve as Executive Officer of the 200th Sentai*, claiming 15 victories in total before being killed in the crash of a transport aircraft.

* The 200th Sentai was formed at Akeno in October 1944 with six provisional Chutai to participate in the planned reinforcement of the Philippines campaign with Type 4 Ki-84 Hayate fighters. Originally intended to be designated the 1st (1st-3rd Chutai) and 2nd (4th-6th Chutai) Air Regiments of the Akeno Air Training Division its full strength deployment was never realised and as the consolidated 200th Sentai it was incorporated into the 30th Fighter Group, a large ad hoc grouping of all Ki-84 units within the 2nd Air Division in the Philippines. Its aircraft were distinguished by a small red and white Akeno insignia at the top of the fin and large two-digit numbers painted across the fin and rudder in Chutai colours.

This is another excellent set with some colourful and well-chosen subjects, the first and second subjects being especially welcome. Again there is sufficient Hinomaru and stencilling for two aircraft with one set being white bordered for the first subject.

Set 72-036 Type 97 Fighters Part 3 (above) features decals for seven subjects as follows:-

Ki-27 of Sgt Moritsugu Kanai, 11th Sentai, Nanking, China, 1940 - Sgt Kanai became an ace during the Nomonhan fighting and went on to a distinguished career in the 25th Sentai over China, claiming 26 victories in total. His Ki-27 was marked with an unusual red saltire and as wingman to WO Shinohara, the 11th's leading ace over Nomonhan, might have carried victory markings which are unknown. It was a presentation aircraft bearing the 'patriotism' No. 437 on the rear fuselage.
Ki-27 of 2Lt Iichi Yamaguchi, CO of 68th Shinbu-tai, Tenryu, Japan, March 1945 - the gaudy aircraft of the leader of one of several special attack units formed on the Ki-27. The term 'Shinbu' approximately means 'stirring the martial spirit'. The 68th with 12 Ki-27's on strength commenced anti-shipping suicide operations on 8 April 1945 as part of the Dai Ni Kikusui Sakusen (2nd Floating Chrysanthemum Operation) and aircraft from this unit armed with 250kg bombs were responsible for severely damaging LCS(L) 57 and the destroyer escort USS Rall (DE-304) in suicide attacks on 12 April 1945.
Ki-27 of 13th Sentai, Taisho, Japan, 1942 - This unit's 3rd Chutai was originally the 102nd Independent Air Squadron formed as a secret interception unit at Akeno in July 1941. The three stripes on the tail represent the 3rd Chutai and the central symbol is a stylised cherry blossom representing the 13th's origin at Kakogawa (noted for its blossom) together with the first character 'Dai' (大) of Taisho which was its parent base from September 1941 to April 1943. A photograph of this aircraft appears on page 80 of Osprey's Ki-27 Aces although the date is incorrectly captioned as 1941 instead of 1942.
Ki-27 of 47th Sentai, Chofu, Japan, 1944 - At this time the 47th was equipped with the Ki-44 and based at Narimasu but this somewhat mysterious aircraft is said to have been used by the unit as a liaison and communications aircraft.
Ki-27 of Cap Kenji Shimada, 11th Sentai, Manchuria, May-Jun 1939 - the aircraft of one of the first Army aces to become well known in the West. The 11th was the top scoring Ki-27 unit over Nomonhan and Shimada claimed 27 victories. The eight stars were painted on his aircraft during the June 1939 lull in the fighting and represent claims made in only two days of combat against Soviet aircraft in May.
Ki-27 of 2Lt Kawabata, 1st Sentai, Harbin, China, Jan 1941 - This unusually marked aircraft carries the diagonal stripes associated with the 5th Sentai as well as the 1st's rudder and elevators painted in Chutai colour.
Ki-27 of Cap Shigetoshi Inoue, 1st Sentai, Nomonhan, Sep 1939 - This well known and very colourful aircraft was one of the subjects in the first Hasegawa release of the original Mania 1/72nd Ki-27 kit from 1977 so these decals will be especially welcome to those who might wish to model that aircraft and replace the old kit decals. Although not mentioned in the instructions the elevators need to be painted yellow like the rudder and close examination of original photographs of this aircraft suggest that the fuselage chevron might also have been yellow denoting Inoue's leadership of the 1st Chutai.

This is another excellent selection of varied subjects including three very unusual aircraft as well as a pair of famous aces. As with all Lifelike decal sheets full descriptions are provided for each subject providing interesting details and citing reference sources. All the sheets are well printed with glossy finish, excellent colour saturation and definition. One additional feature of these sets is the good quality ziplock bags slightly larger than the decal and instruction sheets. This facilitates easy removal and return of the sheets when examining them whereas the bags of some other manufacturers are so tightly sized that it can be difficult to remove and return the instruction sheets and decals without damaging them - and then there are those self-adhesive envelopes!

With special thanks to Keishiro of Lifelike Decals for kindly sending the decal sets for review.

Image credits: All © 2015 Lifelike Decals

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VE Day - 1945-2015

May 10, 2015, 6:02 am

≫ Next: A Consideration of Colour and Monochrome Images

≪ Previous: Lifelike Decals Trio for 1/72 Ki-27

“Yours is such a special generation – stoical, loyal, indefatigable and dutiful. You have been the bedrock of this country for all these years and it will not be the same without you. We salute you with all our hearts.”

(HRH The Prince of Wales)

Above, the 51st Highland Division of XXX Corps march through Bremerhaven on 17 May 1945. They are not ceremonial soldiers but the frontline troops who fought their way from Normandy to Germany and had been in battle less than two weeks before the parade.

Liberation, 15 April 1945

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A Consideration of Colour and Monochrome Images

May 30, 2015, 1:31 am

≫ Next: John Haas' 1/48 53rd Hiko Sentai Heaven Shaking Dragon Killer

≪ Previous: VE Day - 1945-2015

Some correspondence and discussion on a number of fronts about "colour" in monochrome or greyscale photographs has prompted a consideration of the issues so ably catalogued by Dick Taylor in his 'Warpaint' book where he shows the monochrome and colour photographs of the same British tank in juxtaposition. In the monochrome image the tank name and squadron sign appear exactly similar in tone and anyone studying just that photograph alone might presume, reasonably enough, that they were painted in the same colour. However the colour photograph reveals that the name is painted yellow and the sign is painted red. Mr Taylor observes:-

"What is crucial is that we must always remember that the tone we see in Black and White photographs is dependent not only on the original colour(s) of the object, but also on the amount of light falling on any one particular area, so areas with tonal qualities (caused by shadows etc) can in fact be the same colour, or alternatively, the same tone can be produced by two different colours."

To that can be added that the type and direction of illumination and the type and angle of surface also has an effect. In paint the appearance of the colour surface is also dependent on the reflective wavelength of the constituent pigments which can and do vary. Therefore paint colours falling ostensibly within the same colour "family" can actually possess slightly different reflective properties due to the pigments incorporated and their particle size. And there is also a difference between film sensitivity to colours and that of the eye. This is due to the fact that most panchromatic emulsions used are more sensitive to blue, violet and ultraviolet than to other colours so for example blues often appear paler in film than they do to the eye.

A 64th Sentai Ki-43 which appears to have two coloured fuselage bands in addition to a third band or senchi hiyoshiki ~ but what are their colours and is the tail arrow yellow or white?

But there is still more to it and even to the question of film type which some love to assert hard and fast rules about but which are more ambiguous and slippery once explored in detail. There is also the question of exposure of the film and the processing of the image, both in the darkroom and through the many stages of printing or publishing. The use of digital images on the internet brings another inevitable wave of processing. And it is useful to bear in mind that RGB rendered greyscale usually has only 256 tones because each value will be the same, e.g. 96 96 96; whereas there are millions of possible combinations of RGB colour with each value being different. This means in effect that colours are "compartmentalised" down when converted to greyscale, hence Mr Taylor's red and yellow tank markings appearing to be the same tone and therefore the same colour. This digitisation of original photographs - or even prints - seems to be entirely unappreciated in speculative discussions about what colours the greyscale represents and where assumptions are made that each tone is relative in terms of contrast.

Any magnified digital colour photographic image will show individual pixels that make it impossible to determine a single colour except by averaging them - which is what the eye and brain do to variegated paint colour at distance. The result is an impression of colour rather than actual colour which might or might not be true to life. But any conclusion of precise colour is dependent on the fidelity of the digitised image to the original film emulsion and in turn the fidelity of that emulsion to the original paint colours having regard to illumination, surface and reflectivity. In terms of any conclusion the word tenuous doesn't even begin to cover it.

Enlarged digital image of a colour photograph of original IJN paint on an airframe artifact - which pixel is the correct colour?

Where tonal or reflectivity differences can be useful is for comparisons within the same image, although even then illuminant angle, surface angle and shadow will have an effect. But it is absolutely pointless to attempt to compare tones between one photograph and another taken at different locations and times. Converting colour chips or colour photos to greyscale and then inserting them in a monochrome photographic image to compare tones is also an inconclusive exercise because the diverse elements of illuminant, exposure, etc., that might be present in the photographic image are difficult if not impossible to reliably factor in. Any colour chip in greyscale can also be altered by different exposure settings to "match" the greyscale in a photographic image. It is again inconclusive to compare the constant of a measured, rendered paint chip to a variable represented by a paint surface recorded in a colour photographic image. At best it can convey a possibility or draw a speculative visual similarity or contrast. Nevertheless one sees this exercise being played out eagerly and continuously. Colour photographic images are still used to evidence hypotheses in ways that are disproportionate to their actual value.

Diffuse and Specular Reflectivity

This is another aspect that complicates the assessment of "colour" from greyscale. The terms diffuse and specular reflectivity won't be laboured in detail here as they can be easily explored elsewhere but an example will suffice. The British Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) conducted a number of tests of reflectivity for wartime camouflage paints and published the results in 1947. Selecting just one fairly well known colour Azure Blue, used on the under surfaces of RAF aircraft in the Middle East, the measurements recorded were 29.5% diffuse reflectivity and 115% specular reflectivity at 30° to the surface (60° to normal). What this means is that dependent upon the condition of the paint strata (matt, shiny, wet, dry, polished, dusty, etc.) illumination, surface angle and camera angle Azure Blue might look very much brighter and lighter in greyscale than might be expected when contemplating an actual sample of the paint colour under other conditions. And because each colour behaves differently in reflectivity a transition can occur where, for example, RAF Sky Blue which is notionally brighter and lighter than Azure Blue at 58% diffuse reflectivity drops behind it in specular reflectivity at 109%. Therefore it is feasible, notwithstanding the question of film exposure, for Sky Blue to appear darker than Azure Blue in some greyscale photographic images.

All this makes the interpretation of "colour" from monochrome images a largely futile exercise with conclusions that can never be considered definitive. But there is a related aspect relevant to paint colour comparisons. Many comparisons are made with the adjacent colour strata viewed at an angle to the eye (as with a book laid on a flat desk before a seated person) and under various uncontrolled forms of illumination. This will introduce inevitable margins of error however good the observer's colour acuity. A better method for a visual comparison is to ensure that the colour surfaces are perpendicular to the eye, at 90°, and illuminated constantly by North sky daylight at noon - not under direct sunlight. This can be achieved by the paint samples being held up perpendicular to the eyes with north sky daylight behind, as through a window or outside. Sometimes the results of doing that, when compared to previous comparisons made by angled observations under other forms of illumination, are surprising.

The other aspect of comparisons to be aware of are those that seek to cross reference hobby paint ranges. Rarely do those quantify or qualify the degree of proximity or difference between two paints. The methodology by which the comparison has been calculated is rarely revealed. In some cases paint manufacturer data is used where the 'closest' equivalent from one range to another does not mean that the paints actually match.

Real Paint

Film emulsion and digitised image pixels are not real paint. They ought to be the last consideration in attempting to assess real surface paint colour but remain incredibly seductive due to their immediacy and apparent reality. As in real life the eye and brain compensate to homogenise what we think we are seeing, influenced by derivative perceptions of what colours we ought to be seeing. Thus a Messerschmitt 110 nightfighter image whose pixels when analysed are actually a beautiful shade of lavender appear to the eye to be a persuasive RLM number. Superimposing a chip of the actual pixel colour on the image often produces disbelief, so strong is that eye to brain compensation.

A compound consideration of this is the presumption to identify paint surface colour as the colour standard which ought to apply. Thus one sees aircraft described as being "painted in FS 12345" rather than painted to match FS 12345. The inevitable variance between paint colour standards and actual applied paints, even before the vagaries of surface treatments and weathering come into play, should allow modellers and artists to relax a little. It is understanding the intended character or hue of the colour that is important rather than its precise shade. But even with the most pedantic approach to that elusive accuracy it is unlikely that two models of the same subject will be identical in colour and beauty truly lies in the eyes of the beholder, which is a rather fancy way of saying that everything published here in respect of precise colour analysis is relatively pointless!

Image credits: Heading image from Ross Caughers Photography; Japanese aircraft images from author's collection; 'End' title from 'Goodbye Mr Chips'© MGM Studios Inc.

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John Haas' 1/48 53rd Hiko Sentai Heaven Shaking Dragon Killer

May 31, 2015, 2:40 am

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John Haas has kindly shared these images of another of his Nichimo Ki-45 builds in 1/48th scale, representing a modified late production Tei aircraft of the 53rd Hiko Sentai's air-to-air ramming flight. The Toryu (屠龍) officially the Type 2 Two Seat Fighter - Ni-shiki Fuku-za Sentoh-ki (二式複座戦闘機) usually abbreviated to Ni-shiki Fuku Sen (二式複戦 ) remains a popular modelling subject and like the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt 110 its genesis as a heavy escort fighter and disappointing performance in that role led to a more successful secondary career as an air defence bomber interceptor. A career in which it has become iconic. Even so, and although Toryu features so strongly in the imagery of combat against the B-29, it was actually rated by the IJAAF as having the worst high altitude performance of the fighters available for air defence duties, with even the Hayabusa considered superior in that respect. And at an early stage it was envisaged to provide a predominantly night interception role which has been largely unappreciated.

John built this model shortly after the kit was first issued and used Bunrin-do's FAOW # 26 for reference, removing and fairing over the oblique armament, adding a fairing over the rear canopy aperture and cutting down the aerial mast to represent a ramming aircraft. As far as he can remember he used Polly-S acrylic light grey RLM 76 for the overall base colour and JAAF Dark Green for the intricate mottle. He found the Nichimo model excellent to build, going together like the proverbial "piece of cake".

The 53rd Hiko Sentai was established at Tokorozawa in May 1944 ostensibly as a night fighter unit with the Ki-45 as original equipment and responsibility for the air defence of the Kanto area. It was part of the newly re-organised 10th Air Division, expanded from the original 17th Air Brigade in March of that year. The 53rd was organised with a HQ, three Hikotai, and a Seibitai maintenance unit. By July 1944 the 10th Air Division held under command six air regiments including the 53rd. This Toryu unit is well known from a series of rare colour photographs of its aircraft taken by IJAAF photographer Kikuchi Shunkichi at Matsudo in late November 1944 and it was also the subject of both the Nichimo kit and the earlier 1972 Revell 1/72 kit (anyone remember Battledec of England who must have been one of the first to offer an aftermarket decal sheet for the Revell Ki-45?). An excellent article on the 53rd Hiko Sentai which reproduces those colour photos may be found in Issue 11 of Arawasi magazine (Summer 2009). It also includes a fascinating first hand pilot's perspective by Sgt Negishi Nobuji.

The unit insignia was a stylised and enjoined '5' and '3' painted in blue for the HQ, white for the 1st, red outlined white for the 2nd and yellow outlined white for the 3rd Hikotai. The aircraft of the ramming flight were further distinguished by a large representation of a Karimata arrow painted on the fuselage side. This has frequently been described as a Kaburaya or signal arrow but in fact represents the bifurcated or twin pointed arrow used for hunting big game as well as in war so the connotations are evident. Karimata arrows often had a whistling or shrieking bulb attached to them behind the tip as shown on the 53rd's marking but were not the 'turnip head' signal arrows per se. The purpose and meaning of the distinctive coloured bands sported on the propeller spinners of the unit are unknown.

In August 1944 the 53rd moved to Matsudo to replace the 1st Hiko Sentai (Ki-84) which had been transferred to Gannosu in the Western air defence district under 12th Air Division command. It was to remain at Matsudo almost to the end of the war. By October 1944 the unit was still officially rated as "Newly organised. Combat ability below required standard".

On 6 November 1944 the 10th Air Division instructed that shinten seikutai (heaven shaking air superiority unit) air-to-air ramming flights of four aircraft were to be formed within all fighter units under command with the exception of the 18th Sentai and 17th Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai. The original concept of 'special attack' suicide units to dive against ships - tokubetsu kôgeki tai (abbreviated to tokko or to-go tai) - was extended to 'crash dive' aircraft with bombs onto formations of B-29s, but the technique proved impractical beyond theory and instead air-to-air ramming was developed with more freedom as to the tactics used (bitterly opposed by some unit commanders and the subject of controversy within the IJAAF as to its effectiveness). Aircraft which were not part of the designated shinten seikutai also sometimes made impromptu air-to-air ramming attacks and often accidental collisions were reported as deliberate ramming attacks for propaganda purposes.

In January 1945 the 53rd was designated as a permanent night fighter unit restricted to nocturnal operations only and a period of advanced night flying training began which was so intensive that it led to a serious decline in morale. Aircrew were supposed to occupy darkened rooms and to wear dark tinted glasses in daylight. In late January the unit was provided with some Type B radar systems, the 'Tachi' ground units at Matsudo scanning a 90 sector with a radius of 125-150 miles. The ground scanner was combined with 'Taki' 15 air-to-air radar and height finder equipment by which in co-ordination with the ground units the course and altitude of enemy aircraft could be plotted and intercepted. The system was developed under the auspices of the 10th Air Division through the formation of the 1st Radar Guide Unit which drew on the fruits of the Tama Army Technical Research Station to disseminate and improve radar techniques. The project was highly secret and it was absolutely forbidden to photograph the ground equipment and those aircraft fitted with the air-to-air radar systems although a radar equipped Ki-45 Bo type can just about be made out in a distant shot of aircraft at Matsudo. The Bo was reportedly equipped with a single Ho-301 40mm cannon in the ventral position due to the weight of the radar equipment and the successful use of the short ranged but potent weapon at night. Another little known Toryu variant equipped with the long barrelled 37mm Ho-204 in the nose and a single oblique firing 20mm Ho-5 as special equipment was designated Ki. Every night, between 1900 hrs and 0500 hrs a quarter of the unit were required to remain on the intensive Alert-A status, meaning that pilots stood by their aircraft which were kept ready for immediate take-off, whilst in addition from 0100 to 0500 hours a single flight of aircraft were required to maintain a patrol orbit at 16,500 ft over Tokyo.

The IJAAF aspiration to achieve successful nocturnal radar guided interceptions was overtaken by events and the perceived impending threat of invasion. With the carrier raids in February 1945 and the appearance of US fighters over Japan the Class A pilots of the unit (the most experienced) were designated to alert status during daylight hours for B-29 interceptions (to free up single seater aircraft for fighter vs fighter combat) and following a change of 10th Air Division policy in March the night interception duties were henceforth restricted to just a single flight of four aircraft whilst two flights were required on daylight alert status, one of them the ramming flight. The remainder of the unit were to continue with intensive training. By May 1945 because of dissatisfaction with the night flying training regime and the loss of aircrew through nervous breakdowns the exclusive night flying role of the unit was finally rescinded. Nevertheless at the end of the war the 53rd was still officially designated as a night fighter unit. In July 1945 the 53rd had 34 Ki-45 on strength but only a small number of those were deployed in actual air defence sorties.

The 1972 Revell kit in the smaller scale featured aircraft '25' of the 53rd Hiko Sentai's 3rd Hikotai leader

Nichimo chose the same subject as Revell for their 1970s box art

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Rising Decals Emperor's Eyes Pt.II RD72069

June 3, 2015, 6:09 am

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≪ Previous: John Haas' 1/48 53rd Hiko Sentai Heaven Shaking Dragon Killer

Rising Decals have recently released Part II of Emperor's Eyes, set RD 72069, with decals for a further selection of IJA and IJN reconnaissance aircraft. The Ki-15, Ki-46, C6N1 and bonus D4Y1-C subjects are well chosen and include some interesting schemes.

The Army aircraft subjects consist of:-

Ki-15-II of 8th Sentai - an aircraft with a named crew operating over Burma in 1942 with a disruptive camouflage applied over the base grey-green. This aircraft would make an excellent display companion to an 8th Sentai Ki-48 using the LS/Arii Ki-15-II and Hasegawa (ex-Mania) Ki-48 kits. Note than the fuselage Hinomaru has a rough 'halo' where the camouflage has been applied over it. It is possible that the added camouflage was green and brown creating a three colour upper surface scheme.
Ki-15-I of Dokuritsu Hiko 50th Chutai - an early model in standard scheme. This unit was originally established at Canton, China, from the 1st Chutai of the 15th Sentai in July 1941 and operated over French Indo-China, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies during the Japanese invasion. It was transferred to Manchuria in April 1942 and re-incorporated as the 1st Chutai of the 15th Sentai in January 1944. The unit also operated the Ki-46.
Ki-15-II of Dokuritsu Hiko 101st Chutai - a Babs of the antecedent unit of the 17th DHC featuring a welcome tail emblem which will facilitate modelling all the aircraft of this interesting unit. In 1942 the 101st were based at Chofu, Japan as the reconnaissance unit of the 17th Air Brigade.
Ki-46-II of 115th Kyoiku Hiko Rentai - based in China during 1943 this training aircraft appears to have a dark green field applied scheme over the original factory scheme. This Kyoiku Hiko Rentai was a development training unit for reconnaissance crews.
Ki-46-II of Dokuritsu Hiko 74th Chutai - a Dinah from a well known recce unit operating over the SWPA theatre in standard factory scheme. Although captioned as being 74th Chutai the red 'S' marking is usually attributed to the 76th Chutai, both being original and subsequently re-incorporated component Chutai of the 10th Sentai. An aircraft from this unit was one of the subjects in a 1979 re-issue of the venerable Airfix kit.
Ki-46-II of 1st Yasen Hojyu Hikotai - another welcome marking for the Ki-46 from a specially tasked reserve unit based in Singapore. The Ki-46-III on display at RAF Cosford was from this unit which operated multiple Chutai equipped with many different aircraft types.
Ki-46-II of 2nd Dokuritsu Hikotai - with only a single Katakana character ス ('Su') on the rudder this aircraft is distinguished by its unusual camouflage scheme of dark green sworls and dabs - a painting challenge!
Ki-46-III of 141st Kokutai - a Dinah operated by an IJN unit in the Philippines making for an unusual subject. As an alternative to the Army olive brown this aircraft could also be painted in the black green Navy colour.
Ki-46-III of 106th Sentai - an unusual emblem attributed here to the "missing" 106th Sentai, although the 'wing' of the design has four tails. Many ad hoc units were consolidated, created and designated during the Philippines campaign.
Ki-46-III of 10th Sentai - in late war olive brown this Dinah operated from Taiwan during the Okinawa campaign, the unit being reconstituted in Japan following the New Guinea campaign and adopting the new marking of a stylised representation of the number '10'.
Ki-46-III of Sakura Shinbu Tai - a special attacker from one of the units engaged in the Okinawa campaign which flew Dinahs loaded with 500lb bombs and displays a skull and crossbones 'death' insignia. As an alternative to the overall olive brown this aircraft could also be painted in dark blue grey. Shinbu tai (sometimes written as Shinpu or Shimbu) means a unit to inspire a martial spirit.

And for the Navy:-

C6N1 of 121st Kokutai - a Saiun operating from Tinian in the Mariana Islands during 1944 in standard scheme with yellow tail code
C6N1 of 121st Kokutai - as previous but with a different tail code in white
C6N1 of East Caroline Group - a Saiun based at Truk in 1945 with standard scheme but a different demarcation between upper and lower colours.
C6N1 of 210th Kokutai - an aircraft based at Korumo in Japan during 1945 with angled tail code and the same demarcation as the previous subject
D4Y1-C off Soryu - a speculative scheme for one of the first reconnaissance Judys deployed on operations. The possible appearance of this aircraft has been subject to much debate and it has been depicted before in overall grey. This bonus decal decal includes the tail code and data plate only.

This is another excellent sheet from Rising Decals which continues to plug the gaps in available aftermarket markings for interesting Japanese aircraft subjects. It includes the unit markings and sufficient Hinomaru for one Ki-15, two Ki-46 and one C6N1.

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Pete in Colour and Dutch Buffalos

June 3, 2015, 11:24 pm

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A wee bit off topic but two interesting films that might interest readers. The colour film of 1946 action in the Dutch East Indies against nationalist insurgents shows a Pete floatplane at 2:19 and also P-40s in colour as well as a Catalina taxying. Warning - there is some candid footage of dead and wounded insurgents in the 1946 film. The monochrome Pathé film of Dutch Brewster Buffalos, Martin bombers and a Hudson is exceptionally sharp and clear.

Hat tip to Ronnie Olsthoorn for the heads up to these!

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Haunting Images

June 5, 2015, 1:40 am

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An undeveloped film roll sent to a collector from Hiroshima, Japan reveals its secrets. The man appears to be wearing an Army summer flying suit and helmet, per Ritta Nakanishi*, points of identity being the twin breast pockets with vertical flaps, the integral belt of the jacket and the cuff zips. The large Hinomaru on his sleeve suggests that the photograph was taken during the later air defence of Japan. He carries a sword. The other photos suggest that his family lived on a farm and the castle in the snow has been identified as being at Aomori.

The film lay neglected in a house and was found by its new occupants together with other photographic ephemera. Historical aviation and military buffs know the value of such records but not everyone is a historical aviation or military buff. Such emerging photographs are just the tip of a huge iceberg, millions lay forgotten, unknown in albums and boxes, and sadly thousands more have already been consigned to the skip or the bonfire. My own aunt burnt scores of candid photographs of the French army taken in their front line trenches and dressing stations by my grandfather during 1916-17, a fact that only became known to me when I chanced on a few partially burned surviving prints rescued by my uncle. Many historic collections are jealously guarded and permission to reproduce photographs to a wider audience refused. But what will happen to them when their determined owners pass on? Will surviving relatives appreciate their value or will they disappear for ever?

The other photos from the roll may be seen here and my thanks to Mr Sajó for letting me share the story here.

* Ritta Nakanishi, Japanese Military Uniforms 1930~1945 (Dai Nippon Kaiga, 1991)

Image credits: an unknown Japanese family via lebedeff via Tamás Sajó

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Aoshima's New Shiden Kai

June 6, 2015, 4:20 am

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With the boxes marked predominantly 'Shidenkai' it is easy to presume that Aoshima's latest pair of 1/72nd scale releases are just re-issues from their much hailed 1996 Shiden Kai kits. But in small lettering on the boxes are the designations 'Kawanishi N1K3-J' and 'N1K3-Ja' revealing that these kits are supposed to represent the Model 31 with its boosted armament of two synchronised Model 3 13mm machine guns in the cowling position to augment the four wing mounted 20mm cannon and the engine mount extended by 15 cm to accommodate them. In fact despite these designations the box art and markings options of the first kit (above), moulded in grey, represent the two prototypes (# 517 and # 520) of the Model 32 - N1K4-J - a Model 31 with a Homare 23 engine equipped with a low pressure fuel injection system replacing the Homare 21 of earlier models.

The second kit (above) also conceals a secret because, despite the box art showing Shiden Kai on a carrier deck with a carefully concealed unit tail code, it offers only the tail code for the prototype of the Model 41 N1K4-A - a carrier capable Model 32 with an arrestor hook - コ-K2J-5 (in black or white) of the Koku Gijitsu Sho (Naval Air Technical Arsenal) at Yokosuka in an overall yellow scheme. And just so you get the idea the kit is moulded in vibrant orange yellow too! The prototype was reported to have conducted carrier landing trials on Shinano although none were produced, so the finished model could be legitimately displayed on a carrier deck base.

Kit # 11 contains only one markings option for an experimental prototype in yellow but a white tailcode is also included to facilitate camouflage painting

Both kits contain new longer fuselage halves with the double row of cooling slots and provision for the arrestor hook, filled by an insert in the first kit and a hook in the second. There is a new cowling with the machine gun troughs although sprue frame B from the previous kits which has the older cowling, marked 'not for use', is still included.

The longer fuselage of the Model 31/41~ note the distinctive twin row of cooling slots

New cowling with 13mm machine gun troughs

Sprue frame C from the older kits also has several other parts marked 'not for use' because there is an entirely new frame G which includes improved engine and cockpit interior parts as well as an under cowling insert to facilitate use of the original kit wings.

New sprue frame G

The old relief moulded engine is redundant and replaced by a two part radial - although the moulding is a little flabby. The final reduction gear and pitch control unit is now made up of five separate parts and somewhat inexplicably the spinner is in two halves. The interior parts now include extra seat mounting parts, control levers, separate rudder pedals, gunsight frame, separate sidewall frames and a nicely engraved instrument panel. As with previous kits there are optional parts to display the canopy in the open position but no separate flaps.

All new cockpit and engine - just add seatbelts

An improvement on this 'old' cockpit - although not much will be seen with the canopy closed

Some might look askance at the Hinomaru on the modest kit decal sheets but they are printed in the correct to standard very bright red colour, although the wing leading edge IFF strips look too lemon.

Decal Sheet for kit # 10 Model 32

Decal sheet for kit # 11 Model 41

So there is much more to these kits than just longer fuselages and a new cowling and they provide the potential for cross kitting to improve the older kits if prototypes and what-ifs are not your thing (we'll explore the previous kits in the Aoshima Shiden and Shiden Kai family tomorrow). But in addition to enhancing a Kawanishi fighter line-up (only the Model 25 N1K5-J with Ha43-1-1 engine and two seat N1K2-K are now missing) they do inspire some speculative modelling, with a Model 41 perhaps displayed on a carrier deck with suitable Kokutai tail codes, a Japanese Bearcat, positing a Midway disaster that wasn't so disastrous.

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Aoshima Shiden and Shiden Kai Family

June 8, 2015, 12:59 am

≫ Next: More Thoughts on Shiden in 1/72

≪ Previous: Aoshima's New Shiden Kai

The arrival of Aoshima's 1/72nd scale Shiden Type 11 (Kawanishi N1K1-Ja) their 'New WWII Fighter Series' in 1995 came as a complete surprise to many, more familiar with that company's pioneering but rather crude and clunky output of Japanese aircraft kits in the 1960s and 70s, remembered here, here and here. Here was a sharply moulded, well fitting and fine scale kit of comparable quality to Hasegawa.

Kit # 1 (01585) represented the first operational version of Shiden (紫電 - Violet or Purple Lightning), developed from the Kawanishi company's Kyofu (強風 - Strong Wind) floatplane fighter (of which more anon). This version of the rotund and pugnacious fighter is distinguished by a mid-wing configuration having the second pair of its quartet of wing mounted 20mm cannon in underslung gondola. The Aoshima Shiden kits tend to have sparse colour and markings instructions, usually not covering all the options provided on the decal sheet, and this one was no exception. The box art depicts an aircraft of the 341st Kokutai (Ku) - '341S-12' whilst the instructions show an aircraft of the 201st Ku- '201-53', but in addition to both the decal sheet provides a tail code for another 341st bird - '341-16 over S' - of the 341st's 402nd Hikotai. The decal sheet includes the chalked on 'Off-Limits'/'Keep Off' graffiti in English and Filipino for 201-53 as captured in the Philippines.

The 341st first took its Shiden into action over Formosa (Taiwan) in the early autumn of 1944, operating from Takao in the intercept role with A6M2 Zeros augmenting the new fighter in two of its three Hikotai. Towards the end of October the 341st staged into the Philippines in preparation for its invasion by US forces. The 201st is better known as a predominantly Zero unit with little information about its deployment of the Shiden.

In 2002 the N1K1-Ja kit was re-issued with new box art (above) and new decals for three aircraft in the 'WWII Ace Pilot' series, although only two of the options were shown in the instructions. They include ヨ-117 of the Yokosuka Ku, 'C/343-36' of the 343rd Ku flown by Lt. Ryoichi Yamada, the leader of that unit's 3rd Hikotai 701 and 'H/341-152' of the 341st Ku flown by Takeo Yamada. The kit sheet also includes the tail code 'ヨ-801' applied to a captured F6F Hellcat which was tested at Yokosuka.

Kit # 2 (016275) also released in 1995 represented the N1K1-Jb or Otsu, distinguished from the 'a' or Ko by having the quartet of 20mm guns installed in the wings, like the later Shiden Kai, but retaining the mid-wing configuration. Curious box art for this one that appears to show a Shiden taking off from the side of a glacier! The decal sheet includes options for two aircraft of the Genzan Ku - ケ-1172 and ケ-1174 but also includes two sets of 1-0 digits in yellow to allow other codes to be made up and an image of the Japanese schoolboy cartoon character 'Fuku-chan' associated with captured Allied aircraft assembled at Bandoeng in Java. 'Fuku-chan' was the creation of cartoonist Ryuichi Yokoyama (1909-2001) who visited Bandoeng as a correspondent and painted the character on several aircraft there including a Douglas Boston and B-17E. Shiden usually had unpainted, natural metal under surfaces but some Japanese sources depict the Shiden of the Genzan Ku with the under surfaces painted grey.

This kit was also re-released with new box art and new decals in the 'WWII Ace Pilot' series with markings for five aircraft: 'ヤ-1163' and 'ヤ-1164' of the Yatabe Ku, 'ツ-183' and 'ツ-185' of the Tsukuba Ku and '210-149'. The sheet also includes the nose art for B-29 42-93852 "Tokyo Rose" (T Square 12 (4) - an aircraft of the 498th BG which survived until 1949).

Kit # 3 and 4 in the Aoshima 'New WWII Fighter Series' are the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 so don't search for them as 'missing' Shiden kits! In 1996 Aoshima released Kit # 5 (016947 above) representing the first production version of the Model 21 N1K2-J Shiden Kai with broad chord tail fin and a major modification to a low-wing configuration. This kit's decal sheet provides markings for 'B/343-03' of the 343rd Ku's (2nd) Hikotai 407 flown by WO Hiroshi Ohara and curiously the Model 32 prototype '517' - a N1K4-J - discussed in yesterday's blog. Also included is the tail number '91' for the Shiden Kai prototype in orange yellow.

Kit # 6 (017517 above) released the same year represents the N1K2-Ja or Ko, with the narrower chord tail fin introduced with the 101st production aircraft (c/n 5101). Markings are included for 'A/343-11' of the 343rd Ku's (1st) Hikotai 301, with additional tail codes 'ヨ-103' of the Yokosuka Ku, コ-K2J-6 for the sixth supplementary prototype Shiden Kai in overall orange yellow and an anonymous aircraft with the tail number '5423', an identifying production number applied to a Shiden Kai rolled out at the Kawanishi Naruo factory before gunsight and armament had been fitted.

In 2011 the two Shiden Kai kits were re-released with new box art in the 'Ace Fighters Story' series (above). In addition to the kits covered here there have also been limited edition re-issues of the Shiden Kai under the C.G. logo in rather unattractive boxes with cgi illustrations of aircraft (below). At the end of 2011 Kopro of the Czech Republic also announced the release of the Aoshima kits under their own label with new box art.

The latest and most recent re-release of Aoshima's Shiden Kai includes not just the parts for four air-to-air rocket bombs and their racks but also a new, improved cowling and cockpit interior (below).

At the time of their release the Aoshima Shiden and Shiden Kai filled an important gap in the availability of 1/72nd scale mainstream kits of the Kawanishi fighter, a gap further closed by the release of the Kyofu floatplane fighter in various guises by Hasegawa in 1996. It is probable that a good proportion of modellers have just bought the kits haphazardly to put a "George" in their collection rather than to build examples of each variant but the development from floatplane fighter to Shiden Kai is interesting enough to justify a line up. It is also possible to produce a line-up which displays a different scheme for each variant and the various units operating them.

Colours for Shiden and Shiden Kai were explored here, here and here, now warranting an update and completion. Further thoughts on Shiden and Shiden Kai kits to follow.

Image credit: All box art © Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Co., Ltd

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More Thoughts on Shiden in 1/72

June 9, 2015, 6:55 am

≫ Next: Shiden Addendum

≪ Previous: Aoshima Shiden and Shiden Kai Family

Prior to the appearance of the Aoshima Shiden the only realistic game in town had been the limited run MPM kit (above) released a mere couple of years beforehand. It was typical of MPM's early efforts consisting of basic if not crude short run plastic mouldings with plenty of flash but it did benefit from a crisp vacform canopy (still crystal clear in my example), a photo-etch sheet and photo-film instrument panel. The decal sheet, by Propagteam, offered markings for four subjects - 'ケ-1174' of the Genzan Ku, '341S-12' and '341-16 over S' of the 341st Ku's 402nd Hikotai and '201-53' of the 201st Hikotai. Whilst the Aoshima Shiden trumped the MPM kit, making it effectively redundant, it was in turn upstaged by Tamiya's release of its own N1K1-Ja in 2001. Tamiya have a deserved reputation for detail and fit and their Shiden kit surpassed the Aoshima kit in a number of features.

New kit in town; the Tamiya Shiden pushed aside the batwing doors of the modelling saloon in 2001

Panel line detail on the Tamiya kit includes rivets around the cowling panels and wing root fairings not represented by Aoshima. The Aoshima kit omits the lowest of the three cooling slots behind the exhausts - probably because it is concealed by the pitot and wing in most plan profiles. The retractable access steps in the wing root fairings are represented by indented slots in the Tamiya kit but not at all in the Aoshima kit. These were not toe holds but rather 'L' shaped stirrups that dropped down on each side and were often seen deployed when the aircraft was on the ground. Above and to the front of these is a square panel that hinged inwards to provide a second step and this is shown in both kits. In addition there were two further retractable handles/steps on each side of the fuselage that operated with the stirrup and which are also seen deployed when the aircraft is on the ground. Sometimes only one of them is shown on drawings and plans. Both kits represent the handles/steps in the retracted position but the Aoshima kit represents the rearmost one as a hinged panel rather than as a spring loaded protruding handgrip. The painted areas around these handles/steps were often worn away.

Comparison of Shiden kit fuselage halves

Instead of a relief moulded engine Tamiya provides a fully formed two part twin row radial. Exhaust outlets and cowl flaps are separate parts whereas Aoshima has them moulded integrally with the fuselage halves. Perhaps because of this I found the three way join of the fuselage halves with their tapered fronts and the single piece lower wing less precise than in the Aoshima kit. In fact I would go so far as to say the Aoshima kit provides for a slightly more straightforward construction all round. Tamiya has the underwing cannon gondola as separate parts whereas apart from the rear fairings the Aoshima gondola are moulded integrally with the single piece lower wing.

Comparison of Shiden kit lower wings

The Aoshima wheel wells are shallower than Tamiya, again moulded integrally with the wing, whereas the Tamiya wells are open with their detail moulded into the upper wing halves. The complex Shiden undercarriage could never retract into those Aoshima wells so some cunning trompe-l'œil painting is required. The Aoshima undercarriage struts and retraction arms are moulded as one piece together with their doors whereas those are all separate parts in the Tamiya kit. The Tamiya flying controls, ailerons, elevators and rudder, have their fabric surfaces more subtly represented than Aoshima.

Aoshima cockpit interior parts ~ simple but easily enhanced

As far as interiors go the Tamiya kit has rudimentary sidewall detail and the Aoshima kit none. The Aoshima cockpit is a simplified five-part affair of floor, seat, stick, instrument panel with integral gunsight and rear bulkhead. The Tamiya kit doesn't have many more parts but they are designed for a more detailed appearance. Not much will be seen when the models are completed, especially if the Aoshima pilot figure is used. Kora have released a resin and photo-etch enhancement set for the Aoshima and Kopro kits. Rob Taurus make replacement vacform canopies for both the Aoshima and Tamiya kits.

Tamiya kit cockpit interior assembly ~ note clear gunsight piece

In terms of overall shape there is not much to choose between the two kits. There are subtle differences in the shape of wing tips and tail fins. I have seen comments that the Aoshima kit is under scale but both kits have similar dimensions and both appear under scale when compared to the plan profile drawings by Rikyu Watanabe in FAOW # 124. However those drawings are not marked as to their scale.

Comparison of kit cowlings to original

Neither kit has captured the shape of the lower cowling scoop quite correctly. Overall the Aoshima cowling is slightly more tapered in plan and profile whist the Tamiya cowling is slightly more bulbous. A judgement as to which looks better seems to be subjective.

The Tamiya model provides markings for four aircraft - 'ツ-7' of the Tsukuba Ku,ヨ-110' of the Yokosuka Ku, '341S-23' of the 341st Ku's 402nd Hikotai and '341-16 over S' also of the 341st's 402nd Hikotai. The sheet includes a decal for the seat belt - waist belt and single shoulder strap on IJN aircraft - plus yellow wing leading edge IFF strips and instrument panel dials.

The overall impression is that the Aoshima is a simpler kit which has compromised on the level of detail in some areas. That is not to suggest the kit is flawed in any way - it still builds nicely into a good looking model. Price wise the Tamiya kit retails in Japan for less than the Aoshima, about £4.75 (¥900) vs £6.31 (¥1,200) - if you can find one. The 1/48th scale Arii (ex-Otaki) kit of the N1K1-J is being sold for the same price as the Tamiya kit.

More 1/72nd scale Shiden Kai thoughts and comparisons to follow and a mighty wind will blow in too - with apologies to 1/48th and up modellers! Are these blogs useful/interesting or have all the Shiden itches and axes already been scratched and ground?

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Shiden Addendum

June 12, 2015, 12:40 am

≫ Next: Hasegawa Shiden Kai in 1/72

≪ Previous: More Thoughts on Shiden in 1/72

I don't have the Tamiya 1/48th Type 11 Shiden kit but a communiqué from Aviation of Japan's Texas correspondent Mark Smith suggests that it suffers from the same cowling scoop issues as the 1/72nd scale kit. Mark kindly sent these images of his own Shiden model with a modified cowling, using the front half of the Otaki Shiden kit cowling grafted to the rear of the Tamiya cowl. Mark writes that considering how very nice the Tamiya kit is in about every other respect, it is puzzling how badly they missed the cowling and how well Otaki managed to capture it considering the age of those moulds - mid 1960s. Mark remembers modifying the cowling before any other construction to see if it would work - it did - using superglue as a filler, which has not shrunk as putty can do after many years. The current price of the Otaki kit, now available under the Arii brand, makes this a practical consideration for a Shiden model, although Hasegawa also have a range of Shiden kits available (not seen) and the Arii/Otaki kit is a pleasant antidote to AMS in its own right.

The frontal view of Mark's model makes an interesting comparison with my image of the original 1/72nd kit part.

The IJN designation of the N1K1/2 is usually rendered in English as 'Interceptor Fighter' but the Japanese characters used - 局地 - mean 'local area' which implies a short range capability in contrast to long range - 長距離 - and thus an aircraft designed for a local, short range interception role. Shiden was first designated the Experimental No.1 Local Area Fighter.

Shiden was developed from the Kyofu floatplane fighter, Kawanishi's engineers wishing to exploit that design's performance features. At first the IJN were not interested, being focussed on development of Mitsubishi's Raiden, and Kawanishi pursued the project as a private venture. By the time the Navy were able to evaluate one of three less than perfect additional prototypes constructed by Kawanishi delays and concerns over the Raiden project had changed their tune. Kawanishi were instructed to continue improving the Shiden design and to suspend further work on another concurrent IJN fighter project - the J3K1/J6K1 Jinpu. A complicated undercarriage system in the N1K1-J, necessitated by the inherited mid-wing configuration of the floatplane and a 10 foot propeller, proved problematic and prone to failure. Shiden had an alarming stall characteristic that tested pilot reaction and skill, the combination of both issues impacting ease of landing. The ultimate resolution of these issues was the modification to low-wing configuration of Shiden Kai and the rest, as they say, is history.

Otaki/Arii Box Art

Mid 1960s issue Otaki Shiden box art by Tatsuji Kajita~ kit moulded in dark green

1972 release of Otaki's Shiden ~ Splendid box art by Rikyu Watanabe

Current Arii Shiden box art

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Hasegawa Shiden Kai in 1/72

June 24, 2015, 5:40 am

≫ Next: Chinese Aircraft ~ Part One

≪ Previous: Shiden Addendum

The Hasegawa Shidenkai dates from 1977 and was a stablemate of their J2M3 Jack to the same scale. It is listed in a Trade Fair report in Scale Models (UK) magazine of April 1977 (p.199) and appeared in the 1978 Hasegawa catalogue as 'N1K2-J George' with an image of a built up model. Until recently it was still listed in the standard range and retailing from HLJ for ¥640 (about £3.48/$US5.21) which makes it 38 years old.

1978 Hasegawa Catalogue Image

The first issue was in the 'red' series box as A29 (heading image) and moulded in dark green plastic. The box ends of this kit include the number JS-125 which Burns* lists as being a separate issue kit from 1980. The 1978 catalogue image (above) includes both numbers so make of that what you will. Early Shikeo Koike box art depicted a pair of aircraft from the 343rd Ku despatching an anonymous Corsair in a sky of orange tinted miasma. From 1982-87 the kit was released in the 'blue' series as B1 with the same box art (below) and still moulded in dark green. The JS-125 number on the box end was replaced with B001 which Burns also lists as a separate issue for 1981. Markings options in both releases remained the same - 'A 343-15' of the 343rd Ku's 301 Hikotai flown by 1Lt Naoshi Kanno, the Hikotai leader and 'C 345-45' of the same unit's 701 Hikotai flown by 1Lt Takashi Oshibuchi, also the Hikotai leader. The tail codes and the twin fuselage bands on both aircraft were presented as white.

1982 release as B1

Do not adjust your monitor - bold presentation for 1987 release as 506

In 1987 the kit was re-issued moulded in light grey plastic in a larger box as number 506 with colour photos of a made up model on the side and the same box art boldly re-presented to 'zoom in' and depict the Shiden kai in an inverted position. At the same time the image was modified to present the tail code and twin bands in yellow with a large white number '15' added to the fuselage Hinomaru. The kit decal sheet, for the same two options, reflected those changes with 1Lt Oshibuchi's aircraft also given a makeover with yellow tail code and red bands. At one time it was believed that the bands were painted to represent a Hikotai colour sequence but more recent research based on the testimony of veterans suggests that the bands were probably white on Oshibuchi's aircraft and yellow on Kanno's, being the same colour as the tail code. The temporary white number in the Hinomaru is based on a photograph but it has also been shown faded and/or painted over. What didn't change was the suggestion in the kit instructions to paint the under surface light grey using Gunze H61/35 IJN Grey and described in that misleading but persistent cliché of 'light/bright ash white colour' (明灰白色). Burns lists this kit as being issued in 1988 and a further release as AT-06 'announced' in 1992. When it appeared the 1992 release (below) was numbered AT6 and the box art reversed the bold inversion of 506 but with same 'zoom in' presentation.

1992 release as AT6

1997 release as SS2 with pre-painted canopy

In 1997 the kit was added to the 'Super Series' with pre-painted canopies as SS-2 with the subsidiary number 03002 (above). It was in an even larger box with a colour photograph of a built and painted model and the original Shigeo Koike art as a small inset. This kit included only markings for 1Lt Kanno's 'A 343-15'. The instruction sheet in this kit is different, Tamiya-like in style and containing snippets of generic modelling advice at each stage, apparently aimed at the younger or less experienced modeller. Unusually for Hasegawa the colour suggestions reference both Gunze and Tamiya paints.

Standard boxing from 2004 as A6

I'm not sure when the current 'standard' boxing (above) first appeared but my example is dated 2004 and numbered A6 with the subsidiary number 00136. The box art and markings options remain unchanged from 1987.

The Kit Itself ~ An Appraisal

Hasegawa's Shiden kai, now approaching its mid-life crisis, was finally upstaged - dare I say it - by the Aoshima kit in 1996 and is further relegated, if still in production, by the revision and improvement of the latest release of that kit. The Hasegawa kit represents the later production Shiden kai with the narrow chord tail fin, equivalent to the Aoshima kit # 6 (017517). I have always rather liked it, warts and all, and view it in the context of its contemporaries, such as the Airfix FW 190 A/F and Me 163. Compared to its mainstream predecessor, Nitto's 1/75th 'Sidenkai' (sic) from 1964 (of which more anon), and at the time it was released it appeared a masterpiece of engineering and scale fidelity. Nowadays, with the trend in modelling towards an expectation of minute accuracy in every panel line, cockpit interiors of crowded complexity and long hot arguments over shape issues, it is perhaps viewed more critically.

Hasegawa and Aoshima fuselage halves compared ~ Note different exhaust outlet spacing

The Hasegawa Shidenkai kit is presented on two simple, sharply moulded self-contained sprue frames with a separate clear frame providing a single canopy in the closed position. Panel line detail is crisply engraved with exhaust outlets and cowling flaps moulded integrally with each fuselage half. The lower pair of exhaust outlets are also moulded integrally with the fuselage halves and decidedly fuzzy in comparison to the better defined outlets on the Aoshima kit which are moulded as part of the single piece lower wing. The lower cowling intake ducting in the centre section is moulded as a separate part in the Hasegawa kit whilst it is integral to the lower wing in the Aoshima.

Lower wing pieces compared ~ Hasegawa ailerons and wingtips moulded integrally to upper wing halves

The wheel wells are devoid of detail but enclosed and whilst too shallow they are not as bad as some. The main undercarriage covers are moulded in one piece, separate from the struts and must be cut for the model to be displayed wheels down.

Simplified cockpit detail in the Hasegawa kit ~ but good for 1977!

Cockpit detail is minimal but was considered good at the time, consisting of a floor with rudimentary rudder pedals, separate stick, seat and rear bulkhead. The separate instrument panel is flat with the instrumentation provided in the form of a decal. Early kit instructions suggest 'blue bamboo colour' (aotake - 青竹色) for the cockpit interior but this was later changed to Gunze (GSI Creos) H340 Field Green (FS 34097). The engine is a relief moulding with the final reduction gear and pitch control unit as a single separate piece. The propeller unit consists of the four-bladed prop, spinner and back plate as three separate parts whilst the cowling is moulded in one piece. There are parts included for the drop tank with separate sway braces.

Aoshima and Hasegawa cowlings compared

The Hasegawa cowling has deeper and more pronounced intakes than the Aoshima cowling, which is slightly more tapered all round, but the revised and updated Aoshima Shidenkai kit recently released (below) has a new cowling as well as a more detailed cockpit interior.

In terms of shape pinning things down is only marginally easier than knitting fog. The Aoshima fuselage ahead of the windscreen is shallower than the Hasegawa but deeper and more boxy to the rear. It has been asserted that the Hasegawa kit is too shallow but the tapering up of the lower rear fuselage line and the shape of its tail fin and rudder assembly appear to have the slight edge - depending on which plans are consulted. The tail fins and rudders of both kits are slightly too short in height. It is always fascinating how minor shape issues are glossed over in the clamour over newly released kits, but quickly seem to become 'fatal flaws' and ultimately, and often in a surprisingly short space of time, the kit is dismissed as a serious contender.

A neat little kit seems to sum up the Hasegawa Shidenkai, asserted shape issues and alleged inaccuracies notwithstanding. It is a simple, rapid and enjoyable build, recommended as such even today. My own biggest disappointment with it was melting the prop with a hair dryer when once attempting to photograph it with the prop turning (doh!). There is an enthusiastic build review of the kit at Modelling Madness, here and it is certainly a pleasant and undemanding weekend project out of the box.

Image credit: All box art and images © Hasegawa Corporation as dated; AT6 box image via eBay; kit part comparisons © author.

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Chinese Aircraft ~ Part One

June 27, 2015, 4:10 am

≫ Next: Ki-61/Ki-100 Aces

≪ Previous: Hasegawa Shiden Kai in 1/72

It is always a delight to be able to feature Chinese aircraft here and Woodstock has an excellent blog featuring his superb and inspiring models of historic Chinese aircraft including many rare and unusual types which are seldom seen as models. The heading image is of a mixed media Blackburn Lincock in 1/72nd scale made from the rare New Types Park kit which featured in Aviation of Japan's article on Robert Short. Woody has two of these on display, the second interpreted in an even more colourful scheme.

Breda Ba 25

Boeing 218 (export P-26) in Cantonese Air Force plumage

With special thanks to Woody for facilitating the link and kindly permitting some of his beautiful models to be shown here. More Chinese aircraft models to come.

Boeing 218 of 17th Group, Republic of China Air Force

Kawasaki Ki-10 in Chinese insignia

Fokker DVII in early Chinese Republican insignia ~ aircraft re-covered and clear doped, easier than lozenge!

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Ki-61/Ki-100 Aces

July 3, 2015, 5:20 am

≫ Next: Chinese Aircraft ~ Part 2

≪ Previous: Chinese Aircraft ~ Part One

There appears to be a certain amount of confusion about the difference between a Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien and a MiG-17 jet in some quarters, an error apparently more difficult to resolve than it was to perpetrate. For the avoidance of any doubt here is the correct cover art by Ronnie Olsthoorn for Osprey's forthcoming Aircraft of the Aces 114. It depicts the Ki-61-I Otsu of Sgt Susumu Kajinami of the 68th Hiko Sentai attacking the B-25 'Little Stinky' (41-30080) of the 501st BS near Boram, New Guinea on the 22 December 1943. Flying as wingman to the more experienced M/Sgt Matsui in this particular encounter, Sgt Kajinami went on to claim a total of eight enemy aircraft destroyed and 16 probables over New Guinea, surviving that campaign and the war.

The Sentai had recently received some Hei variant Hien with imported Mauser Mg 151/20 20mm cannon as wing armament and these were allocated to the best pilots, including the unit's leading ace Shogo Takeuchi. He had been killed the day before the air battle on 22 December, attempting to land his combat damaged Hien at one of the advanced airfields at Hansa Bay. M/Sgt Matsui was flying a Hei on 22 December and it appears that some of the B-25 crews might have mistaken 20mm hits for flak damage.

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Chinese Aircraft ~ Part 2

July 4, 2015, 3:44 am

≫ Next: Arawasi International Magazine Issue 12 and Eagle Eye Series No.2

≪ Previous: Ki-61/Ki-100 Aces

John Haas kindly shared these images of his splendid Curtiss Hawk 75 built from the 1/48th scale Hobbycraft kit in Republic of China markings. The story of the Curtiss Hawk monoplanes in Chinese service may be found here and here.

John's model represents the Curtiss 'Hawk Special', also known as the 'China Demonstrator', NR1276, (c/n 12327), as photographed at the Curtiss factory on 16th April 1937. Although NR1276 is often referred to as the first H75-H it actually appears to be the pattern aircraft for the H75-M, an export version of the Curtiss Hawk specific to China.

Les Moore kindly provided these images of his excellent Martin B-10 bomber wearing Chinese insignia and representing an aircraft of the 30th Squadron. The model was built from the classic 1/72nd scale Williams Brothers kit and constructed from the box except for the machine gun and pitot tube which were fabricated from .016 guitar string. Les painted it with War Birds acrylic and Testors enamel paints.

The Chinese government purchased nine Martin M-139WC-1 and M-139WC-2 export versions of the bomber, the first six delivered in two batches of three in February and May 1936. The final three arrived at the end of 1936 via Manila and Hong Kong. The first six bombers were assigned to the 8th Air Group's 30th Squadron and the subsequent three bombers to the 14th Squadron, also known variously as the 14th International Volunteer Squadron or the 14th Volunteer Bombardment Squadron. This unit, commanded by Vincent Schmidt, a First World War veteran from New York, consisted of foreign volunteer pilots from the USA, France and New Zealand flying with Chinese bombardiers and gunners, and was also equipped with Vultee A-19, Northrop A-17 and Gamma 2E types.

In May 1938 the two surviving Martin bombers from the 14th Squadron, 1403 and 1404, were assigned to an Air Expeditionary Force under the command of Captain Hsu Huang-sheng to fly over Japan and drop peace leaflets. The bombers were equipped with enhanced radio and radio direction finding equipment which had been co-ordinated with ground stations established along the primary and secondary routes.

The two Martins were on stand by for the mission at their Hankow base from 15 May awaiting suitable weather conditions. At 1523 hrs on 19 May the two aircraft, piloted by Captain Hsu and 1Lt Tung Yen-po (the executive officer of the 8th Air Group's 19th Squadron), departed on the first stage of the mission, flying to Ningpo via Nanchang and Chuchow. They landed there at 1755 hrs and after final preparations and refuelling took off for Japan at 2348 hrs. After dodging the searchlights of Japanese warships the Martins arrived over the fully lit city of Nagasaki at 0245 hrs and from an altitude of 11,500 ft first dropped a flare which triggered an immediate blackout and then scattered leaflets. They then flew on to Fukuoka where from 0325 hrs they began dropping more flares and leaflets. At 0332 hrs they started for home.

On the return journey the two bombers encountered bad weather and became separated in cloud but were able to find their way to the Chinese coast by means of continuous radio communications with the ground stations and each other. Both aircraft made landfall at Sanmen Wan at 0712 hrs coming under fire from Japanese ships anchored in the bay, the first hostile fire they had encountered on the mission. Martin 1404 finally landed intact at Yushan airfield at 0848 hrs and at 0924 hrs 1403 landed at Nanchang. After refuelling the bombers flew on to Hankow, rendezvoused over the city at 1113 hrs and both landed there safely.

More on Chinese bombers and bomber operations in due course.

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