In Box Review of Tamiya 1/48th Scale
Aichi M6A1 Seiran
Item no. 61054-2200
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1997
I paid $33.00 for my kit years ago.
It is available at Hobbylinc for $13.00 or at Squadron for $14.40 or at Mega Hobby for $15.30 or at Sprue Brothers for $18.00 or at 1001 Hobbies for $21.99 or at Kit Linx for $14.39 and at one location overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1997
I paid $33.00 for my kit years ago.
It is available at Hobbylinc for $13.00 or at Squadron for $14.40 or at Mega Hobby for $15.30 or at Sprue Brothers for $18.00 or at 1001 Hobbies for $21.99 or at Kit Linx for $14.39 and at one location overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Aichi M6A Seiran ( "Clear Sky Storm") is a submarine-launched attack float plane designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was intended to operate from I-400 class submarines whose original mission was to conduct aerial attacks against the United States. From the late 1920s, the Imperial Japanese Navy had developed a doctrine of operating float-planes from submarines to search for targets. In December 1941, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, proposed constructing a large fleet of submarine aircraft carriers (also designated STo or sen-toku — special submarine) whose purpose was to mount aerial attacks against American coastal cities. The submarines would surface to launch their aircraft by catapult, submerge to avoid detection, then surface again to retrieve the aircrews who would ditch their planes nearby.
By June 1942, the plan was to build a fleet of eighteen such submarines. This was later cut to nine, then five and finally just three as Japan's wartime fortunes declined.To equip the submarine aircraft carriers, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service requested that Aichi design a folding attack aircraft with a range of 1,500 km (810 nmi) and a speed of 555 km/h (300 kn). Aichi was already manufacturing under license, the D4Y1 Suisei (Judy), a relatively small single-engined carrier dive bomber with exceptionally clean lines and high performance. Detailed engineering studies commenced in an effort to modify the Suisei for use aboard the I-400 submarines but the difficulties in doing so were eventually judged insurmountable and a completely new design was initiated.
Aichi's final design, designated AM-24 by Aichi and given the military designation M6A1, was a two-seat, low-winged monoplane powered by a 1,050 kW (1,410 hp) Aichi AE1P Atsuta 30 engine (a licence-built copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 liquid-cooled V12 engine). The original specification dispensed with a traditional undercarriage but it was later decided to fit the aircraft with detachable twin floats to increase its versatility.
If conditions permitted, these would allow the aircraft to land next to the submarine, be recovered by crane and then re-used. The floats could be jettisoned in flight to increase performance or left off altogether for one-way missions. The Seiren's wings rotated 90 degrees and folded hydraulically against the aircraft's fuselage (with the tail also folding down) to allow for storage within the submarine's 3.5 m (11 ft) diameter cylindrical hangar.
Armament was a single 850 kg (1,870 lb) torpedo or an equivalent weight in bombs. One 13 mm (0.51 in) Type 2 machine gun was mounted on a flexible mounting for use by the observer.
As finalized, each I-400 class submarine had an enlarged watertight hangar capable of accommodating up to three M6A1s. The Seirans were to be launched from a 26 m (85 ft) compressed-air catapult mounted on the forward deck. A well-trained crew of four men could roll a Seiran out of its hangar on a collapsible catapult carriage, attach the plane's pontoons and have it readied for flight in approximately 7 minutes.
In order to shorten the launching process and eliminate the need for time-consuming engine warm-ups, the Seirans were to be catapulted from a cold start. This necessitated heating the engine oil for each plane to approximately 60 °C (140 °F) in a separate chamber and pumping it, as well as hot water, through the engine just prior to launch while the planes were still in the hangar. In this way, the aircraft's engine would be at or near normal operating temperature immediately upon getting airborne. The idea was borrowed from the Germans who planned on using a similar launch method for the aircraft of their unfinished carrier Graf Zeppelin.
The first of eight prototype Seirans was completed in October 1943, commencing flight testing in November that year. A problem with overbalance of the auxiliary wings was eventually solved by raising the height of the tail fin. Further testing was sufficiently successful for production to start in early 1944. In order to aid pilot conversion to the Seiran, two examples of a land based trainer version fitted with a retractable undercarriage were built. These were given the designation M6A1-K Nanzan ("Southern Mountain"). Besides the difference in landing gear, the vertical stabilizers' top portion, which was foldable on the Seiran, was removed.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 2
Length: 11.64 m (38 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 12.262 m (40 ft 3 in)
Height: 4.58 m (15 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 27 m2 (290 sq ft)
Empty weight: 3,301 kg (7,277 lb)
Gross weight: 4,040 kg (8,907 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,445 kg (9,800 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Aichi AE1P Atsuta 30 or Atsuta 31 V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,000 kW (1,400 hp) for take-off, 999 kW (1,340 hp) at 1,700 m (5,577 ft), 962 kW (1,290 hp) at 5,000 m (16,404 ft)
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 474 km/h (295 mph, 256 kn) at 5,200 m (17,060 ft)
Cruise speed: 296 km/h (184 mph, 160 kn) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
Range: 1,188 km (738 mi, 641 nmi)
Service ceiling: 9,900 m (32,500 ft)
Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 5 minutes 48 seconds
Wing loading: 149.6 kg/m2 (30.6 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.3574 kW/kg (0.2174 hp/lb)
Armament;
Guns: 1× 13 mm cabin-mounted Type 2 machine gun
Bombs: 1× Type 91 torpedo or 2× 250 kg (551 lb) or 1× 850 kg (1,874 lb) bombs
The Aichi M6A Seiran ( "Clear Sky Storm") is a submarine-launched attack float plane designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was intended to operate from I-400 class submarines whose original mission was to conduct aerial attacks against the United States. From the late 1920s, the Imperial Japanese Navy had developed a doctrine of operating float-planes from submarines to search for targets. In December 1941, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, proposed constructing a large fleet of submarine aircraft carriers (also designated STo or sen-toku — special submarine) whose purpose was to mount aerial attacks against American coastal cities. The submarines would surface to launch their aircraft by catapult, submerge to avoid detection, then surface again to retrieve the aircrews who would ditch their planes nearby.
By June 1942, the plan was to build a fleet of eighteen such submarines. This was later cut to nine, then five and finally just three as Japan's wartime fortunes declined.To equip the submarine aircraft carriers, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service requested that Aichi design a folding attack aircraft with a range of 1,500 km (810 nmi) and a speed of 555 km/h (300 kn). Aichi was already manufacturing under license, the D4Y1 Suisei (Judy), a relatively small single-engined carrier dive bomber with exceptionally clean lines and high performance. Detailed engineering studies commenced in an effort to modify the Suisei for use aboard the I-400 submarines but the difficulties in doing so were eventually judged insurmountable and a completely new design was initiated.
Aichi's final design, designated AM-24 by Aichi and given the military designation M6A1, was a two-seat, low-winged monoplane powered by a 1,050 kW (1,410 hp) Aichi AE1P Atsuta 30 engine (a licence-built copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 liquid-cooled V12 engine). The original specification dispensed with a traditional undercarriage but it was later decided to fit the aircraft with detachable twin floats to increase its versatility.
If conditions permitted, these would allow the aircraft to land next to the submarine, be recovered by crane and then re-used. The floats could be jettisoned in flight to increase performance or left off altogether for one-way missions. The Seiren's wings rotated 90 degrees and folded hydraulically against the aircraft's fuselage (with the tail also folding down) to allow for storage within the submarine's 3.5 m (11 ft) diameter cylindrical hangar.
Armament was a single 850 kg (1,870 lb) torpedo or an equivalent weight in bombs. One 13 mm (0.51 in) Type 2 machine gun was mounted on a flexible mounting for use by the observer.
As finalized, each I-400 class submarine had an enlarged watertight hangar capable of accommodating up to three M6A1s. The Seirans were to be launched from a 26 m (85 ft) compressed-air catapult mounted on the forward deck. A well-trained crew of four men could roll a Seiran out of its hangar on a collapsible catapult carriage, attach the plane's pontoons and have it readied for flight in approximately 7 minutes.
In order to shorten the launching process and eliminate the need for time-consuming engine warm-ups, the Seirans were to be catapulted from a cold start. This necessitated heating the engine oil for each plane to approximately 60 °C (140 °F) in a separate chamber and pumping it, as well as hot water, through the engine just prior to launch while the planes were still in the hangar. In this way, the aircraft's engine would be at or near normal operating temperature immediately upon getting airborne. The idea was borrowed from the Germans who planned on using a similar launch method for the aircraft of their unfinished carrier Graf Zeppelin.
The first of eight prototype Seirans was completed in October 1943, commencing flight testing in November that year. A problem with overbalance of the auxiliary wings was eventually solved by raising the height of the tail fin. Further testing was sufficiently successful for production to start in early 1944. In order to aid pilot conversion to the Seiran, two examples of a land based trainer version fitted with a retractable undercarriage were built. These were given the designation M6A1-K Nanzan ("Southern Mountain"). Besides the difference in landing gear, the vertical stabilizers' top portion, which was foldable on the Seiran, was removed.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 2
Length: 11.64 m (38 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 12.262 m (40 ft 3 in)
Height: 4.58 m (15 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 27 m2 (290 sq ft)
Empty weight: 3,301 kg (7,277 lb)
Gross weight: 4,040 kg (8,907 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,445 kg (9,800 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Aichi AE1P Atsuta 30 or Atsuta 31 V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,000 kW (1,400 hp) for take-off, 999 kW (1,340 hp) at 1,700 m (5,577 ft), 962 kW (1,290 hp) at 5,000 m (16,404 ft)
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 474 km/h (295 mph, 256 kn) at 5,200 m (17,060 ft)
Cruise speed: 296 km/h (184 mph, 160 kn) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
Range: 1,188 km (738 mi, 641 nmi)
Service ceiling: 9,900 m (32,500 ft)
Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 5 minutes 48 seconds
Wing loading: 149.6 kg/m2 (30.6 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.3574 kW/kg (0.2174 hp/lb)
Armament;
Guns: 1× 13 mm cabin-mounted Type 2 machine gun
Bombs: 1× Type 91 torpedo or 2× 250 kg (551 lb) or 1× 850 kg (1,874 lb) bombs
THE KIT:
Tamiya is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped , tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a color illustration of an Aichi M6A1 Seiran that Is flying over a Japanese sub. The sub has a second M6A1 that is on the take-off ramp and is getting its wings unfolded. A torpedo is raising out of a tube to its side.
Both of the Seirans are dark-green over light-grey undercarriages, with yellow wing leading edge. The one in flight has red bands around the front of its floats, light-grey around the center of the floats, that extends up under the wings and has two white vertical lines each side of it. A red Japanese Air Force red-circle, outlined in white on the fuselage sides and white K6-01 on the sides of the rudder.
The submarine is overall grey.
Across the top of the box art on a red band, it says: wingspan of the model is 254mm (10”), overall length 221mm (8 ¾”). Over modeling skills helpful if under 10 years of age. Ready to assemble, precision model kit.
One side-panel of the box shows 2 side views of M6A1’s. They are both in the box art schemes.
One is carrying a black bomb. It has white no. K5-02 on the rudder sides. It was with the 631st Kaigun Kokutai.
The other one is on its wood cart. It has a white no. K6-03 on the rudder sides and was with the same unit.
Followed by a paragraph in Japanese.
Tamiya is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped , tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a color illustration of an Aichi M6A1 Seiran that Is flying over a Japanese sub. The sub has a second M6A1 that is on the take-off ramp and is getting its wings unfolded. A torpedo is raising out of a tube to its side.
Both of the Seirans are dark-green over light-grey undercarriages, with yellow wing leading edge. The one in flight has red bands around the front of its floats, light-grey around the center of the floats, that extends up under the wings and has two white vertical lines each side of it. A red Japanese Air Force red-circle, outlined in white on the fuselage sides and white K6-01 on the sides of the rudder.
The submarine is overall grey.
Across the top of the box art on a red band, it says: wingspan of the model is 254mm (10”), overall length 221mm (8 ¾”). Over modeling skills helpful if under 10 years of age. Ready to assemble, precision model kit.
One side-panel of the box shows 2 side views of M6A1’s. They are both in the box art schemes.
One is carrying a black bomb. It has white no. K5-02 on the rudder sides. It was with the 631st Kaigun Kokutai.
The other one is on its wood cart. It has a white no. K6-03 on the rudder sides and was with the same unit.
Followed by a paragraph in Japanese.
The other side-panel of the box shows a color 3-view of a M6A1 in the same scheme as the others. It is a repeat of the box art one and with the same unit as the others.
Also followed by a paragraph all in Japanese and the 1997 copyright date for this kit. Over Tamiya’s street address in Japan.
Also followed by a paragraph all in Japanese and the 1997 copyright date for this kit. Over Tamiya’s street address in Japan.
The tray of the box has black and white illustrations of Tamiya products printed on the bottom and side-walls. Kit covers, tools, paint and cement are shown.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX;
The kit holds 4 light-grey parts trees, a clear tree, a metal weight, black poly-caps, and the decal sheet in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
The decal sheet holds Japanese Air Force red-roundels , dashboard and instruments and seat belts.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 10 pages in 7” x 10 ¼” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white photo of a M6A1 made up and sitting on its wood handling dolly (the box art scheme one).
Below is the history of the aircraft, all in Japanese, with a black and white drawing of T-400 submarine.
Page 2 gives the history in English, German and Italian. With another black and white drawing of T-14 submarine and a black and white photo of an actual M6A1 fuselage in a museum.
Page 3 begins with READ BEFORE ASSEMBLY instructions, pictures of model tools and adhesive, a suggested paint color listing of Tamiya brand pains, over CAUTIONS in the 3 languages.
The bottom of page 3 on through to page 8 gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Step 1 includes assembly and painting instructions for the 2 figures.
Page 9 shows a 4-view of the box art scheme.
The top of page 10 shows a line drawing of the M6A1 with its wings folded and being atop the wood cart. A second drawing shows it emerging from the hangar aboard a submarine. Below is decal application instructions and a customer service coupon, in the 3 languages.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: the fuselage, struts, tail-wheel, dash, joystick, propeller, seats, cockpit floor, spinner, machine guns etc. (38 parts).
The kit holds 4 light-grey parts trees, a clear tree, a metal weight, black poly-caps, and the decal sheet in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
The decal sheet holds Japanese Air Force red-roundels , dashboard and instruments and seat belts.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 10 pages in 7” x 10 ¼” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white photo of a M6A1 made up and sitting on its wood handling dolly (the box art scheme one).
Below is the history of the aircraft, all in Japanese, with a black and white drawing of T-400 submarine.
Page 2 gives the history in English, German and Italian. With another black and white drawing of T-14 submarine and a black and white photo of an actual M6A1 fuselage in a museum.
Page 3 begins with READ BEFORE ASSEMBLY instructions, pictures of model tools and adhesive, a suggested paint color listing of Tamiya brand pains, over CAUTIONS in the 3 languages.
The bottom of page 3 on through to page 8 gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Step 1 includes assembly and painting instructions for the 2 figures.
Page 9 shows a 4-view of the box art scheme.
The top of page 10 shows a line drawing of the M6A1 with its wings folded and being atop the wood cart. A second drawing shows it emerging from the hangar aboard a submarine. Below is decal application instructions and a customer service coupon, in the 3 languages.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: the fuselage, struts, tail-wheel, dash, joystick, propeller, seats, cockpit floor, spinner, machine guns etc. (38 parts).
Light-grey letter B tree holds: wing halves, elevators, flaps etc. (10 parts)
There are 2 identical light-grey letter C trees. They hold: pontoons, wood dolly and its wheels, full bodied figures, air-intakes etc. (14 parts ea.)
Clear letter D tree holds the cockpit windows (5 parts)
This kit is tail heavy and will tilt back without the steel metal weight that is included in the kit. It is wrapped in bubble-wrapping. (1 part)
Finally are the 2 black vinyl poly-caps, that are used to hold the propellers on.
A mystery to me is why did Tamiya include a second identical propeller spinner?
A mystery to me is why did Tamiya include a second identical propeller spinner?
The decal sheet and metal tube completes the kit's contents.
Nice detail.
Recommended.
Recommended.