In Box Review of Tomy 1/32nd Scale Kawanishi N1K2-J Shinden-Kai “George:
Japanese Navy Fighter
Motorized- Kit no. HP-2-1100
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 197x
Out of Production
I paid $13.98 for this kit at Iowa Service Hobby shop years ago.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 197x
Out of Production
I paid $13.98 for this kit at Iowa Service Hobby shop years ago.
HISTORY:
The Kawanishi N1K was an Imperial Japanese Navy fighter aircraft, developed in two forms: the N1K Kyōfū ("Strong Wind", Allied reporting name "Rex"), a floatplane designed to support forward offensive operations where no airstrips were available, and the N1K-J Shinden ("Violet Lightning", reporting name "George"), a land-based version of the N1K. The N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II.
An improved variant, the N1K2-J "Shinden-Kai" first flew on 1 January 1944. The Shinden Kai possessed heavy armament, as well as surprisingly good maneuverability, due to a mercury switch that automatically extended the flaps during turns. These "combat" flaps created more lift, thereby allowing tighter turns. Unlike the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the Shinden Kai could compete against the best late-war Allied fighters, such as the F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, and P-51 Mustang.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 1
Length: 8.885 m (29 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Height: 4.06 m (13 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 23.5 m2 (253 sq ft)
Airfoil: LB620515-6075
Empty weight: 2,897 kg (6,387 lb.)
Gross weight: 3,900 kg (8,598 lb.)
Max takeoff weight: 4,321 kg (9,526 lb.)
Fuel capacity: 477 L (126 US gal; 105 imp gal) internal + 323 L (85 US gal; 71 imp gal) drop tank; maximum 800 L (210 US gal; 180 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,473 kW (1,975 hp) at sea level
Propellers: 4-bladed, 2.987 m (9 ft 9.6 in) diameter constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 571 km/h (355 mph, 308 knot) at 3,500 kg (7,717 lb.) at sea level, 656 km/h (408 mph) at 6,100 m (20,000 ft)
Range: 1,078 km (670 mi, 582 nm.) at 272 km/h (169 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft), 813 km (505 mi) at 75% Vmaxat 391 km/h (243 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft)
Ferry range: 1,746 km (1,085 mi, 943 nm.) maximum with drop tank at 269 km/h (167 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft), 1,078 km (670 mi) at 75% Vmax at 381.5 km/h (237.1 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft)
Service ceiling: 12,009 m (39,400 ft)
Rate of climb: 19.7 m/s (3,880 ft/min) at 3,500 kg (7,717 lb.) at sea level, 4,065 ft/min at 3,500 kg (7,717 lb.) at 1,798 m (5,900 ft)
Time to altitude: 3,000 m (10,000 ft) in 2 minutes 36 seconds, 6,100 m (20,000 ft) in 5 minutes 36 seconds
Wing loading: 166 kg/m2 (34 lb./sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.38 kW/kg (0.23 hp/lb.)
Armament:
Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Type 99 Mark 2 machine guns in the wings.
Bombs: 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 1 × 323 L (85 US gal; 71 imp gal) drop tank
The Kawanishi N1K was an Imperial Japanese Navy fighter aircraft, developed in two forms: the N1K Kyōfū ("Strong Wind", Allied reporting name "Rex"), a floatplane designed to support forward offensive operations where no airstrips were available, and the N1K-J Shinden ("Violet Lightning", reporting name "George"), a land-based version of the N1K. The N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II.
An improved variant, the N1K2-J "Shinden-Kai" first flew on 1 January 1944. The Shinden Kai possessed heavy armament, as well as surprisingly good maneuverability, due to a mercury switch that automatically extended the flaps during turns. These "combat" flaps created more lift, thereby allowing tighter turns. Unlike the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the Shinden Kai could compete against the best late-war Allied fighters, such as the F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, and P-51 Mustang.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 1
Length: 8.885 m (29 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Height: 4.06 m (13 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 23.5 m2 (253 sq ft)
Airfoil: LB620515-6075
Empty weight: 2,897 kg (6,387 lb.)
Gross weight: 3,900 kg (8,598 lb.)
Max takeoff weight: 4,321 kg (9,526 lb.)
Fuel capacity: 477 L (126 US gal; 105 imp gal) internal + 323 L (85 US gal; 71 imp gal) drop tank; maximum 800 L (210 US gal; 180 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,473 kW (1,975 hp) at sea level
Propellers: 4-bladed, 2.987 m (9 ft 9.6 in) diameter constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 571 km/h (355 mph, 308 knot) at 3,500 kg (7,717 lb.) at sea level, 656 km/h (408 mph) at 6,100 m (20,000 ft)
Range: 1,078 km (670 mi, 582 nm.) at 272 km/h (169 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft), 813 km (505 mi) at 75% Vmaxat 391 km/h (243 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft)
Ferry range: 1,746 km (1,085 mi, 943 nm.) maximum with drop tank at 269 km/h (167 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft), 1,078 km (670 mi) at 75% Vmax at 381.5 km/h (237.1 mph) at 460 m (1,500 ft)
Service ceiling: 12,009 m (39,400 ft)
Rate of climb: 19.7 m/s (3,880 ft/min) at 3,500 kg (7,717 lb.) at sea level, 4,065 ft/min at 3,500 kg (7,717 lb.) at 1,798 m (5,900 ft)
Time to altitude: 3,000 m (10,000 ft) in 2 minutes 36 seconds, 6,100 m (20,000 ft) in 5 minutes 36 seconds
Wing loading: 166 kg/m2 (34 lb./sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.38 kW/kg (0.23 hp/lb.)
Armament:
Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Type 99 Mark 2 machine guns in the wings.
Bombs: 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 1 × 323 L (85 US gal; 71 imp gal) drop tank
THE KIT:
Tomy is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Japan. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Kawanishi N1K2-J “George” Japanese fighter, that is shooting down a F6F Hellcat fighter in flames over a sea coast.
The George is overall dark-green, with a light-grey undercarriage. It has Japanese Air Force red roundels, that are outlined in white, atop the wings and on the fuselage sides. Roundels under the wings are not outlined.
There are white victory marks on the fuselage side for victory over 3 bombers and 2 fighters. Followed by narrow diagonal fuselage bands of yellow, white and yellow. It has a white letter A atop the rudder and white no. 343-15 below it.
The Hellcat is overall dark navy-blue, with a diagonal white bar on the rudder, stenciled white no. 50 under the cockpit and white stars with bars in the usual 6 positions.
All the text in the kit is in Japanese, except for the name of the kit’s subject on the cover art.
Tomy is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Japan. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Kawanishi N1K2-J “George” Japanese fighter, that is shooting down a F6F Hellcat fighter in flames over a sea coast.
The George is overall dark-green, with a light-grey undercarriage. It has Japanese Air Force red roundels, that are outlined in white, atop the wings and on the fuselage sides. Roundels under the wings are not outlined.
There are white victory marks on the fuselage side for victory over 3 bombers and 2 fighters. Followed by narrow diagonal fuselage bands of yellow, white and yellow. It has a white letter A atop the rudder and white no. 343-15 below it.
The Hellcat is overall dark navy-blue, with a diagonal white bar on the rudder, stenciled white no. 50 under the cockpit and white stars with bars in the usual 6 positions.
All the text in the kit is in Japanese, except for the name of the kit’s subject on the cover art.
The other side panel of the box shows color box arts of other aircraft kits that Tomy manufactures: a different George box cover, a P-51 Mustang and a Zero. Kit numbers are all in Japanese.
One side panel of the box shows Japanese text, with a color side view of the cover art in the center.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 4 dark-green parts trees, a clear tree, copper metal parts and the decal sheet in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
There is no electric motor included. Only the switch box parts.
The instructions consist of an unbound booklet of 8 pages in 7 ½” x 13 ¾” page format.
Page 1 gives a lot of Japanese text and a box art of another black and white George kit box art, that shows a George attacking a formation of 3 U.S. B-29’S.
Pages 2 on through to page 6 gives a grand total of 11 assembly steps.
Page 7 is the parts-trees illustrations.
Page 8 has columns of Japanese text on it.
A single-sheet, printed in color on slick coated stock, is folded in the center to create 4 pages in the same size format as the instructions.
Page shows a 3 ½ view of the George’ s top and bottom of the box art scheme (already described above).
The kit holds 4 dark-green parts trees, a clear tree, copper metal parts and the decal sheet in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
There is no electric motor included. Only the switch box parts.
The instructions consist of an unbound booklet of 8 pages in 7 ½” x 13 ¾” page format.
Page 1 gives a lot of Japanese text and a box art of another black and white George kit box art, that shows a George attacking a formation of 3 U.S. B-29’S.
Pages 2 on through to page 6 gives a grand total of 11 assembly steps.
Page 7 is the parts-trees illustrations.
Page 8 has columns of Japanese text on it.
A single-sheet, printed in color on slick coated stock, is folded in the center to create 4 pages in the same size format as the instructions.
Page shows a 3 ½ view of the George’ s top and bottom of the box art scheme (already described above).
A second 3 ½ view shows a George in a camouflage of wide areas of dark-green and black, with light-grey undercarriage, yellow wing leading-edges, white outlined red roundels on fuselage sides and atop the wings, un-outlined roundels under the wings and a white number 343-0-41 on the rudder sides.
Page 2 shows a side view of a George in the same colors as the box art scheme. With a large white backwards letter E and III on the rudder sides.
A 3 ½ view in the same colors. With a white backwards letter E -104 on the rudder sides.
A 3 ½ view in the same colors. With a white backwards letter E -104 on the rudder sides.
Pages 3 & 4 are blank.
Next item is a single sheet, printed on one side, that is a color chart by Aero Publishers Inc.
I have included a copy of Profile magazines, issue 213 to the kit with color profiles from the book. It covers the George on wheels and pontoons.
I also added a history of the George, off the Wikipedia site.
The kit holds 4 dark-green parts trees, a clear tree, copper metal parts and the decal sheet in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
Parts-trees are not alphabetized.
The first dark-green tree holds the fuselage halves (2 parts)
Parts-trees are not alphabetized.
The first dark-green tree holds the fuselage halves (2 parts)
The second dark-green tree holds the wing halves (3 parts)
The third dark-green tree holds: the pilot figure, wheels, bombs, cockpit floor, wheels etc. (58 parts)
The fourth dark-green tree holds: the propeller, drop-tank, cowling, dashboard, landing gear etc. (32 parts)
There is an alternate dark-green propeller in the kit.
There is a tube of glue, wires and 10 metal parts to use in the battery box that you build however no battery is supplied.
Unfortunately there is no electric motor included in the kit. Only the parts to build the on-off switch box.
The 3 piece canopy and decal sheet complete the kit’s contents.
The detail is of the engraved variety and very good.
Recommended.
Recommended.