Friday 31 May 2013

VIPs

On October 26, 1922 "H.I.H. The Prince Regent (Hirohito) visited the Flying Corps, Tokorozawa.
During the day he visited the main hangar (photo) escorted by the schoolmaster of the Tokorozawa Aviation School, Maj General Arikawa and took a tour in the aircraft assembly workshop, the balloon unit, the pigeon signal unit and the artillery spotting and reconnaissance balloon unit. The programme also included a parachute drop by 1st Ltd Iijima.
A number of Army Otsu-1 Reconnaissance (Salmson 2A2) are visible in the photo.

Wednesday 29 May 2013

"Evalina" by Cameron Lohmann

Our friend Cameron Lohmann "Fluffysmodels" built this brilliant Mustang using our Arawasi/Abe decals and explained:

"1/48 scale Tamiya kit number 42 "Noth American P-51B Mustang"; "Evalina" was a P51C. To get the metal finish I used Testors gloss metallic silver enamel as a base. Then, I masked some panels off and painted them with a variety of Tamiya metallic acrylics to give a different tone to dfferent parts. Other colors are also Tamiya acrylics. Kit decals first. Then the Arawasi set. It all worked so well.
That hoop antenna is from a Hasegawa P40 kit. It took some effort but it looks fine in my opinion."
 
 
Than you very much Cameron for the photos and your friendly comments. Glad our decals worked so good for you.
The decal set is available from our on-line store, HERE.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Kawasaki Type 88 Reconnaissance/Bomber KDA-2 - Aikoku #22


Aikoku #22 "TeiSei" was an Army Type 88 Reconnaissance/Bomber or Kawasaki KDA-2 that was donated by the workers of the Teikoku Seimei Hoken Kabushiki Kaisha (Imperial Life Insurance Co Ltd) on June 19, 1932 during a ceremony in Yoyogi parade grounds.
From March 1932 until May 1933 one KDA-2 model 1 Reconnaissance, five Model 2 Reconnaissance and 19 KDA-2 Light Bombers were donated as Aikoku-ki. The price of one light bomber was 30,000Yen. At that time a bottle of Johnnie Walker whiskey red label was 5.5Yen (3,580Yen or $US20 at today's prices). 

The insurance company was founded in 1888 by IJN paymaster Kakara Tameshige with Fukuhara Arinoba and members of of the IJN accounting school who had studied in the UK. In 1936 the company merged with Tokyo Seimei Hoken and in 1947 became Asahi Seimei Hoken (Asahi Mutual Life Insurance) which is now one of the biggest life insurance companies in Japan.

Sunday 26 May 2013

Japanese Moths DH-60

On May 12, Edcraft requested:

"Is there any chance to find any images of Japanese DH-60 "Moth" aircraft?
For example, one DH-60 "Cirrus Moth" plane (serial # 274) was sold to Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd, and delivered to Japanese Army.
One DH-60M "Moth Major" plane was operated at the Japanese Army Air Force Training School, Manchukuo [Manchuria] in 1943.
Any help is Welcome !"
 ---
"Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft" vol. VI mentions:
In 1926 Ishikawajima bought one De Havilland D.H. 60 Moth trainer with a 60hp engine from the UK. The aircraft arrived by ship and in May 1929 automatic Handley Page type slots were installed on the upper wing edge.
There are two photos in the Encyclopedia:


Our friend Yokokawa "Aikoku" Yuichi sent us the following material:
1. A July 1926 IJAAF document mentions one Curtis single-seat fighter and one Moth Light plane.
2. Another May 1927 IJAAF document is requesting the DH60 Moth for testing at the Technical Department of the Army Aviation headquarters.
3. IJAAF statistics document, 1929 mentions that a Type C with a 60hp engine was test flown by the Technical Department 103 times; 19hours and 22 minutes flying time. Accident during testing, aircraft badly damaged, engine suffered little damage.
4. 1930 IJAAF document mentions that a Type C with a 60hp engine was test flown four times (22minutes flying time) by the Test Department in Tokorozawa.

Newspaper news
1. May 8, 1929 - Nichi Nichi Shimbun.
On May 7, at 11o' clock in Tachikawa tests were conducted with one Avro and one Moth trainer with leading edge slots modified by Ishikawajima. The slots wre designed by a Professor Gustav Lachmann who flew the Moth. The Avro was flown by pilot Kamata and together they took-off testing the slots successfully during dives from 600 meters.
2. July 11, 1929 - Tokyo Nichi Nichi
On July 10 there was an accident in Tachikawa during testing of the Ishikawajima Moth (Siemens 100hp engine) with the slots by the Technical Department of the Army Aviation headquarters. Pilot 1st Lt Tanaka Jinhei after dive testing the aircraft, tried to make a very low pass coming down from a height of only 50 meters. At 20 meters the slots didn't respond, the pilot lost control and crashed.
3. On June 14, 1930, from 14:00, there was an aviation meeting organised by the Gakusei Koku Renmei (Aviation Society of Students) in Tachikawa with many aircraft and exhibition flights. Aircraft from the Student society included: one each Caudron C-109, C-161, (Blackburn) Bluebird Model 4, Moth with slots, Nieuport and two each Hanriot 2 and Avro.
From the IJAAF participated one each Type 87 Heavy Bomber (Kawasaki Dornier Do.N), Type 87 Light Bomber (Mitsubishi 2MB1), Ko-4 Fighter (Nieuport 29C1), Fokker Trainer, Type 88 Reconnaissance (Kawasaki KDA-2).
IJNAF aircraft included one fighter and one attacker (no types mentioned).
One Fokker Super Universal and one Fort 3M participated from Nihon Koku Yuso and one Ford, 15 passenger aircraft from Okura Shoji Kaisha.

Regarding the DH-60M "Moth Major" operated by the IJAAF Training School  in Manchukuo in 1943, the Japanese captured a number of DH.60 Moths of the Chang Hsueh-liang (Zhang Xueliang) airforce during the Mukden Incident and the capture of Manchuria in 1931. Although most probably these were operated by the Japanese until spares run out there is no record that any of these ended up in the hands of the Manchukuoan Air Force and their Aviation School in Mukden. The IJAAF operated in Manchukuo a number of branches of their mainland schools, Koku Shikan Gakko (Army Officer's School) for example, so perhaps the Moth was operated in one of these. 

Wednesday 22 May 2013

SHIZUOKA 2013 - pt. 6 - BEST of the BEST!!!

Okay. Here are the models we believe were the BEST of the BEST in the show.

Master modeller Saito Hisao of Tokushima Modelers Club exhibited three spectacular Japanese aircraft. All markings...repeat...ALL markings are not decals but painted using maskings. 

 Kawasaki Ki-45-Hei of the 4th Sentai, pilot 2nd Lt Kimura. Featured in the magazine Hobby Japan, Hasegawa 1:48.

 Hansa Brandenburg J-BAWA presented to the Sakai City Schoolchildren's Flying Association in 1932. Flashback 1:48 remodelled W29, fuselage half scratch built.

 Beechcraft C-17E J-BAOI of Nippon Koku Yuso KK. Roden 1:48. Saito-san explained that the kit had various problems especially fitting.

Komuro Seizi of Matsudo Meisaikai presented two unbelievable models.
Both were completely scratch built using WPC (wood-plastic composite) in scale 1:32. Note the amazingly accurate (in our opinion) colours.

Army Ko-4 Fighter (Nieuport 29C1)

Nakajima Type 91 Fighter (NC)
 Go HERE for a detailed and most interesting WIP.
(I don't want to hear any more complaints about how Tamigawa haven't released your favourite model, that's why you built yet another Zero)

In the 1:72 we would like to congratulate two modellers for showing exceptional skill and ingenuity.

Sotoki Hisami of Smithsonian Model Club modified a Fujimi kit to create this wonderful Mitsubishi A5M3a ("Claude" with Hispano-Suiza engine). Excellent in every respect.

And an unfortunately unknown (申し訳ありません。作者の名前がわかりません) modellerr of Museo 72 that built this Fujimi Mitsubishi A5M2a "Claude" of 13Ku, pilot Aso Tetsuro. The photo doesn't do justice to the absolutely brilliant paint job.

That's all folks!

Tuesday 21 May 2013

SHIZUOKA 2013 - pt. 5

SIRIUS
Sugitani-san contributed two models made by paper and bamboo! 
Kawasaki KDA-2

Kawasaki Ki-10 prototype











Oshiire Modelers Club
Hirosho G2H1, by ?
Wing Club 1:48

"Nell" by Kobayashi Noboru
Coster Aero 1:48

"Betty" by Sakaida Yoji
Tamiya 1:48
A VERY colorful "Betty" by Sakaida Yoji
Tamiya 1:48 




1:1 Club
A Zero-sen exclusive presentation

Smithsonian model club
"Mavis" by Sotoki Hisami,
1:144 Monochrome & 1:700

Contrail club from Gunma
"Shinzan" by Fuse Tatsuya
Anigrand 1:144
YOKOHAMA SUNDOWNERS
Kubo Sakae-san contributed four very nice "Nates", Hasegawa 1:48





Zero-sen by Ogasawara Hideaki
Tamiya 1:48

WINDS
Ki-98 by Wada Shinichiro
Meng 1:72

"Katsuodori" by Wada Shinichiro
Meng 1:72
"Kate" by Sugiyama Kazumi
Hasegawa 1:48

Utsunomiya Daigaku
"Shinden" by Shibuya Takuma
Zokei Mura 1:32

WATERLINERS
Had a HUGE presentation of the Pearl Harbor attack with planes and ships

BEST of the show tomorrow.

SHIZUOKA 2013 - pt. 4

More clubs more models. Hopefully you're not tired yet.

ROWGUANES club

"Gekko" by Yoshioka Yuzo
Tamiya 1:48

Nakajima C3N1 by Shinoda Shunji
AML 1:72












Okinawa Modellers
"Shinden" by "Nosse"
Zokei Mura 1:32
"Rufe" by ?
Tamiya 1:48
Museo 72
Mitsubishi 1MF10, by Nakagawa Hiroyuki
Choroszy 1:72
Mitsubishi 8shi 2-seat fighter, by Nakagawa Hiroyuki, Choroszy 1:72

"Toryu" by ?, 1:72

 "Tenzan" on the deck of Zuikaku
by Morisawa-san
Hasegawa 1:48
 
 "Claude" by ?, Fujimi 1:72
TOYAMA THUNDER BIRDS
Ki-200 by Nakagawa Norihiko
Fine molds 1:48

Arado Ar(E)555 by Nakagawa Norihiko
Revell 1:48
 
Tachikawa Ki-94-II, no other details













Tirnanog
Zero-sen by Takahashi Seiji
INX 1:32 (?) metal and etching parts kit

 "Suisei" by Kato Hiroshi, Fine Molds 1:48.
Featured in Model Graphics magazine
 

 
Mitsubishi B5M by Ikeda Kazuyoshi,
Raccoon 1:48


 "Kate" by Kato Hiroshi, Hasegawa 1:48.
Featured in Hobby Japan magazine


 "Tenzan" by Kato Hiroshi, Hasegawa 1:48.
Featured in Hobby Japan magazine



Fukui Scale Modelers
"Hayate" by Akishiro Yoshio
Hasegawa 1:32
Zu Klone
"Seiran" and "Kyofu" by ?, probably Tamiya 1:72
Matsudo Meisai-kai

"Claude" by Mrs Satake Fujie
Special Hobby 1:32 

"Tenzan" by Watanabe Noboru
Hasegawa 1:48

"Ryusei" by Watanabe Noboru
Hasegawa 1:48


"Seiran" by Watanabe Noboru
Tamiya 1:48

 Zenkoku Solid Model Rengo-kai

"Suisei" Model 12by ?, solid wood

"Suisei" Model 33 by ?, solid wood


Hamamatsu Shofu-kai
"Renzan" by Taniguchi Takatoshi
Hasegawa 1:72

Blue Magic
Sakaguchi Eiki (?)-san contributed four models.
Three Meng Manpi Ki-98 and one RS Model Tachikawa Ki-94.