NEW RELEASE!!!

Ten years after the publication of the first volume of "Baron Miyahara and his World of Aircraft" (now out-of-print), the Japan Aeronautic Association Aviation Heritage Archive has just released a brand new book and is HUGE! 

The title is: J-BIRD: Japanese Aircraft Register 1921-1945

 

  

It is a list with information of all the known Japanese civilian registers (J-XXXX) including gliders, plus the civilian registers of Manchukuo and the China Airways. It's 438 pages long and features no less than 915 photos!!! A tremendous effort, some of the authors I know have been working on it for more than 20 years. Most of the photos are of very high quality with many civilian aircraft seen for the very first time in print and dozens of extremely interesting paint schemes and markings. Apart from the photos the book features articles regarding the way the civilian markings were applied, the complex registration process that changed through time and more. The book is similar to Model Art #327, all in Japanese, with no colour pages or artwork. Nevertheless it is a truly amazing book and essential for every fan of Japanese aviation as it covers to a large degree the much ignored (not by Arawasi though as our readers know well) Civilian Aviation of Japan. 

It is an absolute must and highly recommended without any reservations.

 

The book is available from Arawasi, HERE. Price is $US50, postage not included, and keep in mind that it is more than 1kg heavy and worth the price.

 

 

Collector's Items

Vintage and extremely rare kits recently on sale on the Japanese Ebay.
Do you have any information about them?


Starfix, Mitsubishi A6M5 "Zero-sen", 1:72

Calin Ungureanu sent the following information about the Starfix Zero kit:
It was on sale in bookshops in Romania in the '90s. It's not 1/72 but not 1/48 either. In fact it's hardly a Zero. Somehow the molds where from Israel and this one and several other kits (Me109, Aichi Val and some Russian bombers of the '50s in 144 scale maybe) where injected in Romania, perhaps at a nearly out of busyness plastic factory. Everybody in the modeling branch started to buy them because of the very low price, but soon find out that it was just scrap plastic because you can't build them into credible models. Most of them ended up at kids as "make and take" modeling seminars.
I try to build a 1/48 Me109 for a veteran Romanian pilot and even finished it but it looked more like a crossbreed between an E and a F series.
The plastic was silver-gray for all the series, with Sci-Fi positive details.

Thank you very much Calin.

Fairy Kikaku, Mitsubishi 1MT1N, 1:72

Aoshima, Mitsubishi A7M "Reppu", 1:72 

Aoshima, Mitsubishi A6M5 "Zero-sen", 1:60
Sold at about $US500!!!

Hasegawa, Mitsubishi A6M5 "Zero-sen", 1:75
Clear model, sold at about $US200!!!

Marusan, Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa", 1:50

Sankyo Peanuts, Kawanishi H6K "Mavis", 1:150 

Monochrome, Kawasaki Ki-61 II Kai "Hien", 1:48
For the Hasegawa kit.

Otaki, Mitsubishi J2M "Raiden", ?

Sharp, Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien", 1:72

Sharp, Nakajima Ki-44 "Shoki", 1:72

Sanwa Tokyo Plamo, Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien", 1:100

Sankyo, Mitsubishi A6M "Zero", ?
"Plastic solid model" sold at $US200!!!

Nitto, Nakajima B5N "Kate", 1:72

Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" & Ki-44-II Otsu "Shoki" by Michael Williams

Below are photos of two models finished-off with Flying Papa’s decals. Both base models are from Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale range, the Nakajima Ki-84-I Ko "Hayate" now finished off from the 57th Shimbu-tai suicide attack unit, and Nakajima Ki-44-II Otsu "Shoki" from the 47th Sentai.

The Flying Papa’s decals were perfect in all respects and resulted in very enjoyable builds with excellent final display results.

Michael Williams - Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Model Kraft 2016 - Japanese Aviation SIG

"Model Kraft 2016" organized by the Milton Keynes Scale Model Club took place on April 24 and the Japanese Aviation SIG was there. Here's what Gary Wenko reported:

We were well represented at Milton Keynes yesterday with an excellent array of models for the public to see. There's some real talent in the SIG and it was evident by the standard of models brought for the display. I've snapped some photos, but not nearly as many as did the public who paid to visit the show. There were nine contributors for the four tables we had: Richard Brooker, Dick Delaney, Julien Dixon, Peter Fox, Peter James, Lawrence Paffett, Rick Smith, Peter Terry and I.  John Drummond attended the show as well. Space behind the display was a bit tight, but we managed - a bit of give and take.
The show was very well attended with folks parking what seemed to be miles away to come in. There were clubs displaying from all over the country and that bodes well as the show date was shared with the Scottish Nationals in Perth. 

- Gary Wenko -

Peter Fox also uploaded photos of the JASIG table here and of the show in general here.

Manga

Title: "Tokko!! Shinten Seiku-tai"

(Special Attack!! Heaven-Shaking Air Superiority Unit)

Illustrator: Imura Shinji 

Story: Hashimoto Jun

Published by: Bunka-sha, 1998

Size: 12X18cm

Pages: 192

All in Japanese

Nakajima A6M2-N "Rufe" by Eric Vogel

Buying bread from a man in Brussels
 He was six-foot-four and full of muscles
 I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
 He just smiled and gave me a vegemite...Rufe???

Here are some pictures of my Nakajima A6M2-N "Rufe" project of last year (Tamiya 1/48). I still need to take some pictures of the finished model. But with these pictures you get an idea of the progress of the model. I used liquid mask and Vegemite to make some chipping, painted the Hinomaru on it and finished everything with some oil washes.

This was the first plane I worked on since 1997 and I am satisfied with the result so far. Despite its age the kit is still very enjoyable to work on and fits very well. The green colour is based on Nato green, just my personal touch instead of the dark green colour.
The Vegemite method was used before the now famous "hairspray technique". You dip a sponge in the Vegemite and then on a piece of paper until you have a real fine pattern. Then place the sponge on the area you like to have the chips or scratches. Apply a thin layer of paint over it ( Tamiya, Vallejo, Hobby color), wait for 15 minutes. Take a soft brush, make it a little wet with water and start rubbing over the areas. The Vegemite will dissolve and you remove it with the paint with a soft tissue.
I found this method more in control than the Hairspray, you can make real small chips. I have done it now again on my N1K1 (photos soon) and I like the result very much.

Eric Vogel - Rotterdam, The Netherlands

 

 

 

 

Japanese Focke-Wulf Ta 183 Huckebein by Richard Brooker

In the previous post about the IPMS Shropshire show a particular model caught my eye and asked Gary for closer shots. So here it is, a Japanese Focke-Wulf Ta 183 "Huckebein" by Richard Brooker in 1/48 for the "What If?" special interest group displayed on the JASIG stand at Cosford.

IPMS Shropshire show 2015 - Japanese Aviation SIG

We had a fantastic showing of models at the IPMS Shropshire show held at the RAF Museum Cosford on Sunday, perhaps, a better display than we have at Telford with SMW, so I think it was a rousing success. We had eight folks displaying, Bob Foster, Tim Cant, Lawrence Paffett, Dick Delaney, Richard Brooker, Paul Bebbington, Andy Binks and I. We paid for two additional tables and had a linear display on four tables. Two snaps are attached, one of the overall display just before the public came in and another with Paul, Richard and I that Stella took. Malcolm Barrett visited the show and spent some time behind the table with us. I know I've left someone off, but can't think of who for love nor money.

It was a wonderful show in a magnificent setting, and of course Gary Stevens, organiser of the show, kindly sited us before the Dinah. What more could we ask? We provided forty-one models in 1/24, 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scales, and something that I have to share with you is that a visitor from Japan stopped and thanked us for displaying models of Japanese aircraft. That doesn't happen every day and was quite touching.

- Gary Wenko -