Kyushu J7W1 "Shinden" by Bernhard Tomaschitz

I must admit that at first I knew nothing about the kit. On my first visit to Japan I saw it in the VOLKS shop. Until then I thought it was fictional. At that time I knew nothing about Japan and its history. All this changed rapidly and I became so much involved with Japan, the language and the history that my life was changed.
The J7W1 "Shinden" is a remarkable aircraft. The futuristic and advanced design goes far in detail. Some of its design steps were finally used for the first time in the 1980s. External panels in the cockpit area for maintenance took decades to be used again. And also the canard development without electronic calculations is a masterpiece by its own. Like many other Japanese aerodynamic designs this aircraft is a milestone of flight.
The kit by itself is a masterpiece. I am familiar with most aircraft kit manufacturers of the world but Zoukei-Mura is the best in its scale and the best injection molded kit I have ever built. All the details are properly researched and for sure it was great fun as a project.
- Bernhard Tomaschitz -