Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 002 - JAN GOORMANS

An absolutely brilliant what-if Mitsubishi J2M "Raiden" in BAF colors, Hasegawa 1/32, by Jan Goormans from Belgium. 

Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 002

ARAWASI would like to invite you to our 2nd online model contest.

CLICK: Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 002  TO SEE ALL THE ENTRIES.

Theme: What-ifs & Fantasy in any scale

Submissions: Send as many photos as you like of your model and accompanying information to contact@arawasi.jp or arawasi_g2@hotmail.com. At the very least please send: your name and country, model scale and kit maker. Your entry will be posted within 24 hours. You can enter the contest with more than one model in any scale.

Voting: you can vote for each model from 1 to 5 either by leaving a comment on each entry or by sending an email to the above addresses. No anonymous votes will be taken into account (nicknames are ok). The model with the most points wins.

Deadline: December 15  

Prizes: The winner (or winners) will receive a book and a model from our on-line store, free of any charge, courtesy of Arawasi.

 

The theme for the next online model contest is "Civilian Aviation" and will start from January 2017.

2016 “Supercon”

2016 “Supercon”

 

September 10, 2016

Arlington, Texas

 

Sponsored by the IPMS Fort Worth Scale Modelers

This year's show had a reasonable turnout with plenty to be seen, bought, traded, and so on. As far as Japanese aircraft, all entries were single engine types. The Kyofu is one plane you don't see every time, neither is a crashing Zero complete with a very blood spattered cockpit! The little A5M and Ki-27 caught my eye, as did a Ki-61. (Note entry form under the latter, rather curious, yes?) Both early and late versions of the ubiquitous A6M were represented.
No experimental or “what if” types this time.
If anyone sees their model pictured please share some info about it.

On to the photos!

Devlin Chouinard

Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku - Mitsubishi G4M - Rabaul - Video

Another short clip from the NHK collection, dated May 25, 1943, featuring Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku during his visit to the IJNAF base in Rabaul. At 00:26 he is seen seating next to Vice Admiral Kusaka Jinichi, commander in chief, Japanese Southeast Area Fleet, who had arrived in Rabaul on 8 October 1942 as commander of the Eleventh Air Fleet.

From 00:30 a number of Mitsubishi G4M1 "Rikko" (Betty) are seen taking off but we were not able to pinpoint the unit they belong to. One tail marking seems to be "T-331" (or "T-351") which would indicate it belongs to Takao Ku but although the unit was in Rabaul from September 22, 1942 until October 1 when they were re-designated 753Ku, on October 31 the unit left Rabaul and relocated to Kendari in Sulawesi and Java.

During the "I-Go" Operation the two "Betty" units involved were the 751st and the 705th Kokutai, with different tail markings.  

 

 

Bougainville trip

Last month I had the opportunity to visit Bougainville island. This island opened to the public last year, after a long " civil war". I spent a full week there and had all the luck of the world to visit the famous Yamamoto crash site. This place is a hard one to visit because of issues with the landowner that have been going on for a long time now. In fact I was the first foreign visitor this year. The one before me was a television crew from New Zealand in 2015. 

The owner was with me to the site and explained the problems ( with all the other landowners) they face when they have a visitor. The sad thing is, last year the propeller blades were stolen, just taken of by a grinder or saw. 

I had a fair bit of time to wander around the remains of the plane and started up to open up a pile of scrap parts. In this pile I found parts of the window frames, even with some bit of glass in it. Another find was a regulator valve with some sort of cover around it which hadn't dissolved after all this time. It was made of some jute material. Also noticeable was the blue paint, still very well visible on the aluminum parts.

 

 

 

 I also visited a site with a Zero near Kieta, it was on some poles and looked very unstable. On the north part of the island I visit the wreck of an other plane in a park ( the " red" one)..

 

 

After Bougainville I visited also Rabaul and the surrounding area. The Kokopo museum was great to visit with lots of Japanese tanks and all sort of vehicles. Lots of aircraft parts and even a Zero were over there.

Eric Vogel

 

Thank you very much Eric for the photos and the report from your most exciting visit. I'm sure there are many readers here that are extremely jealous, myself included. If you have time we'd like to see photos from your visit to Rabaul, too.

Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" by Alexandros Angelopoulos

An absolutely amazing Hasegawa Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 22 of the Mihoro Kokutai in 1/72 built by Alexandros Angelopoulos from Greece.

 

Yokosuka K5Y1 "Akatonbo" - Kaigun Yobi Gakusei

An April 27, 1944 clip from the NHK collection featuring "Kaigun Yobi Gakusei" (IJNAF reserved student officers) training in Yatabe Kokutai, a branch of Kasumigaura Kokutai located near Yatabe city, Ibaraki county.

The "Kaigun Yobi Gakusei" programme started in 1941 and included volunteers from high school, universities and technical schools, training for one year and receiving the rank of Ensign upon graduation.

 

 

 

Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 001 - And the winner is...

...ZBYSZEK MALICKI from Poland with his beautiful Mitsubishi Ki-83, HERE.

 

 

 

The winner can chose one book and one kit from THIS page or from our on-line store, here. Zbyszek, email me please.

 

All other modellers who took part in the contest will receive an Arawasi decal set.

 

Thank you all for taking part in our contest and also for your comments and votes.

The next contest will start from October 1st until the end of November and the theme is "Nipponki '46" i.e. what-ifs and fantasy. The theme for contest #3 is "Civilian Aviation" and will start from January 1st. So, START BUILDING!  

Kaigun Yobi Kokudan - Yokosuka K4Y1 - video

An October 8, 1940 short clip from the NHK news collection featuring university student pilots of the "Kaigun Yobi Kokudan" (Navy Reserve Air Group) of the IJNAF. This particular group was based in Otsu city, Shiga prefecture and is seen flying Yokosuka K4Y1 Trainer Seaplanes from lake Biwa. 

Visible civilian registrations are: J-BBPJ, J-BEHD, J-BBPZ  and J-BEHC.

Notice that curiously the J-BBPJ registration is not included in the online civilian register or the very latest brilliant "J-BIRD" book. 

Check our past postings, here and here for more.

 

 

 

 

2016 Columbia IPMS US Nationals

Some photos of the Japanese aircraft models in the latest IPMS US Nationals very kindly sent by Allan Jeffery. Visit Allan's blog, HERE, for more photos!