This is my 1/48 Hasegawa B5N2 Type 3 “Kate.” I built it using Eduard’s PE detail set, and painted it with WEM (White Ensign Models) Colourcoats enamels and Alcad metallics. The flight deck is injection molded, and from Eduard. I scratched the wooden fins on the torpedo from sheet styrene. The pilot is from a Fine Molds D4Y “Judy,” and appears to be a little underscals (or VERY short - oops . . . vertically challenged). I used the kit decals for the “Torpedo Command” issue of this nice kit. It was flown by Lt. Mitsumori Suzuki from the carrier Kaga during the first wave of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Eduard’s PE set included the tailwheel trolly, which is what prompted me to get the flight deck. I think it’s a nice little touch on Eduard’s part !
Please excuse the dust. My apartment seems to be situated over the center of dust production for all of New England !
Looks great! I have 1/72 scale of kate with torpedo and 1/48 scale with dive bomb. plan to start on those two soon and had hard time to find 1/48 scale with torpedo argh any suggest where i can find it? let me know thanks smiles
silentmodeler - you might find one at Squadron, Great Models, Sprue Brothers, or other online etailers. If that fails, chances are good that one can be scored on eBay. I got this one within the last year.
Steve-O - domo aregado (sp?), Steve-O-san !
Wulf - the canopy fit very well, with the exception of the rearmost section (which is underneath the rear fixed portion). Dryfitting showed that the bottom of these sections needed to be sanded first. Everything else fit like a glove.
Marc - Eduard’s bases have excellent surface detail, and they can be found for under $10 each. I also got their USN carrier deck and PSP airfield surface. They’re molded in black plastic, which needs primer or a lot of paint to get good coverage. I primed this one with Alcad’s gray primer.
Eric - no filters (radiators). I live in a Victorian-era house in the northeast (AC has been off for a few months). Just something with which I must deal.
First class as expected. Excellent. Hey I have noticed that all your builds dont seem to be on your web site. Is there any reason for this? I went to your site looking for a model i could have sworn you built but could not find it. Thanks.
NICE JOB. I purchased this same kit just several weekes ago and am looking forward to building it. I am curious about one thing though, why did you choose brown for the tail? In pretty much all photos I have seen the tail is red on the Kates.
Great looking build- very nice. I’m always so impressed with how your builds are so darn near perfect- if not perfect! You’re blessed with such a gift! Look forward to your next build.
Thanks Dave, modelbuilder, Jon, armorman, and Brian !
Dave - I have a router, in addition to a firewall. I have closed some of the ports on the router, but I can no longer access it (I forgot my password !). I have to bypass the router to update the site. All my pics can be found here, however : http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Pixilater/
modelbuilder - Kate torpedo aircraft (and perhaps Val dive bombers) from this period from the Akagi (coded AI, single red stripe) and Kaga (coded AII, double red stripe) had their tails painted “China Brown.” Here’s a profile of this aircraft. The artist depicted the lower surfaces in Nakajima Navy Gray, but my research (at j-aircraft) suggests that it was Ame-iro instead:
Jon - no, they’re not perfect, not even close. If I were to build a “flawless” model, it would be time to find a new hobby. There would be nothing left to learn. Getting another step closer to my ideal is what drives me to open that next box.
