Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka K1 KAI Model 43 "Two Seats"
If you are looking for a rather unique kit to add to your late-WWII collection of 1/72 scale Axis aircraft, Brengun has come through with a trainer variant of the Ohka rocket plane. The relatively small parts count makes this a quick build, but some experience with small photoetched parts will be beneficial. Modelers with some experience with small parts and working with plastic to improve the fit of parts will enjoy this build.
Built by Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho, 45 of the K1 version of the Ohka (Cherry Blossom) were built to train the future Kamikaze pilots of the rocket-powered plane. A forward tank was loaded with water to simulate the warhead weight on the combat aircraft, which was then dumped before landing. Requiring a speed of 130 mph to land the trainer, it was a difficult plane to land for the inexperienced pilots.
Upon opening the box for this kit you will find a single gray sprue with 22 parts, one clear sprue with the two canopies, and a small bag containing a small photoetched parts fret, three resin parts and an extra plastic part #14 (one is needed in both steps A and B, and only one is on the sprue). The instructions are printed in black and white on a single sheet of paper folded in half. The front page of the instructions shows the part locations, which is important as the sprues do not have numbers on them. A nice decal sheet is included, and as this kit only requires the use of three of them, there are several for your spares collection.
This kit has the feel of a limited run model as there are few “pin and hole” locators for aligning parts during assembly. The fuselage halves and wings have no locators, but they fit together without issue after a quick pass on a sanding stick. Most of the openings for the small parts (control sticks, landing skid supports, and Pitot tube) were undersized requiring a small drill bit to open them up a little. The resin tail planes fit beautifully, and the only filler that I used was on the fuselage, and this was minimal. I would recommend drilling holes in the underside of the wings to add the photoetched parts and also on the top of the fuselage for the sight. The directions do provide measurements to use for the underside of the wings, which was very helpful. While I had the Pitot tube set aside for installation after painting the body, I managed to knock an item into the clip holding it, which launched the pitot somewhere, maybe in the house, but I am not certain, so I used a small piece of stainless steel tubing as a replacement.
I used Tamiya Cockpit Green, JN Gray, and Dark Green 2 for the majority of the painting while the seats and control panel gauges received Badger Stynylrez Black, and the rear wheel was painted with Vallejo Dark Rubber. Decals were added after a coat of Alclad Klear Kote, and Alclad Light Sheen was used for the final finish.
My plusses start with the fact that this is a unique release of a rare trainer used in late WWII Japan. The resin replacement tail pieces mimic the ones used on the trainer and the photoetched parts are a great addition to add realism to the wings. The decals look good and they settled easily with Micro Set and Micro Sol. The panel lines are all very finely recessed, and I would say are pretty accurate for this scale.
The only minus that I have for this kit is the small openings for parts, especially for the skid supports on the bottom of the fuselage; nothing that a small file cannot take care of. The other items were easily fit after opening the corresponding holes with a small drill bit.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this kit to modelers with some experience with small parts who are fans of unique aircraft in 1/72 scale. The basic items fit well, and the instructions provide good direction for the locations of the photoetched parts. With a small number of parts and a simple paint scheme, this can be completed rather quickly.
I would like to thank the folks at Brengun for being gracious enough to provide this kit to the IPMS-USA for review! I also like to thank John Noack and Phil Peterson for their time and efforts in running the Review Corps as well as allowing me to perform this assessment. I also appreciate the folks behind the scenes in the Review Corps who keep the review machine running so well, and finally my most sincere appreciation to all who take the time to read this.
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