Called the most famous aircraft ever produced by Japan, the Zero fighter first appeared in 1939 and was arguably the best fighter aircraft – land- or carrier-based – in the world. It had great range and maneuverability, and its firepower was at least equal to any of its rivals. It had a wingspan of 12 meters and carried an offensive firepower combination of two 7.7 mm machine guns and two 20 mm cannons.

Development of the aircraft started in May, 1937, and the prototype delivered a speed of 491 km/h with its 780 hp Zuisei engine. In 1940, the Japanese Navy adopted the Sakae engine for the aircraft – a 14-cylinder, 940 hp radial engine.

What you get in the large box from Hasegawa are two complete kits; they have recessed panel lines, and there are decals for four airplanes, two each from the 12th and 14th Naval Flying Groups.

“Forget it, it’s a Frank.” This phrase from the old Famous Fighters series comes to my mind whenever I think about the Ki-84. It is attributed to allied airmen who watched radar screens to find Japanese aircraft that may be potential targets. It meant that the very high performance Frank would be equal or better than the allied aircraft and would not be an easy target. The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Gale) was the culmination of a line of fighter aircraft initiated by Nakajima in 1935 with the Ki-27 Nate and followed by the Ki-43 Hayabusa. The Ki-84 possessed a more powerful engine and was extremely sturdy and possessed good firepower and protection for both the pilots and the fuel tanks. On the down side, the Hayate was beset with problems with hydraulic and fuel pressure systems, brakes, landing gear struts, and a slipping of quality control during manufacture. Fortunately for the allies, the Hayate was never produced in the quantities required by the Japanese Army.

This book in the Orange Series from MMP describes the Italian WWII Macchi C.202 Folgore, or MC.202. This is the expanded second edition of this title, and contains some new information not in the first printing.

The MC.202 is probably the most famous and recognizable Italian fighter of WWII. The aircraft was used in combat from its introduction in 1941 through the end of hostilities. It served with the Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) and also with the German Luftwaffe, as well as a few other countries. This book mainly deals with the fighter in Italian service but does include a small section on the aircraft’s use with other countries.

The model consists of 8 grey sprues, 10 brown sprues (indi track links), 1 clear sprue, and a small decal sheet containing 4 small dials for the dashboard. The bottom hull, hood/grill, and main cab come as individual parts.

The instructions are clearly drawn and consist of eight pages with eight steps, plus a parts map. There is also a color profile sheet.

The molding is crisp and free of flash, pin marks, and sink marks. The model is very well detailed and engineered, and the fit is extremely good throughout.

The cab has steering levers, gearshift, and hand brake. However, they are on the left hand side and should be on the right. (Thanks to Ian Sadler for showing me drawings from the manuals). Some modelers may want to fix this. The cab doors are separate pieces. I have them pressed into place with no glue as I plan to show at least one open when I get the model on a base.

History

Windsock Datafiles has probably become the premier publisher of detailed studies of specific World War I vintage aircraft, and they have recently branched out into aircraft subjects about which little has been published before. This publication is no exception, as the Spad VII and XIII, while famous in French, American, and other services, was also used by the Italians, although not in great numbers, and many were kept in postwar use until the mid twenties. Although the first French Spads were sent to Italy in 1917, the Italians declined to produce the plane in Italy and imported limited numbers from France, some without engines, rather than relying on Italian production which was often inadequate. As a result, other fighter types provided the majority of combat aircraft for Italian fighter units although the type was used until 1924, and many civilian examples were flown well into the thirties.