It is remarkable to me that a small island country like Japan declared war
on a huge nation like the United States of America and expected to win!
Americans are a feisty lot and when our backs are up against the wall we come out swinging-as the Japanese discovered. When an Imperial country populated by people taught since childhood to think like a group goes up against a nation comprised of individuals who fight for a cause the results are usually the same-Japan found out the hard way as WWII dragged on.
But, that being said the Japanese had an impressive array of Army Fighter aircraft during WWII and if it were not for the sheer linguistics of fighting an enemy from so far away and one with so many resources at its beck and call the Japanese may have won the war.
The Nakajima KI44-I Type 2 Fighter Shoki (Tojo) was specifically designed to fight the encroaching Allied bombers. Its sleek design, relatively small size and contra-rotating propellers allowed the aircraft to climb swift and high and swoop down on Allied bombers delivering high-caliber weapons in a deadly spray of bullets.
The Limited Edition 1:48 Scale Interceptor model from Hasegawa Hobby Kits comes with full decal and assembly instruction, landing gear that can be positioned up or down and a clear sliding cockpit with front-mounted window weapon along with a fighter pilot and impressive engine vents and body details make this a fighter from The Land of the Rising Sun a 'must-have' for any WWII aircraft fan.
Equally impressive is the United States Airforce P-40N Warhawk 502nd Fighter Squadron aircraft scaled at 1:32 and also complete with paint, decal and assembly instructions. Parts detach easily from the part trees with little or no fuss and fit snuggly and precisely together.
The parrot-face fighter was powered by an Allison Engine which had a long fuselage and delivered lots of power-enough to carry six .50 caliber machine guns. Although slightly clunky and slower than many WWII aircraft the Warhawk still rang up an impressive kill list.
The model perfectly duplicates the tri-blade propeller, single pilot fighter, with its sectional cockpit, torpedo shape, drop tank, bomb, full landing gear (positioned up or down), oversize front air intake and fixed armament. Slow and steady and ready to rumble!
The X-Men. I'm a big fan of The X-Men characters. What do Marvel mutants have to do with a review about model aircraft? Plenty! The X-Men fly about in a modified SR-71A Blackbird.
Built nearly 50 years ago the Blackbird was an aircraft far ahead of its time. Its unusual wing configuration, powerful jet engines and pierce-the-sky profile made it the fastest aircraft of its time.
Attached to its rear fuselage was a D-21B Drone which was one of the first operational unmanned drones ever used. Technical difficulties made its somewhat unreliable but when you consider that the aircraft and Drone were pre-computer and relied on period mechanics and hardware you can't help but come away impressed.
What information not gathered by the Drone was completed by the Blackbird. Its high altitude, fast flight made it very difficult to intercept and made it the perfect spy plane.
Black as night and difficult to spot the Blackbird and Drone made a deadly pair as they plied the skies over enemy territory gathering vital secret information
The 1:72 Scale model kit contains both aircraft packed with details and comes with full decal, paint and assembly instructions.