Scale Aviation Modeller International — February 2018

(Jacob Rumans) #1
its ground handling trolley. Also
included are a separate clear
plastic sprue for the one-piece
cockpit canopy, the welcome
inclusion of a small etched fret
with five delicate components,
and a minimal decal sheet.
There is absolutely no provision
for any of the supplementary rocket
fittings used during the first trial
flight undertaken by the basic Ohka
Modell 22 airframe. Everything
in the kit has been dedicated
towards a speculative final version
in its envisaged operational
configuration and markings.
If one had to advance a negative
side to this enjoyable presentation,
perhaps the omission of a pilot
figure (seated or standing) could
be raised, since the human
element of this subject was so
absolutely intrinsic to its role.
As can be expected from such a
small model and number of parts,

the instructions are relatively
simple. Brengun’s folded A4 size,
double-sided monochrome sheet
is more than adequate to convey
the construction requirements
in a clear and logical manner.

FUSELAGE
Regarding the crucial consideration
of scale accuracy, here the
prototype’s overall length of
6.88 m indicates a small model
in 1/48 scale, and from the finely
aerodynamically streamlined
nose to the protruding jet
exhaust, Brengun’s 14.3 cm
long fuselage is spot on.
One important aspect of this
build has to be stressed right at
the start: all joins and unions
are flush surfaces – there are no
locating pins and holes here. But
with such a simple assembly, I
found this was not a problem.

Brengun has clearly highlighted
that a minimum of 10 g is required
for a nose weight to allow the final
model to sit right on its trolley (I
used Dinsmore’s super soft shot).
One major difference between
the Brengun kit and my previous
Fine Molds Model 11 is that the
fuselage on the Brengun kit is
moulded as one piece, as opposed to
the Fine Molds kit, which is broken
down into three sections. In the
Fine Molds kit, the triple rocket
motors and warhead, replicated as
separate sub-assemblies, result
in a rather interesting display
piece. It would have been nice
if Brengun had replicated this
breakdown, but it would have made
things far more complicated.
As for the surface finish, panels,
and features, I found very lightly
recessed panelling and hatch
detailing on the surface of the
two fuselage halves, with open air

intakes aft. The interior is similarly
well replicated, with raised
sidewall features in the cockpit,
and a separate rear bulkhead.
The cockpit includes the pilot’s
seat and controls. As befitting
the very specialized one-flight
role of this craft (air drop, initial
glide, powered flight to the target
area, and terminal dive, with
no need for manoeuvrability),
the cockpit is basic, with
minimal instrumentation.
As I mentioned above,
the omission of a pilot figure
is regretted, leaving the
comparatively spacious cockpit
looking rather open, devoid as
it is of the usual fixtures and
fittings. The solid bucket seat has
no harness, but this was easily
resolved by the addition of an
Eduard IJN steel belt set (ED49099).
With the minimalist,
uncluttered cockpit being relatively

The only thing I could fault Brengun for in their otherwise excellent presentation of this dedicated
‘special - suicide’ manned flying bomb was in the omission of a pilot figure, which I deemed essential
to provide not only a scale comparison against which to relate this diminutive aircraft in 1/48 scale too,
but provide the fundamental ‘human’ aspect behind this subject. Thankfully there are many suitable
IJN pilot figures available from other 1/48 scale models, my example came from my spares box

“THE OVERALL OUTCOME IS A


SUPERB 1/48 SCALE RENDITION OF


THIS ILL-FATED EVOLVED OHKA”


WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • FEBRUARY 2018 • 79


1/48


076-81-FEAT-Okha-0218.indd 79 12/01/2018 12:11

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