Scale aviation modeller international

I

n considering the interesting

design of the revolutionary

canard-configured Imperial

Japanese Navy Air Force’s (IJNAF)

Kyushu J7W1 Shinden (Magnificent

Lightning) interceptor from the

late Pacific War, it’s clear that its

configuration was utterly dominated

by its armament and engine.

The forward section, with

four fixed 30 mm cannons in

its streamlined nose, and the

rear-mounted supercharged 2,130

HP Mitsubishi Ha-43 Type 12

eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial

(driving a unique 3.4 m diameter

six-blade Sumitomo constant

speed pusher-propeller), are all

contained within the streamlined

fuselage’s 9.66 m overall length.

These were truly innovative, and

potentially destructive, features for

a single-seat fighter of that period.

Developed by the IJNAF as a

single-seat, short-range, point-

defence, land-based fighter, and

conceived to counter the American

B-29 Superfortress threat, the

Shinden was to be armed with

the aforementioned four 30

mm cannons in the nose (the

principal offensive armament),

two 7.9 mm machine guns, and

two 30 to 60 kg bombs (which

were token gestures to comply

with initial IJN requirements).

Heavily armed, the Shinden

was expected to be a highly capable

interceptor, with a maximum speed

of 750 km/h (469 mph), range of

855 km (531 miles), and a service

ceiling of 12,000 m (39,360 ft). It

was initially proposed in early

1943 and subsequently evolved

by the First Naval Air Technical

Arsenal, with the first example

completed in April 1945.

On 3 August 1945, the first

prototype took off from Itazuke

Air Base, with Lieutenant-

Commander Masayoshi Tsuruno

at the controls. These trial flights

were generally successful, but

the two prototypes were the only

Shindens actually completed.

After the war one of these

was scrapped; the surviving

example was claimed by the US

SHINDEN

A SKELETAL

Zoukei Mura’s 1/48 scale ‘Super Wing Series’

overall presentation of the exceptional Kyushu

J7W1 Shinden is first class, as was signposted

through their nice box-top artwork

Partially Modelling Zoukei-Mura 1/48 Kyushu

J7W1 Shinden by Mike Williams

68 • SEPTEMBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BY SACCO DE VRIES

KYUSHU J7W1 SHINDEN

BY MIKE WILLIAMS

1/48

068-73-JAPWings-Shinden-0918.indd 68 16/08/2018 17:19