Scale aviation modeller international

Navy Technical Air Intelligence

Unit in late 1945, dismantled and

shipped to the United States.

This sole remaining Shinden was

reassembled, but never flown,

being eventually transferred to the

Smithsonian Institution in 1960.

Plans existed for this airframe

to be retrofitted with a Japanese

adaptation of the German Jumo 004,

their 900kp Ne-130 axial turbojet,

when they became available.

THE MODEL

For me, authoritative factual

information is paramount, and for

this project, one rare publication

stood out – Koku Fan’s Profile

No.153, dedicated to the Kyushu

J7W1 Shinden, published January

1986. Most of the text is in
      Japanese, but the wealth of this
      64 page soft-cover booklet lays
      in its superlative collection of

68 well-printed monochrome

photos, a number of which are in

full- or double-page presentation.

This title covers virtually

every aspect of the aircraft’s

conception, fabrication, trials, and

final disposal, in an unmatched

single archive of original images.

Complementing all this are eight

double pages of well-executed

overall and sectional drawings,

clarifying a number of features

in precise technical detail. In

short, this single volume was

indispensable to me in this project.

If you are faithfully modelling

This page clearly illustrates my partial build,

leaving the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden’s fascinating

armament and engine configuration fully

exposed.

The supporting very well rendered instruction

booklet successfully conveys every aspect of

this intriguing build.

One of the highlights of this model was the

very detailed multi-part Mitsubishi Ha-43 Type

12 eighteen cylinder air-cooled radial engine

The faithful replication of the Kyushu J7W1

Shinden’s potent concentration of four Type 5

30 mm cannons in the nose is well captured in

this model

Kyushu J7W1 Shinden No.1 prototype interceptor in a pristine condition inside an empty hanger.

Note the unarmed status of this initial airframe

Presumed to be Kyushu J7W1 Shinden No.2, judging by its near completion state and provision

of ‘tail-wheels’ to the lower aft stabilisers, No.1 had these fitted after her first flight in which her

propeller was damaged

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2018 • 69

1/48

068-73-JAPWings-Shinden-0918.indd 69 16/08/2018 17:19