Scale aviation modeller international

any Shinden model, one point

to emphasise is that the only

completed prototype carried no

ordnance, with even the planned

gun ports plated over and flush

with the nose skin. So far every

example on the market is of the

envisaged operational armed

version. Also, in both Zoukei Mura’s

and Hasegawa’s kits there is no

indication of the intended nose-

mounted 7.92 mm machineguns.

I have built Hasegawa’s

1/48 scale Kyushu J7W1 18-Shi

Interceptor Fighter Shinden,

dating from 1988, which has

continued to be readily available

at reasonable prices, in various

markings, since its original release.

The primary reason that it

took me so long to obtain Zoukei-

Mura’s 1/48 scale Shinden was its

high initial asking price. I finally

decided to take the plunge, and

after working on what proved to be

an utterly charming and superbly

crafted model, producing a rather

unusual “‘unfinished” display

piece, I now wish I had bought one

when it was first released in 2013.

My very first impression of

Zoukei-Mura’s example was

very positive, with its robust

top- opening box featuring

nice artwork. This favourable

impression continued with the five

light- grey sprues, one crystal-

clear sprue, and a nice decal sheet,

all safely secure within individual

polythene bags.123 well-crafted

parts (including 12 clear) are

involved in a standard full build.

However, I was going to build mine

in the greatly exposed skeletal

version, which would fully use

The instigation behind my novel utilization of

Zoukei Mura’s 1/48 scale Kyushu J7W1 Shinden,

to build a very revealing ‘skeletal’ companion

to my old Hasegawa models

Koku-Fan’s 1986 soft-cover coverage of the

unique Kyushu J7W1 Shinden, while in Japanese

script was a well-illustrated reference work

A number of cutaway

drawings of this

intriguing prototype

canard fighter indicate

the novel internal

arrangement of

armament and engine,

just calling out for

modelling

Although a totally completed Zoukei Mura’s

‘Super Wing Series’ 1/48 scale rendition of the

unique Kyushu J7W1 Shinden would result

in striking model, I desired a partial build to

produce a revealing visible example to show-

off its unique internal features

70 • SEPTEMBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

068-73-JAPWings-Shinden-0918.indd 70 16/08/2018 17:19