[Finished Product] 1/32 Imperial Japanese Navy Interceptor Fighter "Raiden" Type 21, Lieutenant Aoki's Aircraft, 352nd Naval Air Group

[Finished Product] 1/32 Scale Hasegawa Model
Imperial Japanese Navy Interceptor Fighter Raiden Model 21
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
352nd Naval Air Group, Lieutenant Aoki's Aircraft
Model Dimensions: Total Length: 304mm, Wingspan: 347mm, Height: 119mm

This is a powerful 1/32 scale plastic model kit from Hasegawa. The kit was assembled and painted straight from the box. Painting was done using an airbrush. The upper surface is painted in Mitsubishi Navy Dark Green, and the lower surface is painted in Mitsubishi Navy Light Grayish White. The cockpit interior is painted in Mitsubishi aircraft interior color, the top of the nose is painted in matte black, the propellers are painted in Red Brown Japanese aircraft propeller color, and the tires are painted in matte tire black. The yellow-orange identification stripes on the leading edge of the main wings are airbrushed. The propeller is a wide-bladed, high-altitude type with improved thrust. The center of the canopy is not glued, allowing for display with the canopy open or closed. The propeller and cowling are detachable, enabling display with the Kasei engine exposed.
This is a model created by an amateur as a hobby. Please check the images for the finished condition.
Please note that this is a very delicate product. While we will pack it with the utmost care for shipping, there is a possibility that parts may detach or break during transit. We kindly request bids from those who are able to perform minor repairs, such as re-gluing, if necessary.

[About the Interceptor Fighter Raiden Model 21]
In 1939, the Navy commissioned Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop an Experimental Interceptor Fighter for land-based defense. A large, high-output engine designed for bombers was adopted. The fuselage became thicker to accommodate the engine, resulting in a spindle-shaped fuselage that was thickest around the engine and extended at the nose. This led to problems with poor forward visibility during takeoff and landing, which were later modified. There were also vibration issues, the cause of which was difficult to identify and took a long time to resolve. Ultimately, it was presumed that resonance between the engine and propeller's natural frequencies was the cause. This was resolved by increasing the thickness of the propeller blades to shift their natural frequencies. It took a full four years from the start of design, and in 1943, mass production began as the Experimental Raiden. The following year, in 1944, it was officially adopted as the Raiden Model 11. The Model 21 was an armament upgrade, increasing the number of 20mm cannons from two to four in the wings, and it was the most widely produced variant.