This new decal
sheet from Cutting
Edge Modelworks includes markings for four different 1/48 N1K2-J Shiden-Kai
's. The recommended kit for these decals is the 1/48 Hasegawa kit. The first aircraft is
a N1K2-J Shiden-Kai # 343-A-11 flown by CPO Shoichi Sugita of 343 Kokutai,
Hikotai 301 in April 1945. The paint scheme for this aircraft is overall
Dark Green (aprox. FS 34092) on top and natural metal on the underside. On
the tail is the yellow letter "A" with the yellow numbers 343-11 below
it. There is also a yellow diagonal band on the fuselage behind the
cockpit. The red national insignias on the fuselage have a white
border. This plane has 16 kill symbols. After Sugita's death this
machine was flown by Lt. Masaji Matsumura when his assigned aircraft was not
available.
The
second aircraft is a N1K2-J Shiden-Kai # 343-B-17 flown by LA Ikuji Matsumura of
343 Kokutai, Hikotai 407 in March 1945. The paint scheme for this aircraft
is overall Dark Green (aprox. FS 34092) on top and natural metal on the
underside. On the tail is the yellow letter "B" with the yellow
numbers 343-17 below it. The red national insignias on the fuselage have a
black border. This plane has 3 kill symbols. This plane was flown in
the major air battle over Matsuyama, March 19, 1945 and was later flown by LCPO
Watanabe to intercept B-29's on April 21, 1945. The white fuselage numbers
in the centre of the fuselage national insignias were painted out at the time
mission markings were applied, the white numbers just barely showing
through. The numbers are included if you want to show this plane before
the numbers were painted over. Or you can do this plane without the
numbers.
The third aircraft is a N1K2-J
Shiden-Kai # 343-A-15 flown by Lt. Naoshi Kanno of 343 Kokutai, Hikotai 301 from
Omura airfield in May 1945. The paint scheme for this aircraft is overall
Dark Green (aprox. FS 34092) on top and natural metal on the underside. On
the tail is the yellow letter "A" with the yellow numbers 343-15 below
it. The red national insignias on the fuselage have a white border.
This plane has 5 kill symbols. Kanno, the commander of Squadron 301,
ordered that two fuselage bands be applied to his aircraft with the intend they
would attract enemy fighters to him allowing him the opportunity to destroy
them. The white fuselage numbers in the centre of the fuselage national
insignias were painted out at the time mission markings were applied, the white
numbers just barely showing through. The numbers are included if you want
to show this plane before the numbers were painted over. Or you can do
this plane without the numbers.
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