MAQUETTE À MONTER - Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai (George) `Late Version´ Hasegawa | N° 09074 | 1:48

Characteristics

Description

While the Zero Type 21 fighter enjoyed spectacular success in the early stages of World War Two, by 1943, it was being outclassed by the latest American designs, especially in terms of speed and firepower. Following on the heels of the Type 22 and 32 airframes, the Zero Type 52 constituted a major overhaul of the basic Zero design in an attempt to bridge this gap. Significant design changes included a one meter shortening of the main wings from 12 to 11 meters, complete redesign of the engine cowling and the installation of a single thrust-type exhaust pipe, all factors which enabled the Type 52 to increase the overall top speed of the Zero airframe to 565 km/h, a 24 km/h improvement over the Type 22. In addition, the main wing cannon armament was changed over to the belt-fed Type 99-2 Model 4 20mm cannon. Also, the chord of the main wing was thickened to increase maximum sustainable dive speed of the Type 52. The Imperial Japanese Navy, moreover, ordered further specs for an upgunned Type 52 design variant called the Otsu which the right side weapon of the standard Zero twin 7.7mm cowling machine gun array was replaced with a 13mm caliber machine gun, with an additional two 13mm weapons placed outboard from the 20mm cannon barrels in each wing. Each in the main wings outboard from the 20mm cannon barrels. Approximately 6,000 Type 52 Zero fighters were produced, and they fought on until the conclusion of the war in 1945. (Data) Zero Type 52 Crew: one; wingspan: 11.00m; length: 9.121m; height: 3.509m; main wing surface area: 21.3 sq.m; weight (unloaded=1,876kg/loaded=2,733kg); engine: Nakajima Sakae type 21 (rated at 1,130hp at takeoff); top speed: 565 km/h (altitude 6,000m); fixed armament: 7.7mm machine gun x 2, 20mm cannon x 2.

More to read about the KIT here, thanks to scalemates, a Belgian Scale modeling database