MAQUETTE À MONTER - Nakajima C6N1-S Night Fighter Saiun (Myrt) w/20mm Cannon Hasegawa | N° 09552 | 1:48**LIKE NEW INSIDE UNOPENED**
Prix régulier 40,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| Condition | Like New Inside Unopened - Intérieur non ouvert |
| Scale | 1:48 |
| Manufacturer | Hasegawa |
| Size of the box | 35 x 19 x 7 cm |
| EAN | 4967834095526 |
Description
At the time, Japan lacked domestically produced aircraft engines capable of delivering 2,000 horsepower. To overcome this, Nakajima initially devised an innovative solution: coupling two 1,000hp radial engines on the same drive shaft—similar to a bicycle chain setup—with the power transmitted through gearing to spin one propeller on each wing.
However, a breakthrough came with the development of the Homare engine, a powerful small-diameter (1.78m) radial engine producing about 1,820 horsepower. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) proposed using this engine for the new aircraft design. Although promising, the Homare’s actual output at 6,000 meters altitude was 1,900hp—400hp less than initially expected—forcing Nakajima’s engineers to revisit the design.
To compensate for the reduced power and still achieve the required speeds, the aircraft’s fuselage was narrowed, and the main wing area significantly reduced to lower aerodynamic drag. This wing modification raised the plane’s takeoff and landing speeds, which was a challenge for carrier operations that typically require short takeoff distances.
Nakajima’s designers addressed this by incorporating leading-edge slats and Fowler flaps to boost lift during takeoff and landing. Additionally, a large 3.5-meter diameter propeller was installed to help the fuel-heavy plane get airborne from the limited space on an aircraft carrier deck.
The first prototype was completed and submitted for IJN evaluation in April 1943, with mass production commencing exactly a year later. In September 1944, the aircraft was officially designated the C6N1 Type 11 Saiun.
Production models reached a top speed of 639 km/h, slightly slower than the prototype’s 635 km/h (likely a typo in the original, assuming prototype should be faster), but still fast enough to evade pursuing F6F Hellcats. Some Saiun aircraft were later modified with upward-angled 20mm cannons or a single 30mm cannon, sacrificing range and speed, and used as night fighters defending the Japanese home islands against B-29 bomber raids in the final year of the war.
More to read about the KIT here, thanks to scalemates, a Belgian Scale modeling database