WOW271 Nakajima B5N Kate ‘Silver’

Description

The Japanese B5N bomber was substantially faster and more capable than its Allied counterparts, the American Douglas TBD Devastator monoplane (the U.S. Navy’s first all-metal, carrier-borne monoplane of any type with retracting gear), and the British Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore torpedo biplanes, however it was nearing obsolescence by 1941 and the start of Japans entry into WW2. Nevertheless, the B5N operated throughout the whole war, due to the delayed development of its successor, the B6N.

In the early part of the Pacific War, flown by well-trained IJN aircrews and as part of well-coordinated attacks, the B5N achieved particular successes at the battles of  Pearl Harbour, Coral Sea, Midway, and Santa Cruz Islands.

The B5N saw combat first in the Sino-Japanese War, where combat experience revealed several weaknesses in the original B5N1 production model. These were mainly concerned with the lack of protection that the design offered its crew and its fuel tanks. Keen to maintain the high performance of the type, the Navy was reluctant to add weight in the form of armour, and instead looked to obtaining a faster version of the aircraft in the hopes of outrunning enemy fighters. The B5N2 was given a much more powerful engine, Nakajima’s own Sakae Model 11,  the 14 cylinder twin-row radial, as used in the initial models of the Mitsubishi A6M fighter and various modifications were made to streamline it.  Although its performance was only marginally better, its weaknesses remained un-remedied for the remainder of the war.
This striking aircraft is in the markings of one flown by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, general air commander for the 1st carrier division at Pearl Harbour in December 1941.
Please note the figures shown are for scale purposes and are not included with this model.

1/32 scale model. This is a limited run of  5 models worldwide.