Hi All,
So I just purchased the Sanger Yokosuka P1Y Ginga also known as "Frances".
I knew what I was in for when I ordered this kit, so I was not in for a nasty surprise.
The Sanger/Contrail kits are rather crude vacu kits which offer the modeller just the basics of certain aircraft overlooked by other manufacturors in the 1/48th scale.
So what did I get you wonder. Well, not much.
Kit Contents
Kit is packed in a simple bag which contains all the parts
First, a A3 single printed 3 vieuw drawing and some text explaning how to build a vacu aircraft kit.
Second, one rather large sheet holding the main parts of the kit, Fuselage, Wings, Tailplanes, engine nacelles and some smaller parts like a set of spinners and air intakes for the engines.
The Styrene used for the ain parts seams to be of a different kind of styrene then that of my Sanger Ki-67 Hyuru/Peggy kit. The Yokosuka kit seams to have a less soft styrene.
The detail on these parts is very, very sparse. No panel lines are given. No real indication of where the wheel bay doors are located.
There are no enginese included, so the modeller has to come up with these parts himself.
Third, cast metal parts. These include seats (of the wrong shape. The Ginga had bucket seats of a rather special shape) a control yoke (also of dubious shape)
9 prop blades, 2 spiners of different shape then those on the Styrene sheet. 2 main landing gear wheels (4 halves),2 main wheel legs, a tailwheel, a DF loop and a machine gun (which looks like a Army type 97 model, based on a British design) The "Frances" used later type "Navy" machine guns (based on a German design). So the included gun has to be replaced as well. Though the Type 97 is nidely representented and can be used for another project.
Forth, 3 clear parts. 2 parts for the nose and 1 main canopy (no spares are given)
Fifth, 2 decal sheets containing markings for just 1 aircraift of the "2nd Hikotai, 302 Kokutai.
These contain 4 wing Hiromanu's and 2 fuselage Hiromanu's + 2 black outlines for the fuselage (The modeler must paint the white background cirkel for this hiromanu himself)
The Decals look nicer then those given with my Ki-67 kit.
Conclusion
Again a kit aimed at the Die Hard modeller who's into IJNA aircraft and has a lot of modelling expirience.
This kit will prove another hard to crack nut, but the basics are there. One MUST buy/find as much as possible reference material to build this kit.
Though at a £ 38,- price tag (incl. Shipping) I guess one should expect a bit more. Though I'm not complaining as I knew what I was buying.
But, there is a superb 1/33 Paper Plane Model availble online which is very complete. I managed to scale it down to 1/48.
I know this model will serve as a base for my Sanger kit once I start building this gem.
Though there are rumours that Hasegawa might be isuing a 1/48 Ginga in the future...So there is still hope for an injection moulded kit of this great IJNA late war bomber...But until then the Sanger Yokosuka P1Y Ginga/Frances is the only 1/48 game in town!!!
And I must add that although the Sanger website might apear a bit "old school" to today's standards, ordering from Sanger is actually a breeze.
Shipping was super fast and the kit arrived in 5 days. And I promply recieved an e-mail after the kit was shipped and on it way.
And Gerad J Elliot was kind enough to answer my question about this kit prior of buying it.
So I just purchased the Sanger Yokosuka P1Y Ginga also known as "Frances".
I knew what I was in for when I ordered this kit, so I was not in for a nasty surprise.
The Sanger/Contrail kits are rather crude vacu kits which offer the modeller just the basics of certain aircraft overlooked by other manufacturors in the 1/48th scale.
So what did I get you wonder. Well, not much.
Kit Contents
Kit is packed in a simple bag which contains all the parts
First, a A3 single printed 3 vieuw drawing and some text explaning how to build a vacu aircraft kit.
Second, one rather large sheet holding the main parts of the kit, Fuselage, Wings, Tailplanes, engine nacelles and some smaller parts like a set of spinners and air intakes for the engines.
The Styrene used for the ain parts seams to be of a different kind of styrene then that of my Sanger Ki-67 Hyuru/Peggy kit. The Yokosuka kit seams to have a less soft styrene.
The detail on these parts is very, very sparse. No panel lines are given. No real indication of where the wheel bay doors are located.
There are no enginese included, so the modeller has to come up with these parts himself.
Third, cast metal parts. These include seats (of the wrong shape. The Ginga had bucket seats of a rather special shape) a control yoke (also of dubious shape)
9 prop blades, 2 spiners of different shape then those on the Styrene sheet. 2 main landing gear wheels (4 halves),2 main wheel legs, a tailwheel, a DF loop and a machine gun (which looks like a Army type 97 model, based on a British design) The "Frances" used later type "Navy" machine guns (based on a German design). So the included gun has to be replaced as well. Though the Type 97 is nidely representented and can be used for another project.
Forth, 3 clear parts. 2 parts for the nose and 1 main canopy (no spares are given)
Fifth, 2 decal sheets containing markings for just 1 aircraift of the "2nd Hikotai, 302 Kokutai.
These contain 4 wing Hiromanu's and 2 fuselage Hiromanu's + 2 black outlines for the fuselage (The modeler must paint the white background cirkel for this hiromanu himself)
The Decals look nicer then those given with my Ki-67 kit.
Conclusion
Again a kit aimed at the Die Hard modeller who's into IJNA aircraft and has a lot of modelling expirience.
This kit will prove another hard to crack nut, but the basics are there. One MUST buy/find as much as possible reference material to build this kit.
Though at a £ 38,- price tag (incl. Shipping) I guess one should expect a bit more. Though I'm not complaining as I knew what I was buying.
But, there is a superb 1/33 Paper Plane Model availble online which is very complete. I managed to scale it down to 1/48.
I know this model will serve as a base for my Sanger kit once I start building this gem.
Though there are rumours that Hasegawa might be isuing a 1/48 Ginga in the future...So there is still hope for an injection moulded kit of this great IJNA late war bomber...But until then the Sanger Yokosuka P1Y Ginga/Frances is the only 1/48 game in town!!!
And I must add that although the Sanger website might apear a bit "old school" to today's standards, ordering from Sanger is actually a breeze.
Shipping was super fast and the kit arrived in 5 days. And I promply recieved an e-mail after the kit was shipped and on it way.
And Gerad J Elliot was kind enough to answer my question about this kit prior of buying it.
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(So, yup...another new mould will have to be made.)
