Kyushuj7w
Airman 1st Class
I participated in several forums over the years. One was a small group, now disbanded, of builders who had average skills, but some were 1st class museum quality types. Mostly we built for fun and to encouraged each other. The easter european kits are tough to work with but it is an unusual subject. This is just a copy and paste from that site that I salvaged and have on another. So I'll post it as it gives you a better Idea of what I do build, collect and research.
The Kawanishi E15K Shiun ("Violet Cloud") was a single-engined Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. The floatplane was designed to undertake reconnaissance missions in areas where aerial supremacy was held by the enemy, the primary requirement being speed. This 14-Shi specification was only issued to Kawanishi whose design team began work on the project in July 1939. From the outset of design work the aim was to produce a floatplane faster than land-based aircraft that it was likely to encounter, and which could, therefore, rely on its speed for protection. The Allied reporting name for the type was "Norm" after Squadron Leader Norman O. Clappison of the RAAF, a member of the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU). Its design and intent as part of an integrated weapons system was unique in Japan at the time. The first flight was on 5 December 1941 A total of 15 E15K1s were built by Kawanishi Kokuki K. K. in their Naruo plant as follows: 6 prototypes and Service trials aircraft (1941-42), 9 production aircraft (1943-44)
Specifications (E15K) Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War & other sources
General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 11.59 m (38 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 14.00 m (45 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.95 m (16 ft 2⅞ in)
Wing area: 30.0 m² (323 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,165 kg (4,978 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,100 kg (9,039 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,900 kg (10,803 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mitsubishi MK4S Kasei 24 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with two two-blade contra-rotating propellers, 1,159 kW (1,540 hp)at 5,500 m (18,045 ft)
Performance
Maximum speed: 468 km/h (253 knots, 291 mph) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft) (float attached)
Cruise speed: 296 km/h (160 knots, 184 mph)
Range: 3,373 km (1,820 nmi, 2,095 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,836 m (32,270 ft)
Wing loading: 136.7 kg/m² (28 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.28 kW/kg (0.17 hp/lb)
Climb to 6,000 m (19,700 ft): 10 min
Armament
1 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine gun in rear cockpit
2 60 Kg bombs.
Brand: Xotic-72
Title: Kawanishi E15K1 Norm
Number: AU2023
Scale: 1:72
Type: Full kit
Includes: Plastic sprues, Vacu, Waterslide decals
Released: 200x | Rebox
While the instructions certainly don't give the appearance of a difficult kit, it is rated a skill level 3 for "experienced"modelers. I may see myself demoted to skill level 1. It is a repackage of a kit released by USK in 1997. Just under 40 gray plastic parts including individual propeller blades and hubs. It comes with photo etched parts for a very small cockpit ( MY EYES) and a vac canopy. Having never worked with a vac canopy and there being only one, I will be asking our group how best to go about trimming and fitting this. No beaching trolley as with other kits. My last venture into photo etch was on a 1/48 Bachem Natter. I did not enjoy it.
I found this one at Don's Air Hobby shop in Lumbarton NJ. It was cheap and a bit of an orphan. I bought a few other kits and Don said your buying all the odd balls no one else wants.
Scalemates web site lists many 1/72 kits for this rather obscure aircraft. Aoshima made one years ago but it had no cockpit, UPC may or may not have taken over this mold while RS now make what may be the best 1.72 of this model complete with a beaching dolly. Racoon Models did make a 1/48 years ago, but after reading reviews describing their offerings to be lumps of resin and it never showing up for sale I figured take a pass.
Dry fitting the fuselage finds it a bit warped, again no line up pins or slots to insert the wings and rear stabilizers to make the assembly easier. As this is my first limited run kit, perhaps this is the norm. As you can see the wings do not have the solid side edge and inserts to assist with attaching them to the fuselage. This will take some addition work and filler. The radial engine is supposed to line up with the raised edge inside the fuselage (see instruction sheet above) but as you can see this would put the first set of props inside the cowling. The second shot where I just let it hang loose and the one visible side is at a tilted angle, it still does not clear the cowling lip. The only thing to do here is to ignore the instructions and trim around the radial engine until you get the prop hub to clear sufficiently. The radial engine does not show up in the completed models I've seen on line and there are no Xotic -72 builds posted.
The cantilever pylon-mounted central float could be jettisoned in an emergency, more speed (estimated as approximately 50 knots (90 km/h)thus being gained in order to elude pursuing enemy fighters. The float pylon was attached to the fuselage by means of two pins. The fore pin could be removed by means of a lever in the pilot's cockpit, the aft pin thereupon being forced free by the air pressure. The jettisonable float scheme was adopted after extensive wind tunnel tests had proved that the float would not hit the fuselage or wing after being jettisoned, although, in the event, no full-scale tests had been undertaken when the Shiun entered service.
The first prototype of Kawanishi's design, designated E15K1 in the Navy's short designation system made its maiden flight on 5 December 1941. The first prototype Shiun was heavily damaged at the beginning of its flight trials when, during a landing, malfunctioning of the flaps resulted in the stabilizing floats being torn off. The aircraft was then completely dismantled, a new engine installed and a ventral fin added beneath the rear fuselage
The wing ends are wide open and not that flush to the fuselage to begin with so there is little continuous area for the glue to bite. I could sand it but them have it misshapen elsewhere. So I've used my smallest drill bit and a piece of sprue to create a makeshift spar that would be below the cockpit floor pan. I drilled out the float to do a similar attachment to the fuselage. The float should be flared at the join to the fuselage but this one is not. For the vertical and horizontal stabilizers I will need to make some smaller pins to make the attachments. I broke my smallest bit so I need to get a new one. :/
I tried my old hot needle in a flame method that I use on the SAM missile build a few years back to make holes in the stabilizers but the plastic does not react well. I cut up a small paper clip to make the pins and opened the parts join edge with the tip of an exacto blade. The float pins are just whittled down sprue. This should help hold things in place a bit better.
Five more prototypes followed during 1941-42. A series of accidents were experienced with the stabilizing floats during subsequent trials, the inflation and deflation system proving extremely unreliable, and on occasions the floats were retracted inadvertently or would not deploy during a landing. The float shape was therefore modified and the inflation system eliminated, but the retraction system was also troublesome and, finally, was also eliminated, the stabilizing floats being fixed and attached to the wings by slim cantilever struts. Despite a more powerful engine being added to compensate for the drag, the performance of the E15K1's (being about 500 kg heavier than the more common Aichi E13A1 "Jake") suffered. Despite these problems, the E15K1 was ordered into limited production as the Navy Type 2 High-speed Reconnaissance Seaplane Shiun Model 11. Thanks to Bill Pippens site for this additional data on the float system.
The office of the E15K did include a handle to deploy the outrigger floats and release the large central float. (See item marked M20) As no other aircraft had this potential the photo etched part that mounts just behind the pilots seat may have been the mechanism to do this. The makers of the kit must have found photos of the cockpit but perhaps the wreck found in Palau might one day shed light .
Operational history
Four Shiun float-planes had been passed to the JNAF for evaluation by the end of 1942, a further eight were delivered during 1943, and the last three aircraft of this type were handed over in January-February 1944, quantity production having been cancelled. The reason for this cancellation was the disappointing result of testing and by 1944 wide ranging carrier strikes showed floatplanes could not stand up to the new US fighters. Attacks by US army bombers on outlying bases were another matter where these aircraft could be useful. Six Shiun reconnaissance aircraft were sent to Palau in the South Pacific, but it was found that the central float could not be jettisoned as easily as had been supposed, and with the float attached the maximum speed of 292 mph (470 kmh) was insufficient to enable the Shiun to elude enemy lighters. The single 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun installed for defensive purposes was totally inadequate, and while some sources say all six machines had been quickly lost to Allied fighters and airstrikes at Palau in mid 1944 this was not actually the case. More on this story with the final build pictures.
While no examples were captured at wars end, there is a report of a possible survivor relatively intact to found in the waters off Palau, a bit too deep for recreational divers to pillage it. Perhaps it may be recovered some day. I have been able to research that the 16th kokutai was based at Arakabesan, Palau. It had Jakes and Petes, a few of which are dive sites in the area
page 2 follows
As always historical background is included.
The Kawanishi E15K Shiun ("Violet Cloud") was a single-engined Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. The floatplane was designed to undertake reconnaissance missions in areas where aerial supremacy was held by the enemy, the primary requirement being speed. This 14-Shi specification was only issued to Kawanishi whose design team began work on the project in July 1939. From the outset of design work the aim was to produce a floatplane faster than land-based aircraft that it was likely to encounter, and which could, therefore, rely on its speed for protection. The Allied reporting name for the type was "Norm" after Squadron Leader Norman O. Clappison of the RAAF, a member of the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU). Its design and intent as part of an integrated weapons system was unique in Japan at the time. The first flight was on 5 December 1941 A total of 15 E15K1s were built by Kawanishi Kokuki K. K. in their Naruo plant as follows: 6 prototypes and Service trials aircraft (1941-42), 9 production aircraft (1943-44)
Specifications (E15K) Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War & other sources
General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 11.59 m (38 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 14.00 m (45 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.95 m (16 ft 2⅞ in)
Wing area: 30.0 m² (323 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,165 kg (4,978 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,100 kg (9,039 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,900 kg (10,803 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mitsubishi MK4S Kasei 24 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with two two-blade contra-rotating propellers, 1,159 kW (1,540 hp)at 5,500 m (18,045 ft)
Performance
Maximum speed: 468 km/h (253 knots, 291 mph) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft) (float attached)
Cruise speed: 296 km/h (160 knots, 184 mph)
Range: 3,373 km (1,820 nmi, 2,095 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,836 m (32,270 ft)
Wing loading: 136.7 kg/m² (28 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.28 kW/kg (0.17 hp/lb)
Climb to 6,000 m (19,700 ft): 10 min
Armament
1 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine gun in rear cockpit
2 60 Kg bombs.
Brand: Xotic-72
Title: Kawanishi E15K1 Norm
Number: AU2023
Scale: 1:72
Type: Full kit
Includes: Plastic sprues, Vacu, Waterslide decals
Released: 200x | Rebox
While the instructions certainly don't give the appearance of a difficult kit, it is rated a skill level 3 for "experienced"modelers. I may see myself demoted to skill level 1. It is a repackage of a kit released by USK in 1997. Just under 40 gray plastic parts including individual propeller blades and hubs. It comes with photo etched parts for a very small cockpit ( MY EYES) and a vac canopy. Having never worked with a vac canopy and there being only one, I will be asking our group how best to go about trimming and fitting this. No beaching trolley as with other kits. My last venture into photo etch was on a 1/48 Bachem Natter. I did not enjoy it.
I found this one at Don's Air Hobby shop in Lumbarton NJ. It was cheap and a bit of an orphan. I bought a few other kits and Don said your buying all the odd balls no one else wants.LINK
www.scalemates.com/search-solr.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=All&q=e15k1
As always I like to add a bit of history. This one will be no exception. I will post pics as I build.
In 1939 the Imperial Japanese Navy instructed the Kawanishi Aircraft Company to develop a two-seat high-speed reconnaissance floatplane, which was required to have sufficient performance to escape interception by land based fighters. It was planned to equip a new class of 7 cruisers, intended to act as flagships for groups of submarines, each operating six of the new floatplanes to find targets.
The kit may be small in number of parts, but the attachments are a bit thick and there is a bit of flash that is not as noticeable until you start to dry fit prior to assembly. No pins to line up parts. The entire propeller hub takes up a large number of parts and you need to drill out the small indentations provided for the prop mountings to have any hope of connecting the individual blades. I actually had to use my small magnifying glass to find these indentations. Though the instructions list the numbered parts there are no numbers on the sprues.
Kawanishi designed a single-engine low-wing monoplane, powered by a 1,460 hp (1,090 kW) Mitsubishi MK4D Kasei 14 14-cylinder radial driving two Contra-rotating two-bladed propellers, the first installation of contra-rotating propellers produced in Japan, the front blades rotating in a clockwise direction and the aft blades rotating counter-clockwise, while a laminar flow airfoil section was chosen to reduce drag. It had a single main float under the fuselage and two stabilizing floats under the wing. The stabilizing floats were designed to retract into the wing and were a rather novel float system.
The outboard stabilizing floats were unique in having metal planing bottoms and rubberized-fabric tops which were inflated when the floats were extended. For retraction the floats were deflated by vacuum pumps so that only the planing bottoms projected beneath the wing under surfaces.
The instructions appear to have a ledge to mount the cockpit floor but it does not exist, so positioning the office leaves a slight amount of guesswork. The interior where the floor pan probably needs to go has some ejector pin flash that needs to be filed down. No raised detail on the cockpit walls of the fuselage. The photo etch is meant to take care of this.www.scalemates.com/search-solr.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=All&q=e15k1
As always I like to add a bit of history. This one will be no exception. I will post pics as I build.
In 1939 the Imperial Japanese Navy instructed the Kawanishi Aircraft Company to develop a two-seat high-speed reconnaissance floatplane, which was required to have sufficient performance to escape interception by land based fighters. It was planned to equip a new class of 7 cruisers, intended to act as flagships for groups of submarines, each operating six of the new floatplanes to find targets.
The kit may be small in number of parts, but the attachments are a bit thick and there is a bit of flash that is not as noticeable until you start to dry fit prior to assembly. No pins to line up parts. The entire propeller hub takes up a large number of parts and you need to drill out the small indentations provided for the prop mountings to have any hope of connecting the individual blades. I actually had to use my small magnifying glass to find these indentations. Though the instructions list the numbered parts there are no numbers on the sprues.
Kawanishi designed a single-engine low-wing monoplane, powered by a 1,460 hp (1,090 kW) Mitsubishi MK4D Kasei 14 14-cylinder radial driving two Contra-rotating two-bladed propellers, the first installation of contra-rotating propellers produced in Japan, the front blades rotating in a clockwise direction and the aft blades rotating counter-clockwise, while a laminar flow airfoil section was chosen to reduce drag. It had a single main float under the fuselage and two stabilizing floats under the wing. The stabilizing floats were designed to retract into the wing and were a rather novel float system.
The outboard stabilizing floats were unique in having metal planing bottoms and rubberized-fabric tops which were inflated when the floats were extended. For retraction the floats were deflated by vacuum pumps so that only the planing bottoms projected beneath the wing under surfaces.
Dry fitting the fuselage finds it a bit warped, again no line up pins or slots to insert the wings and rear stabilizers to make the assembly easier. As this is my first limited run kit, perhaps this is the norm. As you can see the wings do not have the solid side edge and inserts to assist with attaching them to the fuselage. This will take some addition work and filler. The radial engine is supposed to line up with the raised edge inside the fuselage (see instruction sheet above) but as you can see this would put the first set of props inside the cowling. The second shot where I just let it hang loose and the one visible side is at a tilted angle, it still does not clear the cowling lip. The only thing to do here is to ignore the instructions and trim around the radial engine until you get the prop hub to clear sufficiently. The radial engine does not show up in the completed models I've seen on line and there are no Xotic -72 builds posted.
The first prototype of Kawanishi's design, designated E15K1 in the Navy's short designation system made its maiden flight on 5 December 1941. The first prototype Shiun was heavily damaged at the beginning of its flight trials when, during a landing, malfunctioning of the flaps resulted in the stabilizing floats being torn off. The aircraft was then completely dismantled, a new engine installed and a ventral fin added beneath the rear fuselage
The wing ends are wide open and not that flush to the fuselage to begin with so there is little continuous area for the glue to bite. I could sand it but them have it misshapen elsewhere. So I've used my smallest drill bit and a piece of sprue to create a makeshift spar that would be below the cockpit floor pan. I drilled out the float to do a similar attachment to the fuselage. The float should be flared at the join to the fuselage but this one is not. For the vertical and horizontal stabilizers I will need to make some smaller pins to make the attachments. I broke my smallest bit so I need to get a new one. :/
I tried my old hot needle in a flame method that I use on the SAM missile build a few years back to make holes in the stabilizers but the plastic does not react well. I cut up a small paper clip to make the pins and opened the parts join edge with the tip of an exacto blade. The float pins are just whittled down sprue. This should help hold things in place a bit better.
Five more prototypes followed during 1941-42. A series of accidents were experienced with the stabilizing floats during subsequent trials, the inflation and deflation system proving extremely unreliable, and on occasions the floats were retracted inadvertently or would not deploy during a landing. The float shape was therefore modified and the inflation system eliminated, but the retraction system was also troublesome and, finally, was also eliminated, the stabilizing floats being fixed and attached to the wings by slim cantilever struts. Despite a more powerful engine being added to compensate for the drag, the performance of the E15K1's (being about 500 kg heavier than the more common Aichi E13A1 "Jake") suffered. Despite these problems, the E15K1 was ordered into limited production as the Navy Type 2 High-speed Reconnaissance Seaplane Shiun Model 11. Thanks to Bill Pippens site for this additional data on the float system.
Operational history
Four Shiun float-planes had been passed to the JNAF for evaluation by the end of 1942, a further eight were delivered during 1943, and the last three aircraft of this type were handed over in January-February 1944, quantity production having been cancelled. The reason for this cancellation was the disappointing result of testing and by 1944 wide ranging carrier strikes showed floatplanes could not stand up to the new US fighters. Attacks by US army bombers on outlying bases were another matter where these aircraft could be useful. Six Shiun reconnaissance aircraft were sent to Palau in the South Pacific, but it was found that the central float could not be jettisoned as easily as had been supposed, and with the float attached the maximum speed of 292 mph (470 kmh) was insufficient to enable the Shiun to elude enemy lighters. The single 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun installed for defensive purposes was totally inadequate, and while some sources say all six machines had been quickly lost to Allied fighters and airstrikes at Palau in mid 1944 this was not actually the case. More on this story with the final build pictures.
While no examples were captured at wars end, there is a report of a possible survivor relatively intact to found in the waters off Palau, a bit too deep for recreational divers to pillage it. Perhaps it may be recovered some day. I have been able to research that the 16th kokutai was based at Arakabesan, Palau. It had Jakes and Petes, a few of which are dive sites in the area
page 2 follows
Attachments
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