International Scale Modeller

Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Year	1943
Model	J2M3 Raiden
Allied Code Name	Jack
Crew	1
Max T/O Weight	8,699 lb.
Span	35 ft. 5 in.
Length	31 ft. 9 in.
Height	12 ft. 6 in.
Maximum Speed	407 mph
Cruise Speed	228 mph
Rate of Climb	3,838 ft/min
Power Plant	1 x Mitsubishi MK4R-A Kasei23a 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 1,820 hp.
Range	656 mi
Service Ceiling	36,080 ft.
Armament	Four Type 99 20-mm cannon

planesoffame.org wrote:

• Design of the J2M Raiden (Lightning Bolt) began in 1938. But almost five years passed before The Imperial Japanese Navy issued a request for a land-based interceptor, for which the Raiden (Allied code name Jack) was suited. It was the first time the Japanese military had identified the need for a true interceptor type aircraft capable of high speed, dive and climb characteristics similar to those of the A6M Reisen, but with heavier armament and longer operation at combat speeds. The aircraft was needed to intercept the Allied heavy bombers that were anticipated as the war progressed.
• The first of three prototypes took to the air in March of 1942 and many design issues were found. Among them were problems with the retractable landing gear and the engine and prop combination. Numerous modifications were required, including changing to the Kasei 23 engine that produced 1,800 hp and included water and gas injection for emergency combat power.
• It wasn't until December 1942 that all of the problems were believed solved and the aircraft went into production. Manufacturing was quickly halted until the causes of several crashes were determined. It was found that the tail wheel locking mechanism, when set after takeoff, caused the controls to be locked into the dive position.
• Although only 621 Raidens of all variants were produced, the J2M3 variant remained in service until the end of the war and was responsible for downing several Allied bombers.

Prototype












Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Photos

Even though this Buddy Build is for my 50th birthday, this kit is older than I am!

Scalemates Link

The instructions are one area that shows this kit's age. The color callouts are essentially non-existent. So I decided to use the color callouts from the more modern Zoukei-Mura kit. They have several colors called out but I found the easiest link to be using the Mission Models colors --> Vallejo Model Air.



* Not shown is the underside which will be Vallejo Pale Blue Gray [71.046].

I will most likely paint the Yellow parts instead of the decals using Vallejo Medium Yellow [71.002].

I haven't yet chosen the livery. I like the visual interest of the lightening bolts, but I am concerned about the decals. At least one of the videos I watched had these decals behaving poorly. I won't be started for a least a week longer, so I have time to decide.

It appears that there is some controversy among modellers regarding the undercoating of IJN aircraft. The original instructions said "Translucent Blue."

EDIT: There is no controversy for me, I'm going with whatever I think looks cooler!

Reference Images







Images from History You Can Touch (blog)