J2M3 Raiden (Zoukei-Mura 1/32)

Raiden is my favorite Japanese aircraft from the WWII era. I made it in 1/72 scale, so now it's time for a king size J2M3.

I picked up a kit from Zoukei-Mura's for it. Mainly because I wanted to try something from this manufacturer. I had heard that they have a slightly different approach, and now I see it. SWS kits are really different. If you like cutouts, open panels showing the frame, engine, etc - go for it. The Raiden kit even has engine pistons molded in. Also, this kit doesn't require any aftermarket parts for the cockpit, has masks included (and even canopy frame and clear parts separately as an alternative option), and a good instruction sheet. The only aftermarket parts I used were the gun barrels. Hovewer, I would prefer a better exterior with additional details instead. The kit looks a bit simplistic here. This is where you as a modeler have to make a choice between SWS or another manufacturer.

Anyway, it was a good experience and I've tried some new techniques like chipping with a liquid mask.

12 additional images. Click to enlarge.