I bought this kit during the post Christmas sales with money I was given by my bother-in-law as a Christmas gift - so this counts as a Christmas present.

I started it a s a quick build and got this far within a few days, but the hot summer weather and a bit of 1:1 scale modelling (rendering and painting my brick veneer house) has got in the way of completing it.

It is a very nice kit and this boxing includes a flexible 3D seat harness, although this is perhaps a bit too thick.
Unfortunately I've broken off the antenna mast, so I'll have to try and glue it back on neatly.
I just need to mask the main canopy for painting...

I plan to do an over-all orange aircraft.

As an aside, I purchased a Dragon Me-163 as a swap meet last Sunday.
The kit has been started, mostly some interior painting and a few parts assembled, but all the parts are there.
So, I plan to build it as the all red aircraft flown by Wolfgang Spate for the types combat debut.
I think they will make a nice pair.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

What an amazing entry, my friend @michaelt!
I have always thought the ”Shusui” to be an iconic figure of The Empire of Japan's aircraft, particularly in the orange scheme!
You 've done a wonderful job so far (well, your usual excellent job!).
Looking forward to see this beauty proceeding!
Will look amazing by the red Komet!

G'day Tom (@tcinla),
The kit comes with four schemes.

1. The first prototype shown on the box lid (orange scheme 1) and which crashed on its first flight
2. The Planes of Fame aircraft (orange scheme 2)
3. A hypothetical IJN aircraft (IJN green/grey)
4. A hypothetical IJAAF aircraft - Ki-200 - (IJAAF green/grey)

There is a second J8M that was discovered in a cave in the 1960s and restored and is on display at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Museum in a light green/grey scheme. Only the fuselage is original.

Michael, @michaelt
This is a great addition to our Empire of Japan group...Thank you for starting the build journal. Please keep us informed about how this kit builds. I have been looking at getting one of these models. It would look very good sitting next to the Kikka jet I built a little while ago. I'll bet yours will look even better sitting next to your all red Me-163.

I'll be looking forward to the next update. If it's anything like what you did with the trio of 262's, then this one is going to be a good one to follow.

Seeing an orange Japanese plane makes me want to build up my Fine Molds A7M Reppu "Sam", or the Otaki "Willow" biplane trainer... Then I have an old Nichimo "Spruce" biplane and all of them have the orange color as an option. The nice thing is that these are all in 1/48.

Thanks again. 🙂

cockpit looks nice!

Very cool! The cockpit green works strangely well with the orange. Really smart-looking build.
I may need to get me one of those! I have some ideas of doing a bunch of late-war rocket and jet prototypes. I'm starting by converting a Hobbycraft La-7 to an La-7R. Should be fun. I also have an old Kondor He 178 kit (which will be less fun!).

Thanks, Lis (@lis).
I know where Poland is...

Thanks Ronnie (@skyraider3d),
Funnily enough, the first Japanese kit I built back in the '70s was the old Matchbox 1/72 scale Zero.
Knowing next to nothing about Japanese (or any other) camouflage nor model paints, I looked at the schematic on the back and saw a lime green over orange scheme and thought 'Cool!'.
So, that is how I painted it!