If in Spring 1942 one of these was sighted over your base, it meant hell was coming to breakfast. The C5M2 was only made in small numbers and was used for a short time, but it was part of a deadly system. The land based Kokutais Of the Japanese Navy had several of these for recon and pathfinding, leading the fighters and bombers to show them the way to the next target to pulverize. Prince of Wales and Repulse, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Broome, Darwin and others felt the wrath of Babs.
Babs being the later Allied code name bestowed on this Mitsubishi C5M2, the IJN's version of the IJA's Ki-15, having the same Sakae engine as the Zero. The above notoriety, plus the fact that she's a real good lookin' bird, made me happy to finally see a quality 1/48 scale kit released by Fine Molds.
The kit itself is fairly trouble free, aside from a fiddly cowling/engine fit, and the very delicate decals that made me paint on the hinomarus, as the decals disintegrated under Solvaset solution. Also the interior is very nicely detailed, but none of it can be seen as no open canopy parts are provided. The more energetic could try to cut the closed canopy into separate parts,, or vac-form a new one to pose open. This model represents a C5M2 from 3rd Kokutai which led by Babs ran rampant over the South Seas for the first year of the Pacific War.
Anyway here are some pics, after the usual fight with the camera, which this time gave me some lovely Sepia tones that look pretty antique, anyway that's my excuse. Next, the Shiden-Kai gets a topcoat.
9 attached images. Click to enlarge.
