Aircraft Background:
The Japanese didn't have dedicated anti-submarine aircraft at the start of the war. The function was mainly served by carrier aircraft such as the Kate and the Val. In addition, the Japanese didn't see American subs as a real threat early in the war because the early torpedoes had an alarmingly high failure rate. In late 1942, the Japanese Navy issued a requirement for a dedicated anti-submarine aircraft that would have either radar or magnetic sensing of the subs, as well as the capability to drop bombs using dive-bombing techniques. The plane needed a high loiter time, as well as great visibility, and was to be land-based from Japanese-occupied territories. It was to be lightly armed because it was felt that the chance of encountering American fighters during its long over-water patrols was very small.

Very early in the process, the designers realized they had little experience designing an anti-submarine aircraft that would meet these specifications. They decided to base the air frame on a Ju-88 that had previously been purchased from Germany. This new aircraft was very similar to a Ju-88, but it had lower powered engines which would give it a 10+ hour flight time. The crew of three would all be housed in the forward cabin. It would be equipped with only one 7.7 mm aft-facing machine gun. The plane would have either an aerial radar for surface targets or a magnetic sensor. Apparently the radar was only able to pick up targets on the surface of the sea out to 500 meters, so attack time was measured in seconds. The Lorna wasn't available until late in 1944, which really limited its effectiveness in blunting the submarine assault on the Japanese homeland. By the end of the war, the Lorna had only be able to sink one or two submarines.

I was surprised at how small this twin engine plane is in 1:72. It appears to be very detailed with a good looking cockpit. The model comes with the option to add the radar (carried in rails on both sides of the rear fuselage, and on the right wing. It also has decals for the distinctive markings associated with the radar-equipped Lorna. I plan to start this model when all of the incidentals finally arrive in the mail. Should be fun. :o)

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.

Alright, I think I am finally ready to build the Lorna. First, a little more background on the plane:
the Kyushu Q1W1 Tokai (Eastern Sea) was the first dedicated anti-submarine aircraft in the IJN. The Allied reporting code name was Lorna. The IJN saved time on this aircraft by copying a Ju-88 bomber that it had previously purchased from Germany. They decided to put two low-power engines on the aircraft in order to increase its range and endurance. Later in the war, as strategic materials became more scarce, the IJN produced an all-wood Lorna. By the end of the war, the Lorna was used as a Kamikaze.

Just for grins I compared the Lorna with the Ju-88. The Lorna had two 610 hp engines, while the Ju-88 had two engines rated at 1340 hp each. I thought the low-power engines would really enhance the range and endurance of the Lorna, but it didn't. The max speed of the Lorna was just 200 mph, while the Ju-88A maxed out at 290 mph. The max range for the Lorna was 725 nautical miles, while the range of the Ju-88 was almost 1000 nm. The max ceiling of the Lorna also suffered, with a ceiling of just 14,730 ft compared to 26,900 ft of the Ju-88. The Lorna was armed with one 7.7 mm aft-firing machine gun, while the Ju-88 was armed with 5 machine guns. I think it is really interesting that the modifications done to the Lorna seemed to reduce the performance of the aircraft (compared to the Ju-88A), rather than improve it.

First Look:
I have built other kits from Fine Molds and they all seemed to be well-detailed and straight-forward to assemble. This one looks good also, but perhaps not as well-detailed as the others I have built. Instructions are clear and done using symbols. The instructions would have been a little more useful if I read Japanese, but the only other language I speak fluently is profanity.

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.

Looks that those lower output engines had to struggle to keep the Lorna airborne. I sense it would have been flown at full power most of the time, so...bye bye fuel consumption.
This is going to be an amazing build, George. I'm waiting impatiently to see it coming along!

Update for May 16:

In the midst of everything else going on in the world, I got started on the Lorna. It probably isn't a shock that work started with the flight deck. My resource on Japanese Anti-submarine Aircraft had some great interior views of the Lorna, both photos and diagrams. While the model's cockpit is fairly detailed, I wanted to upgrade the detail a little.

I planned to use some of the photo-etch pieces from the Eduard set I got for a Ju-88. Several of the cockpit pieces would work just fine, including the instrument panel and several of the radio panels. The Lorna also had a removable bomb-aiming periscope and its folding support system, which I decided to add. The model didn't include the rear-firing machine gun, which is a "detail-up" not included with the kit, so I raided my spares to come up with something close. The interior diagrams show a metal rack that surrounds the radio and radar stacks, but I took a vote and decided not to add these.

The instructions call for the cockpit to be painted in Mitsubishi Interior color, which AK Real Colors has in their range. I love this paint, which seems to be very similar to Tamiya paints. The seat cushions are supposed to be a navy blue color, which is a great contrast to the cockpit color. I used a variety of washes and weathering products on the interior. The seat belts come mostly from the Ju-88 photo-etch, but one seat was done with an etch set I had in my spares. I think I am just about done with the fiddly bits and it is time to close things up. Most of the parts for this kit seem to be allocated to the flight deck, so the rest of the kit should move quickly. I don't normally do a lot of weathering on my models, but I want to try some on this one. So far this has been one of the best engineered kits I have seen, so I am looking forward to the rest of the build.

9 additional images. Click to enlarge.

Great updates to the finemolds cockpit! Really detailed for the scale!

That's some serious progress, George! Cockpit looks great installed. I get your point about the Eduard masks: lifesavers!

Nice work, George. That really is a Ju-88 copy.

Wow! George, just plumb missed the start on this project. The EOJ GB is really bringing the rare stuff, Totally forgot this plane existed. This is one neat little project. What is the Interior Green you used from AK? Will follow this as you are progressing rapidly, Cool plane