Possibly the least inspiring box art on a model ever!

The side view is much more enticing!

Nakajima J1N1 Gekkō (月光 "Moonlight") was a twin-engine aircraft used by the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II and was used for reconnaissance, night fighter, and kamikaze missions. The first flight took place in May 1941. It was given the Allied reporting name "Irving", since the earlier reconnaissance version the J1N1-C, was mistaken for a fighter.

I got one as a kid - from Selfridges in Oxford Street (for those who know London) - a bribe for behaving well through a whole day of shopping with my mum!

It was 1/72 and made by a Japanese company - I am guessing Fujimi - it had mottled camo. I had no airbrush, no skills and no chance of building it even slightly well!

Anyway, many years later here I go again!

I will use Aotake on the interior - although I know this is a matter for debate, and will add to the research here (that intro was straight out of Wikipedia)!

That's great, Paul @yellow10. Got the same kit too, intending to build it for this GB. I would love to see your progress.
All the best!

Hey Paul, @yellow10
I'm right there with Spiros, I have the same kit in the stash...looking forward to seeing this one.

Good start, Paul.
I love this Aotake!

Starting some interior detailing. Picking out the moulded components with a small brush, and minimal wear and tear on the crew seats. Drilled out the holes on one of the seats after looking at pictures.

Thanks for the heads up Pedro, I will have a look at your build - I very much admire your work.

Edit: that’s an incredible build Pedro, I have been pondering just how to make the monotone more easy in the eye - yours certainly managed that with some impressive shading and weathering! Hard Act to follow!

Hello Paul, @yellow10
This is some incredible work ! All of your builds are spectacular, and I can see that this one will be no exception. I really like the colors you have picked out for this one. Looks fantastic with the seats drilled out. Very convincing interior... as per your usual, and after reading these build journals, it's tempting me to pull out mine. I have the early and the late version that Tamiya offered. One has a solid dark green overall finish, and if I decided to pull one out of the stash, that would probably be the one.

During the course of looking at the Japanese stash section, I bumped into a 1/48 Hasegawa Ki-45 "Nick"... Hmmm. You guys have me thinking.

Looks great, Paul @yellow10. Like several of the others, I also have this one in my stash, so I am looking forward to your build. Must have been fun aiming and firing those cannons this plane had in the back end.