Clear Prop CP72006 - 1/72 A5M2b Claude (early version), scale model kit

Manufacturer: Clear Prop

Serial number: CP72006

Scale: 1/72

Material: Plastic

Kit description: Unpainted, Unassembled, Kit do not contain paints and glue

Condition: New in Box  

The Mitsubishi M5A is a Japanese single-engine, low-wing, metal-framed fighter aircraft from World War II. It was the first monoplane fighter of the Imperial Navy. In the early 1930s, the command of the Japanese Navy adopted a program to create naval aviation based on its own developments. The tactical and technical requirements for an airborne fighter, announced in 1932, did not work, so two years later new, improved requirements were issued, according to which the new fighter had to have a maximum speed of at least 350 km. / h and the time to climb to 3000 m no more than 6 min 30 s. The span and length could not exceed 11.0 and 8.0 m, due to the dimensions of carriers on aircraft carriers. A team led by eng. Jiro Horikoshi developed the Ka-14 project at Mitsubishi factories. A prototype flight with a Nakajima Kotobuki 5 engine (551 km) and a W-profile (front view) took place in February 1935. It turned out that he exceeded the requirements for him too much (for example, the maximum speed was 100 km / h higher). Stability was worse, so on the next prototype with the Kotobuki 3 (646 hp) engine, the W-profile was abandoned, but the elliptical profile profile was retained. Despite the fixed landing gear and open cockpit, the aircraft's aerodynamics were meticulously crafted, and the cantilever low-wing system revolutionized the tradition of biplane airborne fighters. Tests of 6 prototypes were very successful, and in 1936 the aircraft was put into production with the Nakajima Kotobuki 2 Kai 1 (581KM) engine as a Navy Type 96, Model 1, A5M1 fighter. Production aircraft entered service in 1937 and soon took part in the Sino-Japanese conflict. Thanks to this, the Japanese achieved a decisive advantage in the air, which increased even more after the introduction of the improved A5M2a model with the Kotobuki 2 Kai3A engine. Soon, the A5M2b model was put into production, which temporarily had a covered cockpit, which, however, did not suit the Japanese fighter pilots. The most produced version was the A5M4 with a Kotobuki 41 engine with a takeoff power of 714 km and 789 km at an altitude of 3000 m and an additional external fuel tank with a capacity of 160 dm3. The Hispano Suiza 12Xers inline-engined Model 3 was not mass-produced. In total, about 1000 A5M aircraft were produced, including about 800 at the main plant. In 1941, these aircraft began to be gradually moved to the second line. They were not reused until the end of the war as kamikazes. In 1943, a two-seat training version appeared, which received the designation A5M4-K (103 copies). The aircraft bore the Allied designation Claude, although the first prototype was given the designation Sandy, not knowing it was only a prototype. Specifications (A5M4 version): length: 7.55m, wing span: 11m, height: 3.2m, maximum speed: 440km/h, maximum range: 1200km, maximum ceiling 9800m, armament: stationary - 2 machine guns Type 97 cal. 7.7mm.