The Diverse and Affordable Kits That Are Truly "A"! (Part 2)

In the "Part 1," I introduced the Imperial Army and Navy aircraft lined up in Hasegawa's 1/72 A-series, so in this "Part 2," I will introduce the remaining five aircraft, covering US military planes from the war era to the modern day. It was this A-series that served as my gateway to a new world beyond propeller planes, such as helicopters and jets.

◉A-8 "Thunderbolt"

This is the US military aircraft I built after the A-10 "Corsair." What I find fun about building American planes is, after all, the variety of unique markings. The funky and brave designs, which allow you to imagine the personalities of the units and pilots, make you think about the differences in how they were involved in that war and their different mentalities. I don't think you could ever draw an illustration like this woodpecker in Japan. Well, especially with this Thunderbolt, there are so many flashy coloring and marking examples on the web that it's a bit surprising.

The airframe itself is indeed macho, and I got the impression that it was a larger version of the Japanese "Shoki." Not only did British soldiers who were supplied with the aircraft say they "didn't want to ride in it," but it seems even American soldiers back home called it a "flying bathtub" (laughs). That said, the "D" variant of the P-47 is an excellent aircraft often called the definitive "Thunderbolt," and the fact that over 10,000 of just this D-series were produced seems to prove it.

◉A-9 "Warhawk"

The "Warhawk" is said to have been active on every battlefield of WWII as the main fighter of the US military. The name itself sounds brave, and it seems like something American pilots would love. This N-variant was the final production model of the P-40, featuring weight reduction and improved maneuverability, with a total production of about 5,000 units. It is also an aircraft whose name often comes up in battles against Japan, and it appears in movies like "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Pearl Harbor." I remember the kit's finish was excellent and it was very easy to build. The fit around the canopy was so perfect it felt satisfying. The Paris aircraft has a striking color scheme with a white tail, and since white is quite rare for WWII aircraft, it was rewarding to paint. It is a slim-profile aircraft for an American plane.

◉A-10 "Corsair"

It seems this "Corsair" was the first US military aircraft I worked on when I started building airplane plastic models. I loved the characteristic inverted gull wing and had known about the aircraft for a long time, so I wanted to start with the "Corsair" if I were to build aircraft from other countries, and I was very excited when I actually built it. When I actually built it, I didn't feel that much difference in size compared to Japanese aircraft, but it felt overwhelmingly substantial or thick. Maybe the word "macho" is appropriate. The paint is a unique navy blue, but I thought it was interesting to recreate the look of it being weathered and whitened by the sea breeze. I feel that I did a relatively good job with the US military aircraft, including the painting. The "Corsair" is one of the aircraft I want to build again.

◉A-11 "Iroquois"

It was my first helicopter kit, and although I haven't built any others since, I think it's a very good thing that a helicopter is included in this introductory A-series. When you actually build it, the process is completely different from an airplane (obviously), and you can learn the fun of a special flying machine called a helicopter.
This time, I aimed to build the Self-Defense Force camouflage aircraft depicted on the package, but the antenna on the front part shown in the box art is not included in the kit. So, I decided to make it myself.

This modification work was quite fun. Being able to enjoy the fun of a little customization is also the charm of an inexpensive kit. As pointed out in the kit review by <nippper> below, the exciting feeling of the slightly exaggerated molds unique to old kits is irresistible.

◉A-12 "Dragonfly"

Although this is the final kit in the A Series, I actually built it quite early on in the sequence. I believe it was the first airplane model I ever built that didn't have a propeller. Since the kit itself was produced in 1970 (Showa 45), I struggled with it because the parts didn't fit well. There were gaps here and there, but I feel like my priority was just to get it assembled. I was impressed by its styling, which really lives up to its name by looking like it's crawling on the ground, and the sheer number of armaments hanging under its wings. I believe a 'Tactical Air Support Squadron' is a unit for supporting training and exercises rather than for combat aircraft, but the dull, solid FS36118 gray paint job really enhances that 'tool' feel whether you like it or not. Applying the decals was also tough. I learned that because modern aircraft don't have propellers, they have those kinds of difficulties instead. It's a bad habit of modern people to want to put warning labels on everything, isn't it? (laughs)

That concludes the entire lineup of Hasegawa's standard 1/72 A Series. Although it ended up taking me over half a year to complete, I think that by facing this A Series, I was able to catch a glimpse of the depth of airplane plastic modeling. In addition to the A Series, Hasegawa offers standard lines up to the E Series in 1/72 scale. Many serious modelers choose scales like 1/48 or 1/32 as their stage, but since a casual modeler like me doesn't have the space to display them in a rented house, I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy the world of 1/72 in moderation.

Finally, I'd like to wrap things up with an emotional photo I took using the kit♪