Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

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vacant
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Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by vacant »

Yes, it looks like an ME 262, but it isn’t. It’s a Nalajima Kikka, an ‘orange blossom’ special. It was quite a bit smaller than the Me 262, about 4/5ths smaller. It was designed and built in Japan fpr the Nakajima works. The Ne-20 jet engine was also about 4/5ths smaller than the german BMW 003A on which it was based. An Me 262 was en route to Japan in a submarine and plans, but it did not get to Japan so the design had to be based on knowledge of the technology.

The aircraft first flew in August 1945. For its second flight, it was fitted with RATOs. These made the takeoff difficult to control so the aircraft ended up on the beach of Tokyo harbour. A few more airframes were assembled but production ended when WW2 came to an end. Three of the airframes went to the USA to be studied. One still exists in the National Air and Space Museum. One can only speculate as to the effect on US bombers might have been had the aircraft been a bit earlier.

The kit if from Eagles Talon Inc. It’s a 1/72 vacform with very finely recessed surface detail. Too much paint will fill in these lines. The plastic is thick enough to make it fairly easy to build, i.e., there are no weak thin points that need extra care. There is no undercarriage or decals so one has to depend on scratch building and scraps. I had to print the roundels as I had none that were small enough.

All in all, it’s an oddity to have in a collection, but an interesting one to have.

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gengriz
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Re: Nakajima Kikka' Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by gengriz »

Very nice!
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iggie
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by iggie »

Excellent build and interesting history of the type.
As you say, a few months earlier and in greater numbers may have made a significant difference to history.....
Best wishes

Jim
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FAAMAN
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by FAAMAN »

Very nice as usual 8-) 8-)
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PTB11
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by PTB11 »

Terrific work.
Regards, Paddy.

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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by ShaunW »

Good build of an interesting type, Vacant. I think the danger lay in whether the earlier availability of types such as the Kikka and Me-262 could have bought enough time for the Axis to develop their own A-Bomb as that was the real war winner. The Allies were hot on the axis' lead with jet types and IMHO the early lead would have soon been caught.
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celt
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by celt »

A baby 262,well tidy mun.
Regards celt.
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jssel
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by jssel »

Two Thumbs up
Besting 60 years of mediocre building of average kits in the stand off scale
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gnomemeansgnome
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by gnomemeansgnome »

Nice.
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skypirate
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Re: Nakajima Kikka; Eagles Talon 1/72

Post by skypirate »

Nice to see this rarity.
AZ Model has released a range of these in 1/72 and there is even a 1/48 kit around.
Thanks for sharing,

David
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