RB Productions | 1/32 Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka Type 22
Reviewed by Mike Swinburne
RB Productions has recently released an all-resin kit of the MXY-7 type 22 suicide aircraft in 1/32 scale, the first of it's kind for this particular variant. The aircraft was known as the Ohka (Cherry Blossom) to the Japanese, and often called the "Baka bomb" by the allies; baka translating to "idiot" or "fool" in Japanese. While resin kits of the Ohka have been produced in 1/32 scale by Lone Star Models (now available from OzMods) and HpH, these models represent the Ohka type 11.
Type 11? Type 22?
Japanese aircraft types were designated in a two-number manner, and read as type one-one or two-two, for example. Generally, the first number denoted the variant of the airframe, and the second, the variant of power plant, with smaller modifications such as armament not being captured in this simplification of the nomenclature. The type 11 Ohka is the better-known variant, powered by solid rocket motors, and saw action late in WWII. Not many type 22 Ohkas were built and only one survives, on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar Hazy Center near Washington DC.
The type 22 Ohka never saw action before VJ Day and featured two major differences from the earlier and better-known type 11: The wingspan was noticeably shorter, and it was powered not by solid rocket motors, but by a Tse-11 thermojet engine. Paraphrasing from Wikipedia, The thermojet, also known as a motor jet, is a very simple jet engine where a small gas engine powers the turbine fan instead of heated exhaust providing the power. In other words, it's a ducted fan with injected and ignited fuel for added thrust.
The Kit
Radu Brinzan of RB Productions has made a reputation for himself of producing some of the finest resin model kits available, such as the Arado 234 and Ki-61 sold by MDC. The new Ohka kit follows this tradition of a relatively small number of parts and simple, straightforward engineering, without seeming to compromise detail. Included in the kit are nearly 60 parts in grey resin, a clear resin windscreen, two vacformed canopies, and a fret of photo-etch containing roughly 60 additional detail parts. A small decal sheet printed by Fantasy Printshop rounds out the items in this model.
Panel lines are delicately scribed and are of a consistent depth. Cockpit detail molded into the fuselage is looks superb and is well defined; many of the photo-etch parts are destined for the cockpit, as are a number of resin pieces. RB Production's Japanese Navy Seat Harness set is included in the box to belt up the pilot's seat. This product is also available separately and is similar in design to the popular HGW fabric and etch seatbelt sets. The instructions are a little vague on the interior colours, so make sure to refer to the cockpit photo on NASM's website as a painting guide. The resin windscreen and vacform sliding canopy are both quite nice; all they really need it a dip in Future floor polish or a similar product.
Separate control surfaces are provided so that you can position them however desired. The jet engine includes a separate fan blade assembly to ease painting and as with the rest of the kit, it's crisply cast. A single piece solid booster rocket is provided and attached to the bottom of the fuselage, and an aerodynamic fairing to cover the rocket nozzle if desired. Unless you fancy scratchbuilding a P1Y Francis to mount the Ohka under, you will likely be using the grand transport dolly in the kit to display your completed model.
The instruction manual for this kit is not included in the box; it is available only online as a downloadable pdf file. While this approach may not be preferred by some modelers, it allows RB Productions to help ensure the safety of the resin parts in the box by not overstuffing everything. I am sure many modelers will agree that they would rather download and print the instructions than have to fix parts broken in shipping!
Each step of the instructions features a detailed graphic as well as text to assist the builder along the way. The small decal sheet is perfectly printed and contains four cherry blossoms (two more than required), the red stripe running the length of the fuselage, basic instruments, stencils, and numbering. Having used Fantasy Printshop decals recently, I am very happy to see this inclusion as the quality is easily as good as Cartograf-printed decal sheets.
The Verdict
WOW. Simply Wow! This kit may not be the lowest-priced resin model for it's size, but I feel the quality is more than worth the money. The simple parts breakdown will also make this a good first resin kit for those looking to try their hand at this medium also. The Ohka Type 22 kit is available for purchase directly from RB Productions.
Thank you to Radu and Aaron at RB Productions for the review sample.
© Mike Swinburne 2015
This review was published on Friday, August 28 2015; Last modified on Monday, August 31 2015