Zoukei-Mura Inc. 1/32 J7W2 Conversion First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | January 2011 | Manufacturer | Zoukei-Mura Inc. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | J7W2 Conversion | Scale | 1/32 |
| Kit Number | SWS01-M01 | Media | Resin |
| Pros | Nicely cast engine and rear cowling | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (Yen) | ¥3,100 (about $38.00 USD) |
First Look
Zoukei-Mura is a relatively new model company from Japan that adopted an interesting business model - sell a kit that would look excellent built straight from the box, but keep it all-plastic to keep costs down. Zoukei-Mura also produces a number of products to superdetail their kits or to render different variants. Here is one of those options.
This is a nicely detailed resin turbojet engine that would have been based upon the Jumo engines being provided to Japan by Germany for its fledgling jet-powered fighter development. This particular set is designed to convert Zoukei-Mura's first release, the piston-powered J7W1 Shinden kit in 1/32 scale into a turbine-powered J7W2.
While the J7W2 never got beyond the drawing boards, it was clear that the designers had laid out the airframe to adopt it to turbine power with minimal effort (at least on paper). This set is cast in light gray resin and consists of five parts for the nicely detailed engine and one part to replace the rear fuselage fairing. This conversion is basically a drop-in conversion to the Zoukei-Mura kit.
This is some really nice casting and even if you do build the kit as the J7W1 (piston-powered), this engine would look nice on a stand next to the aircraft to show what might have come next.
My sincere thanks to HobbyLink Japan for this review sample!