Building a cutaway N1K2-J Shiden Kai
By "George," it's easier than you think!
Cutaway models can involve a lot of scratchbuilding and complicated design - the realm of the supermodeler - but Waikong Chung found a shortcut to looking like a real pro.
"Like many modelers," he says, "I've always admired cutaway models but deemed them too difficult. Then one day while finishing a Hasegawa Zero 'skeleton' kit, which has a clear fuselage you can selectively paint (or not) to show the interior, I realized it was essentially a cutaway that required far less scratchbuilding and aftermarket material, as the interior elements are already provided."
Waikong already had a 1/48 scale Hasegawa Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden Kai (skeleton version, kit No. 51945), so he got to work - and the results took his modeling to a newly advanced level.
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| Like most modelers, Waikong started in the cockpit, adding wire and styrene details to dress it up a little. |
| The details continued aft as Waikong wrestled with the wobbly photoetched-metal formers and stringers. |
| If he was going to show off the engine, Waikong had to build a styrene firewall and engine mount. |
| Waikong employed "gizmology" to fill the space. It looked like a lot to fit in the nose ... |
| ... but fit it did. Remember to paint the inside of the fuselage before closing it around the details, Waikong cautions. |
| Waikong anchored the framing inside the tail where gobs of super glue wouldn't be seen. Extra care in assembly paid dividends. "A magnify glass helps," he says. |
| Waikong opened just enough wing to suggest more ... |
... using styrene sheet and strip to fill in
details ... |
| ... and "revealing" machine guns and fuel tanks. |
| Taken in sum, the details lend an air of complexity to Waikong's carefully considered cutouts. |
| Things are kept relatively simple underneath and in the wheel wells. |
| Waikong "chipped" paint with a silver marker, sanding it back a little to keep it from looking too bright. |
| The result is a realistic depiction of the level of weathering seen in wartime photos - and a darned good-looking George! |