B5N Kate
Folded Wings Conversion

Cutting Edge Modelworks

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

HyperScale is proudly sponsored by Meteor Productions

Cutting Edge Modelworks resin conversion kit CEC48295 has been designed to provide an option of folded wings for the 1/48 scale Hasegawa kit of the Nakajima B5N Type 97 Kate.

The set consists of 12 pieces of crisply cast resin parts:

• The outer wings (cast as a complete unit),

• The tops of the inner wings,

• Two V struts to secure the wings to the fuselage sides, and

• Six wingfold actuators (two spares).

It would be a safe bet to say that the kit’s parts have been used as the master for the wings. It is also evident that a great deal of work has been done by Cutting Edge Modelworks to replicate the wing’s interior structure to the same level of detail as that provided by Hasegawa for the rest of their kit.

What you can’t see in the illustration is that the lightening holes of the wing ribs have a depth of three to five millimetres and they are not just holes, they all cast with an undercut. An application of a wash to the ends of the wings once painted will really make the detail stand out.

As with all other Cutting Edge products, the instruction sheet is well written and illustrated. Simply follow the instructions and you will not have any problems with this conversion.

All the parts are packed in ziplock bags and packed in Cutting Edge Modelworks’s familiar yellow-labeled cardboard box. Also included in the box is a piece on nylon padding. My guess is that it has been provided as packaging to stop the parts rubbing together but I found that it is very useful as a polishing cloth to prepare the resin parts for painting in much the same way that Fançois Verlinden mentions in his modelling articles.

Cutting Edge Modelworks has done a great job in producing this set. It has been well thought out and well executed.

With regard to cost, Cutting Edge Modelworks seem to have been listening to the modeller and have priced this set at USD$21.99. Hasegawa's Kates can be had for around USD$20-24 with a little searching, haggling and club discount, so the cost of this set is pretty good really.

Now for the $64 question! Will Hasegawa issue their Kate with a wingfold in due course? Well, the inner surfaces of the wings have a scribe line at the appropriate spot so my bet is yes, they will. But the cost and what the detail will be like are anyone’s guess. If you want a Kate with folded wings right now then go out and by this set. For those of you still hoarding the old Nichimo kit, sorry, this conversion is not likely to fit it.

Recommended!

Thanks to Meteor Productions for the review sample

Cutting Edge Modelworks products are available from Meteor Productions Website

Review Copyright © 2002 by Rodger Kelly
Page Created 14 February, 2002
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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