Reviews : Hasegawa Nakajima B5N2 Type 97 Kate Aircraft

Hasegawa generally makes very good aircraft model kits, and the Nakajima B5N2 Kate bomber is no exception. This particular kit is not for the novice - better to have some experience and modeling skills, as this one is very detailed and a bit complicated, with a fair number of small parts and an occasional lack of clarity in the instructions. I used Tamiya spray paint and brush-applied acrylics. It's always a challenge to convert the Gunze Sangyo color numbers to Tamiya - there are some decent conversion charts online, but nothing is ever exact. It would be nice if Hobbylinc could include paint requirements from the instructions with each product description, as it is more convenient to buy all of the required paints with the kit rather than having to do it later and wait. This was an enjoyable and challenging kit to build - the parts fit together well, and there were no significant problems with the way the kit was engineered.

Long time tanker, new to aircraft and this kit was my 3rd aircraft model. In research about aircraft kits and brands I kept reading good comments about Hasegawa, including on HobbyLinc. So this was my first try. It doesn't take long to recognize that Hasegawa has a knack, a talent, a polish, really a signature based on my limited experience. That signature is in the wisdom and fluidity of the instructions. It's a fascinating warplane and an impressive kit. A practiced aircraft modeler could turn this kit into a real beauty. It's not an easy kit, it's without frills but definitely one that can be finished well and displayed proudly. My only wishes are that Hasegawa offer a canopy mask and crew as an option with the kit.

This was my first build from this company. The detail is great the parts are tiny. Instructions are a bit lacking and I could use a better description for a color than Nakajima Green. Look that one up and everyone has a different answer so it got IJN green.

You will need steady hands, small fingers and small tools to put this kit together. However, the parts fit well and the instructions are clear and I had no problems except occasionally loosing the small parts which would show up two steps late. My bad!

This is a great kit. I inspected it and found that all the parts and decals were included. It is highly detailed. Buy it. Only wished it had pilots to go with the kit.