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Master X 1/48 Kokusai Ta-Go
 

Master X 1/48 Kokusai Ta-Go

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

I had no idea that this plane existed until this model showed up. Upon reading the history overview in the instructions, there's no wonder: only one was built and it was flown only once. Made of wood, the Ta-Go was a fixed-gear suicide aircraft powered by a 110hp Hitachi H-47 engine. Its sole flight took place on June 25, 1945.

The Kit

This is the first Master X kit I have looked at in detail, and my initial overall impression is that it is rather good. The kit is cast in a dark green resin, with a small fret of photoetch, white metal landing gear, and a simple decal sheet. As the original aircraft was very simple, so is this kit. The wing is a one-piece solid casting, while the fuselage is split into right and left halves. The remaining resin parts are cast in connecting wafers. While this might result in a bit more cleanup work, it also helps protect some of the smaller parts.

Construction of this model will be very straightforward and rapid. The cockpit, being open, is where most of the time will be spent, as that opening is large and there is nothing to obstruct the view. The photoetch provides the instrument panel and seat belts, while resin pieces form the rest. Once this interior is finished, there is little else to do other than close up the fuselage, add the wings and tailplanes, and move on to the landing gear. It is this last part that will present the most difficult work, at least in this sample. The white metal landing gear pieces are heavily pitted, which will require lots of filling and sanding. The shapes are very simple, though, so there is not going to be any worry about removing delicate detail.

Once these steps are done, all that remains is to paint the aircraft. The Ta-Go, simple in construction, is also very simple in painting: overall green. No fancy paint schemes here, and, in fact, since it was a brand new aircraft, only flown once, you could even skip all the weathering. The decals are nicely printed, providing hinomarus and the tail emblem.

Conclusion

This is a rather interesting subject to produce a kit of, and the people at Master X have done an excellent job. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and if there is any question as to whether this kit can be built, I suggest you take a look at the photos of John Vojtech's finished Ta-Go. My thanks to UMM-USA for the review sample. Visit their website for this and other Master X kits.