Cyber-Hobby 1/72 Aichi D3A Type 99 "Val"
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
Its fixed landing gear reminiscent of the Junkers Ju 87, the Aichi D3A was the primary dive bomber of the Japanese Navy at the outset of the Second World War. It was one of the aircraft that took part in the Pearl Harbor attack, and also took part in attacks throughout the South Pacific. The D3A holds the distinction of sinking more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft during the Second World War.
The Kit
Cyber-Hobby's new 1/72 D3A Val is the third mainstream injection molded D3A kit in 1/72, and at quick glance appears to be much better than the older Airfix and Fujimi offerings. Molded in the usual light gray plastic, the kit features recessed panel lines, optional folded wingtips, a detailed cockpit, and an impressive decal sheet with lots of options.
Like most aircraft models, construction begins with the interior. This kit comes with a fairly nice interior, really only lacking seat belts. However, the instructions leave quite a bit out, and use drawings of parts that don't exist. For instance, the cockpit is portrayed as a one-piece tub, when in actuality it is a floor with a rear bulkhead. The seats are both labeled as part D5, but the actual parts are individually labeled D4 and D5. The seats appear identical, so it shouldn't matter which one goes where. While the front bulkhead and instrument panel are depicted in the instructions, one glaring omission is the control stick. This is part D2, and I'll refer you to the photo here to see its proper location and orientation.
This issue with the instructions is not restricted just to the cockpit, unfortunately. The entire C tree is incorrectly numbered throughout, but at least the parts are visually identifiable so building won't be too much of an issue. One item of note that is not mentioned in the instructions, but is a very useful inclusion in the kit, is the optional cowling parts. The instructions show the two-piece cowl with open cowl flaps. This is nicely molded, but for aircraft on the ground, the cowl flaps are generally closed. The kit includes parts to represent that, but these are split into right and left halves, with a separate front ring. There's a bit more construction needed, but it's nice to have the option.
With the interior done and the engine (which is a nice assembly consisting of both rows of cylinders), the main construction can take place. The fuselage is split into right and left halves, incorporating the vertical fin. The rudder is separate, as are all the other control surfaces. The rib detail is a bit overdone, but nothing that can't be toned down with a bit of sandpaper. The horizontal stabilizers are molded as one piece, and in my experience this will likely need a bit of extra filler at the joint. The canopy comes in two options: a one piece closed assembly and a five-piece assembly for displaying it open.
Moving to the wing, this is done in three main pieces: a one-piece lower wing and separate upper pieces. As noted, the control surfaces are separate, including the flaps. Another nice feature of this kit deals with the wingtips. The D3A could fold its wingtips for carrier storage. This kit provides the option of these in either the folded or extended mode. For the underside of the wing, there are separate dive brakes, and the landing gear features nice wheels sandwiched between the two spat halves. A centerline bomb and two outer wing bombs make up the armament.
Painting options are all the same for the various schemes: overall gray with a black nose. The decals provide various tail codes and stripes. There are also different wheel spat markings, as well as markings for a presentation aircraft. The decals look to be quite nicely printed, although the red is far too bright and too orange. This greatly limits the usability of the markings, unfortunately.
Conclusion
Despite the instruction problems, mismatched part numbers, and off-color decals, this is still a very nice model of the D3A Val, and that makes up for the deficiencies. I'm looking forward to building this up, perhaps in a pre-war color scheme. My thanks to Dragon USA for the review sample.