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Choroszy Modelbud 1/72 Kawasaki Type 92 IJA Fighter

By Michael Benolkin

History

The Kawasaki Type 92 was developed as a single seat, biplane fighter that was powered by a modified BMW VI engine and armed with two 7.7mm machine guns. Approximately 380 of these aircraft were delivered to the Imperial Japanese Army by 1934, and these saw service in Manchuria and China.

The Kit

Until now, I had not heard of Choroszy Modelbud of Krakow, Poland. With a catalog number of A13, this was not their first release, but I had seen limited run resin kits before. On opening the box, however, I was quite surprised. The resin castings in this kit are far from the low-budget, limited edition variety.

The fuselage halves are mostly hollow, providing more than enough room to install a detailed cockpit and give the illusion of being completely hollow. Two locator pins are located on one of the fuselage halves with corresponding holes in the other half. If they align the halves, great; if not, cut them off and press on. When the halves are aligned together, the lengths and corresponding cockpit sill are all in perfect alignment.

The only rough spot was where the manufacturer had cut away the mold overpour from the fuselage and took off a few chips in the fuselage joint. A drop of gap-filling cyano will solve that problem. I'd much rather have them cut that away and fill the gap than trying to cut that part clear on my own. As delicate as the fuselage halves are, they'd shatter if we attempted the same thing. Thanks CM!

The texturing in the wings and tail surfaces is very fine, and delicately represent the fabric and underlying structures of the wing against the metal leading edge. The inter-wing I-struts and cabane struts are also finely cast.

In fact, after examining the molding of all of the parts, I could not find a single air bubble. The molding quality of this kit is top-notch. The detailing is beautifully executed in 1/72.

Decals are provided for a single example, that of aircraft number 43 as featured on the box art.

Conclusion

This was an unexpected surprise. The quality of this kit is absolutely state of the art in resin casting technology and technique. In addition, Choroszy Modelbud has provided what would be the only Type 92 likely to be produced in a quality kit in my lifetime.

I'd easily recommend this kit to any modeler of intermediate or advanced skills. Removing the delicate resin parts from their carriers and assembling the kit with cyano is a little more than the basic modeler would want to tackle, though if the subject interests you, I'd suggest getting one and stashing it away until you're ready for such a project.

My sincere thanks to Kitlink for this review sample! Kitlink offers this kit at $29.95 USD.