My sons birthday is coming up. He builds cars but recently showed interest in WWII Japanese aircraft. He likes the Raiden. I read reviews online but would like to hear from members on the forum. I built the Revell kit when it came out in the 70s. But dont want to refinance my house to get one off ebay. Any help would be appreciated.
I’d suggest looking at the instructions at ScaleMates. It’s a heck of a lot of parts. Maybe 1/48 would be better?
The reason the Revell (Japan) is so expensive is that the molds no longer exist.
I know they went down with the ship. Along with the George and the Hein.
The Revell kit isn’t that much more than the Hasegawa. Once the new tools were released the value of the Revell kit dropped.
I have built the Revell and it is exactly what it is. I have the Hasegawa with which to replace it but have not yet built it. However, I expect it to build up like my other Hasegawa kits so I’d say it is not a bad build but unless your son has built a kit or two already it might be a little fudgy for him.
I like the old Revell kit of the Raiden. Looked just now on the Internet and found several for 49.99 and up to 60. If that is too much then recommend the Hasegawa 1/32 Raiden. Fits well even for an older kit. Perhaps out of the price point is the Zoukei Mura Raiden at about 88.+. If one finishes that, you’ve about built the whole airplane inside and out. Still, Revell is a good choice starter.
I agree with @Gary_Kato , any thoughts on a 1/48 Raiden?
No, he’s set on 1/32 scale. I got the Shoki, Oscar and Hein. Hes trying to talk me out of. I showed him the Hasegawa line of aircraft and he likes the 1/32 Raiden.
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Fair enough! Everyone has their favorite scale!
I am just afraid that he will be overwhelmed by the complexity of the kit. But if that’s what he wants, so be it.
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11:30 p.m. eastern and here is a 1/32 Revell Jack for $45 inc. s/h:
Hasegawa 1/32 Jack for about $40 including s/h. Still bidding in progress:
I don’t think it is any more complex than a current era Revell kit but compared to the OG Raiden the Hasegawa does have a number of fragile parts for the landing gear and cockpit that I could see being challenges even for some people on this forum.
I would suggest showing him the instructions off of Scalemates so he can see the sprues and ask him if he is willing to take the risk of breaking some parts learning how to work the snippers efficiently and potentially making the kit unfinishable or perhaps starting with an easier kit and rewarding himself with the Raiden when he has a few under the belt.
It is a nice looking kit but like I said in a prior post unless he has already built a kit or two to get the hang of it this might be a step above his level. Maybe go to Hobby Lobby on 40% off kits day and pick up one of the cheap Academy planes they usually carry and let him rip on that. If he messes it up he is still getting the practice without the tears associated with the binning of a $60 kit.
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Thanks for all the info. I got the one Hasagawa off ebay. Decided to keep it for myself. And gave him one of my Hasagawa KI-44 Shoki for his birthday. He was very pleased.
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I got the second one there off of ebay.
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That is great!!! I hope it is a lot of fun for him. Shoki, too.
I have built the Hei Shoki
Typical Hasegawa recent tool build; the flaps can be a little fussy as the attachment points are kind of small at this scale so it hangs on by the power of wishes.
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I like the lines of the Raiden… You should show him a Tony? That is a sexy plane!
On the picture above, are the white backgrounds, are they painted or decals? I did my first painted background, made all the difference.
