After the Sino-Japanese War of 1937, the Japanese Navy came under attack from the Chinese Air Force, albeit on a small scale. As a result, the Japanese Navy felt the need for a high-speed fighter for air defense of its bases, and presented Mitsubishi with a proposal to develop the Type 14 Experimental Local Fighter.
When Mitsubishi received this plan, they considered equipping the plane with a powerful engine, and although the engine they decided on in accordance with the requirements was large in diameter, they took air resistance into consideration and placed the engine at the rear using an extended shaft, and the nose was tapered ,
resulting in a spindle-shaped fuselage design that was not seen in previous Japanese aircraft.
In 1942, the first prototype was inspected and it was pointed out that it had a fast landing speed and poor visibility. However, after modifications such as redesigning the windshield, production of the aircraft began in September 1943 as the Raiden Type 11 (J2M2).
The Raiden Type 21 (J2M3) was a more heavily armed model equipped with four 20mm machine guns instead of a 7.7mm machine gun, and was the most produced of all the Raiden models.
Subsequently, the Type 32 (J2M4) was equipped with an exhaust turbine supercharger, the Type 33 (J2M5) had a larger windshield and the engine was replaced with a Hwasong 26 Type, and the Type 31 (J2M6) had a larger windshield but retained the same Hwasong 23A engine as the Raiden 21, as the Hwasong 26 Type was not available. A total of about 500 aircraft were produced, and they were used to intercept enemy bombers entering the Japanese mainland.
Specification
- 1/72 Scale
- Plastic Model Kit
- Assembly Required
- Paint and Glue not included
- Dimensions: 300x130x43 mm (11.8x5.1x1.7 inch)
- Weight: 116 g (0.26 lbs)
