The current Blue Impulse began on October 19, 1958, when three F-86Fs performed aerobatics at an air show held at Hamamatsu Kita Air Base .
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force established the Air Mobility Research Team at the 1st Air Wing at Hamamatsu Air Base on April 16, 1960, and formed an aerobatic flying team using F-86F Sabers under the name of Tenryu. This F-86F team later changed its name to Blue Impulse, using the call sign Impulse Blue, and became known around the world by drawing the Olympic rings and EXPO '70 in the air.
After this, the Blue Impulse team performed numerous aerobatics all over Japan, but in the 1982 season, they replaced their aging F-86F with the domestically produced jet trainer T-2.
The speedy aerobatics performed by the T-2 captivated many fans. Having previously used the F-86F and T-2, the Blue Impulse team switched to the latest domestically produced jet trainer T-4 in the 1996 season, a model they continue to use to this day.
The T-4, capable of aerial maneuvers on a par with the F-15, delivers a more advanced and exciting performance for the spectators.
Hasegawa's sharp little T-4 kit with decals for marking the planes of the JASDF aerobatic team "Blue Impulse" in their 2002 team configuration. The blue areas of the scheme are provided as decals, and the plane is shot in white plastic, so you can make this look basically like the plane even without painting (though we definitely recommend painting it!).
