Platz Hobby 1/300 US-1/US-2 Flying Boat JMSDF Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | September 2014 | Manufacturer | Platz Hobby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | US-1/US-2 Flying Boat JMSDF | Scale | 1/300 |
| Kit Number | PF-18 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Easy build, nice details | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (Yen) | ¥2,376 |
First Look
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The Shinmeiwa Industries PS-1 flying boat was an indigenous design to provide the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) with an anti-submarine warfare and air-sea rescue capability in the waters that surround the Japanese islands. Shinmeiwa Industries descended from the Kawanishi Aircraft Company who produced a wide range of flying boats and floatplanes during World War II. Development of the PS-1 started in 1960 as the UF-XS which was a large flying boat that featured a short take-off and landing (STOL) wing, a super-sized hull based upon the Grumman HU-16 Albatross, and powered by four turboprop engines plus a turbine engine in the fuselage who's thrust is vented over the top of the wings for boundary layer control for enhanced STOL performance.
The PS-1 entered production in 1969 with 21 aircraft built. 19 additional aircraft were procured without the anti-submarine warfare equipment installed to serve as US-1 air-sea rescue aircraft. The PS-1 remained in service as the JMSDF's ASW platform until 1989 when it was replaced by the P-3 Orion. The US-1 served into the 1990s and entered an upgrade program that included new engines and now operates as the US-2.
This new release from Platz is actually two complete kits in one box. The kits are not duplicate sprues as with some previous releases, this release has the older US-1 and the re-engined US-2 in the box. Both kits are simple builds as you might imagine in this scale but I recommend some modeling experiece due to some small/delicate parts. The kits are straightforward with the only real option on both aircraft is posing the landing gear up or down.
Markings are provided for four examples which include:
- US-2, 9901, JMSDF
- US-2, 9902, JMSDF
- US-1, 9072, JMSDF
- US-1, 9090, JMSDF
If you're staring at the two kits and still can't see the difference between them, the US-2 has the six-bladed propellers while the US-1 still has the three-bladed props.
For more information about this set and the other releases from Platz Hobby, visit their website at http://www.platz-hobby.com.
My sincere thanks to Platz Hobby for this review sample!