P. J.’s Mitsubishi J2M
Transforming an ARF
Better known as the “Raiden,” the Mitsubishi J2M made its combat debut in June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. It was a land-based fighter aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II and was also used for home defense against high-flying U.S. Army Air Forces’ B-29 Superfortress bombers. The Allied code name for the J2M was “Jack.” Not as famous as other Japanese fighters, such as the A6M “Zero,” Jack makes a unique and seldom-modeled scale RC project.
Model Airplane News contributor and the main man behind the popular Warbird Alley event gang, P. J. Ash chose the Raiden as a quick-build competition warbird. With a wingspan of about 81 inches and a length of 74 inches, the J2M weighs in at about 25 pounds, giving it excellent flight characteristics for use as a sport flier as well. P. J. chose the EMS ARF from VQ Models, as it made an excellent starting point for the scale improvements needed to transform it into a competition-worthy aircraft. It has a fiberglass fuselage and engine cowl, and its wings and tail are built-up sheeted structures covered with film material that has a factory-applied finish.
The airplane makeover began by P. J. applying panels, panel lines, and rivets to the model to help catch some of the basic weathering, which he would also apply. He used the thin pinstriping tape and primer technique to produce the panel lines, and for the rivets, he did a combination of flush rivets (using a soldering iron equipped with a small length of brass tubing) as well as raised rivets formed with fine drops of glue. P. J. also repainted the model using scale-correct Tamiya paints applied over a glossy silver base coat. He then used fine steel wool to burnish and scuff the finish as well as to expose some of the silver in high-wear areas around hatches and along the panel lines. An obvious part of the appearance of Japanese WW II aircraft is the large areas of chipped-away paint, which was caused by inferior paints and harsh weather conditions. P. J. duplicated the look nicely and the effect looks authentic.
Using a Zenoah G45 for power and a Spektrum DX18 radio system, P. J. has had great results with his unique Japanese WW II fighter. It shows just how far an ARF model can be taken in a relatively short amount of time.