WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD:  Classic Kit gets a serious makeover with pre-painted canopies and a new decal sheet with lots of extra details

The Mitsubishi G4M Type 1 “Betty” was a medium bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII.  Like the Zero, its speed and ordnance-carrying capabilities were very good at the expense of crew protection.  A cigar-shape provided a roomy interior and provided a nickname, “flying cigar” for its crews.  Allied pilots referred to it as a “Zippo” for its ability to catch fire easily when hit by gunfire thanks to the lack of protection for the fuel tanks.

The first significant item in Minicraft #14746 is a new set of pre-painted canopies.  The Betty has a lot of “glass” with quite a bit of canopy framing.  It’s one of the characteristics that makes the Betty stand out as a cool model, but in the past, it was difficult for the builder to execute effectively.  In 1/144 scale, it was always a tricky job to paint the canopy framing by hand to make it look decent.  I could never do it well, resorting instead to masking and painting.  In 1/144  scale, it was hard to get the lines to a consistent width and alignment, and of course this work was very time consuming.  Minicraft uses a Tampo printing process to put the canopy lines in for you and the painting is thin and crisp.  It will greatly streamline the construction process.

Minicraft has chosen to depict the aircraft in which General Isoroku Yamamoto was flying as a passenger when it was intercepted and shot down by American P-38 fighters.  The box art depicts this WWII event.

Next up is the decal scheme.  One of Minicraft’s great strengths for the past couple decades or so is a strategy to release their classic kits with new and interesting decal schemes.  On several occasions, I’ve searched aftermarket decal sources because I wanted to build a certain plane, and then found that Minicraft either had released a kit with the same decals, or one had been announced.

Model has engraved lines for flight surfaces and bomb bay doors with very fine raised panel lines.  Finished model size about 5" (13 cm) long with 7" (18 cm) wingspan.  MSRP is a low $15.99.

This kit portrays the aircraft in which General Yamamoto was shot down on April 18, 1943.  Decals for another dark-green Betty are included if the modeler isn’t interested in the Yamamoto aircraft.
 
A Minicraft stand is included with this model if you want to portray the model in “flying” condition since the option is included for gear-up or gear-down.
 
While I haven’t yet built a Minicraft Betty, it appears that this kit will go together similar to others in the series, and probably easier than average.  A careful inspection couldn't come up with even one sinkhole in my kit.  Tires each have two small ejector pin circles to fill and the landing gear struts each have one minor circle that may not even show when the strut is installed.  These issues are minor enough that I'm feeling nitpicky mentioning them and only contest modelers will probably try to correct them due to their insignificant nature.

In the time it takes to watch "Tora Tora Tora," you should be able to clean up parts (there is a small amount of flash) and get the basic subassemblies together.  Test-fit parts and "trim or shim" if needed before gluing.  A little putty and sanding will probably be in order to smooth joints between parts.  There aren't a whole lot of parts so it should be an easygoing build.  There is nothing here to prevent you from doing a contest-quality build if you want.

One “extra” that the original kit has always had is an interior with three seats and an instrument panel.  A new perk in many recent Minicraft kits in this series is decals for the cockpit.  In this case, an instrument panel decal is included and also a large decal for the cockpit floor, designed to go around the seats.  The decal has cutouts where the seats go, so it should fit right over them with no problem.  Minicraft also supplies decal seatbelts!  Underneath that pre-painted canopy, all this stuff  inside the completed model should look pretty amazing.

One thing we like about the overall execution of this kit is that Minicraft did a good job with the instructions.  Decal placement during construction is clearly portrayed and less-experienced modelers who know how to use glue should have no problems with assembly.

Other decal extras include engine faces and the canopy framing for the three clear gunner/observation blisters.  Decals are made by Cartograf and are of premium quality.
 
You’ll probably want to paint the interior of the aircraft Mitsubishi Blue-Green.  The kit instructions refer to it as "pale green-gray."  I’m no expert in WWII Japanese paint colors, so I don’t want to steer you wrong here, but those decals will look very nice over your interior paint.  The aircraft exterior color has been described as “black-green” and it shouldn’t be too hard to find examples from all the major model paint manufacturers, or mix it yourself by adding a small amount of black to some regular green paint, stirring and rechecking the shade until it looks right.

The kit includes pre-painted "glass" for the forward and rear gun stations and main crew canopy.  Decals, including spares, are included for the side and top gun blisters.  The clear parts sprue also includes spares of the unpainted parts.  Enhanced Cartograf decal sheet includes a number of nice extras.

The engraved portside circle on the rear fuselage represents a crew hatch.  In some pictures of Bettys  I’ve seen, it’s round, in others, it’s more squared off.  Sometimes the Hinomauru (Japanese insignia) lines up with it, other times not.  Kit instructions show you just where to put it on this kit.  Another interesting aspect of the paint scheme is that the yellow leading edge wing bands extend quite a ways onto the top of the wing, more than on other Japanese aircraft of WWII.  A quick check of photo references for the aircraft confirms that this is correct.

Fuselage halves capture the "flying cigar" look.

The props were nicely done.  Decals for the engine faces are included.

The cockpit floor includes three seats.

​To get all that “glass” to look good on the airplane, I’d recommend the use of Testors clear parts cement and window maker to secure the clear parts to the fuselage.  It dries clear and won’t fog the canopy like solvent glues or cyanacrylate “super glues.”

Box side with a profile view of the Yamamoto aircraft.

The new canopies are a game-changer for this kit.  Painting all those lines on the “glass” in previous versions was probably the most challenging part of finishing the model.  With the decal extras also included, a striking model can be produced by the modeler with a lot less effort.  The engineering of the original tooling was very proficient and should facilitate an easy build in addition to the new perks.
 
Dem Brudders give Minicraft’s Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” model kit four enthusiastic thumbs up!

SPECIAL THANKS TO MINICRAFT FOR PROVIDING THIS KIT FOR US TO REVIEW!  CHECK OUT MINICRAFT.COM TO SEE THIS AND OTHER KITS IN THE MINICRAFT LINE!

BONUS INFORMATION
 
A LITTLE PAINTING TIP
 
Japanese aircraft of WWII era, at least the Mitsubishi planes, were delivered to their units unfinished, meaning natural metal.  Maintenance crews were not usually stocked with primer, so the camoflauge paint went directly on bare metal.  It didn’t adhere well, which is the reason you commonly see flaked, peeled, and heavily weathered paint in many pictures of WWII Japanese aircraft.  In most cases, it's fun to portray this on  models with various weathering techniques.  I’ll go with the theory that the aircraft transporting Yamamoto was well-maintained, including the finish, so I won’t do too much weathering with this particular model.

BUILD A COLLECTION!
 
Minicraft has some very interesting Japanese aircraft from WWII in its product line, and a nice collection can be had without a lot of expense thanks to the low prices of these kits.  In 1/144 scale, they won't take up a lot of room on your display shelf, either.  Each includes premium-quality Cartograf decals which are easy to apply, and they look amazing on the completed model.  I've finished a couple of these kits so far (pictures included below), and found them to be easy, enjoyable builds.

#14656 is the Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki "Tojo."  This was a small interceptor with a wingspan eight feet shorter than the Zero.

#14676, Ki-61 "Tony."  This Type 3 Army Fighter was originally thought by Allied strategists to be a derivative of the Italian Macchi C.202, explaining its Allied-supplied code name.

#14679, the Ryusei "Grace,"  has a markings option for an interesting orange test/training aircraft.

(My Myrt was built from an earlier release that did not include the Cartograf decals)

#14680, the C6N1 Saiun "Myrt" was a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft.  Its top speed matched that of the U.S. Navy Hellcat, meaning it was not easy to intercept. 

#14691 A6M2 Zero comes with an unusual orange/green color scheme.

#14751, A6M2 Zero, is the latest release of these kits.  It includes the Minicraft stand and pre-painted canopy.

HISTORY BEHIND MINICRAFT G4M “BETTY” #14746
 
The Minicraft kit portrays the aircraft in which Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet Commander-in-Chief General Yamamoto was ambushed and killed by USAAF P-38’s on April 18, 1943.  U.S. Naval Intelligence had successfully intercepted and decoded a number of significant Japanese coded communications.  Anticipating Japanese actions prior to the Battle of Midway is a famous example.  Another was the obtaining of Yamamoto’s travel schedule for an inspection tour of The Solomon Islands and New Guinea to boost troop morale after setbacks for Japanese forces during those campaigns.
 
Thanks to these interceptions and decodings, intelligence personnel of the U.S. Pacific Fleet determined the location, time, and number of planes in Yamamoto’s flight—two Betty bombers and six Zero escorts.  Sources on who specifically authorized the interception mission vary, with Chester Nimitz often credited.
 
Due to the distances involved, U.S. Army-Air Force P-38’s with drop-tanks were assigned to the interception.  18 were selected with four to make the actual attack and the rest to provide high-altitude cover.
 
The intercept was planned to the minute, and Yamamoto’s plane was spotted at the estimated time and shot down, crashing on Bougainville Island, Papua, New Guinea.  Yamamoto’s death was confirmed the next day by a Japanese search-and-rescue party.
 
An interesting coincidence is that the downing of Yamamoto’s plane came one year to the day after the “Doolittle Raid,” when a group of B-25’s took off from the USS Hornet to bomb Tokyo under the command of Lt Col. Jimmy Doolittle.