|
Black Cat Models
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Reviewed July 2026 by Dan Kaplan |
|||||||||||||||||
| Black Cat continues to
add to its various lines of 1/700 naval
accessories. The two types of aircraft covered in
this review were part of the air groups of all the
Imperial Japanese Navy’s front-line aircraft carriers in
the 1941 to late 1942 timeframe.
The Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” was
Imperial Japanese Navy’s premier, front-line fighter
during the 1941-42 timeframe. Best known for its use
aboard aircraft carriers, it also comprised the core
of many land-based air groups. |
|||||||||||||||||
| THE REVIEW SETS | |||||||||||||||||
| These are Black Cat
Model’s 1/700 counterparts to their 1/350
versions of the Zero and Val. Note that Black Cat
offers two configurations of each of these types, that
of folded and unfolded wings. Both these review samples
are of the unfolded wing configuration. Both came packed in the standard Black Cat clamshell with each containing two aircraft. Each aircraft is fully formed and printed, excepting its propeller, crew, and weapons load out, which are included separately on the raft. Everything is superbly rendered. For the most part, the print lines are invisible to the Mk.1 eyeball except under a magnifier or by using a digital camera. A coat of paint will cover any superficial marring. All the aircraft are dimensionally correct, with the proper silhouettes and overhead shapes. Though barely visible under magnification, each radial engine’s cylinders are partially visible in between the cowling and the prop hub. All aircraft come with their landing gear attached and in the down position. The Zero comes with its wing guns mounted and wheel wells clearly visible, while the Val has its dive brakes mounted. Two propellers (one spare) are attached to each print raft. A truly nice set of features is that each aircraft is printed with an open cockpit, seat(s), control stick, and open canopy frame. This makes for a more realistic depiction of an aircraft parked aboard an aircraft carrier. Cockpits were generally left open below decks, in some deck parks, when pre-positioned for launch and during most actual aircraft launches. Each aircraft also comes with a printed pilot and aircrew. Two seated and two standing pilot figures (one spare) are included with the Zero, while the Val comes with standing figures in addition to the seated aircrews. I imagine these are meant to show air crew prior to boarding their aircraft, though I supposed they could be used as aircraft handlers as well. As far as the loadouts go, the Zero comes with a beautifully formed drop tank and two 250kg bombs, which would be appropriate if the A6M2 is used as a late war fighter-bomber. The D4Y1 Val comes with four 250kg bombs. Everything is tiny but crisply formed. As always, extreme considerable care and patience is advised when removing the raft from the clamshell (I used a razor blade inserted between the two), and again when separating the print raft attachment points from the aircraft and components. In my case, given the high degree of handling for the photoshoots, one of the Zero’s wing guns did snap off when I handled it incorrectly. Unhappily so. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
| INSTRUCTIONS/DECALS | |||||||||||||||||
|
Black Cat
usually offers specific instructions and/or guidelines
on its website through links on each product page.
Interestingly, there are no specific instructions for
any of these aircraft, probably because these aircraft
are molded as significantly complete, less propellers
and weapons loadouts. However, there are multiple views
on each product page that can easily guide one to the
final configuration. |
|||||||||||||||||
| FINAL THOUGHTS | |||||||||||||||||
| While not the only 1/700 IJN
aircraft on the market, given both styrene injected and
3 D printed versions, they are impressive. This is not
surprising given their 1/350 pedigree. Some will think
that, like many 3D printed aircraft and accessories,
they are perhaps a little on the pricey side. I think
that’s true, but most styrene injected versions offer
far more simplistic depictions than these units, along
with some versions needing complicated assembly. They
also offer a little more than the typical 3D printed
aircraft, given how complete they are. There’s no
doubting their quality, and the open cockpits raise the
level of carrier flight deck displays noticeably. The
individual modeler will need to decide for themselves
the value of these pieces. Highly recommended. Squadron is the US distributor for Black Cat Models. Availability is intermittent so one must check periodically. These units can also be ordered on Black Cat’s own website. Zero A6M2 with unfolded wing is set # AC700062a Retail cost is €5.45, which equates to US$6.19 Zero A6M2 with folded wing is set # AC700062b same as above Aichi D3Y1 with unfolded wing is set # AC700064a same as above Aichi D3Y1 with folded wing is set # AC700064a same as above All pricing is based on the exchange rate as of this writing and is without shipping costs. Review samples courtesy of Black Cat Models. *Possibility of group purchase (x3, x6, x12) with decreasing price, per Black Cat website. |
|||||||||||||||||
