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Description
A Japanese B7A Ryusei prepares for take off. As it taxis to the runways, a group of mechanics, maintenance personnel and an officer see them off.

B7A2 Ryusei (Shooting Star)

Country of Origin: Japan
Manufacturer: Aichi
Crew: 2, 1 pilot and 1 navigator/gunner
Length: 11.49 m (37 ft 8.33 in)
Wingspan: 14.40 m (47 ft 3 in)
Height: 4.07 m (13 ft 4.5 in)
Weight: 3,810 kg (8,400 lb) empty, 5,625 kg (12,401 lb) combat loaded
Powerplant: 1x Turbosupercharged Nakajima NK9C Homare-12 18 cylinder air cooled radial piston engine with 1,825 horsepower
Maximum Speed: 567 km/h (352 mph)
Service Ceiling:11,250 m (36,910 ft)
Range: 3,038 km (1,888 mi)
Armament: 2x 20mm Type 99 Model 2 autocannons fixed in the wings, 1x 13mm Type 2 machinegun flexibly mounted in the rear cockpit, 2x 550 kg bombs, 2x 250 kg bombs
Kit Maker and Scale: Hasegawa, 1:48

Quite possibly the ultimate expression of the torpedo bomber class of aircraft, the B7A Ryusei (Shooting Star) was a phenomenal aircraft that although developed in 1942, would not begin to enter combat service until mid-late 1944, thus giving it a second, more dubious "honour" of also being an ultimate expression of "too little, too late".

Boasting a distinct set of inverted "gull wings" to allow for proper propeller ground clearance, the rotund yet still sleek Ryusei was blessed with outstanding agility...in fact it was so agile it could out turn the the legendary A6M Zero. Combining that with a top speed equal to that of the Zero and adding in self sealing fuel tanks and armour plating for the crew and vital areas made the Ryusei a most formidable machine; had it appeared on squadron strength just a year earlier its impact on the Pacific War would have been quite profound. Not only would it have lent heavy striking power to attack squadrons, it could have made for a competent impromptu dogfighter, further bolstering the waning strength of the Japanese Navy.

For its primary role as a torpedo bomber, the feared Type 93 Long Lance torpedo was its weapon of choice. Like its predecessors, it could strike from a much greater range, speed and altitude than the earlier U.S. torpedo planes, thus giving it a better chance for survival and less time for its opponents to defend against its attacks. In the alternative, the Ryusei could fly as a level bomber. While its torpedo had to be carried externally, regular bombs could be carried within an internal bay to minimise drag. Additional weapons included a pair of 20mm cannons, one in each wing that the pilot could use for strafing ground targets, AA gunners, and trading shots with Hellcats and Corsairs should it get into a dogfight. For defense against interceptors as it made torpedo and bomb runs, a single 13mm machinegun on a flexible mount covered the rear quadrant.

Being a navy machine, it was originally intended for use on aircraft carriers, specifically the new Taihō-class carriers. Unfortunately, due to a number of setbacks both with the Ryusei itself and the Taihō carriers, the Ryusei would spend its short career operating from land bases. The Ryusei's own problems stemmed from its engine which, like most other Japanese high performance engines were temperamental during their development and testing. Although the "teething problems" would eventually be ironed out for the most part, by that time there simply were not enough of them available to bring enough Ryuseis into service while constant hammering by U.S. bombers ensured that the numbers needed could not be made available.

The problems with the Taihō carriers was the simple fact that they weren't in combat service until 1944, and the only one built, the IJN Taihō, was sunk shortly after becoming operational. Other carrier classes were available, but they were too small to adequately handle a large, powerful machine like the Ryusei.

All in all, the Ryusei was a formidable machine, very much a match for its American counterpart, the TBF Avenger. The few of them that saw combat thoroughly devastated its opposition, both in the air and on the ground...had it been available for the "great carrier battles" of 1942 and 1943, it surely would have proven itself as brutal machine and perhaps as the single biggest threat to U.S. and British carriers. Its only shortcomings were not even problems with the aircraft itself, but rather the circumstances in which it was conceived, that of a nation under constant siege.

More Pics. I haven't done dioramas before, so I apologise for crappy camera angles. XD

Another angle of the diorama:
[link]

The crew alone:
[link]

The Ryusei by herself:

Isometric View:
[link]

Head on:
[link]

Pilot's Cockpit:
[link]

Bombardier's Cockpit:
[link]

Planform:
[link]

Port underwing bomb and 20mm cannon:
[link]

7 o'clock:
[link]

Underside:
[link]

Description
A Japanese B7A Ryusei prepares for take off. As it taxis to the runways, a group of mechanics, maintenance personnel and an officer see them off.

B7A2 Ryusei (Shooting Star)

Country of Origin: Japan
Manufacturer: Aichi
Crew: 2, 1 pilot and 1 navigator/gunner
Length: 11.49 m (37 ft 8.33 in)
Wingspan: 14.40 m (47 ft 3 in)
Height: 4.07 m (13 ft 4.5 in)
Weight: 3,810 kg (8,400 lb) empty, 5,625 kg (12,401 lb) combat loaded
Powerplant: 1x Turbosupercharged Nakajima NK9C Homare-12 18 cylinder air cooled radial piston engine with 1,825 horsepower
Maximum Speed: 567 km/h (352 mph)
Service Ceiling:11,250 m (36,910 ft)
Range: 3,038 km (1,888 mi)
Armament: 2x 20mm Type 99 Model 2 autocannons fixed in the wings, 1x 13mm Type 2 machinegun flexibly mounted in the rear cockpit, 2x 550 kg bombs, 2x 250 kg bombs
Kit Maker and Scale: Hasegawa, 1:48

Quite possibly the ultimate expression of the torpedo bomber class of aircraft, the B7A Ryusei (Shooting Star) was a phenomenal aircraft that although developed in 1942, would not begin to enter combat service until mid-late 1944, thus giving it a second, more dubious "honour" of also being an ultimate expression of "too little, too late".

Boasting a distinct set of inverted "gull wings" to allow for proper propeller ground clearance, the rotund yet still sleek Ryusei was blessed with outstanding agility...in fact it was so agile it could out turn the the legendary A6M Zero. Combining that with a top speed equal to that of the Zero and adding in self sealing fuel tanks and armour plating for the crew and vital areas made the Ryusei a most formidable machine; had it appeared on squadron strength just a year earlier its impact on the Pacific War would have been quite profound. Not only would it have lent heavy striking power to attack squadrons, it could have made for a competent impromptu dogfighter, further bolstering the waning strength of the Japanese Navy.

For its primary role as a torpedo bomber, the feared Type 93 Long Lance torpedo was its weapon of choice. Like its predecessors, it could strike from a much greater range, speed and altitude than the earlier U.S. torpedo planes, thus giving it a better chance for survival and less time for its opponents to defend against its attacks. In the alternative, the Ryusei could fly as a level bomber. While its torpedo had to be carried externally, regular bombs could be carried within an internal bay to minimise drag. Additional weapons included a pair of 20mm cannons, one in each wing that the pilot could use for strafing ground targets, AA gunners, and trading shots with Hellcats and Corsairs should it get into a dogfight. For defense against interceptors as it made torpedo and bomb runs, a single 13mm machinegun on a flexible mount covered the rear quadrant.

Being a navy machine, it was originally intended for use on aircraft carriers, specifically the new Taihō-class carriers. Unfortunately, due to a number of setbacks both with the Ryusei itself and the Taihō carriers, the Ryusei would spend its short career operating from land bases. The Ryusei's own problems stemmed from its engine which, like most other Japanese high performance engines were temperamental during their development and testing. Although the "teething problems" would eventually be ironed out for the most part, by that time there simply were not enough of them available to bring enough Ryuseis into service while constant hammering by U.S. bombers ensured that the numbers needed could not be made available.

The problems with the Taihō carriers was the simple fact that they weren't in combat service until 1944, and the only one built, the IJN Taihō, was sunk shortly after becoming operational. Other carrier classes were available, but they were too small to adequately handle a large, powerful machine like the Ryusei.

All in all, the Ryusei was a formidable machine, very much a match for its American counterpart, the TBF Avenger. The few of them that saw combat thoroughly devastated its opposition, both in the air and on the ground...had it been available for the "great carrier battles" of 1942 and 1943, it surely would have proven itself as brutal machine and perhaps as the single biggest threat to U.S. and British carriers. Its only shortcomings were not even problems with the aircraft itself, but rather the circumstances in which it was conceived, that of a nation under constant siege.

More Pics. I haven't done dioramas before, so I apologise for crappy camera angles. XD

Another angle of the diorama:
[link]

The crew alone:
[link]

The Ryusei by herself:

Isometric View:
[link]

Head on:
[link]

Pilot's Cockpit:
[link]

Bombardier's Cockpit:
[link]

Planform:
[link]

Port underwing bomb and 20mm cannon:
[link]

7 o'clock:
[link]

Underside:
[link]