First conceived in 1943 as a short-range, fast and heavily-armed interceptor, the Kyushu Shinden (Magnificent Lightning) suffered from development delays that meant just two prototypes were built. Very unusually for the time, the Shinden had a canard pusher configuration, partly because the original idea was to fit a turbojet engine once one became available. Two prototypes were eventually completed by April 1945 but problems with the engineering, equipment and staff shortages had already delayed the programme. The first prototype finally flew in August 1945 and completed approximately 45 minutes of test flights before World War Two ended. Flight data showed that the design was promising but there were issues with torque generated by the radial engine, which pulled the aircraft to the right. These were in the process of being resolved when the war finished. The National Air and Space Museum, in Washington DC, owns the only surviving Shinden. The kit comprised one clear and five light grey runners plus a sheet of decals. Reading the 'Old Man' blog from Telford 2013 on the Zoukei-Mura website provided interesting background for this build, as it explained the idea behind the kits. The concept is that the modeller constructs the internal framework and then adds the outer skin to partially mimic the way the real aircraft would have been built.
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