Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series Diecast Model

Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” – Lt. Cdr. Shigekazu Shimazaki, Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, IJN carrier Zuikaku, Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

1:72 Scale.  Length: 5.6”.  Wingspan: 8.5"


Limited production of approximately 700 models worldwide

Shigekazu Shimazaki was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy who led the second wave of aircraft that attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Shimazaki’s Nakajima B5N2 Kate led fifty four bombers and seventy eight dive-bombers. Along with Mitsuo Fuchida, leader of the first wave, Shimazaki was granted an audience with the Emperor, Hirohito. Shimazaki also took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea where they sank USS Lexington. He was promoted to Commander in 1944 and when he died in January 1945 he was posthumously promoted to Rear Admiral.

The Nakajima B5N (Allied code name “Kate”) was a carrier-based torpedo bomber operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The B5N prototype was first flown in January 1937 and entered production soon after with the designation Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber. It had a crew of three and featured a low mono wing that folded for carrier storage and retractable landing gear. The B5N2, with a more powerful engine and other modifications, began entering service in 1939. Although it was nearing obsolescence by 1941, the B5N was flown throughout the war, initially in front line service and later in secondary roles including training, target towing and anti-submarine warfare. By 1943 some B5N1s were being relegated to training at Usa Air Base on Kyushu.


Hobby Master offers a wide selection of quality, pre-assembled, diecast model airplanes. Each model is crafted to a high level of accuracy using specifications of the original aircraft. They are constructed with precision-made diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a B5N2 “Kate” features: