Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka

Plastic model kit of a Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka rocket-powered aircraft

• 1:48 scale
• Approx. 70 parts
• Includes the 1,200 kg semi-armor-piercing nose warhead
• Includes a special transport trolley
• 5 marking options
• Unassembled, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka - codenamed "Baka" ("Fool") by the Allies - was a manned, rocket-powered attack aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy, developed during the final months of the war as a special attack weapon. The Japanese name "Ohka" means "cherry blossom" and was intended to symbolize the pilots' willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice - an act viewed as honorable in Japanese culture. Design work began in 1944 at the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal with the aim of creating a weapon capable of destroying even heavily defended Allied warships with a high probability of a hit.

The most well-known variant, the MXY7 Model 11, was equipped with three solid-fuel rockets in the tail, enabling speeds well in excess of 900 km/h during the terminal approach. The aircraft did not take off under its own power; instead, it was carried beneath the fuselage of a specially modified Mitsubishi G4M bomber and released near the target. After a gliding phase, the pilot would ignite the rocket motors and steer the Ohka into an unstoppable dive toward the target. A warhead weighing approximately 1,200 kilograms was housed in the nose, effectively turning the entire airframe into a flying bomb.

Although the Ohka was nearly impossible to intercept during its terminal approach due to its immense speed, the overall concept proved largely unsuccessful. The sluggish and lightly armed carrier aircraft had to approach Allied naval formations closely enough to release the Ohka, often resulting in their interception by fighter aircraft before they could do so. Consequently, many missions were aborted before the special-purpose attack weapon could even be deployed. Only a few attacks reached their targets, though they did inflict significant damage in some instances.

Today, the Ohka stands as a symbol of Japan's desperate military situation during the final months of the war. It illustrates the shift from technically ambitious designs to weapons intended solely for use in suicide attacks.

Despite its small size, the Ohka holds great historical appeal for scale modelers. Its distinctive features include a compact, streamlined airframe, short wings, a prominent nose section housing a large warhead, and three rocket motors in the tail. The aircraft makes a particularly striking impression when displayed in a diorama alongside a Mitsubishi G4M carrier aircraft or on a ground transport trolley.