Mitsubishi G4M YAMAMOTO
Tamiya

The Mitsubishi G4M (long designation: Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bomber was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty. Japanese Navy pilots called it Hamaki ("cigar", lit. "leaf roll" ) due to its cylindrical shape.

The G4M had very good performance, especially range, which was achieved by its structural lightness and an almost total lack of protection for its crew, with no armour plating or self-sealing fuel tanks. These omissions proved to be its weakness when confronted with American fighter aircraft during the Pacific War.

When used for medium- to high-altitude bombing against stationary land targets like supply depots, seaports or airfields, it was much harder to intercept. Using its long range and high speed, the G4M could appear from any direction, and then it could be gone before any fighters intercepted them. The 20 mm cannon in its tail turret was much heavier armament than was commonly carried by bombers of either side, making aerial attacks from the rear quite dangerous for the Allied fighter aircraft. Sometimes, assuming they did not catch fire after being hit in the wings by flak from the ground or by machine gun bullets from enemy fighters, G4M's also proved to be able to remain airborne despite being badly damaged. For example, after the attack of the 751 Kōkūtai (air group) on the USS Chicago (CA-29) during the Battle of Rennell Island, three out of four surviving aircraft (of the original eleven) returned despite flying with only one engine.