Tamiya 1:72 Kawasaki Ki-61 “Hien”
Discussion
Every time I go on holiday and end up at an aircraft museum, I get inspired to build model aircraft again. Last week was no exception, so despite having a couple of (non aircraft) kits on the go already, I raided the stash and got out an Airfix Swordfish, and this Tamiya Ki-61:
As with the Tamiya Zero I built recently, this new-tool kit is astonishingly good. Surface detail is second to none:
Transparent parts are crystal clear:
And the fit of the parts can only be described as perfect; these assemblies were just dropped into place dry as a test-fit:
Some of the cockpit components approach resin in terms of fidelity:
And despite the levels of detail, it’s not a complicated kit: there are only 50 parts:
I’ve never built a Ki-61 before, but always fancied having one after seeing the old Revell box art when I was a little kid:
I want to finish it in that scheme, so I got the Tamiya mottle decals as well:
The Ki-61 was one of the few non-radial engined Japanese fighters of WW2, using a license built version of the Daimler-Benz DB-601. It will go nicely with my Airfix Bf-109 E4, and Italeri Macchi 202, both of which used similar DB-601 or derivative engines.
As with the Tamiya Zero I built recently, this new-tool kit is astonishingly good. Surface detail is second to none:
Transparent parts are crystal clear:
And the fit of the parts can only be described as perfect; these assemblies were just dropped into place dry as a test-fit:
Some of the cockpit components approach resin in terms of fidelity:
And despite the levels of detail, it’s not a complicated kit: there are only 50 parts:
I’ve never built a Ki-61 before, but always fancied having one after seeing the old Revell box art when I was a little kid:
I want to finish it in that scheme, so I got the Tamiya mottle decals as well:
The Ki-61 was one of the few non-radial engined Japanese fighters of WW2, using a license built version of the Daimler-Benz DB-601. It will go nicely with my Airfix Bf-109 E4, and Italeri Macchi 202, both of which used similar DB-601 or derivative engines.
Is there a reason why the top of the fuselage is part of the rear cockpit and not molded to the fuselage sides? It looks odd and more complicated than necessary. My only thoughts are that there are options to enable an open canopy or a limitation to the slide mold?
Edited to add : it looks like a great kit though
Edited to add : it looks like a great kit though
tangerine_sedge said:
Is there a reason why the top of the fuselage is part of the rear cockpit and not molded to the fuselage sides? It looks odd and more complicated than necessary. My only thoughts are that there are options to enable an open canopy or a limitation to the slide mold?
Edited to add : it looks like a great kit though
It's to replicate the panel line detail on the actual aircraft, without needing filler. So the 'spine' part gives the smooth profile along the top, with the panel line joints slightly further round. Then it abrubtly changes to a top joint towards the tail. If Tamiya Extra Thin cement is used, it will result in excactly the right joint details in that area. It wouldn't really work on a kit with less than perfect joints between parts though.Edited to add : it looks like a great kit though
BTW, there isn't an open canopy option in the kit.
dr_gn said:
It's to replicate the panel line detail on the actual aircraft, without needing filler. So the 'spine' part gives the smooth profile along the top, with the panel line joints slightly further round. Then it abrubtly changes to a top joint towards the tail. If Tamiya Extra Thin cement is used, it will result in excactly the right joint details in that area. It wouldn't really work on a kit with less than perfect joints between parts though.
BTW, there isn't an open canopy option in the kit.
Ah! That makes sense! I'm looking forward to seeing the mottle decals going on!BTW, there isn't an open canopy option in the kit.
Evangelion said:
I wouldn't bother with the decals, as I'm quite looking forward to hand spraying the mottle pattern. all good practice!
Thing about practice it you get it wrong a lot, and I’d rather not practice on a Tamiya kit! Large decals on surfaces with compound curves and especially with a lot of surface features aren’t always easy to apply either. These are supplied as complete fuselage sides and complete wing surfaces.I’ll be masking and spraying the yellow wing stripes and propeller tips though - they’re also supplied as decals.
I applied a dark wash and some powders to highlight the moulded detail. I also added some p/e lap belts to replace the decal - they always look a bit naff:
I suppose I could have done more work on the cockpit, but once the canopy is in place, any finer detail would be pretty much invisible. The Zero had more cockpit parts, but had an open canopy option. I think Tamiya got the level of detail right for this one:
I suppose I could have done more work on the cockpit, but once the canopy is in place, any finer detail would be pretty much invisible. The Zero had more cockpit parts, but had an open canopy option. I think Tamiya got the level of detail right for this one:
Re-scribed the lower fuselage panel lines lost due to flatting the surfacer. And reinstated the upper fuselage ones:
Also added the six fasteners shown on the plans, but not present in the model:
And got the cockpit assembly, wing, tailplanes and gun cover fitted:
and made a start on painting the tail wheel:
Also added the six fasteners shown on the plans, but not present in the model:
And got the cockpit assembly, wing, tailplanes and gun cover fitted:
and made a start on painting the tail wheel:
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff