|
The
Aircraft:
| As
the Allied bombings of the Japanese mainland intensified, the need for an
aircraft capable of defending Japan from the USAAF B-29s was necessary.
Japanese Army Air Force designers decided to depart from earlier
specifications for maneuverability in their designs and build an aircraft
for speed and a high rate of climb. Capable of reaching 4000 feet in less
than 5 minutes and able to reach speeds of 373 mph, the Ki-44 was the
aircraft for the job. Armed to the teeth, this formidable little fighter
packed a lethal punch. With several different armament packages to choose
from including one with two 20 mm Ho-3 cannons the “Tojo” as the
Allies knew it, was deadly as well as fast. |
Click on
image below to see larger image
|
|
|
The
Kit:
This
kit is one of Hasegawa’s better kits. It includes details for two different
versions and added details for the armament package. Included in the kit are to
metal 40 mm Ho-301 cannons. Also a choice of an open or closed canopy was
included, which I must add was crystal clear. The directions as usual with
Hasegawa are excellent and include paint color choices and several different
squadrons to choose from. While building this kit all of the pieces fit well and
the need for putty or filler was minimal. I put this together over one rainy
weekend. If you are into Japanese Army Air Force aircraft this is a nice kit to
add to your collection.
Painting:
|
| This
is one of my favorite aircraft used by the JAAF. I built this very kit 7
years earlier and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to build it again.
While gathering research material on this
particular aircraft I came across a centerfold in a Profile Aircraft
magazine from ’74. I
painted my kit to represent a Ki-44-II of the 87th Sentai in
1945. Captain Hideaki Inayama piloted this particular aircraft. The
aircraft was part of the 10th Hikodan of the Eastern Defense
Sector.
I
used a combination of enamel and acrylic paints supplied by Model Masters.
The flat black, insignia white, yellow, interior blue, and the JAAF gray
were enamel. The red is acrylic. I was happy with the paint job and the
way the acrylic worked on the enamel. |
Click on
image below to see larger image
|
 |
|
Weathering:
|
I chose to
use a combination of pastels and colored pencils to create a suitably
weathered appearance. Before applying the pastels to this kit I sprayed it
down with a coat of Testors dull coat. After it set up I brushed a
combination of gray and black dust to the appropriate areas with a Q-tip
and a .01 brush. To give the edges of the cowling and the leading edges of
the wings that slightly weathered look I hit them with a Colorprism silver
pencil. I used Model Masters Acrylic Burnt Umber for the exhaust pipes and
stained areas around the shell ejectors and soot from exhaust. To seal the
weathering I sprayed the entire kit with Testors dull coat. |
Click on
image below to see larger image
|
 |
|
References:
-
Japanese
Aircraft of the Pacific War. Rene Francillion
-
Profile
Aircraft #255 Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Tojo) by John F. Brindley.
Conclusions:
This
is a great kit by Hasegawa, and worth the time and money spent.
Happy
Modeling,
Bobby
|
|
