Remember when I told you that I tend to work in "families" when I build models? Here's the latest addition, in 1/72 scale. I might add that I don't usually do these types of subjects in the smaller scale–I like 1/48 for WWII fighters–but these were very nice (and very quick) projects.
(A note: I recently purchased a new digital camera, and I'm still playing with the settings. Forgive the quality of the pictures while I figure the new camera out…)
Without further ado…
A pair of 1/72 Kawasaki fighters, the Ki-61 (left) and Ki-100 (right). The Ki-61 was built from a Hasegawa kit (almost out of the box, I did add a control stick). The Ki-100 was from a FineMolds kit–it was given to me several years ago partially completed. I merely cleaned up a few seams, added the canopy, scratchbuilt a tailwheel (the original white metal one had gone AWOL), and painted the lot.
Another two-shot. It is easy to see where they modified the Ki-100 to take the radial powerplant.
The Ki-61. I've since painted the wingtip position lights…
From the rear. The color scheme might be spurious, but I like it–it was the easier of the two provided in the kit, so I went with it. Did I mention that this was a quickie build?
The Ki-100 from the front. That huge powerplant dominates the photo.
And from the rear. You might be able to make out where the nose section was gloved to accept the round motor.
So, there you have the photos. The story behind the build is this–I was given the Ki-100 several years ago. A good friend of mine had built 99% of the model, and I guess lost interest in 1/72 scale, so he gave it to me. Rather than give it away yet again, I decided to give it a good home. It was put into the stash and promptly forgotten during our last move. During my recent inventory effort, I re-discovered it. It looked like all I need to do was touch up some seams and paint the whole lot. As I got closer to the finishing stage, I realized that the white metal tailwheel was missing. Enter the Ki-61…
The FineMolds Ki-100 was based on the Hasegawa Ki-61, judging from the instruction sheet for the former. Well, I found a Ki-61 kit for a decent price and decided to get it to use the tailwheel from it. Well, once I got the kit home, I realized that the tailwheel was molded to the fuselage. It would make copying it very difficult, and I didn't have the heart to steal the tailwheel and render the Ki-61 an orphan, so I used the Ki-61 tailwheel as a pattern to scratchbuild a similar unit for the Ki-100. When I was getting the Ki-100 ready for paint, I decided that the Ki-61 would make a nice companion piece. It was built, out of the box (well, nearly so–I added a control stick that you can't see) and it took maybe all of a week and a half.
Paints used were Tamiya's JA Green and JA Gray, Floquil Railroad acrylic ATSF Silver for the Ki-100 undersides, and Testor Acryl RLM04 yellow with a drop of red added to deepen the color. Cockpits are RLM79 (well, at least on the Ki-61–I suspect it to be likewise for the Ki-100, although I didn't do the cockpit on that one). Decals were kit items, applied over a Future base coat. Final flat was Acryl.
I could go into the history behind the Ki-61 and Ki-100, but Wikipedia does it so much better…
Next up in the paint shop: a Monogram 1/48 scale A-10A to be painted as AF80-221 from the 18 TFS in March 1982 during Operation Cool Snow Hog. Yes, it is the one that had the white camouflage over the standard Euro-1 color scheme…
Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.