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1/72 Tamiya Kawasaki Ki-61-Id Hien 'Tony' x 2


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I came into possession of two kits of the new-tool Tamiya Ki-61 due to a curious set of circumstances occurring as a result of the generosity of both my friend @Cookenbacher and a drunken version of past me who pre-ordered one from HobbyLink Japan one Saturday night then erased the memory of the deed until the kit arrived. Thanks to you both :D 

 

It's the 2018 release and I think the first time Tamiya have kitted this particular type in the proper scale, it will also be the first time I have built a Ki-61 so I hope we will be good company. I have no reason to expect otherwise as Tamiya do have a reputation for good engineering and fit of parts and the reviews I have seen suggest that this kit upholds that tradition. The box(es):

 

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... and the sprues:

 

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As you can see the parts count is comparatively light. The surface detail is very nice indeed:

 

DSCN7244.jpg

 

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A smaller secondary sprue implies possible further releases of other variants:

 

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The clear parts are very clear and don't show much distortion:

 

DSCN7249.jpg

 

Transfers in their own sealed bag, and instructions:

 

DSCN7251.jpg

 

I shall be building options A (a natural metal aircraft with a red tail and stripes) and C (finished in #7 Ohryoku nana go shoku, the Japanese version of Olive Drab, on the topsides and natural metal underneath):

 

DSCN7254.jpg

 

Option B is of a natural metal aircraft with green blotching over the topsides, it's a very attractive scheme but I feel I lack the masochistic tendencies that might be sated by giving myself a paint-job like that to do. Tamiya do provide the option to separately buy a set of transfers to replicate this scheme but while I wouldn't criticise someone else for going that route, I don't fancy it myself.

 

There shouldn't be much need for aftermarket stuff as far as I can tell, I don't really like seatbelt decals though (which the kit does provide) so I will instead use some of these:

 

DSCN7260.jpg

 

... which does include Kawasaki-style seatbelts:

 

DSCN7259.jpg

 

I also got the Eduard canopy mask set because masking.

 

DSCN7253.jpg

 

For the natural metal I will most likely use the Vallejo Metal Colour paints unless I can borrow the samples of the test versions of the experimental Colourcoats metallic colours *cough* @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies *cough*

 

For the interiors, Colourcoats ACJ04 Interior Buff Green and for the camouflaged aircraft ACJ09 - IJA #7 variant:

 

DSCN7257.jpg

 

So I think that's me about ready to go. 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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Welcome back to the Gentleman's scale Stew... another Japanese subject eh? I wonder... :D 

At least it stops me taxing my poor aircraft recognition skills on the photo you pasted of the Bottom Sniffer (that'll get 'em thinking!) with the instructions in the background.

 

NMF? Ahem, you could try the accidental method I stumbled across recently... Colourcoats or Vallejo over AK True Metal (the paste):

 

41635954955_619e70abac_z.jpg

 

… pulled off with masking tape. I like the AK paste (as you know).

That said if you can get hold of some experimental Colourcoats...

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Thank you gents :cheers:

 

I'll keep the AK metallics in mind as a back-up plan, thanks Stephen. Ced, yours looks like it would make an effective method of replicating some of the more extreme paint flaking seen on some IJA fighters :) However one of mine will be in NMF and the other, from the single photograph I have been able to find of that particular aircraft, was not noticeably chipped though it does have some strange white dotted lines painted on the fuselage, - these are not shown on the kit illustrations so were presumably added by US forces after it's capture, but for what reason I have no idea :shrug:

 

Anyway I did a little bit of assembly and sprayed the internal parts with Colourcoats Buff Green which is, as the name suggests a buff green and not the Desert Yellow colour specified by Tamiya, a quick search of the internet will show many Ki-61 kits being finished internally in a colour quite similar to RLM79 Sandgelb. I'm confident that our colour is correct, it would have been nice to do the interiors in desert yellow but I'll stick with ours:

 

DSCN7264.jpg

 

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I have all early shifts this week which means I have a bit more time in the evenings, hopefully I can get some detail painting done next; the Tamiya instructions are quite informative in respect of the colours of the various levers and dials and the parts are very nicely detailed so it should make for a nice-looking cockpit area :) 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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On 6/10/2018 at 4:18 AM, Stew Dapple said:

my friend @Cookenbacher and a drunken version of past me

This only confirms my long standing suspicion that past drunken Stew and I are on the same wavelength.

 

This is just as fun as I thought it would be, seeing this kit built by the great Stew Dapple, and with bonus rumor of Colourcoats metallic paint!

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Haha thanks Cookie :lol: actually you could be in worse company, past me has, on occasion, been a very good friend to current me :D 

 

The metallics are made by IPP in South Korea, Jamie has already had a go with them and I think he was happy with the paints, but you can't base a trial on one experiment and I am going up to Aberdeen the next week to see Jamie and Gill so this might be an ideal opportunity for me to volunteer my services; if not I will try the AK paints suggested by Stephen above... :D 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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I've got the internal parts more-or-less completed; a couple of points for the more obsessive amongst us... Tamiya include the inverted-T-shaped armour plate behind the headrest but don't indicate that this was painted black as advised by Nick Millman in the Aviation of Japan blog; also the gunsight is provided as a clear part with both glass plates included, the rear one is a clear glass plate onto which the illuminated ring was projected and the forward one is the flip-up sunshade and as such should be tinted brown - I used Tamiya Clear Smoke for that and in all probability no-one in the world will ever notice :lol: 

 

DSCN7272.jpg

 

The selector box that goes on the port side of the cockpit and the bright blue oxygen unit for the starboard side are particularly colourful. I think I will apply a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade to the interior parts to add a bit of shadow and bring out the detail a bit, I think a dark brown wash will look better than a black one with these colours. Once that is done I'll apply the IP transfers, add the Eduard seatbelts and hopefully get the interiors done over the weekend :) 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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OK loving this, funny how things work out, I was just today starting some research on doing this kit, and seem to remember that the interior was not quite the desert sand that both Tamiya and Aoshima (doing a Ki100) seem to suggest in their instructions, interesting colour that Colourcoats, mostly not available to me though, more research needed

 

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I just completed this kit for the IPMS/USA reviews though haven't written it up yet.

 

Leave it to me to figure out how to screw up a Tamiya kit.  I had an issue with the forward parts of the radiators.  Not sure what I did but they didn't fit flush and that caused all kinds of issues when I tried to attach the wings.  Finally got it together but something to watch out for when you start gluing.

 

Kit looks great done and I used their camo decals (sold separately) to get that very colorful plane.

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On 6/15/2018 at 6:56 AM, CedB said:

Nice work Stew - those internals look marvellous :) 

 

Thanks awfully Cedders :D

 

On 6/15/2018 at 7:47 AM, Courageous said:

+1, will look even better when you get the wash on.

 

Stuart

 

Thanks Stuart :D 

 

3 hours ago, Graeme H said:

OK loving this, funny how things work out, I was just today starting some research on doing this kit, and seem to remember that the interior was not quite the desert sand that both Tamiya and Aoshima (doing a Ki100) seem to suggest in their instructions, interesting colour that Colourcoats, mostly not available to me though, more research needed

 

 

Thanks Graham; it's a shame about the interior colour as I would have liked to use some sort of sand colour for the interiors, but I know Jamie got the advice of Nick Millman on our Japanese range and some of the colours - Kawanishi Green for example, which turned out to be the colour that some restored aircraft had been painted post-war and bore no resemblance to any actual IJN/IJA green - were dropped, some re-named to more accurately reflect their real name or usage, and some re-vamped. Generally speaking if Nick says something is a good match I need no further persuasion, as his knowledge of colour and paint in general, and Japanese aircraft and camouflage in particular, is certainly second to none in the UK.  Incidentally if you do want to try the Colourcoats they are available from Creative Models Australia :) 

 

3 hours ago, philp said:

I just completed this kit for the IPMS/USA reviews though haven't written it up yet.

 

Leave it to me to figure out how to screw up a Tamiya kit.  I had an issue with the forward parts of the radiators.  Not sure what I did but they didn't fit flush and that caused all kinds of issues when I tried to attach the wings.  Finally got it together but something to watch out for when you start gluing.

 

Kit looks great done and I used their camo decals (sold separately) to get that very colorful plane.

 

Phil, thanks very much for the heads-up, I shall watch out for the radiator parts. Once you've written up your review please post a link here if it won't cause any copyright issues; inquiring minds will no doubt make good use of it :)

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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I got the interior parts brown-washed:

 

DSCN7274.jpg

 

... the Eduard lap-straps fitted:

 

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... and the cockpit tubs assembled; they make for a convincingly busy-looking office:

 

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There are some, shall we say 'challenging' painting jobs? This throttle quadrant on the port sidewall has no less than four different colours called out in the instructions; it is a beautifully-moulded little piece though:

 

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The starboard fuselage sidewall:

 

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... and the cockpit tubs themselves:

 

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I've painted the interior silver of the underbelly radiator housing; there are parts which attach to each side of the fuselage to the rear of the cockpit - I imagine this is so different versions of the Ki-61 can be kitted but I don't know enough about the variants to say for sure. Anyway still on course to get the fuselages closed up today, I hope :)

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

 

 

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On 6/17/2018 at 11:11 AM, CedB said:

Beautiful tubs Stew - you're obviously well up to the challenge! :D 

 

Thanks Ced, it doesn't get any easier though :) 

 

On 6/17/2018 at 11:22 AM, Azgaron said:

Looking good! Very nice work! :)

 

Håkan

 

 

Thanks very much Håkan, it's a nice kit :) 

 

Before joining the fuselage halves I added the side parts for the underbelly radiator:

 

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Top one in the picture is done, the bottom one is not. The fit is positive and from the outside the join can pass for a panel line:

 

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Also to be fitted is this very sturdy assembly for trapping a poly cap so that the propeller can be fitted at the end of construction:

 

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Once that had a little while to solidify I joined the fuselage halves:

 

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The upper cowling cover and the majority of the rear fuselage spine are moulded separately with reduces the amount of clean-up required along the joins:

 

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These parts fitted very well, as has everything else so far. After they were added, I glued the upper and lower wing halves:

 

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Next step will be installing the cockpit tubs (I did a trial run above and it looks like it clicks in like Lego without the need for glue) and fitting the wings...

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

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Smashing interiors! Nice detail painting too. Drunk Stew has impeccable taste. 

 

The kit does look very nice and I've liked the look of the Ki61 ever since I first saw the Revell one in a booklet way back in 1960something. Maybe it's time to get my Airfix Dinah a companion...

 

Regards,

Adrian

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On 6/19/2018 at 7:07 AM, CedB said:

That fit looks really good Stew - always nice to have a kit that goes together nicely... nice! :) 

 

Thanks mate; yes the newer Tamiya kits are justifiably held up as exemplars of good fit and clever engineering and I can only concur :) 

 

20 hours ago, Azgaron said:

Very nice progress! Looks good! :)

 

Håkan

 

 

Thank you very much Håkan :) 

 

19 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Smashing interiors! Nice detail painting too. Drunk Stew has impeccable taste. 

 

The kit does look very nice and I've liked the look of the Ki61 ever since I first saw the Revell one in a booklet way back in 1960something. Maybe it's time to get my Airfix Dinah a companion...

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

Thanks mate - I think it is one of the best looking Japanese single-engined fighters and that in itself is a pretty crowded field, but with the inline engine I can see why it was originally reported as a Macchi 202 (and apparently hence the reporting name "Tony" for its Italian connotation). The only thing I would say - I will not suggest that you are a masochist but you do seem to enjoy the struggle to produce a great model from a less-than-optimal kit so you might find this one a bit 'vanilla' :D 

 

11 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

They're looking great Stew!

Tamiya has done a very clever job with the upper fuselage seam, I assume that slim piece behind the cockpit follows actual panel lines.

 

Indeed it does - I found this Japanese walkaround of an aircraft restored by Kawasaki; I would not use it as a guide for painting a natural metal finish as it was painted post-war and has now had the paint stripped off, but it has some interesting details and it seems to bear out my confidence in our paint and that the interior colour was indeed more a pale buff green than a desert yellow - also that the Colourcoats ACJ23 Propeller Colour is correctly a very dark brown with a hint of red rather than the brick-red colour often used on models.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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There are some discreet differences between the versions offered in the kit; version A, the natural metal aircraft with the red tail, has the wing guns faired over, versions B & C do not:

 

DSCN7301.jpg

 

I filled the hole with a little Liquid Green Stuff. The wingtip lights also differ, version A (bottom in the picture below) has the little light bulb proud of the wing, version C has the bulb hidden under the wingtip light cover:

 

DSCN7302.jpg

 

These things are all called out in the instructions but you do need to keep your wits about you. I have a few days off work so of course I have immediately come down with a lurgy but I hope to get some more done today before trekking northwards to Aberdeenshire tomorrow to spend a therapeutic weekend tinning paint with Jamie and Gill :D 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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