Hasegawa 1/72 Nakajima Ki-44-II Hei Shoki (Tojo)

[Jeff Wilson]

This model is built from the venerable 1/72 Hasegawa/Mania kit and represents a Ki-44-II Hei Shoki, flown by Captain Yukiyoshi Wakamatsu, 2nd Chutai Leader, 85th Sentai, Canton, China, during the summer of 1944. I also used a very nice True Details resin cockpit that I bought years ago, but the cockpit opening is tiny and the canopy quite thick, so little can be seen of it - at least I know it's in there. There's a colour profile of this aircraft in Nick Millman's Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #100, Ki-44 'Tojo' Aces of World War 2, and I based the underside colour and the heavy mottle on that profile and used Print Scale decals to finish it. Paints are Tamiya, Gunze and Vallejo acrylics, and Humbrol enamels for details. The gun barrels are Master .50 calibre Brownings masquerading as Japanese 12.7mm. Macro photography certainly leaves nothing to the imagination - it looks significantly less dusty in real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers, Jeff

[Farmerboy]

That’s a very well built and painted model, good job!

[Wulfman]

Lovely looking Tojo, great paint job ! Buy an amazing co-incidence I’m currently building one myself, I never knew that this was a Mania kit.

 

Wulfman

 

 

[Jeff Wilson]

2 hours ago, Wulfman said:

Lovely looking Tojo, great paint job ! Buy an amazing co-incidence I’m currently building one myself, I never knew that this was a Mania kit.

 

Wulfman

 

 

I always thought it was ex-Mania, Wulfman, but it appears that Scalemates disagrees with me - they say new tool Hasegawa in 1972. Either way, it's still a nice kit.

 

Cheers, Jeff

[opus999]

That is a beautiful paint job! Nicely done.

[stevehnz]

This is a beauty too. I've long thought they are a strange looking beast. A thumping big engine with a tiny airframe struggling to keep up. I've got one in stock too, I do like that scheme. Something to check out.

Steve.

[swralph]

Looks great.😀

[Epeeman]

That's wonderful - I especially like your mottle camo painting - well done!

 

Regards

 

Dave

[Roberto]

Wow. Beautiful.

[MDriskill]

Great job on a nearly FIFTY year-old kit! What a super paint job in particular - and isn't the Millman Osprey a superb book.

 

I did one many moons ago and have others still in the stash.

[HOUSTON]

Beautiful  workmanship  with  a clean  look.

Painting  is SUPERB.

 

FLAWLESS  finish .

your model looks SPLENDID..

 

[72modeler]

Hai! That is one very, very nice Ki-44! I know what you mean about the True Details cockpit, as the Ki-44 has got to have the smallest cockpit opening of any WW2 fighter. You did a great airbrush job on the mottling, and in your photos, it looks lot more like a 1/48 or 1/32  kit! 👍👍

Mike

[Jeff Wilson]

Many thanks to all who have commented and reacted so positively about this Tojo. @72modeler @HOUSTON @MDriskill @Roberto @Epeeman @swralph @stevehnz @opus999 @Wulfman @Farmerboy, I've got to admit that it takes pride of place in my (small but growing) 1/72 Japanese collection. The Nick Millman book is a great resource for a wide variety of interesting schemes too - plenty more Tojos to consider building down the track.

 

Cheers, Jeff