Kawasaki Ki-61 'Hien'

[Werdna]

Hi all, and season's greetings  

 

This is Hasegawa's 1/48 Ki-61 Hien, built OOB, but using Montex masks for the insignia & markings.  It's not modelled on any specific aircraft, but intended to represent a rather worn, weathered example from the 18th Sentai, based at Chofu for home defence duties in 1945. 

 

I've always been keen on the look of the IJA field-applied/flaking 'ad hoc' camo schemes and I hope it worked.

 

Hope you like the pics - happy new year to all  

 

 

 

 

[BleedingBlue]

Looks great.  This was always my favorite Japanese aircraft from WW2.

[opus999]

Wow, what a beauty!  The weathering is terrific! I really like how realistic the weathering and wear are. 

[72modeler]

Wow- this has been the week for Ki-61/Ki-100 models! Nice work! I don't recall if this scheme was hand applied or sprayed on the real airplane, but I think thinning the paint you used and lowering the pressure of your airbrush might have given an even more realistic finish. From what I have read, early production examples of the Ki-44 and Ki-61 had silver doped fabric control surfaces, with later production examples having the same fabric surfaces painted with a light grey-green color. Don't know if your chosen subject was an early or late production example, but I am throwing this out for information- in no way meant to disparage your excellent build! Hai!

Mike

 

If Nick Millman were around these parts, he could give us chapter and verse on the subject!

[Werdna]

53 minutes ago, 72modeler said:

Wow- this has been the week for Ki-61/Ki-100 models! Nice work! I don't recall if this scheme was hand applied or sprayed on the real airplane, but I think thinning the paint you used and lowering the pressure of your airbrush might have given an even more realistic finish. From what I have read, early production examples of the Ki-44 and Ki-61 had silver doped fabric control surfaces, with later production examples having the same fabric surfaces painted with a light grey-green color. Don't know if your chosen subject was an early or late production example, but I am throwing this out for information- in no way meant to disparage your excellent build! Hai!

Mike

 

If Nick Millman were around these parts, he could give us chapter and verse on the subject!

 

Thanks Mike - happy to hear any comments and it's all useful info  

 

All the painted (ie non NMF) examples I've seen appear to have been blown over with a spray gun to a greater or lesser extent- or at least have that appearance.  Some have quite a defined set of 'squiggles' painted over the bare metal, while others seem to have gone for a bit more 'coverage', while still leaving a lot of gaps - which is the effect I was going for in this case.  I've read about the silver or grey/green dope control surfaces, but if I'm honest I don't know enough about the Ki-61 to know an 'early' from a 'late' and given that this was a non-specific build anyway, I went with silver  

 

I like the idea of doing a few more 'worn', 'chipped' IJA aircraft though, so will take all the comments  

[RMCS]

Lovley work