Rising Decals

In response to recent queries about the availability of Rising Decals please note that they now have two retail outlets in the USA:-

Scott's Model Workshop (via eBay)

and

M&Models

Image credit © 2025 Rising Decals

Ushi 1/72 Aichi S1A 'Denko' Experimental Night Fighter

Due for release this month in the Ushi Models range of fine resin kits from Japan is this IJN Aichi S1A experimental night fighter Denko ('Lightning/Electric Light' - 電光). The crisply moulded Ushi resin kits of Japanese experimental types tend to slip in under the radar and disappear quickly so if you want one you gotta be quick! Fine details on this kit appear to be 3D moulded and the canopies are vacform.  Decals are included for a 'what if' Yokosuka Defence Ku aircraft YoD-1136 and both 'Ko' prototypes. Direct from HLJ it will cost £57.36.

The two prototype 18-shi aircraft were destroyed in bombing raids when 70% and 90% complete respectively so Denko never took to the air. The aircraft was to have a heavy forward firing armament in the nose of two 'original and efficient' Type 5 30mm and two Type 99 Mk.2 20mm fixed machine guns with an additional two Type 99 Mk.1 20mm machine guns in the remote controlled dorsal barbette. The radar operator/dorsal gunner astrodome could be raised for better observation and the dorsal guns could be elevated to fire obliquely at a 30 degrees angle. Gyoku-3 radar equipment was planned but installation arrangements are uncertain. Retractable air brakes under each wing were designed to allow the aircraft to slow and formate with its intended B-29 targets and to increase lift of this heavy aircraft at takeoff bakelite wing tip extensions were designed to be jettisoned once airborne. The Nakajima Homare 22 engines had cooling fans and thrust exhausts. Production aircraft were planned to have turbosupercharged Homare 24 engines to achieve a top speed of 422 mph. 

Image credit: All © 2025 Ushi Models via HLJ

1/72 scale Ki-100 'Fastback' by Francesco Borraccino

A fitting follow on to Rising Decals 59th Regimental set are these images of a gorgeous Goshikisen in 59 Sentai markings crafted from the 1/72 scale Fine Molds kit by Francesco Borraccino. And crafted the operative word given the fit challenges that Francesco encountered. 

Francesco noted that the kit is 'not exactly a shake and bake' but in his opinion captures the shape of the aircraft well. He chose to represent '078', a 59th Sentai fighter as shown in a well known photo taken at the end of the war by the allies together with other aircraft in a row. This choice was motivated by a desire to represent an aircraft in a decidedly weathered condition, but supported by documentary evidence and with something for everyone: faded paint, extensive chipping, replaced parts from other aircraft and then some repainting.

Francesco had to make the yellow/red bands of the Sentai insignia by hand because the decals were too narrow and the printed yellow too orange. Furthermore, in analysing the original photo he could see how the insignia was roughly painted, so he painted the red edges freehand using gouache.

Francesco noted several other airframe features and peculiarities from the photograph which he endeavoured to incorporate on the model, including a possible replacement rudder from a Ki-61, the apparent lack of yellow tips to the rear of the prop blades and evidence of fuel staining. Although the antenna mast seemed to be a different colour to the airframe, possibly painted red, Francesco decided against representing that.

Regarding the fit of parts Francesco found a lot of remedial work was required. The instrument panel needed additional support to be positioned centrally, the tailplanes had tabs which prevented correct alignment and positioning. The upper cowling part was misaligned and had to be supported on one side to prevent sinking. The cowling front did not align so had to be trimmed on one side and filled on the other.  He wasn't sure whether the problems were due to the moulds being worn or the kit engineering but the fit problems have been noted in other builds of this kit.

Painting was intended to represent the # 7 colour but Francesco's mix resulted in a convincing representation of the darker # 43 Earth colour, the so-called 'charcoal' or blackish-brown colour (kuro kasshoku).

The finished model gives no indication of the battle with the fit as shown above and is an excellent representation of the 'fastback' Goshikisen. With special thanks to Francesco for sharing another fine model with Aviation of Japan.

Image credit: All model photos © 2025 Francesco Borraccino.

Fine Molds Ki-100

The first release of this kit in 1990, under the Fine Molds label  as FP3 'Tony Type 5 (Early Version)' but marketed by Hasegawa with monochrome box art by Masao Satake, who also illustrates the monochrome FAOW covers, was a hybrid, consisting of the complete Hasegawa Ki-61-I Tei kit with a new injection moulded sprue frame to convert it to a 'razorback' Ki-100. The additional sprue frame consisted of two new fuselage halves, a new cockpit floor, two part instrument panel, upper cowling, cowling front, relief moulded radial engine, prop, spinner, ventral fairing and oil cooler. Also included were white metal parts for the pilot seat, control column, undercarriage legs and tail wheel plus a new one piece transparency for the canopy.  The antenna mast was moulded integrally with the starboard fuselage half and the separate mast on the sprue frame marked as 'not for use'. Three subjects were offered on the decal sheet, '43'  of 111 Sentai Akeno as depicted on the box art,  '177' of 59 Sentai and '32' of 244 Sentai.

The 'bubbletop' Ki-100 kit, FP2 marketed as Ki-100-I the same year was another hybrid but always seemed harder to find.  Fine Molds Kit FP1 'Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Hien (Tony) shown above, was the first Hasegawa-Fine Molds hybrid, released in 1989 and also combining the complete Hasegawa Ki-61-I Tei kit with new Fine Molds parts to convert it to the bubble canopied version. This kit included white metal parts for undercarriage legs, oil filter scoop, spinner, pilot seat, control column and tail wheel. The decal sheet offered two 56 Sentai aircraft, one camouflaged per the box art and an overall natural metal aircraft. 

When the Ki-100 kit was re-released in 1999 by Fine Molds as FP17 'Imperial Japanese Army Type 5 Fighter 1 Kawasaki Ki-100-I 'Fast Back' Tony' with new colour box art by Masao Satake, shown above, the Hasegawa Ki-61 parts had been replaced with a new dedicated Ki-100 sprue frame and the metal parts had been replaced with plastic items. The kit offered five subjects, '43' of 111 Sentai Akeno, '88' of 5 Sentai, '078' and '153' of 59 Sentai and '22' of 244 Sentai. One of the omissions of the Hasegawa Ki-61 kit was also rectified with the inclusion of a landing light recess and transparency for the port wing. A second re-release FP22 'Imperial JapaneseArmy Type 5 Fighter 1 Kawasaki Ki-100-I 'Bubble Canopy' Tony', also shown above, followed in 2001 with the same all-Fine Molds, all-plastic presentation. The three kit decal sheet options were '39' of 5 Sentai, '022' of 59 Sentai and '80' of 111 Sentai Akeno. 

Image credit: Box art © 1989, 1990, 1999 & 2001, Hasegawa Corporation and Fine Molds

Rising Decals Regimental Duo in 1/72 scale Part 2

The second set of Rising's Regimental decals in 1/72 scale RD72114 features Hiko Dai 59 Sentai and the 14 subjects cover the full range of aircraft flown by the unit as follows:-

• Ki-43-II 6010 at But, New Guinea in late 1943, the aircraft of Capt Shigeo Nango in solid green camouflage. He was not the Sentai leader but the Executive Officer and Hikotai leader from July 1943 until his death in action in January 1944. His Oscar has sometimes been depicted with red fuselage stripes. When the unit withdrew to the Philippines in October 1943 it was replenished with 34 aircraft, sufficient to assign aircraft to pilots. As the former 2nd Chutai leader from January 1942 to July 1943 Nango's assigned aircraft continued to be serviced by the 2nd Chutai maintenance crew and therefore retained the red tail insignia. The blue fuselage bands were applied to reflect his role as the executive  officer of the Sentai HQ. This information was obtained from 1Lt Hitoshi Kawamura, an engineering officer who had served in the Sentai HQ as armaments officer, by the respected researcher Yoji Watanabe in an interview published in FAOW 65 (July 1997) and helpfully translated by another respected researcher Osamu Tagaya in 2009.

• Ki-43-II of 3rd Chutai, at But in late 1943/early 1944, attributed as the aircraft flown by the Chutai leader Capt Kenjiro Kobayasahi  from the twin yellow fuselage bands, in solid green camouflage. This aircraft is one of the subjects of the recent Arma Hobby kit which depicted the rearmost fuselage band as yellow. Close examination of the photograph suggests that the band was probably white, being the senchi hiyoshiki, as depicted on this sheet.

• Ki-43-II of 3rd Chutai, at But in October 1943, the aircraft of Sgt Maj Tomio Hirohata, in a sparse mottle of green over natural metal. As in the 1/48 sheet recently reviewed the bird motif is provided in red or black. FWIW in the known photograph of the aircraft it appears darker in tone than the Hinomaru. The motif resembles the Japanese phoenix - Hōō - (ほうおう), the mythical bird which had associations with the Imperial family, represented fidelity and was also  believed to rule over all other birds. However, if the colour of the motif was indeed red it might have represented the Suzaku (朱雀 - すざく), the Japanese name for the mythical Chinese 'Vermilion Bird' which was considered the guardian of the south. Representations of the two mythical birds are similar in appearance and sometimes get confused.  FAOW 65 identified Hirohata's Oscar as being 2nd Chutai and puzzled over the appearance of the tail stripe which in the photo is lighter than the Hinomaru and bird motif.

• Ki-43-II of 1st Chutai at But in November 1943, attributed as the aircraft of the Chutai leader Lt Masaaki Yoshida from the twin white fuselage bands, in solid green camouflage. 

• Ki-43-II 5388 of 2nd Chutai abandoned at Hollandia in April 1944, in solid deep green camouflage over brownish grey green under surfaces,

• Ki-43-III Ko of 2nd Chutai at Kimpo, Korea in 1945, in solid # 7 (olive brown) or # 27 blue green over natural metal.

• Ki-27 Ko 91 of 2nd Chutai at Hankow in September 1939, flown by Sgt Maj Isamu Kashiide, a 9 victory ace and Bukosho winner, on overal grey green or light blueish grey. The lightning flash included on the sheet is blue but has been depicted as red or black.  In Osprey 103 we followed earlier references stating that the flash was a blue-black colour. The sliding canopy was removed on this aircraft.

• Ki-27 Otsu of 2nd Chutai at Ashiya, Japan in the Spring and Summer of 1944, in grey green or light blueish grey, attributed as an aircraft used for training.

• Ki-61-I Tei of 3rd Chutai at Saishu (Jeju) Island in October 1945, in 'snake weave' camouflage of green over natural metal. 

• Ki-100 Ko 16153 of 3rd Chutai at Ashiya in October 1945, attributed as the aircraft of the Chutai leader 1Lt Naoyuki Ogata, in a scheme of # 7 or the darker # 43 over natural metal. The 'P-51' victory mark is reported to represent Ogata's claim of 14 August 1945.

• Ki-100 'Razorback' 16078 of 3rd Chutai at Ashiya in October 1945, in a scheme of # 7 or the darker # 43 over natural metal.

• Ki-100 'Razorback' 16177 of 2nd Chutai at Ashiya in October 1945,  in a scheme of # 7 or the darker # 43 over natural metal.

• Ki-100 'Bubbletop' 16321 of 3rd Chutai at Ashiya in Octiober 1945, in a scheme of # 7 or the darker # 43 over natural metal.

• Ki-100 'Bubbletop' 16313 of 3rd Chutai at Ashiya in October 1945, in a scheme of # 7 or the darker # 43 over natural metal.

Regarding Ki-100 propeller colours please refer to the blog article here and for Ki-100 camouflage colours the blog article here. All the subjects of this set, including the Ki-100s, have the distinctive tailplane stripes, an integral part of the unit's insignia but so often having been omitted in depictions. Only recently I shared a photograph to convince a modeller that the stripes were present on the Ki-100. All Ki-100 subjects in this set also have the white rectangular 'cartouche' 迷彩塗料 (meisai toryô - camouflage paint) beneath the tailplanes, reportedly a warning stencil to show that the aircraft had been camouflaged with inflammable nitro-cellulose paint. IJAAF requirements were for acetyl cellulose or benzyl cellulose paint and although nitro-cellulose paint was easier to produce it was vulnerable to catching fire and had been long discontinued for aircraft use.  However when it became urgently necessary to increase aircraft production late in the war, nitro-cellulose paints had to be used. This practice may have been relevant to the way the Ki-100 was produced and the re-introduction of factory painting in the autumn of 1944. The stencil is seen on some other aircraft such as the Ki-44, with Nakajima being another company perhaps caught between running down the production and delivery of unpainted aircraft and the directive to reinstate factory painting. 

A very fine set of decals with Rising's usual attention to detail, crisply printed and with good colour saturation. Particularly impressive is the fine register of the various thinly bordered bands and stripes. With special thanks to Rising Decals for the review set.

Image credit: All © 2025 Rising Decals.

Rising Decals Regimental Duo in 1/72 scale Part 1

Two more recent sets of decals from Rising Decals in 1/72 scale feature the aircraft of specific Japanese Army Air Regiments - Hiko Dai 25 Sentai with 12 subjects and Hiko Dai 59 Sentai with 14 subjects. 

Beginning with RD72113 which includes markings for the following aircraft:-

• Ki-43-II '00' at Hankow in the Spring of 1944, the aircraft of Sentai commander Maj Toshio Sakagawa in a scheme depicted as solid green with a brown or darker green mottle applied over that. The Rising sheet includes the insignia in three Chutai colours as recorded by the late Dr Yasuho Izawa and the subject of Maj Sakagawa's Oscar was also discussed at the blog here.  Note that this aircraft had the armoured headrest removed.

• Ki-43-II '71' of 2nd Chutai in China, Summer 1943, the aircraft of the Chutai leader Capt Nakakazu Ozaki, a 19-victory ace credited with the destruction of six B-24 bombers, in a camouflage of patchy green. He was killed in action over Suichuan on 27 December 1943.

• Ki-43-II '55' of 1st Chutai at Nanking in the Autumn of 1943 in a green mottle over natural metal. The white senchi hiyoshiki, so called 'combat stripe' (literally 'war front sign') was removed or overpainted on most 25 sentai Oscars but this one is said to be overpainted with the mottle but still faintly visible.

• Ki-43-III Ko '18' of 1st Chutai at Hengzhou (Hengyang), in November 1944, the aircraft of Sgt Goro Miyamoto in # 7 (olive brown) colour.  He claimed the first P-51 Mustang shot down by the unit on 10 February 1944. 

• Ki-43-II '05' 6925 of 1st Chutai at Hankow, in April 1944, the aircraft of 26-victory ace 2Lt Moritsugu Kanai in solid dark green. Kanai, a graduate of juvenile flying school, had flown during the Nomonhan Incident as the youngest pilot in 11 Sentai, later entering the Army Air Academy. In 25 Sentai he later flew a Ki-84 reportedly painted black (but possibly the blackish brown # 43 'earth colour'), also displaying the number '05' in white.

• Ki-43-II '51' of 2nd Chutai at Hankow in the Spring of 1944, aircraft flown by 15-victory ace M/Sgt Hazawa Iwataro in green with a brown or darker green mottle applied over that.  

• Ki-43-II '15' of 2nd Chutai at Nanking in December 1943, aircraft of Sgt Maj Kyushiro Ohtake in a sparse or worn away mottle of green over natural metal.  Sgt Maj Ohtake was a veteran of the unit who had served in it from the days of the 10th Independent Flying Squadron until the end of the war. He died from illness in 1947.

• Ki-43-II '62' of 3rd Chutai at Hankow in the Spring of 1944, aircraft flown by Corporal (not Captain) Haruyuki Toda, a classmate of Miyamoto, in a patchy finish of green, The senchi hiyoshiki is over painted in green or brown. A graduate of juvenile flying school Toda was assigned to the unit in the Spring of 1944 and flew as wingman to Capt Keisaku Motohashi, the 3rd Chutai leader, who was killed in action over Hengyang on 4 August 1944.

• Ki-43-II '22' of 1st Chutai at Suwon, Korea in August 1945. in solid green but with a forward fuselageand cowling in natural metal with remnants of mottle. The style of number and presence of the senchi hiyoshiki is unusual but Hasegawa are releasing their 1/48 Ki-43-II kit in the guise of another 25 Sentai aircraft with similar number presentation 'o1' in August this year 'based on new research'. The unit had converted to the Ki-84 at Nanking during February 1945 and moved to Korea in July. Hasegawa put 'o1' in China during 1943-44 as the aircraft of 1st Chutai leader Capt Takashi Tsuchiya. During early 1944 Tsuchiya had flown a Ki-43-II with the number '10'.

• Ki-84 photographed at Suwon in August 1945 in a reticulated 'giraffe' camouflage of green over natural metal. The tail stripe has been depicted in various colours over the years and Rising include red or blue versions on the sheet.

• Ki-43-I of 3rd Chutai at Hankow in November 1943. in solid green with overpainted rear fuselage band.  The marking of horizontal tail band in Chutai colours was changed when the unit converted to the Ki-43-II and the design suggested by Cpl Seshimo Kennosuke of a simple diagonal band was adopted with slight modification.

• Ki-43-I of 1st Chutai at Hankow in the Winter of 1942/43 in solid green with a non typical senchi hiyoshiki. The application of extended lines on the rudder might have represented the Shotai.

This is an excellent and comprehensive decal set which includes Hinomaru and allows the modeller to select from several notable aircraft of the unit. It's also good to see included two Ki-43-I examples from this unit. With special thanks to Rising Decals for the review sheet.

Image credit: All images © 2025 Rising Decals.

Quarter Scale Hayabusa Trio from Rising Decals

A surprise, simultaneous release of three sets of decals in 1/48 scale (does anyone say 'quarter scale' any more?) for the Ki-43 over New Guinea and the Solomons from the prolific saviour of old kits with unusable transfer sheets or new kits with poor ones Rising Decals.  All subjects are based on photographs with an acknowledgement that the colours suggested are subject to interpretation - no speculations asserted as facts or 2 + 2 added up to 5.  The three sets are reviewed  here, beginning with the five subjects in Set RD48038 as follows:-

• # 1 Ki-43-II '5927' of 3rd Chutai 248 Sentai at Alexshafen in 1943; attributed as the aircraft of 3rd Chutai leader Lt Kawamura Takenori from the red fuselage band. 

• # 2 Ki-43-II of 3rd Chutai, 59 Sentai at But in October 1943; confirmed as an aircraft flown by 14 victory ace Sgt Maj Tomio Hirohata. The personal bird motif is provided in red or black on the sheet but FWIW the late Dr Yasuho Izawa presented the motif as black in his most recent study of Army aces 'The Imperial Japanese Army Fighter Group 2' (Kaiga Co., 2024). In the original known photograph the bird does appear darker than the Hinomaru and the surprisingly dark looking tail stripe. The decal sheet includes the stripes on the tailplanes, an integral part of the Sentai insignia but omitted in many depictions.   

• # 3 Ki-43-II '6984' (not 6983 but printed correctly on the sheet) attributed to 2nd Chutai, 13 Sentai at Kamiri in early 1944, in a scheme of solid light green upper surfaces with a darker green mottle.

• # 4 Ki-43-II of 2nd Chutai, 24 Sentai at Dagua (But East) in mid-1943 in a solid green scheme with yellow fuselage band outlined white (probably representing the third Shotai leader rather than a Chutai leader).

• #5 Ki-43-II of 3rd Chutai, 77 Sentai at Hollandia in April 1944 attributed to the Chutaicho Lt Norio Miyamoto in a dark green mottle over patchy green. The two thin white fuselage stripes seem more indicative of a Shotaicho.   

Set RD48-039 also provides decals for five aircraft, three Ki-43-I and two Ki-43-II, as follows:-

• # 1 Ki-43-I of 2nd Chutai, 11 Sentai at Lae, New Guinea in mid 1943. Attributed as the aircraft of the Chutaicho Capt Michiaki Tojo, in a patchy green finish. The photograph of the abandoned aircraft is inconclusive as to colours but perhaps there is a 'technical report' confirming them. Intriguingly the 1st Chutai leader Capt Shigenori Miyabashi was known as the 'Red Falcon', supposedly due to the gaudy red markings on his aircraft, as depicted by Steve Ferguson on the cover of the 1995 Schiffer re-print of the old Osprey Aircam book authored by Richard M Bueschel (1970) with white 1st Chutai lightning bolt and fuselage band but red forward cowling and spinner. Mysterious. 

• # 2 Ki-43-II of 2nd Chutai 24 Sentai at Hollandia, New Guinea in 1944 depicted in a sparse green mottle over natural metal. This aircraft has a 'IIII' marking on the right side of the rudder (decals for both sides are provided, presumed to represent some 4th Air Army HQ connection, possibly under direct command. The 'wings' on the tailplanes are conjectural but may have been an integral part of the unit insignia, the tail design for which simply represents an abstract '24'. 24 Sentai was designated primarily as an air defence unit and pioneered the use of 'anti-bomber' Ma-102 (explosive incendiary) and Ma-103 (explosive) ammunition for the 12.7mm cowling guns in head on attacks.  The Ma-103 proved dangerous to use, the mechanical fuse sometimes causing rounds to explode in the cowling tube, but a vacuum fuse was developed for it which solved the problem.

• # 3 Ki-43-I of 1st Chutai, 11th Sentai at Rabaul, late 1942 to early 1943 in a camouflage scheme of brown wavy lines over solid green. 

• # 4 Ki-43-I of 3rd Chutai, 1st Sentai at Vunakanau, Rabaul in 1943. Attributed to Capt Kanaya Yoshihro, 3rd Chutai leader from August 1942 to January 1944, but the Sentai's system of command and formation markings is uncertain. Not mentioned but the elevators on this aircraft should be painted blue like the rudder as Chutai colour painted elevators were an inegral part of the unit insignia.

• # 5 Ki-43-II of 2nd Chutai, 63 Sentai at Hollandia in 1944, in solid dark green upper surfaces.

Set RD48-040 again provides decals for five aircraft, all Ki-43-II as follows:-

• # 1 Ki-43-II attributed to 24 Sentai HQ flight, Alexishafen in 1944 depicted in a sparse green mottle over natural metal. The unit supposedly changed their insignia to this simplified form whilst the rudder number '73' is conjectural based on numbers appearing on other unit aircraft. The unit only served in New Guinea for six months and are not recorded as being at Alexishafen, so more likely the insignia represents an aircraft taken on by the depleted composite Ki-61 unit.

• # 2 Ki-43-II of 1st Chutai, 24 Sentai at Palembang in May 1943, suggested to be 5134 and if so it would have had the longer wing of the Ki-43-I, However the appearance of the cowling and oil cooler suggest a later aircraft. A previous profile depicts the insignia, number and rear fuselage senchi hiyoshiki band as being yellow, which is extraordinary.

• # 3 Ki-43 of 3rd Chutai, 63 Sentai at Hyane, Los Negros in January 1944, in an unusual scheme with a dark 'crazy paving' pattern applied over the original mottle. The photo of this aircraft was shown at this blog in October 2012 and the Chutai attribution is bold.

• # 4 Ki-43-II of 3rd Chutai, 59 Sentai at But, New Guinea in late 1943 early 1944.  One of the subjects of the recent Arma Hobby kit which depicted the rearmost fuselage band as yellow. Close examination of the photograph suggests the band was probably white, being the senchi hiyoshiki, as depicted on this sheet.

• # 5 Ki-43-II of 3rd Chutai 33 Sentai at Hollandia in April 1944 depicted in a darker green mottle over solid but worn green. A colour photograph of another 33 Sentai Hayabusa suggests perhaps a two-tone green mottle over natural metal.

All under surfaces of the subjects on the three sheets are depicted as natural metal but there will be more to discuss about this when Army fighter camouflage schemes and mottles are explored in a future blog article, long in gestation but with a few surprises. The subject choices on all three sheets are interesting and attractive. With special thanks to Rising Decals for providing the review sheets.

Notes on 248 Sentai

The remains of subject # 1 Oscar 5927 were photographed and described by Charles Darby in his 'Pacific Aircraft Wrecks And Where To Find Them' (Kookaburra Technical Publications, 1979) but misidentified as 77 Sentai. 248 Sentai appears to have presented a non-standard Chutai colour sequence (not picked up or recorded in Japanese references) as alleged by a POW in an interrogation report shared by PAWHA researcher R L Dunn in 2011:- 

[Interrogation Report] of a 248 [FR] Maintenance W.O. says: 'Colors were white, blue, yellow and red, denoting Hq, [No.]1, [No.]2, and [No.] 3 Squadrons respectively. In Feb '44 after the new CO, Maj KURODA arrived, the color for Hq was exchanged with that of 1 Squadron, since he preferred blue for Hq.' 

The Sentai insignia, described as 'swallows' in a 2020 compendium of profiles, actually represented two leaves of the common reed (芦) combined to signify the number two - thus 2-4-8. It is difficult to discern the camouflage in Mr Darby's photos, whether solid or mottled, as little appears to remain and he did not describe it, in detail or otherwise, not in my copy of his book! 248's experience in New Guinea was chaotic and probably not compatible with a well organised painting of Chutai insignia. 200 ground crew were lost on their way to New Guinea when their ship was torpedoed and the unit was then left with only 33 mechanics. This was perhaps not as challenging as might be expected considering the unit's average air strength. They arrived in New Guinea at the end of October 1943 with 30 Oscars, rising to 32 by 2 November. Thereafter they suffered continual losses, being reduced to only six aircraft by 20 April 1944. The average strength calculated from November 1943 for the whole period of their operations in New Guinea was only 9.06 aircraft, not even a single Chutai strength. And whenever reinforced they seemed to suffer losses within a very short period, for example a maximum of 18 aircraft were available on 23 January 1944 but by 28 January they were reduced to only six aircraft, thus losing two thirds of their available strength within five days. In January 1944 when Major Kuroda became Sentai commander and allegedly changed the Chutai colour sequence the unit never had more than 11 aircraft available until the 23 January reinforcement. With 18 aircraft and assuming a HQ shotai of three a three Chutai complement would have operated only five aircraft each. Whether a Chutai colour sequence could have been maintained with those numbers in a bitterly fought campaign, let alone an exchange of colours, is questionable. And it seems extraordinary that a Sentai commander would concern himself with such details in the circumstances. The photographic evidence is inconclusive despite wishful thinking or being able to 'see' a system from the few remains. Was the POW providing false information to give the impression of a unit with more aircraft? We'll never know. Oscar 5927 was manufactured in September 1943 and Lt Takenori led the 3rd Chutai from February 1944 to July 1944 when survivors of the unit, without any aircraft, attempted to walk out.  Maj Kuroda survived this walk out and the war.  

Image credit: All © 2025 Rising Decals