Saturday 27 July 2024

Revell's 1/72 Ki-21-I Ko


The new Revell 1/72 Mitsubishi Ki-21-I Ko 'Sally' kit # 03797 is now to hand for comparison to the ICM first release kit of the Ki-21-I Otsu released in 2022 and the Ki-21-I Ko released in 2023. The Revell kit advertises 186 parts but there are some blacked out parts on the instructions. Both ICM kits state they have 163 parts.

ICM Kit # 72203 of 2022

The Revell kit is rated at level 5 for the skill needed to build it - 'complex model kits for experienced model builders. In-depth know-how and skills required' - and comes in a larger end opening box which always seem flimsier. Mine was sent in a plastic bag protected only by a thin cardboard wrap around which did not prevent it from being squashed, fortunately with no damage to the parts. 

Revell box art (heading image) by Egbert K L Friedl is technically competent but rather bland and does not evoke much excitement, lacking any hint of action of course (because anything shown opened up and firing or dropping stuff would not represent the kit itself and the modern litigious might pounce) I sat looking at it, considering the kit's presentation as a whole, and felt a bit sad remembering Revell's original multi-option presentation from 1975. More imaginative and better value for money with its multiple variant parts and options, but now fatally flawed.

The Revell instruction sheet is a colour coded booklet of 27 pages with 71 stages of construction, including the mind boggling printed masks for the multitude of transparent panels. The ICM instruction booklet is 16 pages with 70 stages of construction. The blacked out parts in the Revell kit are those for the tail, tailplanes and elevators on sprue frame B and parts 2 and 12 on the clear sprue frame E in the original kit. A sprue frame F containing new tail, tailplanes and elevators appears to be the same as that included in the ICM Ki-21-I Ko kit # 72205 released last year (box art shown below). The other parts appear identical to the ICM Otsu release. Confused yet? I have been, presuming that the Ko would have been released before the Otsu.

ICM Kit # 72205 of 2023
ICM Kit # 72206 of 2023

A third ICM Ki-21-I Ko kit featuring Royal Thai Air Force options was also released in 2023 (box art shown above). This was rather splendid in offering both white elephant and roundel insignia with markings for six different aircraft in three schemes. All three kits have slightly differing lower nose and beam transparencies which require care in selection as some are marked not for use. Although designated Type 97 heavy bomber by the Japanese (Kyu Nana Shiki Juh Bakugeki-ki - 九七式重爆撃機 or Kyu Nana Juh-baku -九七重爆 ) 'Sally' was more equivalent to Allied medium bombers like the Wellington.

Revell Ki-21-I Ko Decal Sheet 

For a kit selling for nearly forty quid the Revell decal sheet options are disappointing. Whilst the 64th Sentai example is interesting it cannot be considered representative of a Sally bomber unit and the only other option is for a 60th Sentai aircraft in overall grey-green with yellow and red tail band which was one of the four options in the original ICM kit. The sheet does include instrument panels and seat belts but at the price a more extensive decal sheet with other subjects might have been expected. Perhaps Revell's bean counters cynically considered that the aftermarket to pick up their slack was already up and running in response to the ICM releases. Having noted all that the Revell kit is one to build because there would be no delight in keeping it as treasure, it is not a dragon to hoard and it reflects the times. 

Revell suggest their matt enamel # 59 'Sky Blue' for the overall grey-green but that paint is actually listed in their paint range as 'RAF Sky' so they are off down the Airfix rabbit hole. To be fair it's probably the closest in the Revell enamel paint range. I found the painting instructions shown throughout the construction stages a little confusing but most of the interior is suggested to be finished in Revell 79 matt Blue-grey (matched to RAL 7031 Blue grey) with some parts in matt 57 Grey (matched to RAL 7000 Grey aka Squirrel Grey). The upper surface dark green of the 64th Sentai option is suggested as 42 Yellowish Olive (no RAL equivalent). Unfortunately that particular paint is not to hand to comment on.    

It has been mentioned that the Revell kit contains a bomb sight missing from the ICM kit. In fact the ICM kit contains the bomb sight and has it in the same deployed for use rather than stowed position. Will there be a full crew compliment like the Hasegawa Emily or the neatly moulded Zvezda aircrew with their alternate heads? Probably not. The rather nicely moulded twin guns for the dorsal position can't be deployed without modification because the long canopy is in one piece and closed. And no bomb bay despite Revell's early marketing spiel.

You can probably tell by now that I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the Revell kit's presentation which is not meant to detract from the ICM originals, but interest has probably moved on to the 1/48th scale ICM release. Can we expect a rash of the old Revell kits appearing on eBay, blinking in the sunshine from their stash confinement? Now where's that Mania Ki-48?    

Image credit: Box art and decal sheet © 2024 Revell (Carrera Revell Europe GmbH); ICM box art © 2022 & 2023  ICM Holding.

12 comments:

Baronvonrob said...

After waiting for so long to get a new tool Ki21, we now have an embarrassment of riches...(Sallys)

I found the ICM model an advantageous kit to build and now the only real question remains which manufacturer will be the first to produce a KI-21-IIb dorsal turret version?

Thanks, Nick for your in-depth review of the new Revell Ki21

Straggler 脱走兵 said...

Thanks Rob. I don't wish my blog to detract from the ICM kit's qualities but I just think that in re-issuing it Revell might have demonstrated more imagination in its presentation.

Dave Mazierski said...

I have the old MPM kit 72902( flying above a beach on the box cover, with lots of resin parts); how does it stand up against these newer kits? I understand it might not be as easy of a build, but if it is accurate enough, I'll keep it...

Mark Smith said...

Thanks, Nick, this post is quite useful for anyone who (like me) was not certain if this was to be the same kit as ICM’s. While I know you are being facetious in talking about ‘fatal flaws’ I’m curious how the older Revell kit was / is perceived to be flawed. As a kit, like their Donryu (Helen) it still seems above average after all these years.

I agree that modelers deserve a more comprehensive decal sheet for the asking price. This is not that hard or that expensive, in the broader scheme of things, to offer another two or three choices, especially when specialized decal sheets for the type are not easily found.

You mention one notable difference for anyone who will actually undertake a build – the masks. Good on you, Revell (if they fit!) for these are getting more and more expensive from aftermarket sources. Are these available on the ICM Sally boxings? This would be a daunting yet boring phase of the project, and anyone who started modeling before the introduction of kit-specific die-cut masks does not look back fondly at such a task.

Straggler 脱走兵 said...

Hi Mark

Somewhere on the 'net is a Junpei Temma-type detailed take down of everything wrong with the old Revell kit. Unfortunately I didn't save the link.

As for the masks in the kit they are not the peel off and stick on type but simply printed silhouette templates on the paper instruction sheet. I'm not even sure how you are supposed to use them as templates but whatever process is to be used I'm thinking it will be laborious. Both the Revell and ICM kits have exactly the same printed template masks. Can't speak for the 1/48th ICM kit but others will know more.

Believe it or not Google makes me prove I'm not a robot making comments on my own blog by selecting the right squares in one of those fuzzy little Captcha images.

Regards
Nick

Alex said...

Much thanks for the article.
What a strange choice with variants. 64th (fighter) Sentai.

WK said...

Hi Mark, Eduard has released masks for the 1/48 and 1/72 Sally. The $12-$14 USD pricetag is well worth the trouble saved in making ones own manually. I have a Silhouette Cameo and so I felt I needed to create my own masks using a scan of the silhouettes in the instruction book. It will be a year or so before I build my Ki-21, so I can't test out my masks, but if you need a set let me know and I can mail some to you.

Ken Glass said...

Thanks very much for sharing the kit review with us, Nick.

Anonymous said...

I could see a an old war weary Sally as a transport hack aircraft for the the 64th, but other than that why these decals for this kit? And further, did the 64th ever use a Sally? I have never seen anything to confirm that. Strange indeed.

Windswords

Straggler 脱走兵 said...

It is a strange choice but was also included as a subject on the Rising Decals RD72109 sheet reviewed here on AoJ on 17 July. There is a photograph and profile of this 64th Sentai 'Sally' in the Arawasi book Eagle Eyes Series No.3 on the type which curiously has no printed page numbers between page 157 and 176, so I can't reference the page number without counting them! And life is too short for that!

Anonymous said...

Until May Revell advertised their Ki-21 with a multitude of bombs for creating an individual bomber. I confronted them that the kit didn‘t contain any bombs. Customer service‘s answer was like „sh** happens“. It felt like fraud because I bought it in March before their were any reviews.

Ronnie Olsthoorn said...

So the new Revell kit is a clone of the ICM kit after all. It had to be, but they kept us guessing for awhile! :)