tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post5358950944948834502..comments2024-03-28T13:18:10.107+00:00Comments on Aviation of Japan 日本の航空史: Ah, Fine Molds Limited Edition 1/72 Ki-43-I Hayabusa!Straggler 脱走兵http://www.blogger.com/profile/10129611267271999294noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-7244291660689688772019-10-28T14:14:52.892+00:002019-10-28T14:14:52.892+00:00Thanks for the review, Nick.Thanks for the review, Nick.Ken Glassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-25011148029137681172019-03-18T00:21:29.022+00:002019-03-18T00:21:29.022+00:00Good to know about interior accessibility, thanks ...Good to know about interior accessibility, thanks Nick! The more I look at it the more tempted I am to build one. I'd need to scratch build another tail wheel as I'd surely knock it off. Also, Murphy's law and such, if I scratch build one in anticipation nothing will happen to the original. If, however, I do not plan ahead, well..... :P<br /><br />ChadChad Akinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-85888017388027332742019-03-16T11:21:21.150+00:002019-03-16T11:21:21.150+00:00Thanks Chad
The centre section interior is actual...Thanks Chad<br /><br />The centre section interior is actually more accessible than it looks in the photographs because it is quite broad at the wing root and adding sidewall detail using tweezers and painting would be quite feasible. The cockpit floor could also be further detailed beyond the 'boxes' provided by Fine Molds. The question of what could be seen and appreciated afterwards is another matter! <br /><br />The moulding of the rear fuselage as one whole single piece is extraordinary and triggers a "How did they do that?" response. All the subtle contours have been captured. But the moulded on tail wheel looks vulnerable to construction handling. <br /><br />Regards<br />Nick Straggler 脱走兵https://www.blogger.com/profile/10129611267271999294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-36325068712835693992019-03-11T17:36:47.572+00:002019-03-11T17:36:47.572+00:00Thanks for this first look Nick.
The break-down of...Thanks for this first look Nick.<br />The break-down of parts is interesting and looks like it will make construction pretty easy with little fuss as there are no seams to deal with on the top and bottom centerline one usually has to deal with. After studying the sprue for a bit though I am not sure I really like this idea, especially the front half of the fuselage. For someone like me who really enjoys super detailing, even if it is such a small area in 1/72, I thing it would be quite difficult to get into the cockpit area to add plumbing, wiring etc. The canopy doesn't bother me so much since I would use a vac canopy anyways but the pre-enclosed cockpit is a little off-putting. I am really glad none-the-less that we at least have a new tool Oscar from Fine Molds and will probably get one in the future anyways. Just my thoughts.<br /><br />Chad A.Chad Akinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-56070564374965343932019-03-09T17:01:26.851+00:002019-03-09T17:01:26.851+00:00Thanks all for the comments.
Mark, thanks. I thi...Thanks all for the comments. <br /><br />Mark, thanks. I think the heading photo accentuates a 'stalky' appearance whereas the kit's undercart is actually reproduced more correctly than the Fujimi kit. Other photos in the magazine look ok and examination of the kit parts confirms that the legs are weighted and not at full extension as per the retracted pieces. I 'think' that the unusual fuselage breakdown was conceived to recreate the subtle shapes of the Hayabusa fuselage and wingroots which it achieves beautifully, but how much moe so than the Fujimi kit is open to question. There is undoubtedly an ease of assembly aspect to this kit as suggested by Bill above. <br /><br />Steve, thanks. The most unfortunate aspect of the Fujimi kit is that it shares the same 'broken back' upper fuselage line from the Matsuba Minoru plans as the Hasegawa 1/48 kit, albeit slightly less glaring in the smaller scale. I haven't noted the Fujimi cowling as being too long but I guess it depends on which plans are referenced. It looks ok on the built model. The side panels of the cowling are slightly bulged compared to the Fine Molds kit, the side panels of which are quite flat and more like the old LS (now Arii) kit. It's hard to gauge the actual degree of swell from photographs but from the extant example I tentaively venture that Fujimi is closer in shape to the real thing. There are two viewpoints regarding the simplification of some aspects of this kit: either the 'everything should be included even if it can't be seen' mantra or the 'it doesn't matter because it can't be seen' mantra. But for the price of this kit the interior and engine detail seems disappointing. My concluding (and personal) assessment was that any improvement in the FM kit over the Fujimi is somewhat outweighed by the alarming price difference. But then prices have altered significantly in recent years with mainstream 1/72 fighter kits now approaching the cost of a high end 1/48 kit of a few years ago. <br /><br />Regards<br />Nick Straggler 脱走兵https://www.blogger.com/profile/10129611267271999294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-65799287188701921722019-03-09T16:05:21.979+00:002019-03-09T16:05:21.979+00:00Hi Nick,
I rushed out and bought a couple of the ...Hi Nick,<br /><br />I rushed out and bought a couple of the Fine Molds Ki-43 kits when I read about it on another website. As magazine kits they are expensive, but I am very impressed. Detail and part fit, of major components anyway, is excellent. The negatives are what you have already covered: the simplified interior detail, the rudimentary gun sight (the one in the old Fujimi kit is a bit better), and the simplified 1 piece engine and oil cooler. I don't know how much of that will be visible once it's inside the cowl.<br />The fuselage design is unique, and the fit of the parts is excellent. The one piece central fuselage includes the wing fillets, and it fits perfectly with the upper wing (although I added a bit of sprue inside the fuselage as a shim to ensure a tight fit with the edges of the upper wing.<br />Compared against drawings, the cowling of the Fujimi kit is a bit too long front to back. The Fine Molds cowling appears to be more accurate, and I like the 2 little 'pins' on the rear edge that represent the gun barrels that bridge the slight gap between the fuselage and cowling.<br />The separate framing for the canopy is very delicate, and I haven't tied it out for fit yet. The framing in the photos of the assembled kit in the magazine seems much heavier than the actual parts - perhaps it was a prototype.<br />The Fine Mods Ki-43 I is an expensive kit, but I think it's a great improvement over the old Fujimi kit, and at this time, the best Ki-43 in 1/72 scale.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Steve<br /> Steve Blankenshiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07012648555073352762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-6419817542741778482019-03-07T13:59:03.676+00:002019-03-07T13:59:03.676+00:00There is a lot of truth in Mark's comment.
1)...There is a lot of truth in Mark's comment.<br /><br />1) I was very impressed by Fine Molds until I built my first model (see http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2017/10/148-d4y3-suisei-by-michael-thurow-part-1.html)<br />The fit was only half as good as the parts suggested, to express it politely.<br /><br />2) The Hayabusa appears to be a terribly difficult plane to reproduce - not only in 1/72, also in 1/48. Why? It has a simple straightforward shape. Hasegawa obviously missed the chance to make theirs a winner. I'm still impressed by the old Nichimo 1/48 and have an Arii kit in the stash for the -II version. I hope it will come out as good as Chad Atkins's.Michael Thurownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-14573852934108274682019-03-05T13:22:49.757+00:002019-03-05T13:22:49.757+00:00Thanks for the kit review, Nick. This new Fine Mol...Thanks for the kit review, Nick. This new Fine Molds Ki-43 reminds me of the way that the Hobby Boss easy assembly kits are engineered and moulded. That, and the relatively low number of parts. I wonder if that is the segment of the market that Fine Molds is aiming for with this kit?<br /><br />Keep up the great work!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />BillBill Gilmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14841836446743499664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-63665730257905545202019-03-03T03:45:57.429+00:002019-03-03T03:45:57.429+00:00Nice post, thanks Nick, and I know many will appre...Nice post, thanks Nick, and I know many will appreciate the careful look at this kit, because they are not easily procured, nor inexpensive. Perhaps the finished model shown was not well built or photographed, but the parts generally look better than the finished model looks, and not just those silly markings – the shape (or sit, maybe) looked off – stalky. Is that a word? The simplicity and angle of the Hayabusa landing gear have always meant that if everything is not scale thickness, or if the strut length or its angle is off at all, it looks merely clumsy. Maybe that’s it. <br /><br />At least, by *my* traditional standards and hopes for any new kit - and I realize FM is not catering to that taste with this one - it's a strange combination of 'wow, how did they do that?!' and 'hmmm - why did they do *that?*' The fuselage breakdown is novel, but why? Great for an Eagle Farms ATAIU diorama. Otherwise, is it perhaps to eliminate seam-work for the modeler? As to the canopy, it combines remarkable sophistication in molding with...looking wrong unless those frames fit absolutely flush, and it doesn't sound like that's the case. Again, why? Were they just bored? New Fine Molds kits are right up there with anyone's now (1/48 Claude, Babs) for accuracy and tolerances. But I hope this is not the new FM paradigm, at least for aircraft. <br /><br />If its engineering was traditional, they could have made the best Hayabusa kit going in 1/72, hands down. This way, it may still be the best; but there's a trade-off to my mind: they will require some extra trouble, be hard to get from the start, and be pretty expensive. It may be that they are simply trying something different to see how it flies (and sells). In a way, Eduard did this when they released a series of FW 190 kits that many considered needlessly complex and over-engineered. Amazingly, Eduard recanted, and completely retooled these - and I hear collectors are already searching out the older ones now that they are withdrawn! In any case, it will be interesting to see the future of these kits and this paradigm for plastic model aircraft kits. Thanks again for the review. Mark Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748156690521830936.post-54568774476994707272019-02-27T21:06:45.416+00:002019-02-27T21:06:45.416+00:00Oooh, wow, what a surprise - can't wait for Ki...Oooh, wow, what a surprise - can't wait for Ki-43-II to hit the market eventually.<br />Weird way to tool the fuselage, though...Aleksandarnoreply@blogger.com