Airfix Ki-46-II 'Dinah' Flies Again.

The venerable Airfix Mitsubishi Ki-46-II 'Dinah' kit from 1965 flies again in a re-release this year in their 'Vintage Classics' series. The kit is unchanged except for the instructions, decal sheet and darker grey plastic - the original kit was moulded in a lighter grey plastic and the US Airfix Craft Master release in silver plastic.

With the more recent Hasegawa release (2000) and the LS kit (1975, re-released by Arii in 1995 and still intermittently available) there will probably be plenty of scorn for the re-emergence of this 61 year old Airfix kit. Personally I like it, probably due to a hefty dose of nostalgia but also because it better replicates the fine lines of the original aircraft than the more detailed Hasegawa kit. The surface detail is raised but very fine and thankfully the dreaded Airfix riveter had the day off when the mould was cut. The parts of the original kit fitted well (the main components of the Craft Master release can be dry assembled without glue) and it was an easy, relaxing build. Some care needs to be taken with the plug in wings to avoid excessive dihedral but there are no other fit issues. 

The modelling trend now seems to be for ever larger scale kits and more meticulous interior detail even when it can't be seen when the model is completed!  The Airfix Ki-46 has good interior detail for its era - a cockpit floor with integral observer's seat, separate pilot's seat, control column and instrument panel with two bulkheads, the rear incorporating a navigation table. Although the ventral camera window was included there is no camera equipment inside the cockpit but the representation of a camera moulded to the underside of the cockpit floor. Airwaves offer a photo etch set of enhanced details for the kit as AC-72-173, including extended flaps if there is patience enough to fix the 14 tiny runner attachments on each one. Still available from Hannants at £6.50. Paint suggested for the interior, including wheel wells, is Humbrol 56 Aluminium - Metallic.

Cowlings are solid with the crude 'flange' type flaps typical of Airfix kits at the time and a little too tapered without the 'swell' achieved in the LS kit. There is some very rudimentary engine detail within the cowlings but little can be seen once the props and spinners are fitted. The spinners are too long and not representative of the original but it is doubtful any aftermarket replacements will be offered for such an old kit. The kit transparencies are remarkably clear and distortion free for the age of the moulds (the 1994 kit re-release parts are exceptional - crystal clear). A set of masks for all the kit transparencies and wheels is available from UKScaleModeller at £5.75 purchasable from eBay.  

Markings options are as for the original kit with decals printed by Cartograf for Dokuritsu Hiko Dai 18 Chutai (18th Independent Flying Squadron) based in China during 1944 (shown below), but this time the unit's tiger motif is more representative than the leaping 'Esso' tiger of 1965.  Yellow leading edge IFF strips, instrument panel decal (aluminium!) and prop blade markings are also included on the sheet.

In addition a second option offers markings for a captured aircraft operated at Eglin Field, Florida in 1945 (shown above). This aircraft, c/n 2846, was captured at Hollandia, New Guinea and in September 1944 made airworthy by personnel of the 13th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Bomb Group which operated the A-20 Havoc. Red and yellow prop tip stripes for this version are included on the decal sheet. Assigned the Technical Air Intelligence Centre designation TAIC 10 it was shipped to the USA and still displaying the 13th BS insignia on its nose was test flown at NAS Anacostia, NAS Paruxent River and at Eglin Field where it was reported in April 1945, ultimate fate unknown. It seems to have been re-painted in US service but the colour remains open to interpretation. It originally had the rudder painted in the pre-war red, white and blue stripes, subsequently overpainted in a dark colour. The instruction sheet schematic shows olive drab for the rudder as well as for the elevators but in one photo the latter might just be the result of shadow.

A curious note suggests that both options were painted overall in J3 'amber grey' (to be represented by Humbrol 168 Satin Hemp) which was a Navy not an Army colour standard, the Army finish being # 1 Hairyokushoku (灰緑色 - ash green colour). Ki-46 colours as recorded on c/n 2414 were explored at the blog in April 2010  here and indeed appear similar to the Zero amber grey colour, the pale blueish grey observations possibly due to oxidisation and chalking of the surface. A report by FO Bellinger of 5 Sqn RAF from December 1942 described a Ki-46 as having under surfaces of a pale duck egg blue with upper surfaces of a little darker blue, perhaps inspiring the 1978 Airfix re-release suggestion for an 81st Sentai aircraft to be finished in Airfix M8 Duck Egg Blue.   

The Mitsubishi painting process for the Ki-46 was rigorous with an overall primer coat of # 3 Hai ran shoku ( 灰藍色 - ash indigo colour) a dark blue grey, also applied to all interior spaces including cockpit, followed by a mid coat of the elusive # 17 Tan Sei shoku (淡青色 - pale blue colour), not always applied, and finally several top coats of # 1, sanded and polished. Panel divisions were also puttied and sanded before painting, resulting in a very smooth surface finish. 

Previous re-releases of the Airfix Ki-46 kit were featured at the blog in December 2012 here and in November 2008  here. Still worth consideration for an undemanding weekend 'retro' build and it won't break the bank at £9.99. But should you wish to go further there is a very fine build video meticulously updating and enhancing this kit here and your AoJ host gets couple of shout outs too! The final result demonstrates the basic soundness of the Airfix model's lines.

Image credit: Airfix box art and colour/decals schematics © 2026 Hornby Hobbies Ltd; Airwaves photo-etch image © 2026 H G Hannant Ltd; Mask set image © 2026 UKScalemodeller.     

Vic Hobby Paints

This Vic Hobby range of Japanese made water based paints came to my attention via Hobbylink Japan. They are relatively cheap compared to other brands and currently on sale. Although the pots are quite small at 12 ml compared to Humbrol tinlets at 14 ml, they are less than half the price. For example the CA046 Mitsubishi Dark Green is currently selling for 95p. The pots are plastic with flip top lids which also unscrew. The HLJ blurb about them is here and worth checking out. The paints are advertised as suitable for both airbrush and paintbrush application with water clean up. They are reported as having a 'weak gloss' finish and there are matt and semi-gloss clear coats in the range.  

Having recently been checking out some lacquer based paints I'm pleased to report that the Vic Hobby paints are almost odourless. I'll be reporting further on them as I try them out and make swatches for comparison purposes (and try to reduce that stash). Currently their Japanese wartime aircraft colours include (with my comments on their liquid appearance only):-

• MH012 Metallic Cyan (Aotake - very nice - interestingly the Japanese label on the pot is 青竹色 - 'blue bamboo colour' - aotake iro )
• MA040 IJA Sky Grey  (quite a rich greenish colour)
• MA041 IJN Black Green Nakajima (almost a dark grey with green undertone - I like it)
• MA042 IJN Gray (quite a bright blueish grey)
• MA043 IJA Dark Green (a darkish, slightly olive green)
• MA044 Cockpit Nakajima (greenish buff)
• MA045 Cockpit Mitsubishi (a rather deep sage green)
• CA046 Mitsubishi Dark Green (a dark blueish green - nice)
• CA047 ??? (not bought) 
• CA048 Japan Propeller Brown (reddish brown - not as dark as the Gunze paint and might be suitable for IJN H2)
• CA049 Mitsubishi Cowling Black (a dark purplish grey black - very nice)

The IJN greens are promising, the IJA colours perhaps less so. I also bought MH006 Aluminium (greyish and slightly grainy) and MA069 RLM02 Gray (a warm greyish green). I had no problems with postage of these paints from Japan to UK and they arrived well packaged and in perfect condition. Pigmentation and colour saturation appear rich but they do advise the use of their proprietary primer paints which are available in grey or white and come in 50 ml plastic bottles. The range as shown at HLJ can be confusing as they seem to be listed there at random rather than in subject or number sequence. You will need to explore! 

Many paint ranges now are designed for airbrush use, saving the manufacturers on pigment cost, and subsequently impossible or difficult to apply by brush without multiple coats. We are a long way from stirring a tin of Humbrol Authentics paint and applying a single, smooth, self-levelling coat direct from the tinlet to plastic with a paintbrush. Painting, whether by airbrush or paintbrush, has become a complex of uncertainties and technocracy, as forum discussions reveal. I am hoping that these Vic Hobby paints might offer a simplicity to the procedure, but time will tell and so will I.  

The range includes other metallic colours, colours for Japanese armour and IJN warships as well as subject specific colour sets for JASDF, etc. There are also subject specific Luftwaffe, RAF and USN colours in the range. The generic colour range is extensive and some of those would also appear suitable for Japanese aircraft models, for example the two Olive Drab colours (perhaps OD 1 for # 7 and OD 2 for # 43) and no less than five different Khaki colours. The range strikes me as potentially suitable for those who may have limited room or facilities for modelling and/or who are constrained for airbrush use or who prefer to brush paint, avoiding the time, fuss, clean up and odours with airbrushing.

Note: Paints were bought at my own expense and this is not a sponsored review.

Image credit: © 2024 Vic Hobby via HLJ       

Kariki 117 Colour I3 and 8609 Colour 3-3 Tsuchi iro

The colour I3 from the Tsuchi iro (Earth or clay) colour set on Kariki 117 was once mooted as both the Zero colour and the colour of Pearl Harbour era B5N2 'Kates' (97 Shiki Kanjo Kogeki-ki 九七式艦上攻撃機  or 97 KanKo - 九七艦攻). The late David Aiken described the 'Kate' colour as 'Grey Poupon', alluding to the appearance of French mustard, but it was also described as 'khaki'. The degree of grey, green or yellowishness perceived in the colour has varied according to different visual comparisons but the 3-3 swatch from the February 1945 8609 colour standard has been deemed identical to the I3 which it directly succeeded. The Japanese Aeronautic Association measured L*a*b* values of the 3-3 swatch are shown below, unsurprisingly 'brown', together with visual comparisons made previously by Japanese researchers. 

The Ryôichi Watanabe comparison to FS 20318 seems anomalous and he described Kariki 117's I3 somewhat enigmatically in an article in Arawasi magazine (Issue 9, Apr-Jun 2008) as 'used as a second coat on Zero fighters and other aircraft, but there are several people who wrongly believe that I3 is ameiro (a light brown or amber colour)'. Did he mean a second coat as between the red oxide primer and 'grey' topcoat or as the topcoat itself?  The comparison to FS 34201 by Owaki-san takes us into Zero 'olive grey' territory.  

The question of natural metal finish (nmf) under surfaces on some Pearl Harbor 'Kates' has run long and in its 1/48 scale kits Hasegawa has variously depicted grey green or 'silver'. The late Jim Lansdale was of the opinion that the finish varied as the result of production chronology and that he had examined KanKo artefacts where the dark green was painted over nmf and others where it was painted over the 'olive grey' finish. He estimated that the last 200-300 KanKo produced by Nakajima up to August 1941 were probably in a factory applied overall olive grey scheme, implying that older aircraft already in service may have been camouflaged dark green on upper surfaces but retained nmf under surfaces. His extant sample of metal from the so-called 'Hospital Kate' did not have any primer and he had seen no evidence of any primer on the olive grey painted aircraft. Does that imply that they were possibly IJN Depot rather than factory painted after the olive grey paint was adopted for the Zero? In any event the olive grey appears to have been the warmer. more yellowish Nakajima colour. It was possibly patches of that paint showing through the dark green camouflage paint that gave rise to the idea of PH KanKo sporting 'brown' blotches on the green camouflage.  

Fuchida described the Kates as being camouflaged very roughly and hastily in green and brown (茶褐色 chakasshoku) with his own aircraft remaining 'bright' underneath, which is a little ambiguous but might suggest the aircraft was unpainted prior to camouflaging and that the under surface retained a natural metal finish. The problem with Japanese descriptions of 'brown' has been discussed before but chakasshoku appears to cover colours from dark reddish brown to yellowish brown or tawny.  The box art on the Nichimo Kate was based on his description but depicts a very dark brown. FWIW the paint on the 'Hospital' Kate is a slightly variegated Munsell 7.5 Y 5-6/2 which puts it into that familiar slightly lighter than FS 34201/16350 territory. Therefore the difference between I3 and the Zero-type olive grey is probably unimportant. One detail that is easily overlooked is that the amber/olive-grey paint was glossy whilst the dark green camouflage was duller or flat. 

A fabric sample from the 'Southeast Loch Kanko' had a layer of red oxide, a layer of aluminium and a top coating of olive grey. A piece of the rudder fabric had bright red over the olive grey layer. Jim Lansdale noted that according to Bob Mikesh the under surface fabric of a B5N amongst the approximate 50 manufactured by No. 11 Kokusho during 1939-40 was doped a blue-grey colour approximating Munsell 5 PB 6/1. That would be approximate to FS 36320, so possibly not the more neutral, dove grey of J3.  The pigments in 36320 as might be expected for a low saturated 'purple blue'  are rutile (non chalking) titanium dioxide (white), green shade phthalo blue, quinacridone red and blue shade carbon black. But in addition to the manufactured aircraft the No.11 Kokusho may have reconditioned or modified many B5N airframes from 1942 until March 1944 applying an unknown variety of paints. The B5N was also manufactured by Aichi from June 1942 to September 1943 with a run of approximately 200. Probably one of the most common pitfalls for modellers is to assume that extant paint examples from one aircraft represent all the others unvaryingly. Generally speaking Japanese modellers are much more relaxed and pragmatic about this.

The heading photo is from film footage of a Midway-era KanKo taking off and the lighter outer wings are intriguing. Is the lighter colour on this bird olive grey (or 'grey poupon'!) and was the darker green (?) camouflage applied on board the carrier with the wings folded?

Make of it what you will . . . 

Image credit: B5N photo web; Colour schematic © 2024 Aviation of Japan

Nichimo 1/48 Ki-43-I Hayabusa by Dan Salamone

The Nichimo kit of the Nakajima Ki-43-1 Hayabusa 'Oscar', Japanese Army Type 1 fighter, in 1/48 scale built by Dan Salamone and expertly finished in a simple but very attractive scheme which shows the fine lines of the aircraft to advantage.  Built stock except for the addition of seat belts.

In Dan's own words:-

"1/48 Nichimo Ki-43-I, an original molding from 1977 which I bought at a long ago closed hobby shop for $3 back in 1995. It fit like a glove, and was a lot of fun to build. I used all Vallejo colors, including the metal colors. They perform well, but need at least 24 hours to cure between the primer coat, paint, other colors, and the varnish coats. There are a few good videos on You Tube that explain the process well. Lightly weathered as I wanted to highlight the simple and elegant look of the Hayabusa airframe. Markings cobbled together from various aftermarket sheets, Akeno flight school circa 1942. Proof that some of these older kits are still gems."

A gem indeed and its absence lamented. The mould does not appear to have made it to another manufacturer for re-release - yet. A pity, and it is to be hoped that a criticism of its shape and dimensions by a well-known and feted plans and micrometer pedant has not contributed to discouraging its continued sales potential. The Hasegawa Ki-43-I is certainly flawed in appearance and Nichimo's gem is infinitely better looking. In the absence of the Nichimo kit this most iconic of Oscar variants is not well served in 1/48 scale, or for that matter in 1/72 and 1/32 scale either. Nichimo's box art 'brown' scheme was much debated in Japan and ultimately refuted by some 'who were there', although it was commented that the dark green paint sometimes became more 'reddish' with exposure, a characteristic of chrome green applied in lieu of chromium oxide green where the chrome yellow pigment gradually decomposes the Prussian blue pigment over time, a phenomenon seen even with the dark green of some RAF jets into the 1980s. With special thanks to Dan for sharing these images of his superb model and for his patience for them to appear here.

Image credits: All model photos © 2023 Dan Salamone; Box art © 1977 Nichimo Co., Ltd.

Navy Type 13 No.3 carrier-based attack aircraft modified seaplane (Mitsubishi 3MT2) by John Haas Pt.1

Another masterpiece in the making from John Haas, inspired by the Choroszy models range but scratch-built to 1/48 scale, the modified seaplane of Mitsubishi's 3MT2 design as the Navy Type 13 No.3 carrier-based attack aircraft modified seaplane (一三式三号艦上攻撃機改造水上機). The Mitsubishi 3MT2 design was the last production model for the Type 13 carrier attack aircraft and adopted in January 1931. Over to John then:- 

'Dear Modellers,

'I had much pleasure in building my  last model; so after further searching the excellent Choroszy collection I found another interesting model. This time the Navy Type 13 carrier attack aircraft seaplane variant. Fortunately I found some useful photographs and even an 3-view drawing in the 1990 Putnam book 'Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941' by Robert C Mikesh and Shorzoe Abe, and in Volume One (Mitsubishi Aircraft) of the 1981 Shuppan-Kyodo 'Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft 1900-1945'.  

'I built this model in the same usual way as my other models. For the fuselage frames I used 2mm plastic sheets and the sides were covered with a thin 0.5mm sheet. That was the easy part, now I had to fabricate the fuselage top with three cockpits. I solved this by carving a piece of wood and using this form with the 'heat and smash' method to fabricate a thin plastic cover. 

'With the fuselage ready I could carve a piece of wood for the engine which fitted the dimensions of the fuselage. The next step was to make the tail structure. Again I used some 2mm sheet and to make it more interesting I fixed the elevators in a lowered position.  

'Now I could turn to build some wings. Well, compared with the fuselage they are really BIG! Again Mr. Harry Woodman* came to rescue me so I made two wings from thin sheet material and paid special attention to get a solid and stable construction of the middle part. I cut the lower wing into two halves and drilled two holes to insert a piece of large paperclip to get a sturdy connection with the fuselage. 

'The next chapter was to fit the upper wing. The first step was to drill some holes for the wing struts, those being cut from 1mm sheet and sanded in profile. Fortunately the wings have no stagger which made things a bit easier. I fixed some struts in strategic places on the lower wing, then turned the model upside down and placed it carefully on the upper wing. I cemented the struts with liquid glue. When everything had dried I cemented the other struts in place. This important step went well, the wings lined up as planned. Now I could make two coolant radiators and fix them to the fuselage. 

'Now I had some forward planning to do; I had to paint the wings before the rigging adventure. This was also a good opportunity to try Revell's Silver Metallic No. 361/90 Aqua Color for the first time. I had used Humbrol enamel for many years, but unfortunately, in my opinion, the present quality is no longer what it used to be (Agreed! Ed.). So the experiment with Revell turned out very well, with two brush painted coats achieving a nice result.

'Now followed some old fashioned woodworking; making the two wooden floats, I was glad that they had flat surfaces, because it is already difficult enough to get them both equal and to the right size. I painted the floats in white primer and glued copper wire on the upper part with AC.'

With very special thanks to John for sharing these fascinating work-in-progress images and details of this challenging scratch-built project. 

* Scale Model Aircraft in Plastic Card by Harry Woodman, (Model & Allied Publications, England, 1975-77)

Image credit: All model construction photos © 2023 John Haas; Aircraft photo © 1981 Shuppan-Kyodo Publishers, Tokyo.

Grey Blue Cockpit Interior in Ki-61

Hat tip to Lorenzo of Italy for kindly alerting to this interesting Japanese video footage clearly showing the grey-blue # 3 Ash Indigo colour (Hai Ran shoku - 灰藍色) in the interior of a Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien 'Tony' recovered to Japan from New Guinea. The colour is similar to FS 36118 Gunship Gray, ANA 603.

From 1936 the grey-blue paint was to be applied as an overall primer to replace aotake, sometimes with the addition of # 17 Faint Blue colour (Tan Sei shoku - 淡青色)  as a middle coat before the grey green # 1 Ash Green colour (Hai Ryoku shoku - 灰緑色) was applied to external surfaces in top coats, sanded and polished. The whole interior, including the cockpit, was to be painted the grey blue colour and this was introduced with the Ki-15, Ki-21 and Ki-27. In practice this continued for the cockpit into the war years, certainly for early production Ki-61, whereas aotake continued to be applied to other parts of the interior. When the application of aotake to interior surfaces was discontinued in early 1943 in order to to speed production cockpits began to be painted in other colours in a more haphazard manner, including the # 1 grey green and another darker grey green paint similar to that used for Hayate propellers.     

The grey blue paint was also found inside the wing sections of the hybrid remains of Ki-61-I Ko/Otsu c/n 379/640 (379 constructed in Sep 1943 and 640 in Nov 1943), although the wheel wells appeared to be painted in a lighter grey colour, unspecified. Whether the lighter grey paint was very badly degraded, chalked or faded grey blue is now impossible to say. The problem, as referenced before, is that restorers take an inconsistent approach to measuring and recording extant paint in surviving airframes, often just stating that new paint 'matches the original' without actual providing colour values for it, the original paint being destroyed in the process. And laying standard paint swatches against the original paint surface and photographing them is not a valid scientific method for identifying the original colour value(s). 

Update

Added some additional details of painting technique for the 11 March 2023 blog post featuring Guillermo's Fine Molds Ki-43-III Ko .

Ki-43-III Ko in 1/48 by Francesco Borraccino

Francesco Borraccino has made this model of a Nakajima Ki-43-III Ko from the Fine Molds 1/48 scale kit, representing an aircraft of No. 39 Kyōiku Hikō-tai (教育 飛行隊 - Instructional Air Unit),  a fighter training unit based at Yokoshiba, Japan from the end of July, 1944. This unit was equipped with a variety of aircraft including the Ki-79 advanced trainer and Type 3 Ki-61 fighters.

Francesco describes the Fine Molds kit as not a 'shake and bake' experience but believes an average modeller should be able to build it without problems. He riveted the completed model using FAOW drawings for reference. Some details were scratch built such as copper wire spark plug cables to the engine, lead wire and stretched sprue for the landing gear hydraulic cables, but he also added aftermarket generic Eduard JAAF seat belts and a Yahu instrument panel.

He felt his real challenge was trying to nail the correct shade of paint for the Tachikawa factory finish to emphasise its brown tone. Eventually he settled on a mix of Gunze paints - H70 RLM 02 + H81 Khaki + H84 Mahogany + H421 RLM 81. For the under surface colour he mixed Tamiya paints XF52 Flat Earth + XF55 Deck Tan based on the description of Mr Noburo Shimoune in a 1968 Koku Joho magazine supplement, reported here in February 2009 as follows: 'I want to say that the underside colour was gray, but it was not Nezumi-iro (rat or mouse colour). Rather it was a colour similar to the top colour but lightened with white.' In 2004 an extant sample of this paint was compared as close to FS 36405 Gray. 

The prop and spinner were painted with a mix of Gunze H302 Green FS 34092 with a drop of H53 Neutral Gray but Francesco considers it a little bit lighter. He painted the cockpit grey green and added light weathering effects using oils, pigments and pastels with reference to photos.

All the markings were painted on using masks except the unit insignia decal which unfortunately broke up and had to be repaired at best endeavour. The insignia represented the numbers '3' and '9' said to be in the form of a swallow.  

Wheel wells were finished aotake. According to Mr Shimoune's description 'The landing gear wells were totally painted in blue anti-corrosive primer. The commercially available Humbrol metallic blue is a close colour.' although Francesco noted several models of this Hayabusa variant with aluminum painted or bare metal wells. Francesco used the new Mr Paint formula for aotake which he considered better than the old one, that being too dark and too blue.

Tachikawa had begun manufacture of the Ki-43-II in May 1943 and began manufacture of the Ki-43-III Ko in parallel from July 1944, based on Nakajima engineering, ceasing II production in September of that year and continuing III Ko production until August 1945 with a total of 1,727 produced. In 1944 Tachikawa Hikoki KK, founded in 1924, was responsible for the manufacture of about nine per cent of Japanese aircraft and operated plants at Tachikawa, Okayama and Kofu, the latter two being small assembly factories. Despite an air attack in February 1945 the Tachikawa plant was ordered to remain in production, only obtaining permission for dispersal arrangements in May 1945. As a result the building of two forest sheltered and semi-underground and underground plants at Ogose and Ninasaki resopectively were started but were not completed by August 1945 and dispersals were made to breweries, spinning mills and even private houses. The February 1945 attack by USN aircraft impacted Oscar production with 40% of the wing spar jigs, 90% of the welding equipment and 30% of the main wing assembly jigs destroyed, but even so 90 Oscars were manufactured that month, representing 85% of production the previous month, and the following month 155 aircraft were manufactured representing a  47% increase on the January total. B-29 attacks were made on 4 April, 24 April and 10 July 1945 with the 24 April attack being the most destructive and the 10 July attack causing negligible damage. Despite the attacks production continued with 70  Oscars manufactured during April, 120 in May, 93 in June, 80 in July and 35 in August.

Build Pics

With special thanks to Francesco for sharing these images and details with Aviation of Japan. 

Image credit: All © 2023 Francesco Borraccino