Hayabusa Lines

Previous posts and comments have touched on the fidelity of shape of the Hasegawa 1/48th Hayabusa. Not the most scientific approach but sufficient to demonstrate how the angles of the line changes on the kit are too great. The apparent tapering of the lower cowl exacerbates the problem. The result is that the model does not capture the true appearance of the original. The elegant beauty of the aircraft is lost. It won't worry everyone but it is certainly enough to put off the Hayabusa buffs!

Image credits (from top): 1 Author's Collection; 2 FAOW 1/72 Bunrin-do; 3 James F Lansdale via j-aircraft.com; 4 & 5 via eBay model builder unknown

1/72nd Scale Hayabusa Breaking News!

Following on from my post yesterday about the longevity of Hasegawa's Hayabusa a correspondent has very kindly alerted me to the fact that CMK/MPM have announced the release of a new injection molded Ki-43-II in 1/72nd scale!

Expected January/February! A II Kai and III Ko may also be released later.

Maybe I'll hold off on that feature about improving the Hasegawa kit! Fingers crossed, eh?

Image credit: © CMK/MPM 2009

Hasegawa's Hayabusa ~ Part Two

It really is quite sobering to think that the Hasegawa 1/72nd scale Hayabusa is 27 years old and yet still the best Oscar II available in the scale. The overall shape is superior to the much more recent Hasegawa 1/48th versions and to the Fujimi Ki-43-I.  AML have produced III Ko and II Kai versions but they are injection/resin hybrids with vacform canopies - not the easiest of builds. 

I do hope that if Hasegawa should ever decide to issue a new 1/72nd Hayabusa it will not be based on their 1/48th kit! I think the most likely contender now is probably Fine Molds but let's hope the "ultimate" Hayabusa is not issued with a magazine! In 1/48th scale there is already the excellent Fine Molds kit to fall back on, available in several versions and much more easily obtainable these days.  It has a good overall shape but is tricky to assemble. In the same scale the venerable Nichimo Ki-43-I is still the best early Oscar so far.

Several years ago Eduard announced a 1/72nd Ki-43-II kit but at some point abandoned the idea. It should be possible for a Hayabusa II kit to incorporate optional parts for all versions and those needed for the III Ko. The type served the Japanese Army on all fronts from the beginning to the end of the war, a veritable war horse and work horse, so it deserves to be represented by a mainstream, state of the art kit in the divine scale!

The first special edition of the 1/72nd Hayabusa kit was the Ki-43-II 'Otu' (sic) 'Flight Training Regiment' issued as kit # AP123/51383 in 1995 with new box art (top picture). It was molded in light grey plastic and included decals for two instructor's aircraft used in Homeland Defence duties from the Hokota and Kumagaya Army Flying Schools. These aircraft featured overall natural metal finish and white Homeland Defence bandages on wings and fuselage.

The second option, from Kumagaya, was for a well known aircraft I had previously depicted in a profile painting.  That profile has been the subject of some criticism for my choice of yellow fuselage bands! It is shown here again with no particular claim for its accuracy. I used to have an Otaki model in this scheme (with white bandages and a plain rudder) built in the late 1970's but it has not survived the various moves. If I was going to build another model in this scheme it would be exactly like the profile painting!

The next installment will set out improvements to the Hasegawa kit and explore some of the aftermarket sets available for it.

Image credit: Box Art © Hasegawa Seisakusho Co. Ltd., 1995; Profile © Straggler, 2009

Tachikawa Ki-9 in 1/72nd Scale

RS Models from the Czech Republic will be releasing a 1/72nd scale injection molded model of the Tachikawa Ki-9 biplane trainer 'Spruce' in both Special Attack and Trainer versions. 

Test shots shown. Release date unknown.

Image credit: RS Models, 2009

More Than Hample

The new Fine Molds 1/72nd scale A6M3 Model 32 Zero 'Hamp' kit has been released as a special edition with Volume # 65 of Scale Aviation Magazine. Unlike the previous Fine Molds A6M2 kit this one comes complete with a single issue of the magazine which is dedicated to a re-appraisal of the A6M3 type, contains instructions for building the kit, colour and markings details and two build reports by Japanese modellers. Further details of the contents of this issue and an image of the cover may be found at j-aircraft.com but please note the aircraft on the cover is not the new Fine Molds kit but the old Tamiya 1/48th example. All in all a superb package, if expensive for those living in the UK as Sterling continues its nosedive (approximately £23 not including shipping - yikes!)

The kit is an absolute gem. Molded in appropriate colours like the A6M2 it is tempting to build it without painting it. The main components are in an "olive grey" plastic, with olive green for the cockpit parts, black for the cowling, undercarriage legs and wheels, and silver for the engine and prop. Shades of Matchbox, although infinitely more precise in both the colour demarcation and molding!

The cockpit is stuffed full of petite detail, with sidewalls, boxes to stick on them, side console, cowling gun breeches, magazines, stick with actuating link, rudder pedals, seat frame assembly and decals for instrument faces. Alas no pilot figure! This is very much a kit made for modellers, as evidenced by the separate wing flaps, optional open or closed cowling flaps and optional one piece or three piece canopies. 

Markings for three examples are included with some options and one set of Hinomaru complete with separate white discs:-

1. Q-102, an overal grey Houkoku (presentation) aircraft # 872 of the 2nd Kokutai at Buna, New Guinea. Interestingly Fine Molds depict the tail code as red outlined white whereas in the Hasegawa release of the same aircraft (AP103/51363 in 1994) they depicted it as black outlined yellow.

2. T2-188, a field camouflaged aircraft of the 204th Kokutai at Rabaul, with alternative code for '190', another aircraft of the same group.

3. 'Ta I'-180, a green over grey aircraft of the Tainan Kokutai flown by ace Takeo Tanimizu, with the code provided as both white and yellow versions. This machine has an unusual undulating division between upper and lower surface colours and Japanese calligraphy on the rear fuselage. It is the same aircraft depicted in the 1993 Hasegawa kit AP16/51316. 

I'm partial to the A6M3 of all the Zero versions and if you plan to build one in this scale then the Fine Molds kit is the best place to start. There have been previous kits, including the Hasegawa 1990's version, which is still sound but does not have the same loving detail lavished on it as the Fine Molds kit.

Platz/PHU produce a nice sheet of A6M3 decals for four Houkoku aircraft, currently out of stock at HLJ but may be re-issued as other Platz/PHU decal sheets are. 

   

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2009 to all Aviation of Japan visitors and friends. A special thank you to all those who have contributed to the blog, whether by comments, pics of models or other encouragement and support, and of course to all linked sites.

Image credit: Author's collection