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1/32 Hasegawa Ki-44 Shoki (Tojo)


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I was pretty lucky to be sent to Japan to the Tokyo Hobby for work the other week. While there I picked up some bargains at the Tamiya and Hasegawa stalls. Nakajima Ki44 Hei Shoki was one of the kits I returned home with.

I was planning to build the kit out of the box as there no aftermarket goodies out, as its a new release but Scale Aviation had a small Eduard PE fret available for the kit in this months magazine.

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As per the instructions, I started off with the cockpit assembly. Some of the PE was added. I'm not a big fan of the pre-painted PE from Eduard, so it will be painted over.

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The next issue I had was the call out for the colour of the Cockpit, it said Khaki Green... I sprayed it and it just looked to dark... (sorry for the bad light!)

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After doing a little research on net and posting a couple questions, I found a colour chip for IJA Nakajima interior green... I mixed a some Tamiya colour to get a close match, but its not perfect...

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Edited by moeggo
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I also added some fuse wire for the control linkages and drilled out the seat. The rest of the interior details were again painted with Tamiya colour...

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I hoping to get a wash onto it tonight.

Edited by moeggo
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Looks pretty sweet.

Check into the GSI/Creos Japanese tank colors. They have 2 box sets of 3 colors each. They are very useful colors for IJAAF aircraft colors. One looks not far from what you've mixed.

Looks like I'm going to have to pick up that issue of SA.

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A mag with a PE fret inside?? Neat.

I really like the pit so far. Are you going to thin down the seat some? It may be because its in silver, but it really looks thick compared to the rest of the cockpit. This is no criticism on you, though

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Are you going to thin down the seat some? It may be because its in silver, but it really looks thick compared to the rest of the cockpit. This is no criticism on you, though

It didn't think about it, till you said something about....

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  • 2 weeks later...

The fit on this kit is great! everything went together beautifully! The were a couple of spots that needed sanding, but that was my fault... I miss-lined the fuse halfs at the top at the rear and a couple spots where I had cut the sprue off too close to the part...

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The cockpit came nicely with a heavy coat of Tamiya smoke and a flat finish..

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She been primed in Mr Surfacer to show all the faults...

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Thanks for the comments guys! I got a second coat on her yesterday.. but I ran out of paint! its going to take a 10+ days to get some more out of Hong Kong as I can't find this stuff in New Zealand.... Oh well... Time to start on the engine and maybe a Wingnut SE.5a while I'm waiting...

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Just order the paint this morning, so its going to be a couple of weeks waiting for it to arrive....

I started on the engine assembly over the last few nights cleaned up the mold lines and drilled out the holes in the cylinders for the ignition wiring etc...

I had a Google for pictures Japanese engines and Ha-109 engine, but really didn't come up with much. So I wasn't 100% sure on the colours to use. Hasegawa's instructions call out silver and steel as the two colours, which didn't look to lively, So I did the engine in 4 different shades of silver and black for the push rods... and a black oil wash to make the details pop!

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Hey Dave! Really love the work you've done on that Tojo! Looking forward to seeing it on the table in due course. It's such a great kit, I'm keen to have a go at another one - and build it properly this time - not under pressure for a deadline!

Cheers,

Mike.

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Hey Mike!!

Nice to see you around these parts! Cheers, Its a great as you know... Your build for the Hasegawa guys at the Nationals turned out great too! I will be keen to do another also.. Maybe the new release with the cannons!

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Thanks Dave! As soon as I figure out how to post pictures here (help!!) I'll be well and truly in business. I'll have a nice new 1/32nd Ki-84 Frank on the table tomorrow (it's been on my kitchen table for a fortnight now...)

BTW - here's a list of new Hasegawa for 2010, courtesy of our local Hasegawa suppliers:

Hasegawa

1/350 Imperial Japanese Navy Light Cruiser "Agano"

1/32 Messerschmitt Bf109F-4 Trop

1/72 Lockheed Martin F-16I "Israeli Air Force"

1/144 JAL EMBRAER ERJ 170

1/72 Junkers Ju188E German Bomber

1/20 Lotus79 F1 racing car

1/72 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Hey Mike!!

Nice to see you around these parts! Cheers, Its a great as you know... Your build for the Hasegawa guys at the Nationals turned out great too! I will be keen to do another also.. Maybe the new release with the cannons!

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Still awaiting my order of paint... So I am still carrying on with small assemblies. I just finished the engine off, added copper wire for the ignition leads, the tabs are very small to mount the leads off them. So I drilled holes at the back of the tabs, as one the engine is installed you can't see it. Also, gave the engine flat coat to tone things down abit... Exhaust pipes were painted with Tamiya's Hull Red and the weather back with black and white pigments. Just about to start the two drop tanks and landing gears...

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Looking at the engine, there is something that didn't seem right... I couldn't figure it what it is, till....

Reading a modeling magazine at work yesterday, I saw that Eduard has release a exterior PE for the Ki-44. I jumped onto Eduard website to what parts were included and then it hit me what the engine is missing....

The lead going to the back of each engine cylinder... time to pull the copper wire....

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Edited by moeggo
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  • 2 weeks later...

While waiting for the paint to arrive, I have been working on some of the smaller assembly's. The Prop is painted with Tamiya Red Brown, drop tanks have been sprayed with Mr Surfacer... a couple of spots to fix up.

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Landing Gears are painted and I added brake hoses to them using copper wire and metal foil of a wine bottle for the clips/bands/

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I have have drilled out the tail wheel fork also... (sorry for the bad pix!!)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well the paint I ordered from Hong Kong finally arrived... And I have put aside my Tamiya Spitfire to complete the Shoki as I'm so close to finishing it...

I got 4 different shades of Metallic Silver and have been busy over the last week masking and spraying all the different panels for different shades... I hoping and trying to get this completed before New Years... we will see! I still have to fix up a couple of small areas... and then I will make a start on masking all the unit markings and Hinomaru's. The only decals I hoping to use are the B-29 kill markings on the side of the fuselage.

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