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HASEGAWA (MANIA) KI-27 NATE 1/48


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Greetings...

 

In going with my pre WW2 planes, my next project will be the old venerable Mania kit Ki-27 in 1/48 scale. Everything is ordered and will start construction this coming weekend... Dai 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • dai phan changed the title to HASEGAWA (MANIA) KI-27 NATE 1/48

Hello friends...

 

The kit has arrived and the paint, decals. accessories will arrive on Monday. The surface detail is fantastic for 1970 area kit. Some reviewers say the canopy is thick and unsuable. They look clear and fine to me. This kit along with the 70's Nichimo 1/48 Ki-43 Oscar were WAY AHEAD of their time. Some consider including me the Nichimo Ki-43 to be the best in 1/48 surpassing Hasegawa offering ! Will start construction next week. Dai 

 

 

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Hello everyone,

 

Started to work on the cockpit. Not bad details for 40 years old plus kit. The side panels and floor of the cockpit calls out for Navy Blue (Mr Color 14) but the color is nowhere blue. It is dark grey being almost black !  Dry brush the side panels with silver so you can see the details after the halves are closed. Some reviewers say after the halves are closed, very few details could be seen but I beg to differ. Yes if you use the thick closed kit's canopy then you won't see much but if you have open cockpit, then plenty will be seen. Dai 

 

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Hi all,

 

A little bit more progress. Very important notice here. The dihedral of the wing is correct as molded but the mating surfaces must be shaved down in order for the wing not to be "flatten out" and results in loss of dihedral when assembled. The Ki-27 has the dihedral more than typical fighters so lots of trimmings are needed. Looking at the last photo, I will need to increase a little bit more dihedral. Dai 

 

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Greetings everyone ...

 

Primed and corrected some surface flaws. Very minor putty is needed if at all. Also increased the dihedral by additional 1 degree. As mentioned before, the Nate has dihedral more than a typical fighter so check and recheck your references. Many builts on the Net are insufficient in this regard except for one modeler who warned me and others of this problem. Dai 

 

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Howdy modelers...

 

Applied the main color. This color is according to the instruction sheet but who knows if it is accurate. Japanese colors are highly debatable and researched and if there is an accepted color for a particular plane, it has to be customed mixed. Unlike Luftwaffe colors that can be bought off the shelves for the exact match, Japanese's counterparts leave lots to be desired. The engine position to the cowling is vague but looking at various drawings on the Net, the radiator is barely seen protruding from the cowl when looking at the side. I used this reference in positioning the engine assembly.  Dai

 

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Hi all...

 

I need some experts to help me here on the correct Ki-27 color if it is possible at all. The earlier Hasegawa releases called for Mr Color 56 ( Nakajima gray green) , then later called for Mr Color 128 (Imperial Japanese Army gray green) then in 2009 called for 50% mix of Mr Color 115 and Mr Color 128. The Life Like decals called for gray green similar to RLM 02. Gray green seems to be the agreement but there are unlimited shades and who knows what color is accurate. I hate to advance to the decals stage only to find out it is the wrong color. My hunch is gray with a green overtone but not as strong as Mr Color 56 as I already painted mine. I eagerly await your expert replies. Dai 

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Hello all,

 

After doing more researching I decided to repaint the plane using Mr Color 128 ( Grey green) as I think the original color is too strong in green. I came across this built (1/72) and this person seems to do a very careful research of the colors not to mention amazing job in such a small scale. I went for the Mr Color 128 as suggested by the author as well as from Hasegawa in their later Ki-27 releases.  Dai 

 

Antrvm Ratvs - ICM Nakajima Ki-27 (Type 97 fighter) Otsu in 1/72 scale (ratomodeling.com.br)

 

 

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Greetings everyone ...

 

Clear coated the plane and ready for decals tomorrow. I use the vacuum formed canopy in the center section and the rest come from the kit. You have to cut out the sections. Unless looking at the sections very closely, one cannot tell there is a difference in thickness.  Acetate does not hold the paint well so that is why I only use the center section. Dai 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Howdy fellow modelers ...

 

Decals application is completed and will be ready for clear coating and weathering. For a 40 year old plus model, it is better than some of the recent releases that I have seen. Mania was way ahead of its time and too bad it folded. But luckily Hasegawa came to the rescue and saved the tooling. Dai 

 

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On 4/14/2021 at 7:59 PM, Cubs2jets said:

Very nicely done!  Now all you need is an AVG P-40 to display as an adversary.

 

C2j

Yes I have the old Monogram 1/48 P-40B that is perfect for the job! Dai 

 

PS: Few hours after I posted, I ordered the Airfix 1/48 P40B. This could be my next built thread. 

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Hello everyone,

 

My Ki-27 is completed. As usual these are my takes...

 

PROS:

1. The best Ki-27 in 1/48 scale (and the only one). Being such a good kit of 40 years plus old and the subject is rather obscure, I do not think any companies will replace this classic tooling. 

2. Detailed cockpit and engine.

3. Good fit throughout. No putty is needed.

 

CONS:

1. Thick canopy. If you use the kit's offering, you will not see any of the interior. I used the kit's windshield and the aft portion. The middle is from Dead Design acetate offering. Unless you look very closely, differences in thickness is very hard to detect.

2. Insufficient dihedral. The Ki-27 has dihedral more than a typical fighter so you need to do some trimming of the wing to fuselage surfaces to get the right amount of dihedral. Many builts on the Net suffered from this error. 

3. Vague intruction on how the engine/radiator is located in relative to the cowl. The radiator should barely seen looking from the profile view. 

4. Inaccurate pitot tube. The kit's offering is too small and wrong in outline. I made mine from stretched sprue. 

 

Overall a very nice pre WW2 offering of the IJA plane. It compliments well with my last two builds of the Claude and Rata. Dai 

 

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59 minutes ago, K5054NZ said:

Beautiful job, Dai! I enjoyed following this build and the end result is a gorgeous example.

Thank you very much! I really appreciate your comment and it makes me wanting to build more models ! Dai 

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