Tets Research Institute

Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy 1/48

Dedication

For great East Europe modelers. Your outstandingly elaborate and realistic builds are always my big motivation.

 

Special thanks

Ronnie Olsthoorn, Taizo Nakamura and Joe Picarella

 

References
  1. Mechanism of Military Aircfaft Type 3 “Hien” & Type 5 Army Fighter/Type 99 Light Bomber, Maru-publishing
  2. Type 3 “Hien” & Type 5 Army Fighter, Gakken publishing (*Special thanks and respects to Mr. Sunao Katabuchi. Your persuasive and thorough paint theory on this book is always my best reference.)
  3. The Maru Mechanic 1977 #1 All about Type 3 “Hien” Army Fighter
  4. ModelArt #263 Army Type 3 Fighter, Model Art Co.,Ltd.
  5. Japanese Army Fighters, Design with Precision Drawing by Matsuba Minoru, Kantou-sha
  6. Famous Airplanes of the world #17 Army Type 3 Fighter “Hien”, Bunrindo Co.,Ltd.
  7. Famous Airplanes of the world #23 Army Type 5 Fighter Co.,Ltd.
  8. Aircraft of the Aces #114 Ki-61 and Ki-100 Ace by Nicholas Millman, Osprey Publishing (*With Ronnie Olsthoorn‘s awesome illustrations in it)
  9. Aero Detail #32 J.I.A Fighter Kawasaki Ki 100 Goshiki-Sentoki by Giueseppe Picarella, Dainihon Kaiga Co.,Ltd. (*I didn’t know this outstanding book depicting the details of the fuselage inside of RAF Ki-100 before I closed the fuselage of my Ki-61 so that I have to confess that the details of this Ki-61 is a bit different from the real one. Must have !)
  10. Restoration Report for Ki-61ii by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Model Art Co.,Ltd.
Others

This link is to an amazing post by Japan Aeronautical Association regarding Ki61. You can download the operating manuals of Ha40 and Ha140(called “Ha60” in the article) engine. They have incredible details ! (My build couldn’t follow the details as they hadn’t appear at that time…)

http://www.aero.or.jp/isan/archive/ha40_and_ha60/ha40_and_ha60.htm

 

1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #18

Let me call it done.  Eight years ago when I started this project, I recklessly but seriously decided to build the “world best Ki-61 model” which was quite an impossible dream to be realized. I don’t know whether it  has been attained or not, but now I realize that when someone would make up his mind to do something seriously, no matter how difficult the thing would be, other people surely appear and help him. For this eight years, I’ve obtained wonderful connections with world expert researchers on aviation and skillful modelers whom I never thought to become my friends before. Appreciate them so much for their many great helps …

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #17

The next photo was taken about one year ago, with no surface treatment on it. During the past one year, I’ve been working for the rivets on the entire body of my Ki-61ii. Rivet work is a painstaking and boring task just like ascetic practices, ( and I’m not a buddhist monk at all) so I sometimes needed to insert some gimmick works for breathers. This time, I’d like to introduce the gimmicks as well for your reference. Enjoy !   (i)  Rear access door arm (Folding stay) The rear access door works with a folding stay. Represented it out of tiny bolts, brass wire and nickel silver sheets. Of course, …

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #16

I’m afraid that I might not report about the WIP but about the “WIR(Work in Regression)” this time ! I had been working on rivets and almost done for the main wing, so that the goal of this project seemed not to be so far, however…   The issue of the KHI’s great reference books “Restoration Records of Ki-61ii” has affected my project severely, because those show a lot to learn for me !   I decided to improve the nose cannon area about that I didn’t have enough information before seeing the KHI’s books. Firstly, I got rid of all the parts from the cannon section !   (i) …

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #15

When looking back, it’s five years ago when I started to build this Ki-61ii model. Now someone calls this project a “Never-ending-building”. I’m not sure, but… it might not necessarily be so ?         Started the work for the landing light. The hole for it looks “Bean”-shaped.   A bit hard to see, but you can see the bulb and the shade. The shade was made with heat-press, and the bulb was scratched out of a clear plastic rod.   The bulb and the shade of Ki-61ii #17 at Kakamigahara Aerospace Museum.   The rear view of the light. You can confirm how the hole shape looks and …

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #14

Since I fortunately happened to get some awesome connections with world experts in Ki61 and Japan Aeronautic Association in this one year, I could access precious information about Ki61 ii kai #17 of Kakamigahara Aero-space Museum, and also I’ve even joined the research activity for #17 as well ! My build was going on the main wing work, so I’ve reflected the research result onto my build as possible I could.   Aielron  work   Ki61 has some access panels on the main wing and you can see the aileron rod through the panels.         This is the aileron rod for the center part of the fuselage. …

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #13

Gun bay outboard support ribs.   Landing gear front panel.   And landing gear mechanism panel.   Painted in Yellow Green #7.   Landing gear arms.   Landing gear covers.   Detail-up for landing gears….   You can see the cartridge bin access panel(the white one).   Can open with hinge !   Aileron rods.   Construction for aileron rod.   You can see the rods through the holes ?   Something like this…   Decided to represent fuel tank attachment panels.   Panels and hinges…so difficult…   Installed.   Can be opened !

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #12

Making some holes on the main wings.   Vertical rudder with hinges.   Can work !   Detail up for the rooms for landing gears.   Made the tyre out of black plastic eraser. It’s moderaely soft, easy to process and has durability against deterioration !   Detail up for the gear shafts.   Challenging again to represent retracting mechanism of landing gears !   Opening…   And…   Come on !   Arms to retract landing gears.   Hydraulic actuators for landing gears.   Can work.   Flap cover.   Full scrath-building for flaps.   Can operate with hinge !   External side of flaps.  

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #11

Work on around 20mm cannons. You can see the coils for cannon.   The last memorial shots just before the closing the fuselage. Good by dear inner parts !   Closed the fuselage !   You can see the safety valve and its tubes.   Two tubes go ahead from the breather. This is just my assumption since we don’t have any information about Ha140 engine, but I think it’s rather reasonable as the breather’s connectors facing forward different from Ha40 or DB601 !   Starting to weather.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #10

Weathering the engine.   Paint the radiator and the baffle plates.   Inspection panel and foot step lever.   Both can be opened.   Coolant and oil tubes under the floor.   Work for the radiator flap.   Not known well, but radiator had struts against strong wind pressure.   You can see the elevator control arm through the center of the fuselage.   The radio inspection panel can be opened.   Turbo intake.   Bigger than Ki-61i.   Cockpit works. Throttle and propeller pitch controls(the white one).   Hydraulic accumulator fillers.   Tail wheel.   Weathering.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #9

Started to paint the equipments of office.   I use Falcon’s Clearvax canopy. A good stuff but has a bit different shape from the real one. (too straight silhouette in the ladder part) So I cut apart and adjust.   Cover of the cannons.   Make slits on cover.   Masking the canopy.   Painting in silver. You can see the air intake on the left side.   You can see the meter panel cables.   Office floor.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #8

Ladder pedals.   Paring the radios.   Firewall.   Coolant tank filler.(The smaller one)   Remake the breather and change its position in order to avoid the interference with the strut frame.   You can also see the gun-synchro units between the blasts.   Hydraulic actuator for 20mm canon.   Installed.   Painting. Of course, in Yellow Green #7 for all.   Starting to weather.   Started the work for meter panel.   What are these ?   The backside of the meter panel !

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #7

Work for baffle plates. The kit’s one is straight but real one is warped. Very difficult build…   The left is of the kit.   Decided to represent ammunition cartridge bay.   From “PacificWrecks.com “.   Firewall panel.   Ducts from 20mm canons.   What the hell are these ???   Binded.   Front hub for tubes.(Ki-61i)   You can see the holes for coolant & oil tubes.   Fuel tubes.   Fuel cooler.   ?   Cartridge chute.   Adhered.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #6

Surfacing.   Masking.   Painting in Yellow-Green #7(Ki-Midori 7gou) on the frames. The inner panel remains in pale-blue, as an expression for bare metal just like the Ki-100 of RAF.   Starting to weather.   Painting the parts.   The tubes for oil in yellow, and the ones for oxygen in blue.   Fuel tank No.3 and water/methanol tank.   You can see the radio thorough the access window.   Access panel.   Inertia handle can be attached like real one.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #5

Work for the blast tubes for the 20mm canons’ barrels.   The backside of the lower panel for engine.     The upper panel.   The base of the spinner.   Different from Ki-61i, Ki-61ii has four holes in the front.   Access panels for ammunition box and engine. The former is from Aires detail-up-parts but the latter is hand-made since has different shape of Ki-61i.   Inertia starter work. Ki-61 wasn’t equipped with electrical starter. Here is a manual starter.(Thanks to Taizo Nakamura)   Scratch built.   Can you see slightly that through the access window ?   Radiator work. The kit’s one’s proportion is wrong because the one …

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #4

Ho-5 20mm cannon. We don’t have any detail-up-parts for the barrels, so I used MG13K in 35th. Not bad !   The upper engine panel work.   Made fasteners for the engine panel out of brass wire and nickel strap.   Adhered to the fuselage. They are movable.   Spinner. Too slender for Ki-61ii so have to be thicker.   Temporarily install of engine.   The lower panel. Made fasteners as well.   Looks like FW190 D ?   Exhaust pipe covers.   The backside of the lower cover.   You can see the coolant tanks on each sides of the engine.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #3

The shape of the coolant duct is wrong, so customized it.   Coolant circulation pipes.   Plug codes work with wires and brass tubes.   Cut the excesses.   Planting.   Fuel tubes were painted in red.   Fuel injector   Remake the engine shaft with brass wires around a pipe.   Weathering   Coolant pipes.   Oil and fuel pipes.   Engine completed !

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #2

Detail-up-parts for the office.   Ha-140 engine. Extending work for the attachment-frames is needed.   The lower cover of engine room as well.     Started to paint.   Piping.     Exhaust pipes.   Ha-140. Enforced based on Ha-40 (licensed DB601), but has rather different appearance.   Started scratch-build work on the details.   The backside of the attachment frames. The white ones are coolant tanks.   Engine shaft.   Representing the back side of Ha-140.   Oil distillator.   We can see coolant distillators in front of the engine. Generator. Installed.   Drain pipe.   Installed.

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1/48 Ki-61ii (Hien) with teardrop canopy – WIP #1

So many wonderful aircrafts in the world and so many wonderful aircraft models as well, but I still wanna build the one that I wanna see, and that I have never seen before. .. So it’s the time to go to the next one.Ki-61ii (Hien) -Kai with teardrop canopy, as mentioned before. As well known, Ki-61ii was planned and produced as the superior follower of Type1. But cause of the late providing of Ha-140 engine(improved DB601), the producing of Type2 had been stopped. So the Japan Army decided to cut off the nose of Type2s and to mount Air-cooling-engine on them for remaking them as Ki-100. Only 99 numbers of Type …

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