One of the first kits I picked up was the Otaki Spitfire. It didn't make it past the painting stage, but it was quite a good kit, with good fit and a reasonable amount of detail. I decided to pick up some other Otaki kits. (Note that these kits were also boxed under the Arii brand. The Arii box art is shown. It is indentical to the Otaki except for the brand name.)

This Oscar went together pretty well, but I had to sand the cowling to get it to fit over the engine. That could have been due to my skill, or lack thereof.

The decals were not in great shape, plus they only included one version, even though the box showed three options. I learned that finding aftermarket decals for Japanese aircraft is not easy (the exception might be the Frank). I did find one Aeromaster set (48-381, "Ki-43 IJAAF Falcons") that fit the bill and ordered it from Squadron. I then learned they were out of stock, and that set was no longer being made. I eventually ordered it from Sandle Hobbies in Australia (now defunct). The decals cost me about $11, but the phone call to order them cost about $13.

I chose aircraft 1 on the decal sheet, partially because the paint scheme seemed simplest. I used a custom mix for the gray-green underside, about 4 parts flat white to 1 part RAF interior green. I have since learned that Tamiya now makes the gray-green. I used IJN green, which was gloss, for the top. Looking back at this many years later, I should have used IJA green, since the Oscar is an Army aircraft.

I bought an aftermarket vacuform canopy. It turned out okay, but I forgot to apply a coat of clear flat after painting it. That means the canopy is gloss while the rest of the plane is flat.

According to the Aeromaster decal sheet, this plane was flown by 1st Lt. Saburo Nakamura, 2nd Chutai leader of the 64th Hiko-Sentai in Burma in Febrary of 1942.

Page last updated June 15, 2023.