I was perusing my considerable stash, trying to decide which kit to start next, and this one kind of jumped out at me. Like most Japanese aircraft, it has a relatively simple paint scheme, so I figured it would be reasonably quick.

Per this discussion on the Hyperscale forums, the cockpit floor was supposed to be a greyish purple, which reminded me of RLM 75. I used Tamiya XF-82 Ocean Gray. I used XF-13 JA Green for the rest of the cockpit. The same discussion said the radio panel should be greyish khaki. The color sample reminded me of Tamiya XF-51 Khaki Drab, but I figured the difference in color would not be visible, so I left it in the same color as the rest of the cockpit wall.

The underside was painted Alclad II Aluminum, with the control surfaces being Tamiya XF-14 JA Gray. The top was XF-13 JA Green, the same as the cockpit. The propellor and spinner were Mr. Color C-131 Propellor Color, and the yellow on the leading edges of the wings and the tips of the propellor blades was Mr. Color C-58 Orange Yellow. I used Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum for the landing gear and wheels. This color is rather grainy, but it is not particularly noticeable on small parts. The tires were painted Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. This is the first time I've used that color, and I thought it looked just right.

As with the Bf 109K-4, I decided to try a different pre-decal gloss coat. This time I used Model Master Metalizer Sealer. I put two coats on the top, but it still didn't look that glossy. I didn't bother to put it on the bottom, since the Alclad looked glossy enough. I had a lot of silvering. To try to fix this, I applied a lot of decal solvent, which left a lot of white residue. The decals came from the kit, and otherwise worked well.

The canopy was masked using Montex Maxi Mask MM48149. This was the first time I used one of their products, and the canopy mask fit perfectly - much better than any Eduard or EZ Mask I've ever used. The mask set actually came with masks for all the outside markings except the stencils, but I was not brave enough to try them.

Page last updated February 14, 2024.