Another build rescued from the shelf of doom (SOD). I think I started this one earlier in the year, and got frustrated with it. As is often the case, when I revisited it, I thought, "This isn't that bad."

The airframe was already assembled when I retrieved the kit from the SOD, but there were some gaps around the cowling. If memory serves, I think the poor fit of the cowling was what sent this build to the SOD in the first place. I applied a little putty, did a little sanding, and found the result satisfactory, at least for me.

The decals weren't that great, but I have some left over decals from the Tamiya kit, having FUBARed that one a couple of times. I also have some aftermarket sheets. I chose a subject from Aeromaster 48-623 "Imperial Hayates" Pt. III. Like most Japanese Army planes, it had a pretty simple paint job: light grey on the bottom and dark green on the top, with a black anti-glare panel. After priming with Tamiya Grey Primer (from the 40 mL bottle), I used XF-14 JA Grey on the bottom. For the top, I used XF-67 NATO Green. I would usually use XF-13 JA Green, but I saw a sample of Nakajima Army Green somewhere, and it seemed a touch lighter. The anti-glare panel was X-18 Semi Gloss Black.

The insignia came from one of the left over Tamiya sheets. The white stripe and the tail markings came from the Aeromaster sheet. These all went on well, using Quick Shine as a decal setter. The front of the windscreen was masked using the Black Magic set (CEBM48234), which I picked up some time ago (obviously, as Black Magic is not around anymore). The rest of the canopy was masked by hand, which shows!

Page last updated December 31, 2024.