9 replies to this topic

[Cunumdrum61]

I am thinking of expending my collection to include some Japanese aircraft from WWII. Are all the new Hasegawa kits good such as the Ki-64,Ki-84 and such? Anything to stay clear of? This is one area where I have limited knowledge.
Thanks in advance.

Edited by Cunumdrum61, 05 May 2012 - 06:28 PM.

[LSP_Ron]

Most of the Hasegawa releases of Japanese aircraft are fairly new releases and build up very nicely. The only exception would be the Zero which was released in the 70's, Tamiya's Zeke is much much better.

[Dekenba]

I've got the Hasegawa Ki-84 - lovely kit that has got some nice paint choices. Pretty cheap as well.

[Cunumdrum61]

Thanks for the feedback. I knew the Tamiya Zero was the best kit out there. I have a chance to pick up one of the Zeros with the sound action for about $150 which I think I will grab.

[Dekenba]

Wow. Start at the top, eh?

[Daywalker]

I have built the Tamiya Zero (AWESOME kit) and the Hasegawa Ki-84 (excellent kit too) and am working on the Hasegawa Ki-61 and J2M3 Raiden. The Tamiya Zero almost builds itself, and the Hasegawa kits are real gems too. If you are interested, check out the Alleycat 1/32 Ki-100 conversion set for the Hasegawa Ki-61- a superb resin set that is very well done indeed.

[TimC]

I'll second what everyone else has said about the Hasegawa 1/32 Japanese kits. I'm working on Jack (J2M3) right now and with a couple exceptions, the build is very nice. I say a couple exceptions because I, like some others who have built this kit, have had trouble with the aft canopy panels. It seems they're a tad too big to fit in the space they're designed for. With the canopy open, it probably won't be noticed. Sanding only corrects the height but not the "twist" in the panel so it bows out in the front a little too far. The lower, aft fuselage/wing join is also a little tricky but can be fixed. I saw one build here where the modeler removed some locating tabs for the spar and it seemed to have eased the problem somewhat. I wish I had seen it before I glued my wing to the fuselage. Oh well....

I've built most of the Japanese kits save the Shoki (Ki-44) and the newer ones are excellent kits. The Shoki looks like a really nice build too. I've built two Ki-84's and have enjoyed both. I'm also going to build another Ki-61 Hien with the Wolfpack Tei conversion. I've got some nice markings in mind for that one when I get to it.

The Tamiya zero's are stellar builds by all accounts. There are some gimmicky things that make the build a little difficult in the landing gear/gear doors but nothing that a little patience and care can't take care of. I glued the gear down on both my A6M's as I don't need to run around the house with a zero in my hands making airplane noises, pretending I'm Saburo Sakai (or any other IJN A6M pilot) shooting down allied planes and hoping I don't get shot in the grape like he was. I passed that phase a few months ago.

[Cunumdrum61]

I'll second what everyone else has said about the Hasegawa 1/32 Japanese kits. I'm working on Jack (J2M3) right now and with a couple exceptions, the build is very nice. I say a couple exceptions because I, like some others who have built this kit, have had trouble with the aft canopy panels. It seems they're a tad too big to fit in the space they're designed for. With the canopy open, it probably won't be noticed. Sanding only corrects the height but not the "twist" in the panel so it bows out in the front a little too far. The lower, aft fuselage/wing join is also a little tricky but can be fixed. I saw one build here where the modeler removed some locating tabs for the spar and it seemed to have eased the problem somewhat. I wish I had seen it before I glued my wing to the fuselage. Oh well....

I've built most of the Japanese kits save the Shoki (Ki-44) and the newer ones are excellent kits. The Shoki looks like a really nice build too. I've built two Ki-84's and have enjoyed both. I'm also going to build another Ki-61 Hien with the Wolfpack Tei conversion. I've got some nice markings in mind for that one when I get to it.

The Tamiya zero's are stellar builds by all accounts. There are some gimmicky things that make the build a little difficult in the landing gear/gear doors but nothing that a little patience and care can't take care of. I glued the gear down on both my A6M's as I don't need to run around the house with a zero in my hands making airplane noises, pretending I'm Saburo Sakai (or any other IJN A6M pilot) shooting down allied planes and hoping I don't get shot in the grape like he was. I passed that phase a few months ago.

Thanks. You only passed that phase a few months ago? Crashed and burned I guess! Now I'd really like a Jake on floats as I tend to like the japanese aircraft on floats.

[Out2gtcha]

Ive got a Tam Zeke just waiting for me to apply the MDC Rufe conversion I picked up to it.............stellar kits both. Really looking forward (if other builds will quit trumping it)

Brian

[mattlow]

There's also the older, but certainly looking good in the box, Hasegawa Ki-43 Oscar (haven't built it so others may chip in on this one). Special Hobby do the Nakajima Ki-27 'Nate' and the Mitsubishi A5M4 Claude, both 1st generation Japanese monoplane fighters. Nice kits but not going to fall together like Tamigawa.

Matt