Hasegawa 1/32 N1K2 Shiden Kai (George)

[bdthoresen]

And we have a silver motor. I used the technique from our own Kevin Futter, to decant some Tamiya AS-12 into an airbrush jar. I let it degas for and hour or so, and cut it 2/1 with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. I shot it at about 20 psi, and the finish I have is nothing short of great (for me, anyway, I hate metallic paints!)

 

 

 

Well, that’s it for me this week. I need to let this cure for a few days while I figure out the next steps. Thanks so much for following along. Until next time.

 

THOR    

[turbo]

Great looking engine Thor, well worth the effort! Were the ignition wire conduits silver or will you be hand painting those?  A bit of an oil wash and it should come up a treat!

[bdthoresen]

Just now, turbo said:

Great looking engine Thor, well worth the effort! Were the ignition wire conduits silver or will you be hand painting those?  A bit of an oil wash and it should come up a treat!

You know Turbo, I am not sure. There seems to be no color photos of the Shiden or Homare from the war. The photos of the restorations out there are all different, and the black and white photos out there are not definitive. Still studying it, I may have to make an educated guess.

 

The conduits were silver, but I am not sure of the wires themselves. There will be washes and filters, for sure, but I need to give the motor a couple of days to cure. 
 

Thanks for the reply!

 

THOR    

[dennismcc]

Just had a quick flick through the Aero Detail book on the Shiden and the preserved examples all look to have predominately silver/light grey engines, I know that you shouldn't look at museum airframes as 100% accurate but the people doing the restorations must have done some research.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[bdthoresen]

2 hours ago, dennismcc said:

Just had a quick flick through the Aero Detail book on the Shiden and the preserved examples all look to have predominately silver/light grey engines, I know that you shouldn't look at museum airframes as 100% accurate but the people doing the restorations must have done some research.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Yes, I was just flicking through that book myself, and it looks as if the Pima example which makes up the majority of the book, has had the majority of its engine resprayed silver. Those guys have been known to be pretty methodical about their restorations, particularly since that airframe was from the Smithsonian, and has since been returned to them after their 10 year display agreement was up. 
 

As far as wartime images, there seems to be few of the Homare, and the ones I did find have differences. Everything from cylinder barrels to ignition leads, oil return tubes to pushrod tubes can be different colors. I am realizing that I might have to just take an educated stab at it, and just go for a “general” representation. As long as it’s plausible, I am ok with it. So few wartime photos exist of the Shiden Kai, especially towards the end of the war, that it is always going to be an educated guess.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

THOR    

Edited April 13, 2020 by bdthoresen

[bdthoresen]

And we have a painted engine! Treated the engine with a black oil paint wash, details picked out with Model Master enamels. Still requires a final clear lacquer, but I am happy with it......

 

Now working on cleanup of all of the kit’s remaining small parts. This seems to be the step I tend to stall out on with most builds lately. But, we will get her there in the end. Have a few other projects I want to get back to, like my P-51B air racer, an AH-1Z Viper, and my 1/18th Dora project.......So many projects, so little time!

 

Thanks for checking in on me.....

 

THOR    

[Alex]

Engine looks great!  Makes me want to start my next IJA project.

[LSP_K2]

8 minutes ago, Alex said:

Engine looks great!  Makes me want to start my next IJA project.

 

I agree. I have a J2M headed my way, and I may well start on it this year.

[dennismcc]

That engine looks great, not at that stage yet but I'll copy your ideas, I'm still doing cockpit detail parts on mine while I finish off the Raiden

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[bdthoresen]

11 hours ago, Alex said:

Engine looks great!  Makes me want to start my next IJA project.

Thanks, Alex. The IJN/IJA subjects have always been a favorite of mine. I would like to someday get back to some of the more esoteric prototypes, and finish my vac table to allow me to do that. But I barely have time to finish a shake and bake kit, let alone full scratch builds! 
 

11 hours ago, LSP_K2 said:

 

I agree. I have a J2M headed my way, and I may well start on it this year.

 

Thanks Kev! Appreciate the compliment.

 

25 minutes ago, dennismcc said:

That engine looks great, not at that stage yet but I'll copy your ideas, I'm still doing cockpit detail parts on mine while I finish off the Raiden

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Thanks Dennis. It was super fiddly, but came out ok in the end. I am looking to acquire a Hasegawa Raiden soon. I have the old Revell kit from the 70’s, and plan to build it concurrently. Looking forward to more Raiden pics!

 

THOR