Jump to content

1/32 Hasegawa Ki-61 Tei Hien


Thunnus

Recommended Posts

The Wolfpack resin set also comes with different covers for the wing guns.  The Tei changed the Hei's wing-mounted MG151 20mm cannons to 12.7mm Ho-103 machine guns, which changed the size and shape of the blisters.
IMG-2321.jpg

 

The underside of the covers has detail, including a small raised tab.  I'm assuming that this could be used with an option for an exposed gun compartment.  Anyways, the raised tab interferes with the fit so it has to be filed off.
IMG-2322.jpg

 

 

Here is a comparison with the kit parts.
IMG-2323.jpg

 

 

And yes, wouldn't you know?  The kit covers fit MUCH better than the resin ones, which may be afflicted with some shrinkage.
IMG-2325.jpg


IMG-2324.jpg

 

 

I've got a few options here... (a) use the resin covers and shim/putty as required; (b) use the kit covers and no one but us will know the difference; (c) modify the kit covers by removing the larger bulges and putting the smaller ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mmmmh... cutting out a square patch wich comprises the bulge on the kit's ones and insert the corresponding resin parts?

 

I follow very curious, I have it on stash and I have no idea how to make it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's what I'd do, John: use Milliput or similar to take and impression of the bulge on the resin piece. Using more Milliput (or your medium of choice), make a copy using the mould you just created. Then, remove the kit part's bulge, and replace it with the copy of the resin one. I did a similar thing for the underwing bulges on my Fw 190S, and it worked out really well.

 

rDzmqT.jpg

 

Kev

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great start, and one I'll be following closely.  I bought this kit not so long ago, as well as the Quinta Studios 3D decal add on.  Then in a fit of enthusiasm as I started my Messerschmitt 109G-4 with Aires resin cockpit here I bought another Aires kit for this, thinking I may be able to combine them.  All I can say is I hope the resin cockpit fitts better than it does on the Trumpy 109 :coolio: :lol:.

 

:popcorn:

 

 

Cheers,

Michael 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys!  Great tips coming for the gun cover bulges.  I've put it aside for now.

 

I've jumped over to the Aires resin cockpit to check things out.  The major pieces have been sawed from their casting bases.
IMG-2326.jpg

 

 

A comparison of the resin versus the kit plastic is not exactly fair since the plastic rendition has separate parts that have not been added.
IMG-2327.jpg


IMG-2328.jpg

 

 

But what I find more striking than the differences are the similarities between the two.  It's obvious that Aires has copied the major components of the Hasegawa cockpit in shape and fit. Even the backs of the resin sidewalls have the same locating pins as their plastic counterparts suggesting a drop-in fit, even though the instructions state that fuselage trimming is necessary.
IMG-2329.jpg

 

 

I taped the resin cockpit together.  Fit is surprisingly good despite a lack of attachment pins.
IMG-2330.jpg

 

 

Here is the inside of the fuselage without any cutting or trimming. You can see the locating holes for the sidewalls.
IMG-2331.jpg

 

 

Surprise, surprise... even with the interference from the masking tape, the cockpit fits without any alterations to the fuselage. I was able to tape the fuselage sides together flush without any major pressure.
IMG-2332.jpg


IMG-2333.jpg

 

 

Although it is very preliminary, I'm going to say that the Aires resin cockpit is a drop-in fit for the Hasegawa Ki-61 kit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the comments guys!

 

Using a rocket from an eggplane kit, I fashioned a pair of replacement bulges for the wing gun covers. Not an exact match but close enough!
IMG-2335.jpg

 

 

The bulges on the kit gun cover were sanded away.  I cannot replicate the exact shape of the hand hole behind the bulge but I can do an oval hole by chain drilling.
IMG-2336.jpg

 

 

Here is what the modified kit gun covers look like.
IMG-2337.jpg

 

 

The previous post's photos didn't show it but the resin covers were not only too short but not wide enough.  I think going this route will get me the best fit with the least amount of fill work. There is also a panel line on the upper wing that needs to be filled, which I've done with black CA glue.
IMG-2339.jpg

 

 

Time to remove the casting block from the resin nose.
IMG-2340.jpg

 

 

I used the big razor saw to get me to this point.  It's always better to remove too little than too much.
IMG-2341.jpg

 

 

I scraped and sanded the excess.
IMG-2342.jpg

 

 

A quick check to make sure the spinner/backplate sit flush on the nose.
IMG-2343.jpg

 

 

There are some noticeable gaps and sloppy panel lines on the resin nose that I want to address before it is attached so I'm going to first fill the visible gaps with white Milliput.
IMG-2344.jpg


IMG-2345.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is the three-part instrument panel consisting of the photoetched face, the clear acetate with printed gauge details and the instrument panel backing in resin.
IMG-2347.jpg

 

 

The photoetch face and resin backing are painted in a very dark grey.  Arguably, these should be black but I wanted a little bit of contrast on the instrument panel. The back of the acetate is sprayed white to bring out the instrument details.
IMG-2348.jpg


IMG-2349.jpg

 

 

Here are the three painted components before assembly. The photoetch face has some details highlighted... black instrument faces and blue, yellow and red instrument rings on the bottom row.
IMG-2351.jpg

 

 

And here is the panel after it has been assembled.  I attached the acetate to the photoetch face using Future.  This was then attached to the resin backing using PVA card glue.
IMG-2353.jpg

 

 

I'm going into a slight holding pattern now as I'm waiting for some paints to arrive.  Most modelers opt to paint the interior of the Ki-61 as a sandy brown but I am going use a grey-green (Mr Hobby Aqueous H-62 IJA Grey) instead upon the recommendation of Nick Millman, who runs the Aviation of Japan blog site and seems pretty knowledgeable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

magnificent.


so far I had not found any profile that made me snap the spring to start this kit, a gift from a friend.
but the one you're going to do, the 55 Sentai one, I find it beautiful.
sure, it's a Tei... so I searched for the Wolf Pack set, but without success.
do you have any idea where to find it? looking on the web it seems unobtainable.

 

TIA, Paolo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello John,

Good to see another project on the go. You mentioned back on page 1 your wish for raised bezels on the Aires IP. Whilst not relevant now, are you aware of the below listed products from Airscale? Probably already on your radar (so to speak), but I thought I would point them out regardless as they may be of use at some later date.
 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airscale-pe32-bez-instrument-bezels--158773

 

Regards,

 

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...