1/48 Hasegawa Ki-100-1 Empire of Japan Group Build
Thanks to Louis Gardner for starting this GB as it gave me a reason to build some of the Japanese A/C in my stash. The Ki-100-1 was quite a successful fighter and gave the allies all they could handle towards the end of the war. The Ki-100 was developed as a result of difficulties in obtaining Ha140 12 cylinder liquid cooled engines for the KI-61 fighter. Therefore, chief designer Takeo Doi widen the front of the Ki-61 air frame and mated the Ha112 14 cylinder, twin row air cooled radial engine to it. Overall performance was improved to include maneuverability which meant it could compete with the F6F Hellcat or P-51 Mustang. Less than 400 were manufactured and were entered into combat operations just prior to the end of the war.
The Hasegawa kit has been around for awhile but does build up into a decent model. No real issues were encountered except for those darn off white decals that Hasegawa is infamous for. I believe their recent releases have correct that issue. Hence I took the liberty of trying to copy their version of white where called for in the painting instructions to match the decals. Mostly built OOB with one exception as I added some belts from the spares box and I used nylon thread for the antenna. Paints were a combination of Tamiya acrylics and Model Master enamels. Exhaust stains were done with pastels chalks and some of the panel lines were outlined using a Pitt Pen.
Very nice build. Can't say I have seen many of these built including the one I have in my stash.
Tom, @tom-bebout
Thanks for building this beauty ! It was a real pleasure to see it come to life as we watched and cheered along the way. You did a mighty fine job with her too... Looks great and you matched the "off white" Hasegawa decal color exceptionally well.
Another lesser known thing about these planes is that by going to the radial engine in place of the liquid cooled inverted V-12 that the Ki-61 Hien used, is they lost about 400 pounds in the overall weight of the airframe. This, along with the increased performance from the new radial engine allowed it to climb higher than the Ki-61 could. The upgraded performance however was often degraded and lost, due to the poor quality of the aviation fuel that was available towards the end of the War.
OK enough nerding out from me now...
I pressed the "liked" button too. 🙂
What a great result, Tom @tom-bebout!
You did a splendid job of a decent kit.
I love the looks of the Ki-100.
It was a pleasure to follow along your build. The finished model is yet another great addition to the exciting EoJ GB!
Another fine addition to the very popular EoJ group. Nice job, Tom.
Nice job, Tom. That’s an interesting plane.
A very nice looking aircraft, Tom.
Painting and detailing looks great.
I have to admit that I didn't follow the thread, but looking to these results, I will read it for sure.
Wondering how you created this thicker part on the wiring, so hopefully I can find it in your thread.
Nice work and a great result, as usual, Tom.
Very sharp build Tom. I've one of these in the kit closet and this inspires me to get to it.
That's a real beauty Tom. Well done.
Nice work, great cockpit detail!
Great model, Tom, love the markings.
The Ki-100 isn't quite as elegant as her inline sister, but she got the job done.
Great looking build Tom. If you make it to the Indy Show in April, hopefully I can see you and it. Provided the PTB’s haven’t decided that, for our own good of course, we are all under house arrest.
Hey Rick @fuzzmann your on, cant wait for a show after this disaster of a year.
Very sharp model Tom, it really pops off the page at first glance. A very unique Japanese fighter that you don't see build very much. The later Japanese fighters were very capable, thank God that not many were built and really very few experienced pilots to fly them. Well done, thanks for sharing.
Excellent work, Tom! Well done.
Handsome build of a good-looking aircraft! Well done.