I should add that, due to an administratve error, the club comp has been pushed back from March to June. So, I have a bit more time to get the Hei completed.

Missed your post as well, Michael @michaelt
I agree that you are doing a wonderful job on those builds.
Glad to hear that you are still able to make it tfor the competition his way

The first one has her undercoat on.

Excellent painting, my friend @michaelt!

Looks great, Michael @michaelt. I always have trouble painting anything on the leading edge, whether it's ID markings or de-icing boots. I have tried painting the edges first, masking the edges, and then painting the rest of the plane, and I have also tried painting the plane first, and then painting the edges. It doesn't seem to matter which way I do it, they will be a problem child either way.

Excellent painting, my friend @michaelt! Indeed, the inconsistency seen at the pics is really interesting!

Thanks @fiveten and @johnb.
This is what Google Translate says:
Ki-45 Kai Hei Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter Type C

↑↓ The Ki-45 Kai Hei was equipped with a new Ho-203 37mm cannon instead of the two Ho-103 12.7mm cannons on the upper nose of the Ki-45 Kai Ko. The conventional wisdom had been that this model was the Ki-45 Kai Otsu, but the aforementioned "List of Designations of Current Army Prototype Aircraft" lists it as the Ki-45 Kai Hei, with serial numbers 3001-5001. Also, the conventional wisdom that this nose gun was a Ho-5 20mm cannon and the Ho-203 was equipped on the underside of the fuselage is incorrect, as shown in the above list, and the shape of the barrel is completely different from the Ho-5, so this is clear. The Ho-203 was developed to turn the 37mm gun, which was only available on tanks, into a gun for aircraft use. It was recoil-operated, weighed 89kg, had a muzzle velocity of 576m/sec, and fired 120 rounds per minute. The nose was extended to completely cover the barrel, and the model name overlaps with the Ki-45 Kai Hei, which was the conventional theory. However, the "protruding barrel type" was probably produced by the Army Air Arsenal by modifying the old Ki-45 Kai Ko between May and October 1943, and the mass-produced aircraft in Kawasaki were presumably the "extended nose type." The three photos on this page and the top of the next page show the aircraft that was first shown to the general press in November 1944 at Tokorozawa Airfield in Saitama Prefecture, along with the Ki-3 and Ki-4 fighters, and the photo was also first published in a newspaper on the 26th of the same month under the nickname "Toryu." Therefore, up until that point, the Ki-45 Kai had never been called "Toryu" within the Army.

@lgardner, I remember that group build and would have joined in but for the fact that I had other projects on the go at that time.

Never too late to join, though?

I just had a peek and saw @fiveten magnificent build. One of mine will have a similar camouflage scheme, although I’m going to attempt it free-hand.

I hope you get back to your builds soon.