This will be my 3rd build for the Empire of Japan group. I found this kit on eBay for $10 and I have to say I’m pretty impressed. The surface detail is quite nice with all the rivets and the molding looks nice too. Just a little bit of flash to clean up though. The interior is pretty basic but not much will be seen with the closed canopy. I’ll have to do some research on how to paint the interior, I know next to nothing about his plane. The instructions are in Japanese but I think I’ll manage. Also the kilt came with a nice illustration print out. I’m not not sure what paint scheme I’ll be doing yet as the decals look pretty old and yellow. I’ll probably make paint masks for the markings. Until next time. Cheers

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Nice choice, Jeremy!

Some nice detail on that kit - should weather up nice!

That's a nice progress, Jeremy!

Thanks for the comments guys.

Finished up the CP today. Not much detail and kind of bare looking but I did try a new technique to me called a “magic” wash. It’s an acrylic clear ( I used Windsor & Newton matte varnish) wash with a drop of Tamiya black and a little bit of water. You can also use Future or aqua gloss but that leaves a glossy finish. So I just brushed it on and let it dry. It leaves a nice little shadow around all the raised detail. So you don’t have to clear coat your model before or have to wipe away and excess wash. Works pretty well for the sidewalls of the fuselage.

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I love these old Arii/Otaki kits, as the recessed riveting looks more like Nakajima's typical "skin" work than just panel lines. One problem with these kits, the Oscar, Frank, and this Tojo, is that they have suffered mold damage over the years, especially to the wings, where the knock-out pins have punched up into the mold metal. The excellent riveting makes this hard to repair.

Do be careful with the decals. Some are very, very slow to release from the backing paper, all are prone to cracking and fragmenting, and most don't do well with softening/setting solutions.

Continued good luck with your build, Jeremy.

Thanks for the comments guys. I need to get back on this build soon. The wings were slightly damaged from the sprue gate and also I don’t think I’ll be using the decals on this.

Back to work on the Tojo. Is anyone still building over here? Seems pretty dead. Any way got the fuselage and wings glued together and seems mostly cleaned up. Still need to glue the wing root but these gaps are going to need filling. Will probably need some styrene strips since the gaps look quite large. That will be a first for me. I think I’ll take a trip to hobby lobby tomorrow to look for some. I also took the liberty to open up the top vents on the cowling with some small files. Looks a lot better I think. Forgot to take a before photo. I think I’ll paint the engine in the mean time. Cheers

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