David, @davem

I just received the Tamiya Spit, and after looking at the model in inside the box, I don't think you will be disappointed ! It looks like a fabulous kit...

Thanks for the compliments, and I sincerely think you will really enjoy building the new tool Tamiya Spitfire. Please keep us posted if you don't mind.

I would highly recommend building this Ki-61 as well. I was waiting a bit apprehensively to build mine at first. I wanted it to be perfect, and I was not sure about the color call outs. I painted all of my older Hasegawa Ki-61's using RLM 79 for the interior color, as it was the color recommended at the time.

The Macchi 202 (and 205) are lovely planes too...

Thanks again my friend. Build them and you will be very happy that you did !

Thanks my friend !
The red tip tooth pick was still wet from painting these little red handles...

So I had to improvise... 🙂 I'll bring it back or I can use the new "improved" edition...

Which do you prefer ?

You’ve got that cockpit floor looking like real metal - fantastic finish.

Glad you tackled the interior color issue. I had just bought some Vallejo Dark Yellow per a recent magazine article I read (see pic). You're research and work here gives me a nice counter-balance. I'll go for a scale version (my build will obviously be 1/72)

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

@holzhamer Pedro - Vallejo Model Color 70.978 Dark Yellow. See the article snippet in the photo above for more options.

Greg, @gkittinger
This is a fantastic find ! I no longer subscribe to modeling magazines... which one is it ? The colors they list on the right side of the article are spot on with what was said by others with a lot more knowledge than I about the subject.

I read where it is supposed to be very close to FS 33440, and how it's also very close to the RAL 7028 color used on WW2 German vehicles. I have a Federal Standards color chip book. This prompted me to pull it out for a comparison... stand by and I'll post up what I found in the next installment. It might actually shed a little light on the color.

Pedro, @holzhamer
Trying to find out more about this elusive shade has been an interest of mine every since I obtained this kit. It was one of the main reasons I decided to hold off on building it. It is such a fantastic model and I wanted to do it right... Something about the RLM 79 color didn't set right with me, even though I have used it on all of my previous Hien builds. Back then when I built my Hasegawa models, this is what was considered "correct".

In all honesty, as long as it's close, then that is probably good enough.

The previous Ki-61 Tony's were all the Hasegawa 1/48 variety. I still have about 4 or 5 more of them left in the stash. Even though they have been surpassed by the new Tamiya model, the older Hasegawa kits still build up very well.

There's even a "short nosed" version available through Hasegawa. The "Short nose" was used more frequently throughout the Japanese Empire. Most of the kits and associated decals however are more often than not, geared towards the longer nosed version... and the 244th Sentai, since it was tasked with guarding the airspace against B-29's over Tokyo. This unit was photographed quite regularly, so decal companies have a good source of documentation for their products.

Now if Tamiya would release a "short nose" I would definitely buy a few... 🙂 I have some killer decals in the stash for Ki-61's in New Guinea...

@lgardner Louis, I think the Hasegawa Tony in my stash is the short nose version. It is the first produced version of the Ki.61 at least...I ain’t no expert with this Lol.

Got some Montex masks a few months ago and all it needs now is a set of new drilled exhausts. After that it’s bench time for that beauty.

Now, this last post you made is awesome! That book is a worthy addition to any serious modeler library. I have to agree with you regarding the effect of natural direct sunlight vs shade. The only thing I would add is that a cockpit of a model is, as we all know, intrinsically a dark place, so as a personal option I tend to lighten whatever color is sprayed, and I do this twofold, because I also want to get some depth using shade effect, or as David calls it “the Spanish school”.

Tonight's installment will show you how to tell the difference between the "Long" and "Short" nosed versions of the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien.

To begin with, over at a website called "Modeling Madness", there's a kit research area. A gentleman has complied a list of the various different plastic sprues that are used in different Hasegawa kits for Japanese Aircraft from WW2. I took this picture using my phone and posted it here to help explain.

The parts used in the long and short nosed Hasegawa kits are very similar. The way they are listed here are as parts "A" or "Ad" and "B" or "Bd". The "A" and "B" is for the longer fuselage and the other parts listed as "Ad" and "Bd" are for the shorter version.

It also lists the kit by the kit number to distinguish which kit has the shorter "or longer" parts included.

Here are the actual parts sitting stacked with the shorter version on the bottom.

Using our trusted red tipped tooth pick, here you can see the differences.

This is the shorter version. Parts #17 and 18 are the only addition on this tree that are not present on the long nose version. I think they are a set of tail wheel doors. Not sure...

The real plane came into service first with the shorter nose. Later as they increased the armament, the nose of the plane was lengthened to accommodate heavier weaponry.

Here is the longer version. You can see where they lengthened the nose. A section was lengthened just ahead of the wings and behind the engine. I'm pointing at the lengthened area with the toothpick here.

The Germans did the same type of thing with the FW-190 when they changed over from the A-4 to the A-5 variants.

Other than that, these plastic sprues are the same.

Here I have taped them together to show just how much of a difference there is between the long and the short nosed versions.

The long nose is obviously on the right in the next photo.

Here they are laid side by side.

Now some of you are probably wondering just how this one stacks up against the new tool Tamiya Ki-61, (which happens to be a long nosed variant).

So I placed the Tamiya Port side against the Hasegawa Starboard side. The area including the rear fuselage and tail assemble looked almost identical. The Tamiya kit is closest to us in this picture.

Even the panel lines on the rear of the fuselage lined up almost perfectly. This picture shows the underside of the fuselage halves. The Tamiya kit is on the left side in this picture shown below.

As we move farther toward the front of the fuselage, the differences become more visible. Here in this photo below, the Tamiya kit is closer to us.

It appears as if the major differences occur where the windshield is attached. It's really hard to distinguish here because the way the windshield is attached is different between the two kits. Here the Tamiya kit is on the left.

The next picture was taken from under the nose. The Tamiya kit is on the right and appears to be a little longer than the Hasegawa version.

This next picture shows the overall difference between the two kits. The Tamiya is on the left side in this next photo.

Finally here's a set of decals I have for the Tamiya kit, in case I decide not to use the kit supplied options. Unfortunately, two of these are for the short nosed version, and I only have one of those in my stash. It looks like I will have to build the "Shidenkai No Maki" if I want to build a short nosed plane...


The short nosed version was used more widely by the Japanese during the War. Unfortunately, we don't have a new tool Tamiya kit with a shorter nose...yet. But one can dream.

The Hasegawa kit is still a very nice model. Depending on how this goes, I might just have to build up a short nose version... 🙂

as usual,
Comments are encouraged.

Thanks for stopping by...