Hasegawa Model Company

1/48 Ki45Kai Hei Toryu "Nick" with "Projection Cannon" "Shinten Seikitai" Limited Edition

Kit Number: HAS09889

Reviewed by  Rod Lees, IPMS# 10821

MSRP: $57.59 USD Website: www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/ Sample provided by Dragon Models USA: www.dragonmodelsusa.com Hasegawa continues to survive in a notoriously fickle market by taking previously released products and doing after-runs with extra parts, etc. This business strategy is one which can be counted on to keep them alive and well - to the benefit of us all. In this case, the re-release of their "Nick" involves minimum fuss. It includes a new nose section with a cannon barrel, new decals, and new box art. I have built most of the Hasegawa Japanese aircraft over the years, and they have proven to be excellent in the engineering department, with almost perfect fit and excellent presentation. This kit is no exception. Starting with the interior, I rattle-can sprayed the parts with Tamiya Olive Drab II (TS-28) spray. After it dried, I followed with an overspray of Tamiya dark Panzer yellow (TS-3). This worked well, as the dark paint added shadow and highlight to the parts, while the yellow had an appropriate Khaki color when dusted on. (Tamiya's TS-3 has a subtle greenish tint).

I cut out the instrument and panel decals, and applied them to the panels. I have found that you can use solvent glue like Tenax 7® or Ambroid's Liquid® to help these decals settle rapidly over the panel bezels and switches by applying a small drop to just dissolve the decal over the detail. When they have dried, if the edges curl up, lightly touch up with white glue, and you are done! Easier than painting, unless you really like working with OOOOO brushes…. I'm getting too old to do that. The engines received a shot of Model Master Metalizer magnesium, with a black wash and highlights to pick out the detail. That was it for interior preparation. Following the instructions, I assembled the cockpit interior, using Eduard PE seatbelts (French, since I had no Japanese 1/48 belts left), which looked okay to me. I used liquid cement to assemble the wings, which were then offered up to the fuselage and required just a touch of putty on the bottom. I like the Vallejo putty product. It is a white, fine grain, fast-drying putty which can be mostly smoothed out without sanding. Smells like latex house paint, dries faster than lacquers, and covers well. Plus, it comes with a needle-like applicator - just the thing for small filling sessions. The rest of the build can best be described as "airplane construction." Stabilizers keyed into each other, the canopy was very clear (until I masked it and left tape residue on it), etc. The landing gear is robust and easy to install. Wheel-tire assembly has separate hubs and brakes, which are excellent for painting. Same for the gear doors, which have hinges integral to the door on the assembly. One engineering item I noticed which makes a BIG difference: on the gates (sprues) next to delicate parts like the gun sight, Hasegawa has thoughtfully "necked down" the sprue so it's not as strong as the remaining sprue. That means whenever you cut the part off the gate, it will not have the sprue itself breaking the part. This was evident throughout the kit. Antennas, some of the gear components, etc, all had very small diameter sprues across from the part. It is a case of the engineers listening to modelers and fixing the problems. Well done, Hasegawa!

When it was time to paint, I used Tamiya rattle can Gray Green (AS-29) for the overall aircraft color, with IJA Green (XF-13) for the squiggle. Not my best performance on the squiggle stuff, but it works. I then shot clear lacquer varnish on the whole kit, let it cure, then decaled the model. The Yellow ID markings fit perfectly, as did the white bands around the wing and fuselage. There was no need to pre-paint them, although the Yellow bands were a bit too long and showed up under the white. I cut those areas off, no problem! Certainly someone with nothing else to do will complain about the hinomarus being "too red." Not me: I think they look fine. Wait for the decals to dry, shoot Tamiya rattle can flat over it all, and pull off the window masks. I had a few errors on the clear parts, hence the hand-painted areas on the photos. I did not install the clear navigation lights. As I look at the photos, it would appear I forgot to paint them (which I did). You have the option if you want to. My AMS is giving way to enjoying the hobby, hence the painting of the red/green navigation lights. Final analysis: The cannon nose is different. Overall kit rating: 9.5 out of 10 for overall presentation and final result. Someone could really have fun with detailing out this model, since out of the box, it's almost perfect. Thanks once again to Dragon/USA and Hasegawa for providing this kit for review.