Subject: Re: kawasaki ki-61 hien
From: "Steve Bamford ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "RJ en Ellie Willekens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2004 09:51:08 -0800

Hi Robert,
Thanks for sending in your Ki-61article.    This is my favourite Japanese plane from WW2. Your paint job is fantastic.  I'll e-mail you when your article goes on ARC about 8 days after your Spitfire.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com
 
Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: RJ en Ellie Willekens 
  To: Bamford, Steve 
  Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 12:39 AM
  Subject: kawasaki ki-61 hien

  Gallery Template #05

  1/48 Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien

  by Robert-Jan Willekens
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here 

  This is an old Otaki/Arii model of the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien, codenamed "Tony" by the Allies. It was a different type of fighter for the Japanese Army, because it was powered by a license-built liquid-cooled 12 cylinder inverted Vee engine. Basically, in laymans terms, this aircraft was powered by the famous Messerschmitt Bf109 engine! This powerplant gave the airplane a sleek silhouette, unlike all the other radial-engined types in service with the Japanese Army and Navy.

  I built this kit OOB; the only additions are weighted wheels by True Details, and a Squadron products Vac-form canopy. The model was finished with automotive spraypaint in a generic silver; when this was completely dry, I hand-painted all the green spots and splotches, after having done the yellow ident bands. Then the decals went on: quite a tedious affair, but the AMD decals are very easy to handle. A bit of Microsol and Microset helped ease the decals onto the difficult areas. When dry, the weathering began. Japanese paints were known for their poor quality, and even relatively new aircraft started losing their coat at an early age. Hence that the Hinumarus show a lot of chipping! The model was sealed with a concoction of mine called Glitsa floor lacquer, a Dutch boat paint for wooden decking!

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 

       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg 

  This is Kawasaki Ki-61-1-KAIc Hien; aircraft No. 3295, as flown by Captain Taruhiko Kobayashi of the 244th Sentai. This particular aircraft flew from the airfield of Yokaichi in january 1945. This was the "Tony" used by this particular pilot to actually ram a B-29 Superfortress at 30.000 feet over Mount Fuji on the 27th of january. The mountain in Japan is said to be a lucky one, for Kobayashi was able to parachute safely from the stricken Hien, suffering only the smallest of cuts across his nose! This was his 6th kill; this was later applied to another Ki-61 by spraying a red silhouette of a Ki-61 over a white B-29. Kobayashi ended the war with five kills: three B-29s and two Hellcats. Unofficially, he was credited with 14 victories, but these also included damaged aircraft. Later studies deduced that indeed he only downed five Allied aircraft.

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here 

  Photos and text © 2003 by Robert-Jan Willekens