Greetings
from Singapore!!
The
Hyakushiki Shitei III (Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Model III) was an
improved version of the unarmed, long-range, high-speed, high-altitude
Mitsubishi Ki-46 reconnaissance plane of the Japanese Army Air Forces. Able to
reach 630km/hr (390mph) and fly at 10,000m (32,000ft), few Allied fighters
could catch it. Given the codename ‘Dinah’, it was one of the most
aesthetically pleasing aircraft ever produced with an efficient aerodynamic
design.
This
kit was built OOB. No need for any aftermarket stuff for this one as
Tamiya’s detailing both on the aircraft body and the cockpit was already
good enough. The parts fit together excellently except for the wheel-well
where there is this annoying joint right in the middle. The location made it
difficult to putty and so you either have to live with it or leave it alone.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The
aircraft being finished in the typical boring Imperial Japanese military
aircraft colors of WWII, painting was generally easy with Tamiya’s
acrylics, XF-13 J.A. Green upper surface and XF-14 J.A. Grey undersides
onto X-11 Chrome Silver base. There being a single coat of Future applied
onto the silver base before putting on the upper surface and the underside
colours. The challenging part of building Japanese WWII aircraft is
without a doubt the weathering process. By having the Chrome Silver base,
I was able to use the blade-peel technique to scrape-off the green or grey
to reveal the ‘bare metal finish’ underneath. A diluted mix of JA
Green with XF-1 Flat Black was then applied along the panel lines by using
a fine-spray airbrush to simulate the panel joint dirty washes. The panels
were then toned-down by using the Tamiya Weathering Master Set B -
‘Snow’. I was hoping to accentuate the effect of paint quality
deterioration in smaller parts of the individual panels.
The
kit was depicted as ‘White 88’ from Hiko 10th Sentai, 1st
Chutai (10th Air Combat Group, 1st Squadron), the decals
being supplied together with the kit. Decals for Dokuritsu Hikotai (Independent
Air Unit) 18th and 55th Chutais (squadrons) were also
provided as alternative choices. The 18th Chutai emblem of a pouncing
tiger was exceptionally pretty (see
Federico’s contribution under the Hyakushiki Shitei archive). This was an
enjoyable built with excellent quality all around.
Rai
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