WGS Malaya/New Guinea - 1/200 AIM Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa 'Oscar', JAAF
Finished WGS project #2 for 2013 - a flight of three Nakajima Ki-43-IIb Hayabusa of the 1st Chutai, 26th Sentai. The 'Oscar' as it was codenamed by the Allies was the standard JAAF fighter throughout WW2 with production totally almost 6,000 of all variants. All versions were very agile, however combat with the Western Allies showed the Ki-43 was under-gunned and fragile. The Ki-43II-b went some way to addressing these issues with the addition of pilot armour and self sealing tanks, and increasing the firepower from two 7.7mm to two 12.7mm MG. In spite of these deficiencies the Ki-43 was deadly in the hands of a skilled pilot and shot down more Allied aircraft than any other Japanese fighter.
The Ki-43 was issued from the factory in a bright aluminium finish, with only the propeller and spinner painted a dark red, a black anti-glare panel in front of the cockpit and from 1942 the yellow identification panels on the leading edges of the wings. In the field as Japanese air bases came under more frequent attacks, particularly in New Guinea, dark green camouflage paint was applied to the upper surfaces either as a full coat or following the intermittent pattern of these miniatures.
These AIM aircraft were a delight to paint, as are all Dave Schmid's miniatures. I started with spray primer then all over spray aluminium. I hand painted the canopy, undercarriage tyres, engine and spinner, then masked and painted the anti-glare panel and leading edge strips. Then I applied the dark green camouflage with some dry-brushing. The decals are from AIM and came with the miniatures. The stands are Litko with altitude dials and three inch pegs and the aircraft attached with 3mm x 1.5mm rare earth magnets.
The result is a very attractive formation of Japanese fighters, and as a bonus they are a type for which we already have official stats and cards. They are not a difficult paint, I would recommend them to anyone wanting to have a first try painting their own WGS miniatures.
With the Oscars done time now to move on to the next January project - three JAAF Kawasaki Ki-48 Lily light bombers so the Ki-43's have something to escort. I should have them done by tomorrow.
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They do look smart Carl.
Originally Posted by Dark Horse
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