It is a delight to be able to share this image of the largely scratch-built cockpit for a Hasegawa 1/32nd scale Ki-61-1 Hei created as part of an ongoing project by professional modelmaker, artist and illustrator Douglas Craner, some of whose work graces the RAF Museum at Hendon. I hope to be able to show more images of this superb model as the project progresses. Douglas assures me that although the photo makes the cockpit colour look greenish it is in fact a khaki-brown, carefully chosen from a study of extant paint colours in various restoration projects. The photo below against a green background provides a better impression of the colour, but in direct sunlight it appears more towards yellowish brown. I think the fugitive green aspect of this colour is often underestimated, especially when Tamiya paints and FS values are cited by modelling convention.
All of which goes to show that one has to beware of assessing colour photographs at their face value. And yet pages and pages of forum thread still get expended on arguments about what colours old colour photographs supposedly show!
The quality of Douglas' model making is apparent from the Ki-61-I cockpit photograph but these additional images of his completed Roden 1/48th SE5a and 1/32nd Werner Voss Fokker Triplane further testify to his exceptional skills (yes, the SE5a really is 1/48th!). Douglas tells me he also has an old UPC "Jake" in progress and being improved with reference to Maru Mechanic plans. I hope that we can get to see that one too.
4 comments:
The Ki-61 Hien cockpit is truly amazing, but why he painted it green?
Lorenzo
Nick, I guess that means you approve of Douglas' cockpit color choice?
Actually I would not want to presume the colour just from the photo and I don't know what paint colour Douglas applied. Hopefully he will provide more details about the project in due course.
I neither approve nor disapprove of whatever colour it is - I'm too gobsmacked by the level of detail and the realism of the painting technique! ;-)
Regards
Nick
Exquisite modelling! The painting of the cockpit is very nice indeed. Weathering is perhaps a little heavy for an in-service machine, but impressive all the same.
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