Lifelike Decals ~ Ki-100 and Ki-84 in 1/72nd Scale

Lifelike Decals have made two very welcome additions to their impressive portfolio of Japanese aircraft subjects with sheets for the Ki-100 and Ki-84 scaled down from 1/48th scale sets. Set 72-026 Kawasaki Ki-100 Part 1 has individual markings for five Ki-100 aircraft together with national markings and stencil details for one. Of note is the fact that the stencils include the 迷彩塗料 cartouche beneath the tail which is usually missed from other kits and decals and hard to replicate, especially in this scale. The subjects featured on this sheet are:-

• Ki-100 Otsu flown by Capt. Totaro Ito of the 1st Chutai, 5th Sentai at Kiyosu in the early summer of 1945 
• Ki-100 Otsu flown by Major Yohei Hinoki, Commander if 2nd Daitai, 111th Sentai at Akeno in July 1945
• Ki-100 Ko of 3rd Chutai, 59th Sentai  at Ashiya in October 1945
• Ki-100 Ko of 1st Daitai, 111th Sentai at Akeno in July 1945
• Ki-100 Otsu flown by Major Teruhiko Kobayashi, Commander of 244th Sentai at Chofu in May 1945

This decal sheet is designed for the recent RS Models kits and the instructions advise that some adjustment might be necessary if using them on the Fine Molds kit.

Set 72-027 Ki-84 Hayate Part 2 contains individual markings for five Ki-84 aircraft with national markings and stencil details for one. The sheet is designed to fit the Hasegawa kit. The subjects featured on this sheet are:-

• Ki-84 flown by Lt. Shuho Yamana of 2nd Hikotai, Army Transportation Unit at Ohta in the fall of 1944. This aircraft is painted in a reticulated finish with a personal tiger marking on both sides of the fin and rudder added by Lt Yamana's crew-chief before it was ferried to Saigon
• Ki-84 flown by Cpl Hajime Shimizu of 57th Shinbu-tai at Shimodate in May, 1945
• Ki-84 flown by Lt. Col Yukiyoshi Wakamatsu, 2nd Chutai leader, 85th Sentai at Hankow in December 1944
• Ki-84 of 10th Fighter Training Hikotai at Kita-Ise in August 1945
• Ki-48 flown by WO Yojiro Obusa of 1st Chutai, 50th Sentai at Phnom Penh in April 1945

All are excellent and interesting choices. Both Yokiyoshi Wakamatsu and Yojiro Obusa were aces. As usual with Lifelike each set comes with a comprehensive and valuable set of notes for each aircraft, including references for the colour schemes and markings depicted. With special thanks to Keishiro Nagao who kindly supplied the sets.

Image credits: All © 2013 Lifelike Decals