Karel Struna's Blue Hayate

As an unexpected addition to the ongoing and somewhat rambling 'Hayate Thoughts' it is an absolute delight to be able to share these images of a 1/48th Hayate model by Karel Struna made from the classic Otaki (now Arii) kit. Karel shows just how good those Otaki kits of very fond memory can look with a bit of TLC. Karel's superb model represents the controversial blue Ki-84 of the 2nd Chutai, 102nd Sentai over Okinawa in 1944.

Karel writes:-

"The kit is very old (more than 30 years), but with negative engraving and beautiful rivets. The same molds are packed by Arii too. The canopy is one piece and must be cut into three parts manually in the case of the opened cockpit.  The cockpit itself is very simple, but it can easily be enhanced with Eduard zoom set. The whole build was very smooth. Only several small gaps were filled with black glue and then "sanded" with the debonder. The overall  precision of the kit is perfect taking into consideration the age of the box. The gun barrels were replaced with the new ones made from syringe needles. Lead wires were added to the engine.

A layer of alclad aluminum was applied on the surfacer. Then the AK interactive worn effect was sprayed and finally the blue top colour and the light grey bottom colour. The blue Hayate is sometimes marked as what-if, but the blue rudder exists until today. No colour picture of the whole aircraft is known. The scratches were created thanks to the worn effective. The surface was wet with water and then the colour was peeled off with a sharp stick and toothbrush. 

The markings were sprayed as was the exhaust staining. MiG dark wash was used to enhance the panel lines and the rivets. A small amount of the dust pigment was applied on the wing roots as a last step.

Ki-84 can be built with or without drop tanks. Their colour can be also discussed. Again, there is no proof against the yellow colour used here. 

I can highly recommend this kit and I will definitely build more Otaki Hayates in the future.

Advantages: 
Rivets (someone may disagree, but I do like them)
; Precisely molded; 
Price

Disadvantages: 
Lack of cockpit details; Wheels; 
Thick canopy piece"

In fact there is a surviving yellow-painted Hayate drop tank in Japan. Karel points out a useful comparison of the Tamiya, Otaki and Hasegawa 1/48th Hayate kits here.

Image credits: All © 2014 Karel Struna