Dan Salamone's Very Fine Fine Molds Ohka Trainer

Dan Salamone very kindly shared these photos of his stunning model of the Yokosuka Ohka K1 Trainer in "orange blossom" guise built from the Fine Molds 1/48 kit. A total of 43 of these "heavy" gliders were completed at the 1st Navy Air Technical Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijutsusho) to provide suicide pilots with handling experience. The missing engine and warhead were compensated for in weight with water ballast and it must have been quite a ride down with those short wings.

Dan added the “detail up” set from Fine Molds to his model, using the brass pitot tube and various small etched parts like the ring and bead gunsights. Dan reports that the kit is a little gem, with exceptional moulding, detail and fit. In fact the quality of moulding is so fine that there are openings present on both the aileron and tailplane hinges that can be seen right through. 

He started the model in 2011 when it was first released and finally finished it recently. The external colours were airbrushed with Vallejo acrylics, followed by clear coats from Gunze (GSI Creos) spray cans. Weathering was accomplished with artist's oils and Vallejo washes. Dan noted that the kit instructions call for an opaque green cockpit colour, but the Mikesh book on Japanese interiors* indicates aotake was used, with varying degrees of shade and thickness. 

With special thanks to Dan for sharing these images of his excellent model with Aviation of Japan. 

* 'Japanese Aircraft Interiors 1940-1945' by Robert C Mikesh, Monogram Aviation Publications, 2000

Image credit: All © 2016 Dan Salamone