Dragon Slayers and More from Rising Decals

Recently two new and very welcome sheets from the prolific Rising Decals for the popular Kawasaki Ki-45 Type 2 Two-seater fighter Toryu 'Nick' in 1/48 and 1/72 scales, together with a new 1/72 sheet for the K5Y1 'Willow' in the innovative 'Unknown and Less Known Units' series. And, as hoped for, a new AVI Models 1/72 kit of the Gasuden KR-1 Chidori-Gô based on their De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth kit. 

Set RD48028 (heading image) contains markings in 1/48 scale for eight Ki-45 Toryu from seven units as follows:-

• Ki-45 Kai Hei '10' of 11th Hakko-tai 'Kokon-tai' at Hokota airfield, Japan in November 1944 - in overall olive brown or black(ish) brown colour.
• Ki-45 Kai Hei '1' of the same unit as dlown by unit leader 1Lt Kyoichi Miura
• Ki-45 Kai Tei c/n 4101 of Dokuritsu Hiko 25 Chutai at Liaoyang airfield, Manchuria in February 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey with individual aircraft name 'Tachibana'
• Ki-45 Kai Hei of 5th Sentai, Negros, Philippines in August 1944 - in dark green mottle over grey
• Ki-45 Kai Hei as flown by Sgt Yoshio Sakaguchi of 5th Sentai at Kyoshu airfield, Japan in April 1945 - in overall olive brown or black(ish) brown colour
• Ki-45 Kai Tei of Dokuritsu Hiko 71 Chutai at Kallang airfield, Singapore in July 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey
• Ki-45 Kai Ko of Dokuritsu Hiko 84 Chutai at Canton, China, May-June 1942 - in a heavy green mottle over grey-green
• Ki-45 Kai Tei of 53rd Sentai at Matsudo airfield, Japan in February 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey

This sheet offers some interesting and unusual choices including the 25th DHC example (about which more below), the mysterious 71st DHC Toryu at Singapore and the early Indo-China and Canton-based test Chutai bird, the first to engage the enemy in combat (although the 5th Sentai scrambled its six new Toryu to intercept the Doolittle raid they climbed per tactical doctrine to high altitude and did not make contact with the low-flying raiders).

Sheet RD72086 (above) contains markings in 1/72 scale for no less than 12 Ki-45 from seven units as follows:-

• Ki-45 Kai Tei c/n 4101 of Dokuritsu Hiko 25 Chutai at Liaoyang airfield, Manchuria in February 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey with individual aircraft name 'Tachibana'
• Ki-45 Kai Hei as flown by Sgt Yoshio Sakaguchi of 5th Sentai at Kyoshu airfield, Japan in April 1945 - in overall olive brown or black(ish) brown colour
• Ki-45 Kai Hei of 27th Sentai at Clark field, Philippines in August 1945 - in overall olive brown
• Ki-45 Kai Hei of Dokuritsu Hiko 25 Chutai at Shinkyo airfield, Manchuria in August 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey
• Ki-45 Kai Tei of 45th Sentai at Clark Field, Philippines in August 1945 - in overall olive brown
• Ki-45 Kai Tei as flown by Capt Totaro Ito of 5th Sentai at Kyoshu airfield, Japan in November 1944 - in overall olive brown or black(ish) brown colour with individual aircraft name 'Kuzuryu'. Ito was a Bukosho winner with claims for nine B-29s.
• Ki-45 Kai Tei of 53rd Sentai at Matsudo airfield, Japan in 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey; the white trim lines are included for the striking nose flash but the red will need to be carefully painted
• Ki-45 Kai Ko of Dokuritsu Hiko 84 Chutai at Canton, China, May-June 1942 - in a heavy green mottle over grey-green
• Ki45 Kai Ko of the Army Flight Test Centre at Fussa in January 1942 - an unarmed aircraft in overall grey-green 
• Ki-45 Kai Tei of 53rd Sentai at Matsudo airfield, Japan in February 1945 - in dark green mottle over grey

This sheet also includes partial markings for two more 53rd Sentai Toryu each bearing kill markings (adjusting the colour to better display the white markings the second 53rd insignia shown above appears near black but is cobalt blue on the decal sheet). Again an excellent sheet with some interesting and different subjects. The Hasegawa kit is recommended but the decals would probably work ok with the venerable Revell kit too. Regarding the two Dokuritsu Hiko 25 Chutai aircraft, the tail marking of the first subject, representing a stylised '25', was adopted from the beginning of 1945. Each aircraft was assigned an individual name and other names assigned were 武蔵 - Musashi, 桜 - Sakura, 伊予 - Iyo and 天竜 - Tenryu.  The tail marking of the second subject was designed by aircrew member Tsunetake Fujiki and adopted from the unit's establishment in August 1944 until the end of that year. The dual circles in the centre symbolised the '8' and '0's of the unit's coded designator - 'Manchuria Dai 800 Butai'. With the July 1944 2nd Air Army re-organisation this unit had been established as the 'Composite Twin-seat Fighter Squadron' under 15th Air Brigade HQ for the air defence of Anshan, until formally designated Dokuritsu Hiko 25 Chutai in August 1944. The unit also operated Ki-45 nightfighters in the overall black(ish) brown colour displaying the '25' unit insignia. The dual markings for this unit are especially welcomed by this reviewer. A Key Data Guide for Toryu colours is in preparation but has been delayed by  family commitments.

The Yokosuka K5Y1 'Willow' biplane trainer is catered for in 1/72 with a lovely set of markings (shown above) representing 'J-BCPQ' operated by the Kaigun Yobi Kokudan (海軍予備航空団 - Navy Reserve Air Group), a flying training unit for university students. The set is designed for either the AZ Models, Valom or Arii (ex-LS) kits and offers an attractive alternative to the usual Navy schemes for this type. The insignia is beautifully and crisply printed with the anchor design in metallic ink.
  

Last but not least is the AVI Models 1/72 scale Gasuden KR-1 kit (shown above), designed by Rising Models, which consists of the basic Fox Moth sprues with the addition of a replacement resin fuselage and crisply moulded seven part resin engine and prop. Kit decals by Rising offer a difficult choice between two very attractive examples - the silver doped and blue trimmed 'J-BBJI' operated by Nippon Koku Yuso Kenkyusho (Japan Air Transport Service) from 1935 to 1937 or a silver doped aircraft operated by the Manchukuo Kaijo Keisatsu Koku Butai (Maritime Police Air Unit) with the distinct Manchukuo roundels in six positions. The decal sheet is also by Rising and includes the blue fuselage trim for 'J-BBJI' although the wing leading and tailplane edge trim will need to be carefully painted. This neat kit should appeal to Japanese aircraft, civil aircraft and inter-war biplane enthusiasts.

With special thanks to Mirek of Rising Decals for kindly sending the review samples to Aviation of Japan.

Image credit: All images © 2019 Rising Decals