Michael Thurow has kindly shared images and details of another of his excellently built and improved classic Otaki 1/48 kits, this time the bubbletop Kawasaki Ki-100. Over to Michael then.
Celebrating Otaki's Ki-100
by Michael Thurow
Did I mention that I enjoy exploiting vintage kits? Otaki are among my favourites, motivated in some way by the considerable number of Japanese models which I bought in the seventies and eighties when only a few brands were available. Another, more heroic reason is my penchant for challenging projects. And so I've started a decade ago to refurbish antiques that I built in those years, like the Ki-61-I Hei of my last post here.
This Ki-100-I Otsu from 1974, however, comes from my stash of 'new' kits. As it happened I acquired it twice, the second one around 1995, as an Arii relaunch. I was misbelieving that the one in my possession was a Ki-100-I Ko with the high-back fuselage. Now I had a couple of outdated kits (I wished one at least were from Hasegawa), so latterly I decided to take them on. It proved to be an unwarranted providence that I had two of those kits!
My subject is a Go shiki sentoki of the 111th Hiko Sentai established at the Akeno Training Air Division, so enticingly portrayed in Nick's 'Ki-61 and Ki-100 Aces'. It's possibly c/n 16280 flown by Lt Mamoru Tatsuda of the 2nd Daitai.
Like all kits, Otaki products have good and bad features, and this is exactly the case with this one. Overall dimensions are accurate, and their classic rendition of engraved panel lines and rivets appears to be more or less in the right place. Some proportions of the fuselage are miscarried, however, as are the nose profile and the wheel wells. This is where my duplicate kit comes in. The next picture indicates some modifications - for those with an asterisk* I cannibalised secondary parts.
For other areas I used aftermarket items to upgrade the model (engine, cockpit, wing racks, landing flaps, gear doors, canopy) ...
... and added a few scratch improvements like the wing roots, wheel wells and landing light.
Not only were the various modifications quite demanding but also the complex tail markings which are largely home-made. I struggled with the Sora iro Blue # 34 as described by Nick. Finally I resorted to Tamiya X-14 Sky Blue which I toned down with a thin medium grey overspray. For Olive-brown # 7 Colourcoats ACJ22 Ohryoku nana go shoku is an excellent choice. It has a rich volume and covers and dilutes very well.
I hope my efforts make this classic kit look 40 years younger (I wish it were true for me, too...)
Michael
References
KAWASAKI ARMY TYPE 5 FIGHTER, FAMOUS AIRPLANES OF THE WORLD NO.23, TOKYO, 1990
KAWASAKI ARMY TYPE 3 "HIEN" & TYPE 5 FIGHTER, MECHANIC OF WORLD AIRCRAFT 2, JAPAN, 1994
I.J. ARMY KAWASAKI TYPE 3 & 5 FIGHTER, MODEL ART NO.428, TOKYO, 1994
JAPANESE AIRCRAFT INTERIORS 1940-1945, ROBERT C. MIKESH, MONOGRAM AVIATION PUBLICATIONS, STURBRIDGE 2000 KAWASAKI KI-100 GOSHIKI-SEN, AERO DETAIL 32, GIUSEPPE PICARELLA, TOKYO, 2009
KAWASAKI KI-61 HIEN / KI-100, KAGERO MONOGRAPH 18, LESZEK A. WIELICZKO, LUBLIN, 2014
KI-61 AND KI-100 ACES, NICHOLAS MILLMAN, OXFORD, 2015
With special thanks to Michael for providing this article and images of his build.
Image credit: Article box art by Rikyu Watanabe © 1980 Otaki Model Toy Mfg Co.; All model photos © 2023 Michael Thurow; Ki-100 photo via author's article
11 comments:
really a great job on this old kit, and the most beautiful among the camouflage options for the Goshikisen imho.
You did a great job on the engine and interior. I share your interest in those Otaki kits. Thanks Michael for giving us a peak at a masterful build and thanks Nick, again, for posting!
Absolutely Brilliant workmanship on display by Mr.Thurow..
Excellent modifications along with creative and inspiring diorama and photography... Well Done, Michael and Nick !
An outstanding result for so old kit! Thanks Nick and Michael for the excellent example of so masterful job.
Beautiful work, Michael. I initially thought it was the Hasegawa kit, but it's wonderful seeing the Otaki kits being built to such a high standard.
Dan
Michael, this is a wunderful model, with all your modifications.
I wish I had the same info in long forgotten years, when I build my model.
However, I did the conversion to a Ki-100 Ko model.
Have a look at 24 June 2014, there you find my model.
May be interesting to compere your ecxellent model with it.
John Haas
Hi John
Thank you for the reminder of your splendid Otaki Ki-100 conversion:-
http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2014/06/otaki-148th-scale-ki-100-ko-by-john-haas.html
Regards
Nick
Thank you all for your kind comments.
Your Ki-100-I Ko looks fabulous John! I like your final statement in that post and agree 100%. I don't remember when I built my last model OOB, maybe in 1993.
Remarkable resuscitation of a retro replica Mr. Thurow.:)
This one is really special, Michael. Great craftmanship throughout. It has the look of one of those projects where everything comes together just as the builder hopes. The markings are exceptionally well done, and the cockpit as well. And I love the composited photo that closes the piece.
Thank you Nick, for hosting and formatting this so we could see it.
This is just another example of the potential waiting to be released from these "ahead of their time" Otaki kits. Like many here I have this one in my stash waiting for someone far less talented to (Me!) to enjoy building the diamond that is the Otaki Ki-100. The work you did Michael is exceptional. The interior is just stunning.Thanks to you for the build and to our friend Nick for presenting this beautiful Ki-100.
William
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