Arma Hobby has announced the release of a new tool Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa 'Oscar' kit in 1/72 scale, expected to become available in November. Two of the expected sprue frames are shown below.
These suggest that both the outward facing and thrust exhaust pipes are included. The cowling appears to be multi part although the front rim and engine parts are not revealed. Initial markings options included in the kit are for three subjects as shown below.
1. Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa of 3rd Chutai, Hiko Dai 59 Sentai, New Guinea 1943-44. Presumed to have been flown by the Chutai leader Capt Kenjiro Kobayashi
2. Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa of 3rd Churai, Hiko Dai 54 Sentai, attributed to the Chutai leader Capt Hisashi Koshiishi, Paramushir, Kuriles 1944. (More on 54's wandering Chutai colours to follow!)
3, Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa training aircraft of Hiko Dai 71 Sentai Hofu Airfield, Japan, late 1944. This unit was Hayate equipped but used the Hayabusa for training purposes during work up. The reference photo and caption for this aircraft in Model Art No.395 suggest that the Homeland Defence 'bandages' might have been overpainted.
Some renders from Arma Hobby are shown below.
Cowl flaps are shown open in these images but hopefully closed version parts will also be included. A new state of the art Hayabusa kit in this scale is welcome and surely a 1/48 scale release must follow (!). The clean cut 1/72 Hasegawa kit is now 42 years old and has the dreaded raised panel line detail whilst the Special Hobby kit is now 15 years old and attracts a mixed reception.
With thanks to Zbigniew Malicki and Arma Hobby for these previews.
Image credit: All © 2024 Arma Hobby.
11 comments:
Yessss!!! Finally it will fill a big gap, the Hasegawa one as nice as it is is now old and has raised panels, Special Hobby is a nightmare for his brainless fit, if they also will upscale it in 48 it will be great.
I sure will take a couple of boxes on day zero, the first will almost certainly be that of the 54th Sentai.
Thanks Nick for the news
No anonymous comments please!
Sorry Nick, it's me, i don't know why my comment was published as anonimus
Thanks!
Hi Nick,
Very nice!! I am sharing this with my friends that build in 1/72. It looks like very good.
Thanks,
Guillermo
This is great news no doubt however I wish they started with Ki-43-I. And hope that 1/48 version is coming soon. FM kit has grown really old.
Hooray and Hallelujah ! ...a new tool, Peregrine Falcon, is coming to ya...it's been too a long wait for such a significant aircraft in the "One True Scale"
Thanks to Mr. Malicki and the brain trust at Arma Hobby (can't wait for variants) and to Mr.Nick for breaking the news !
Thank you very much for the heads up, Nick. Great news to re-trigger my interest in all things plastic. I do hope for more variants, like Arma Hobby did with the Hurricane.
Great news for the 1/72 guys but also for Japanese aircraft enthusiasts in general. From what I have seen of the AH Ki-84, this will be a popular kit among "us" and the general modeling public. I do hope some more releases with Chinese and New Guinea theatre Sentai. Thanks for sharing the news, Nick.
Wonderful news from Arma. Their 1/48 Hurricanes are superb to build, and will be starting the P-39Q soon as well.
So happy that I kept delaying my idea to kitbash the FM and Hasegawa kits!
Thanks for sharing this great news, Nick!
Dan
Thanks for this welcome news Nick. Great news for divine scale builders. It will be great to see it on thes sprues, and on model show tables before long And here's another fond hope that Arma's research will result in a 1/48 rendition as well. The Hayabusa family has not been as well served as many other types. I agree with Mario, the FM 1/48 deserves a modern-day successor.
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