Tamiya 1/48 Nakajima KI84 'Hayate' (Frank) Diorama

[rodrant]

Third entry for the Rising Sun GB ...wonder if I will have the time to build all this

This one and my favourite build , a Fighter plane from IJA , the Nakajima Ki84 (Frank) , and a diorama , as I will build it depicting an airfield scene together with a Hasegawa kit , but the plane will be the main subject !

Not a Zero , but a Japanese Fighter that was considered one of the best (if not the best) Japanese fighters that saw action in WW2 , could be matched against any allied fighter and was capable of intercepting the B-29 Bombers ( in High Flying altitude )

Then the pictures of the kits that I will build :



This is a Tamiya 'oldie' , will see how it is going to be ...

The HAsegawa kit to do the diorama, the Izuzu TX40 Fuel truck , with some mechanics , fuel drums and some acessories ! Will be my first Hasegawa kit !

[SyntaxModels]

I'll watch this for sure mate

[planemaker]

Looks like a nice kit. Good luck with it.

[rodrant]

Thank you guys , so here it is my first update , showing the kits :

My idea for this build will be to depict a Japanese WWII Diorma , using a Japanese Army Plane , the Nakajima Ki84IA Frank and an Isuzu TX40 Fuel tank , with some figures that are on both kits and will see if I will add some more stuff .
So here are the pics of the kits :

The Plane , a Tamiya Kit 1/48 , seems an old kit from Tamiya :



The Box :



Two instruction sheets , one in Japanese, other in English ,

A Looong Sheet of instructions, rather different than the Tamiya ones that I am used to :



Very simple steps , actually there are only 6 steps plus painting !!!! Should be a quick build ( I hope !)



A bag with all the sprues :



Color scheme :

I will maybe use the Silver one as I'm a little tired of all the green Japanese planes , and should be something different ...



Decals :



Not too much sprues :



The Isuzu truck :



The box ( seems more filled than the Plane one :



Instructions ( should be my first Hasegawa kit , but the instructions seem nice ...





It is a car so no big deal

Sprues baged :



All the sprues:





So will start the build now , ot will be my firat build , but will interval with the other two planned for this SiG

Some facts on the 'Frank' :

in Wikipédia:

Role Fighter
Manufacturer Nakajima Aircraft Company
First flight March 1943
Retired 1945 (Japan)
Primary user Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
Number built 3,514
Variants Nakajima Ki-116

The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (キ84 疾風"Gale"?) was a single-seat fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Frank"; the Japanese Army designation was Army Type 4 Fighter (四式戦闘機 yon-shiki-sentō-ki?). Featuring excellent performance and high maneuverability, the Ki-84 was considered to be the best Japanese fighter to see large scale operations during World War II. It was able to match any Allied fighter, and to intercept the high-flying B-29 Superfortresses. Its powerful armament (that could include two 30 mm and two 20 mm cannon) increased its lethality. Though hampered by poor production quality in later models, a high-maintenance engine, a landing gear prone to buckle, and lack of experienced pilots above all else, Hayates proved to be fearsome opponents; a total of 3,514 were built.The Ki-84 was the fastest fighter in the Imperial Japanese military if good fuel was used and the aircraft was in a good shape.

Design and development
Design of the Ki-84 commenced in early 1942 to meet an Imperial Japanese Army Air Service requirement for a replacement to Nakajima's own, earlier Ki-43 Oscar fighter, then just entering service. The specification recognized the need to combine the maneuverability of the Ki-43 with performance to match the best western fighters and heavy firepower. The Ki-84 first flew in March 1943. Deliveries from Nakajima's Ota factory commenced in April 1943 Although the design itself was solid, the shortage of fuel and construction materials, poor production quality, and lack of skilled pilots prevented the fighter from reaching its potential.

The Ki-84 addressed the most common complaints about the popular and highly maneuverable Ki-43: insufficient firepower, poor defensive armor, and lack of climbing speed. The Ki-84 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, except for the fabric-covered control surfaces. It had retractable tailwheel landing gear.[8] Armament comprised two fuselage-mounted, synchronized 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine guns and two wing-mounted 20 mm cannon, a considerable improvement over the two 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine guns used in the Hayabusa. Defensive armor offered Hayate pilots better protection than the unsealed wing tanks and light-alloy airframe of the Ki-43. In addition, the Ki-84 used a 65 mm (2.56 in) armor-glass canopy, 13 mm (.51 in) of head and back armor, and multiple bulkheads in the fuselage, which protected both the methanol-water tank (used to increase the effectiveness of the supercharger) and the centrally located fuel tank.

It was the Nakajima Ha-45 radial powerplant that gave the Hayate its high speed and prowess in combat. Derived from the Homare engine common to many Japanese aircraft, the Hayate used a direct-injection version of the engine, using water injection to aid the supercharger in giving the Ki-84 a rated 1,491 kW (2,000 hp) at takeoff. This combination theoretically gave it a climb rate and top speed roughly competitive with the top Allied fighters. Initial Hayate testing at Tachikawa in early summer 1943 saw test pilot Lieutenant Funabashi reach a maximum level airspeed of 624 km/h (387 mph) in the second prototype. After the war, a late-production, captured example was tested in the US with high octane fuel, and achieved a speed of 687 km/h (426 mph).

The complicated direct-injection engine required a great deal of care in construction and maintenance and, as the Allies advanced toward the Japanese homeland, it became increasingly difficult to support the type's designed performance. Compounding reliability problems were the Allied submarine blockade which prevented delivery of crucial components, such as the landing gear. Many further landing gear units were compromised by the poor-quality heat treatment of late-war Japanese steel. Many Hayates consequently suffered strut collapses on landing. Further damage was caused by inadequately trained late war pilots.

Operational service
The first major operational involvement was during the battle of Leyte at the end of 1944, and from that moment until the end of the Pacific war the Ki-84 was deployed wherever the action was intense.[8] The 22nd Sentai re-equipped with production Hayates. Though it lacked sufficient high-altitude performance, it performed well at medium and low levels. Seeing action against the USAAF 14th Air Force, it quickly gained a reputation as a fighter to be reckoned with. Fighter-bomber models also entered service. On April 15, 1945, 11 Hayates attacked US airfields on Okinawa, destroying many aircraft on the ground.

The IJAAF's Ki-84, Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Ki-100, and the Kawanishi Aircraft Company's N1K2-J IJNAF naval fighter were the three Japanese fighters best suited to combat the newer Allied fighters.

Camouflage and markings
The Ki-84 is known to have appeared in three Japanese Ministry of Munitions sanctioned camouflage schemes;

Type N: The entire airframe was left in its original natural metal. Because of the different grades of alloy used for various panels, the overall finish soon weathered or oxidized to a pale metallic grey, with variations in shade and texture, depending on the grade of duralumin used for each area of skin. A black "anti-glare" panel was painted on the top forward fuselage and engine cowling (see photo of 73 Hiko-Sentai aircraft).

Type B: Irregular blotches or stripes of dark green on the basic natural metal scheme. This was applied once the aircraft reached its operational base. On occasion the edges of national (hinomaru) and Sentai markings were accidentally covered.

Type S: Three variations were seen on Ki-84s; S1 – Dark green upper surfaces, with light gray/green lower surfaces. S2 – The light gray/green on the lower surfaces was replaced by a pale blue/gray. These colors were often applied on an unprimed airframe; because of this and the poor adhesion of Japanese paints in the later years of the war this scheme often weathered quickly, with large patches of natural metal being visible (see photo of 85 Hiko-Sentai Ki-84 on a Korean base). S10 – The upper surfaces were left in a red/brown primer with the under surfaces in natural metal. The black anti-glare panel was optional.

Other schemes were applied, particularly by the Shinbu-Tai "Special Attack" units. For example, a Ki-84 of 57 Shinbu-Tai, flown by Corporal Takano, had very dark brown-green upper surfaces (some sources state black), with a large red "arrow" outlined in white painted along the entire length of the fuselage and engine cowling. White Kana characters "hitt-chin" (be sure to sink) were painted above the arrow on the rear fuselage. The under surfaces were light gray.

Factory applied markings included six hinomaru (national insignia), outlined with a 75 mm (2.95 in) white border on camouflaged aircraft, on either side of the rear fuselage and on the upper and lower outer wings. Yellow/orange identification strips were applied to the leading edges of wings, extending from the roots to ⅓ of the wingspan.

Some Photos :

[rodrant]

SO -Update 1 on this build , will start on the plane :

Instructions ...a surprise to me , even when I build the NAkajima 'Rufe' I had some similar instructions , old fashion ...and no really vey helpfull on the colors , only mention that you need to paint yellow , no color code ... but they are clear ( at least to me ...)



I thought to do the all aluminium color scheme , but still I didn't see a 'Speacial Attack Force' based n Okinawa with a very nice Skull and bones color scheme ...guess that was an Kamikaze unit ...don't know , but I like the Skull and bones in the tail , but this will be IJA Dark green color , and maybe will try to do some Chipping on it making it a very used Japanese fighter ...will decide when I start to paint ...the aluminium one is also nice as we didn't see that much all aluminium japanese models ....





about 6 steps in the build instructions ...









The complete kit Photo :



Some side instructions to read before build









First sprues and off we go to the first year build !



Already start painting cockpit floor with Chrome Silver



Fuselages off sanded and ready to paint the interior , some flash here and there , and a kind of soft plastic on this Tamiya kit , still some nice details for the kit age .

Start painting interiors , used mettalic blue for cockpit sides as read in instructions



Some nice cockpit detail in fuselages , not a high detailed kit and nothing similar to some of the new Tamiya kits



Close your eyes , now with some 'Flash'







Painted interior of Engine Bay Flat Black



Engine (?) ready , painted and waiting for some dirty wash !



Cockpit ready , I'm really disapointee with it ... no detail , seems really one of the old 1/72 Airfix kits that I used to do ...no aftermarket this time , but maybe it will be an option if I make some other 'Frank' in the future





Engine weathered with some Oil, grease and stain from MiG



looks nice I think



All the stuff ready for assembly ...do not notice the green paint in the fuselage , It wont be noticed and I was trying to experiment some of the new Paint set from AK , it is the nakajima interior green ...but will not use it on this one ...

the fuselage cockpit was coated with some clear and make some interior wash with AK streaking grime ...









The instuments panels is cut in half in each side of the fuselage ....



Cut the instruments panel decals , see the middle section , we should cut it in Half and place half decal on each side of the panels ... , will follow the instructions as I really can't think of a better way to do it , knowing that could be a BIG issue ...let's see how it goes :



Done of one side ...



Done on the other side :



Next Putting fuselage togheter, wings and ytail wings , and almost ready for primer and painting ...an easy build , not a good kit , but for the purpose of a diorama could be that in the end will be a nice looking bird ...let's hope so ....

thank you for watching ! Feel free to comment !

[Les]

A nice start to your diorama. I would be nervous having to cut the control panel decal in half; it appears you did a great job! Looking forward to your next update.

[rodrant]

A nice start to your diorama. I would be nervous having to cut the control panel decal in half; it appears you did a great job! Looking forward to your next update.

I understand your point Les , to me it was a first ...a little bit stupid technique this one must say , but as the kit is from 1972 , so ...

Thank you for comment Les , Glad to see you around

[rodrant]

More update done last night ...

The build is going fast ...I'm not very enthusiastic with this kit , I glue the lower and upper wings , tail wings , the fit is nice , still some putty to be used :



Paint the wheel bay before the primer to be apllied ...



Putty everywhere ...





Sanded and try to 'close' all breaches :





Some scribbing done in some panels and off we go to the primer ...yes I know , I forgot to show you the 'nice ' instrument panel , will show you after the painting phase of the fuselage as already masked the cockpit ...

[rodrant]

Update 3 on this Diorama build ...

Plane was primed with Tamiya Grey Primer Spray and then all was painted with AS12 Aluminium , also in Spray from Tamiya ;

Then and I must Paint an anti-reflextion strip on the upper part of the plane nose , I decided to make here some experiment and use and before to paint in Flat Black , to put here and there sme Maskol spots , the idea is to give that weathered and very used look in JApanese Plans , as I decided for the all aluminium color scheme , this will be a diferentiation in the build :



The result and after painted was quite good and I like this effect , will use it again to do this effect ...



ohhh , as promised some lokk inside the cockpit :



It's nice , but If I know and look right to the kit I would option to try to get some After MArket Resin cockpit , think there is , but ok , on with the build , in the end is not so bad ...

Yellow wing stripes ( they must be painted , no decals here ....) and this was difficult to paint , use Tamiya Flat Yellow XF- 3 , and a big 'gap' in the wing... , but now will go like this ...and fixed the wing cannons , also these are very poor in detail , really a kit from the 70's ...how lucky we are modelling in our days mates with all the fantastic kits avaiable

Painted the motor exahusts with Mr Hobby Dark Iron Mettalic color , I like a lot the effect of this paints ...

Also painted some panels of the plane in some more aluminium color from Mr Hobby Mettalic , to not to have a monotone aluminium all over , used also here and there Chromo Silver in wings panels :







Propeller ready :

Painted chrome Silver , Green in front side:



Red Brown in the back side ...it was in instructions like this so I followed it , the Zero's I built all were flat black ...well it is nice to see some differentiation so :

Propeller fited (no glue ...nice fit !) , Propeller spinner painted XF-7 Flat Red Tamiya





Meanhwile I started the other build for this diorama, the Isuzu XF40 truck ...first hasegawa kit to me ...let's see how it goes :

Instructions :





So let's start with this little truck :

first front and rear suspensions ...



done ...the fit is nice , no flash at all and alreay finish step 3 , engine and muffler instalation :





Cockpit assembly



all ready , I painted the interior using JGSDF Tamiya XF-72 , actually it will be the collor I will use for the external also ...in the instructions a mix of colors is advised , but I'm not very nice mixing the colors and I believe that this color could be nice and also adequate for Japanese WW2 truck , even it is from modern Japan ...



The seat was painted X-9 Brown , it gives a nice look of leather ...

Put the first decal (instruments panel ) and assembly all the cockpit :











Will give him now wash and some dust pigments in it

See you in next update , now with the 'Frank' already built , and looking to finish the small truck







still with some blu-tac from the 'painting stand' (old brush , I mean.... )

[rodrant]

Some more done on this build :

Some weathering done before the first coat of Tamiya TS-13 Clear ...

Some Soot on the exhausts and guns and used some pastels to make some scratches in the plane surface ...







On the Propeler blades also :







One last adition ...I make a Safety belt of some Tamiya masking tape and painted green , It was a little odd to not have a belt in the cockpit ...



Already All decals placed ....Very Glossy Decals ...again If I had the time and planned this build on other way the Hinomarus would be painted ....They are so thick that on the port panel there is an access panel (one of the few that have a proper detail ) and this now is under a Big Red Hinomaru Thick Decal...used Mr ~Softner on it , but I guess that will be no miracles :

Already placed the pitot tube and anthena mast , and now one more coat of TS-13 and some weather with some Ultimate Dark Wash ...

[Paul]

Nice work, looking good so far

[SkEeZicks]

Looking good so far. It's definitely a simple, older kit but it's turning out pretty good. I need to get started on mine.

[SyntaxModels]

Quick progress here mate! Looking good so far, watching for that truck and dio done!

[rodrant]

Another small update ...and thank you for your comments !

The 'Frank' is ready now ...I use Ultimate DArk Dirt wash on it , applied it and let it dry overnight ...



The plane do not really have much panel detail , maybe I should have maked some 'scribbing' , but do not fell very comfortable doing it , but I like the way the plane turn to :



I added the cockpit window ...and the wing lamp ...





Not that bad ....





Some archive photo ...



Ok , still need to put the atena wire ...leave this for late finish on the diorama phase .

Now the little Isuzu truck ...I must confess you that I'm getting some new challenges on this , the fact is that I know how I must build and paint a plane ( sometimes ... ) , also I enjoy building armor ... at least the ones build so far , now this little truck is a challenge ...I prefer to build all , and mask the windows and prime the all thing ...don't think it will be a good process now , but this is what I did :

Some interesting stuff...this was used by IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) and IJA (Imperial Japanese Army) , and you get the option to build one or another version ...the differences ...the color ...seems that IJA is a brown sort off color and the NAvy a bluish color , and the small logo in the front of the radiator ...an anchor for the navy , a star for the army ...so I will go for the star ...must drill a small hole on the radiator , not easy as ther ethe drill 'slips' a lot ...but made it :



also the headlights are in place ...



I covered not the cabin ...the cover should be colored a tan color , will use XF-60 or even the Buff color from Tamiya ...will decide when painting it ..

Now this could be my first mistake on the build ...let's see if all goes well :



The door should be open...oh boy I painted already the interior ...and not so easy step in instructions , carefull and read properly the instructins as you should take care if the door is closed or open in order to remove some excess plastic on the window frame .





Then easy on the go ...rear structure :



Done easy , very nice fit in this kit !



I now masked the windows with Maskol and closed the door.

Already the Tank was placed





And now for the Priming ...I prefered not to place the wheels until all painted , will paint the wheels in the Color chosen and later Rubber and place them on the truck ...will prime it with the AK interactive Sand primer ...will see how it goes , my compressor is not working that well and already buy a new one , see you in my next thread fellow modellers !

[planemaker]

Wow! That was fast! Awesome work, Antonio! Great looking plane.

[gosselin2112]

I like the theme of your diorama. Lots of stuff to look at. Your build is going well and I look forward to seeing your progress.

[SyntaxModels]

Wowsos!

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rodrant]

So , next update ...mostly done some days ago and today , the weather here in Portugal isn't that good for walking , great for modelling

This is my last updates and will show you today the Final Reveal on the Diorama ...

So We left this build on going to Prime the IsuZu truck ...

Used AK Interactive Sand Primer ....it worked ok , but really my compressor ... the truck primed :







Then used this Vallejo Burnt Siena to make a 'sort' of Pre-shading ...if we can call this a pre-shading , still something that I can't do properly



Then Painted the truck using Tamiya XF-72 JGSDF Brown ...worked ok I think , as It was the color that I thought to achieve when doing the truck







Meanwhile , I was creating the diorama base ...

A Photo frame for the base ( always my option ...) a Tamiya Grass matt , then removed some areas with the modelling knife and try to do some spots with mud and dust ...used AK Interactive pigments and ename effects



the flag is from Reality in scale , used a stick of wood made from a keebab , cutted and wash it with AK Interactive Wash for wood , then the rope is made from some cord that I found in some old stuff , it is nice ...the Flag are in cotton and to achive the result of ondolating in the wind I glue it to some pils blister and after glued twist it to become with that form ...( This was in the instructions in the Reality in Scale Flags ) , nice ones







Ok back to the truck and stufff, you see in the diorama base that already there were some of the wood 'brakes' for the wheels , sorry do not know the name in English of that stuff

The truck now should be painted in the cabin cover , I choose Tamiya Wooden Deck Tan as the color ...



Still also need to paint the Fire extinguisher and the Tools case , also the drums must be done , but not very much to do and show you guys



So I painted the cabin cover by Brush ...





Painted the small star in front with X-12 Gold Leaf and the headlights interior with X-11 Chrome Silver



Tires are now painted and glued on site , looking as a truck now !





Fire Extinguisher built and painted ...







Time to go on the figures ...the Pilot :



Mechanics and tool box :



Some weathering done after a Tamiya TS-13 Clear Sprayed

Used some AK Interactive Querosene stains in the top of the fuel tank , and Tamiya Dark Brown Panel for general detail ...





Decals ..only two ...rear license plate , choose this one



And this in the front window ...maybe is the tax stamp , also we have this here in Portugal , the Japanese army also must pay their taxes ..really do not know what is this decal stands for ...



The figures ready , painted and also the tool box built ...



Ok ....a great job to do next ...must place some decal ( that piece of blue paper , I place an Humbrol brush so you to see the size , so this decal must be placed in the hat of the littel fellow ...it is a star ( for the IJA...also we have the option of a veeeerrrrryyy small anchor for IJN) , my eyes really aren't what they used too and for this we need to get a microscopic so to place the decal , but I did it ...maybe the best option is to paint a small golden dot in the hats ....less work and maybe a better result !



Ok , then you may find the final reveal of this build here :

http://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.php?f=331&t=10862

Thank you for watching and for your nice comments on this build !

[wappynutter]

.....and another entry... Wow!!
Now i spotted this build a short while back and thought i had already commented..... But I hadn't.
Sorry...
You have done a fantastic job on the fuel truck, figures and plane..... And a dio base...
Just the way I would have approached this too!
Well done buddy, you have generated another awesome thread I nearly missed....
Looking forward to seeing all these build threads in the final reveal mate... Good luck...