1/48 Kawasaki Ki-61-I Hien

Gallery Article by Wong, Ryan on May 1 2013

 

 

This is a Hasegawa kit. The decals had yellowed, so my only option is to mask and paint the markings.  I also added self-made seat belts using masking tape and copper wire.  It may not look realistic, but it does add some level of details to the rather boring plain looking seat.

 

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This aircraft has a silver and green “spot” camouflage.  As usual, Mr Surfacer was applied as the primer.  I let it dry and cure for 2 days before I proceeded with the masking process for the aircraft markings. 

Normally, for shiny silver finishes, I will apply a coat of black paint.  As silver on Japanese aircraft was not shiny, after the masking and painting of the markings, I just sprayed the silver on top of the primer. 

Next are the green spots … a mixture of IJA Green and two drops of black.  It is applied randomly in terms of size and location.  Once done, the masking is removed, and a layer of Future is sprayed.  Once fully cured, I use the Oil Paint method to blend in the colors.  Just “dot” the model with various oil colors, and once done, use a Flat Brush dipped in thinner, and brush on.  I let it air-dry for a day before adding another layer of Future.  After leaving it a day to dry, I add further weathering with MIG washes.  A final layer of Matt Clear was air brushed on to seal everything.  Some pastel chalks were added to add further weathered look.

Overall, this is a very nice and trouble free kit.

Wong, Ryan

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Photos and text © by Wong, Ryan