Subject: Re: ARC Submission Hasegawa Ki-61
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Chip Berseth" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:22:43 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chip Berseth 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 2:25 AM
  Subject: ARC Submission Hasegawa Ki-61

  1/48 Hasegawa Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hein"

  by Chip Berseth
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  While riding out a recent wave of "building fever", I plundered the kit stash to bring this beauty to life. Hasegawa certainly has a fine offering with this kit, as the only fit problems that I encountered were in the wing root area. Nothing that a little putty and acetone couldn't  take care of  in an evening.  This kit was built straight out of the box as I can't afford expensive after market parts (I'm a broke college student, what more can I say?). The aircraft was painted with Testors Silver as I wasn't feeling too adventurous in the metallic finishes category. 

  Click on images below to see larger images

         Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg   Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg  

  The decals were okay to say the least. The wing insignia (meatballs) shriveled quite a bit when I applied setting solution to them. I have noticed with this kit, and also my B7A Grace that Hasegawa meatballs are prone to shriveling up for some reason. The panel lines were done using a method that I actually came up with myself. Using acrylic paint that you would paint ceramics with, I applied it to the panel line. Working with just a few lines at a time I let it dry. Then I went over it lightly with a moist (not soaking) cotton swab. It takes a couple tries but eventually it comes. As always, practice makes perfect. I then sealed her up with some Future and added a stretched sprue antenna painted with a permanent marker. 

  All in all, it was a very satisfying build. The minor fit problems that I experienced around the wing root area could of totally been my fault and nothing to do with Hasegawa moldings. But even that little setback was quickly overlooked when the finished aircraft rolled off the work table and onto the shelf. 

        oto 02.jpg here  

  Photos and text © by Chip Berseth