This latest release from Lifelike Decals decal sheet features six different Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighters.  This is Part 2 of  a series dealing with the Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighters in Japanese markings from January of 1940 to the summer of 1943. 

The first plane is a Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighter (probably) of some training units in Manchuria, Time and location unknown.  This aircraft might have been assigned to the 28th Fighter Training Unit which was located at Shimen AB in northern China in the summer of 1944.  The colours for this plane is Dark Green on the upper surfaces and grey on the lower surfaces with no white fuselage band.  The leading edges of the wings are yellow and will need to be painted.  Markings include a large black horse on a yellow circles on the tail.  The Hinomarus on the fuselage have a white outline.  

The second plane is a Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighter (s/n 5362) flown by M. Sgt. Totaro Ito, 5th Sentai 3rd Chutai, Kashiwa AB in Chiba Pref. at the end of 1940.  The overall colour for this plane is a "greenish gray" (gray color with slight green tint, and is slightly lighter than RLM 02 color).  Markings include 2 yellow diagonal stripes (included as decals) on the sides of the tail.  M. Sgt. Totaro Ito continued to fight with the 5th Sentai with a  final score of more than 13 big bombers and survived the war.   

The fourth plane is a Ki-27 Kou Type 97 Fighter of the 10th Independent Chutai, Taiyan A/B in northern china in 1929 and 1930.  The overall colour for this plane is a "greenish gray" (gray color with slight green tint, and is slightly lighter than RLM 02 color) with a black tail.  Markings include a narrow black as well as a narrow white fuselage band.  A paper template is provided to assist in painting the tail.

The fifth plane is a Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighter with the 50th Sentai, 3rd Chutai (Hoshi Hikoutai), Clark AB in the Philippines in January of 1942.  The overall colour for this plane is a "greenish gray" (gray color with slight green tint, and is slightly lighter than RLM 02 color).  Markings include a long yellow lightning bolt with a black outline across the tail and the rear half of the fuselage as well as a large red star on the tail.  This lightning bolts demotes 3rd Chutai of 50th sentai and the central red star on the tail was designed for Colonel Komataro Hoshi, the commander of the 14th Army Air Division, to which Chutai belonged.    

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