In Box Review of Tamiya 1/48th Scale
Japanese Nakajima ki-84-IA Hayate "Frank"
Kit no. MA-113
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1973
Available in the 2016 reboxing, kit no. 61116, at Kit Linx for $41.59 or at Sprue Bros. for $41.99 and at 10 overseas sites on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1973
Available in the 2016 reboxing, kit no. 61116, at Kit Linx for $41.59 or at Sprue Bros. for $41.99 and at 10 overseas sites on the web.
HISTORY:
A plane which since July 1942 had been designed and manufactured by the Nakajima Aircraft Mfg. Company for trial under the name Ki-84. It was officially adopted in April 1944 by the Army as the Fighter Type 4 "Hayate" and the mass production was started.
The number of the Hayates produced by the end of WWII totalled about 3,500, which ranks next to that of the Zero and the Hayabusa, but is the largest in Japanese aircraft history in view of the number produced in about a year.
The performance of the Hayate was equal to or higher than that of the Allied fighters in those days. This was the first fighter worthy of the name having excellent speed (climbing ability), firepower and manoeuvrability that became available to the Army.
Those days when Japan feared she might lose the command of the air even over Japan proper,the Hayate called "the defensive fighter to turn the fate of the Greater East Asia" was accepted by fighter units with hopes as a new fighter to beat enemy combat planes.
It made its first campaign over Central China as a member of the 22nd Air Flotilla. As the main-strength of the Japanese Army, it later showed activity against overwhelming American planes in the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines and the Battle of Okinawa.
Many were used as bomb-laden suicide attack planes to smash bodily into the enemy. The Hayate also bravely intercepted B-29 bombers and ship-planes of U.S. Task Forces invading Japan proper.
The Allies' pilots had an extreme horror of the Japanese fighter and called it "Frank". The Hayate had a maximum speed of 624 km/h, which was higher than that of any other fighter of Japan.
The high speed was much due to the excellent performance of the Nakajima HA-45 engine that was employed. The engine had take-off output of 2,000 hp and was 1,180 mm in maximum diameter, i.e. output per unit front area was 1.83 hp/sq. cm., which was remarkably high for an air-cooled engine.
Thus the engine was ideal for a fighter that was expected to fly faster. A large number of the HA-45 engines were also mounted on the Navy's famous high-speed reconnaissance planes such as the Saiun and the Shidenkai.
Many of the engines produced towards the end of the war, however, did not show such high performance as originally designed because of the shortage of materials and lowered working technique.
Consequently, the Hayate's working ratio and flying performance were extremely lowered and the fighter could not display its ability in full. The bad condition of the engines also resulted from the fact that the octane rating of fuel was lowered towards the end of the war.
When the Hayate, using fuel of 140 octane rating and high-quality ignition plugs was tested in the United States after the war, it made a record of a maximum speed of 689 km/h, and was praised as "the best one of all Japanese fighters that appeared in the Pacific War.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Length: 9.92m
Width: 11.238m
Weight: 2,698 kg (tare), 3,890 kg (including regular equipment)
Engine: Air-cooled HA-45 engine of Hoshi Type, 18 cylinder, (nominal output): 1,780 hp/6,200 rpm
Max speed: 624 km/h (6,500 m)
Cruising range: 2,168 km/3,868 kg (a reserve fuel tank carried)
Armament: Two 12.7 mm HO-103 machine guns (fuselage), Two 20 mm HO-5 machine guns (main wings), Two 30 -250 kg bombs.
A plane which since July 1942 had been designed and manufactured by the Nakajima Aircraft Mfg. Company for trial under the name Ki-84. It was officially adopted in April 1944 by the Army as the Fighter Type 4 "Hayate" and the mass production was started.
The number of the Hayates produced by the end of WWII totalled about 3,500, which ranks next to that of the Zero and the Hayabusa, but is the largest in Japanese aircraft history in view of the number produced in about a year.
The performance of the Hayate was equal to or higher than that of the Allied fighters in those days. This was the first fighter worthy of the name having excellent speed (climbing ability), firepower and manoeuvrability that became available to the Army.
Those days when Japan feared she might lose the command of the air even over Japan proper,the Hayate called "the defensive fighter to turn the fate of the Greater East Asia" was accepted by fighter units with hopes as a new fighter to beat enemy combat planes.
It made its first campaign over Central China as a member of the 22nd Air Flotilla. As the main-strength of the Japanese Army, it later showed activity against overwhelming American planes in the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines and the Battle of Okinawa.
Many were used as bomb-laden suicide attack planes to smash bodily into the enemy. The Hayate also bravely intercepted B-29 bombers and ship-planes of U.S. Task Forces invading Japan proper.
The Allies' pilots had an extreme horror of the Japanese fighter and called it "Frank". The Hayate had a maximum speed of 624 km/h, which was higher than that of any other fighter of Japan.
The high speed was much due to the excellent performance of the Nakajima HA-45 engine that was employed. The engine had take-off output of 2,000 hp and was 1,180 mm in maximum diameter, i.e. output per unit front area was 1.83 hp/sq. cm., which was remarkably high for an air-cooled engine.
Thus the engine was ideal for a fighter that was expected to fly faster. A large number of the HA-45 engines were also mounted on the Navy's famous high-speed reconnaissance planes such as the Saiun and the Shidenkai.
Many of the engines produced towards the end of the war, however, did not show such high performance as originally designed because of the shortage of materials and lowered working technique.
Consequently, the Hayate's working ratio and flying performance were extremely lowered and the fighter could not display its ability in full. The bad condition of the engines also resulted from the fact that the octane rating of fuel was lowered towards the end of the war.
When the Hayate, using fuel of 140 octane rating and high-quality ignition plugs was tested in the United States after the war, it made a record of a maximum speed of 689 km/h, and was praised as "the best one of all Japanese fighters that appeared in the Pacific War.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Length: 9.92m
Width: 11.238m
Weight: 2,698 kg (tare), 3,890 kg (including regular equipment)
Engine: Air-cooled HA-45 engine of Hoshi Type, 18 cylinder, (nominal output): 1,780 hp/6,200 rpm
Max speed: 624 km/h (6,500 m)
Cruising range: 2,168 km/3,868 kg (a reserve fuel tank carried)
Armament: Two 12.7 mm HO-103 machine guns (fuselage), Two 20 mm HO-5 machine guns (main wings), Two 30 -250 kg bombs.
THE KIT:
Tamiya is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows 2 "Franks" attacking four B-29's. One B-29 is on fire.
The "Franks" are dark-green over light-grey under-carraiges, with wide white bands around the fuselages and wings, the with Japanese red roundels on the bands.
Both have red spinners and a diagonal red stripe on the rudder outlined in white.
The nearest "Frank" has a white 24 on the nose.
All the B-29's are bare-metal with a black square with a white stenciled O on it on their rudders.
One side panel has a side view of a "Frank" that is overall bare-metal with a dark blue anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen and a red spinner. There is a red circle with an arrow through it on the rudder.
This is followed by a one-paragraph history of the "Frank" in English and Japanese and an illustration of a pilot. Kit was made in Japan.
Tamiya is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows 2 "Franks" attacking four B-29's. One B-29 is on fire.
The "Franks" are dark-green over light-grey under-carraiges, with wide white bands around the fuselages and wings, the with Japanese red roundels on the bands.
Both have red spinners and a diagonal red stripe on the rudder outlined in white.
The nearest "Frank" has a white 24 on the nose.
All the B-29's are bare-metal with a black square with a white stenciled O on it on their rudders.
One side panel has a side view of a "Frank" that is overall bare-metal with a dark blue anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen and a red spinner. There is a red circle with an arrow through it on the rudder.
This is followed by a one-paragraph history of the "Frank" in English and Japanese and an illustration of a pilot. Kit was made in Japan.
The other side panel has 4 color box arts of other aircraft kits that Tamiya manufactures: a 1/48th scale British H.S. Harrier GR.MK. 1, a 1/48th scale Japanese Nakajima Shoki "Tojo", a 1/100th scale U.S. Bell UH-1B helicopter and a 1/100th scale British B.A.C. Lightning F. MK.6.
No kit numbers are given for these 4.
No kit numbers are given for these 4.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 3 pale-grey trees and a clear tree in a stapled-shut clear cello bag, the decal sheet, instructions and a color kit catalog.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet printed on both sides in 7" x 20 1/2" large format.
The face side begins with a dark and grainy wartime photo of 3 "Franks" starting-up their engines on an airfield.
The nearest one has a chevron symbol on its rudder. The other two "Franks" just show their noses.
This is over the history of the "Frank" and its specifications, painting and decal application instructions, painting of the pilot figure instructions, five side views and 2 top and bottom views.
The 1st side view is green over a light-grey undercarriage, with a black anti-glare panel in front of the windshield. You can opt for either a red, blue or yellow spinner. No tail code is shown. This is a basic scheme.
The 2nd side view is the box art scheme (already described above). This "Frank" was piloted by Staff Sergeant Joten Naito of the Kurai Unit of the 502nd Temporary Interception Corps, March - May 1945, Nakatsu Airfield.
The 3rd side view is overall bare-metal, with a red spinner (the side panel scheme, already described).
This "Frank" belonged to the 1st Unit of the 104th Air Group, 1945 Anshan airfield.
The 4th side view is a "Frank" that is also green over a grey undercarriage, with a dark-green spinner and a white skull and crossbones over 4 on the rudder.
It was with 58th Shimbun Unit of the Special Attack Corps. Miyakonojo Airfield in the Miyazaki Prefecture, Okinawa.
The 5th side view Is a another "Frank" that is also dark-green over a grey undercarriage, with a black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen and a red lightning-bolt, outlined in white on the rudder over a white 46.
No unit is said for this one.
The other side of the instructions has 6 assembly steps and a black and white photo of the model made up in the box art scheme (already described above), a listing of the names of all the kit parts and the parts trees illustrations.
Trees are not alphabetized.
The 1st light-grey tree holds: a fuselage half, propeller, spinner, cowling, engine parts, drop tank, elevators, nose panel etc. (26 parts)
The kit contains 3 pale-grey trees and a clear tree in a stapled-shut clear cello bag, the decal sheet, instructions and a color kit catalog.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet printed on both sides in 7" x 20 1/2" large format.
The face side begins with a dark and grainy wartime photo of 3 "Franks" starting-up their engines on an airfield.
The nearest one has a chevron symbol on its rudder. The other two "Franks" just show their noses.
This is over the history of the "Frank" and its specifications, painting and decal application instructions, painting of the pilot figure instructions, five side views and 2 top and bottom views.
The 1st side view is green over a light-grey undercarriage, with a black anti-glare panel in front of the windshield. You can opt for either a red, blue or yellow spinner. No tail code is shown. This is a basic scheme.
The 2nd side view is the box art scheme (already described above). This "Frank" was piloted by Staff Sergeant Joten Naito of the Kurai Unit of the 502nd Temporary Interception Corps, March - May 1945, Nakatsu Airfield.
The 3rd side view is overall bare-metal, with a red spinner (the side panel scheme, already described).
This "Frank" belonged to the 1st Unit of the 104th Air Group, 1945 Anshan airfield.
The 4th side view is a "Frank" that is also green over a grey undercarriage, with a dark-green spinner and a white skull and crossbones over 4 on the rudder.
It was with 58th Shimbun Unit of the Special Attack Corps. Miyakonojo Airfield in the Miyazaki Prefecture, Okinawa.
The 5th side view Is a another "Frank" that is also dark-green over a grey undercarriage, with a black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen and a red lightning-bolt, outlined in white on the rudder over a white 46.
No unit is said for this one.
The other side of the instructions has 6 assembly steps and a black and white photo of the model made up in the box art scheme (already described above), a listing of the names of all the kit parts and the parts trees illustrations.
Trees are not alphabetized.
The 1st light-grey tree holds: a fuselage half, propeller, spinner, cowling, engine parts, drop tank, elevators, nose panel etc. (26 parts)
The 2nd light-grey tree holds the wings (3 parts)
The 3rd light-grey tree holds: standing and seated pilot figures, cockpit floor, the other fuselage half, landing-gear legs and doors, air intake, main wheels, bulkhead, tail wheel, seat etc. (26 parts)
The clear tree holds the canopy and wing light lens (4 parts)
The decal sheet and the color kit catalog complete the kit's contents.
Detail is engraved. Flaps are all molded solid.
Recommended.
Recommended.