Review of Lifelike Decals
Type 97 Fighters Part 5
Set no. 48-057
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: 1880 Yen ($16.55)
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: 1880 Yen ($16.55)
HISTORY:
The Nakajima Ki-27 Kyūnana-shiki sentōki, Type 97 Fighter) was the main fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force up until 1940. Its Allied nickname was "Nate", although it was called "Abdul" in the "China Burma India" (CBI) theater by many post war sources.
Allied Intelligence had reserved that name for the nonexistent Mitsubishi Navy Type 97 fighter, expected to be the successor to the carrier-borne Type 96 (Mitsubishi A5M) with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer: Nakajima Aircraft Company
Designer: Yasushi Koyama
First flight: 15 October 1936
Introduction to service: 1937
Retired: 1945 (Japan)
Primary users: Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, Manchukuo Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, Reformed Government of the Republic of China
Number built: 3,368
The Nakajima Ki-27 Kyūnana-shiki sentōki, Type 97 Fighter) was the main fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force up until 1940. Its Allied nickname was "Nate", although it was called "Abdul" in the "China Burma India" (CBI) theater by many post war sources.
Allied Intelligence had reserved that name for the nonexistent Mitsubishi Navy Type 97 fighter, expected to be the successor to the carrier-borne Type 96 (Mitsubishi A5M) with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer: Nakajima Aircraft Company
Designer: Yasushi Koyama
First flight: 15 October 1936
Introduction to service: 1937
Retired: 1945 (Japan)
Primary users: Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, Manchukuo Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, Reformed Government of the Republic of China
Number built: 3,368
THE SET:
Lifelike Decals is based in Japan.
This decal set comes in a zip-lock type clear cello envelope.
It contains a folder printed in color on one side in 5 ¾” x 8 ¼ format.
The front cover shows 4 color side view profiles of the “Nate”. These are shown again on the sheets inserted inside the folder. It recommends the Hasegawa 1/48th scale model kit to use this decal set on. Lifelike Decals wants to hear from you and your input. E-mail:
Lifelike Decals is based in Japan.
This decal set comes in a zip-lock type clear cello envelope.
It contains a folder printed in color on one side in 5 ¾” x 8 ¼ format.
The front cover shows 4 color side view profiles of the “Nate”. These are shown again on the sheets inserted inside the folder. It recommends the Hasegawa 1/48th scale model kit to use this decal set on. Lifelike Decals wants to hear from you and your input. E-mail:
A total of 8 schemes are featured within the folder.
The back cover shows 4-color above profiles of the “Nate”, the landing gear and cowling, over a list of references and the copyright of the set as 2020, Lifelike Decals, Japan.
Inside the folder is a single-sheet printed in color on one side and folded in the center to the same-sized as the folder.
It shows 8 color side-profiles of schemes used on the “Nate”.
It shows 8 color side-profiles of schemes used on the “Nate”.
Scheme 1: It is overall grey-green with a narrow red band around the cowling. There are two narrow red fuselage bands outlined in white, followed by a narrow white fuselage band outlined in red.. It has a yellow rudder flap with a black Japanese letter high on the rudder flap.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu, flown by Capt. Shigotosho Inoue, leader of the 1st Sentai, 1st Chutai, Nomonhan, China September 1939.
Scheme 2: It is overall grey-green, with a narrow red band around the cowling, a red fuselage band, followed by a white one outlined in red, 2 diagonal yellow bars on the rudder flap with a small black Japanese letter on the rudder flap.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu (s/n 5362) flown by M. Sgt. Totaro Ito, 5th Sentai, 3rd Chutai, Kashiwa Air Base, Chiha Prefecture, end of 1940.
Scheme 3: It is overall grey-green with a red cowling. It has 8 small red stars as kill markings under the cockpit, a wide red fuselage band and a white lightning flash on the rudder.
It is a Ki-27 Ostu, flown by Capt. Kenji Shimada, leader of the 11th Sentai, 1st Chutai, Nomonhan, China, May-June 1939.
Scheme 4: is overall grey-green, with a narrow red band around the cowling, a long yellow lightning bolt that extends across the rudder down into the end of the fuselage.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu of the 50th Sentai, 3rd Chutai, (Hoshi Hikoutai), Clark Air Base, Philippines, January 1942.
Scheme 5: is overall dark green, with a grey-green under-carriage, Japanese roundel on sides of the fuselage, narrow white fuselage band with black Japanese letters on it. White insignia on the rudder that looks like a bomb.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu, probably of the 76th Shinbu-tai, Chiran Air Base, Kagoshima, April 1945.
Scheme 6: is overall grey-green, with red cowling that the red extends down the whole length of the fuselage. It has a diagonal black fuselage band, followed by a white vertical band. It has a red 30 on the rudder.
It is a KI-27 Otsu #30 of the 84th Independent Chutai, Kwantung, China, October 1938.
Scheme 7: Has a dark green fuselage with a couple of medium-green bands, a wide yellow fuselage band next to a narrow white one, 2 horizontal yellow bands around the rudder with 2 yellow arrow heads between them, a grey-green under-carriage.
It is a Ki-27 Ostu, flown by Capt. Yoshiro Kuwabara, 77th Sentai, 3rd Chutai, Mingalandon Air Base, Burma, December 1941.
Scheme 8: is overall grey-green with2 diagonal narrow red fuselage bands, 3 narrow horizontal red bands around the rudder, with a black bird in flight over them.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu, Aircraft #8, with Fighter Training Group, Ryompo Air Base, Korea 1942.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu, flown by Capt. Shigotosho Inoue, leader of the 1st Sentai, 1st Chutai, Nomonhan, China September 1939.
Scheme 2: It is overall grey-green, with a narrow red band around the cowling, a red fuselage band, followed by a white one outlined in red, 2 diagonal yellow bars on the rudder flap with a small black Japanese letter on the rudder flap.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu (s/n 5362) flown by M. Sgt. Totaro Ito, 5th Sentai, 3rd Chutai, Kashiwa Air Base, Chiha Prefecture, end of 1940.
Scheme 3: It is overall grey-green with a red cowling. It has 8 small red stars as kill markings under the cockpit, a wide red fuselage band and a white lightning flash on the rudder.
It is a Ki-27 Ostu, flown by Capt. Kenji Shimada, leader of the 11th Sentai, 1st Chutai, Nomonhan, China, May-June 1939.
Scheme 4: is overall grey-green, with a narrow red band around the cowling, a long yellow lightning bolt that extends across the rudder down into the end of the fuselage.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu of the 50th Sentai, 3rd Chutai, (Hoshi Hikoutai), Clark Air Base, Philippines, January 1942.
Scheme 5: is overall dark green, with a grey-green under-carriage, Japanese roundel on sides of the fuselage, narrow white fuselage band with black Japanese letters on it. White insignia on the rudder that looks like a bomb.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu, probably of the 76th Shinbu-tai, Chiran Air Base, Kagoshima, April 1945.
Scheme 6: is overall grey-green, with red cowling that the red extends down the whole length of the fuselage. It has a diagonal black fuselage band, followed by a white vertical band. It has a red 30 on the rudder.
It is a KI-27 Otsu #30 of the 84th Independent Chutai, Kwantung, China, October 1938.
Scheme 7: Has a dark green fuselage with a couple of medium-green bands, a wide yellow fuselage band next to a narrow white one, 2 horizontal yellow bands around the rudder with 2 yellow arrow heads between them, a grey-green under-carriage.
It is a Ki-27 Ostu, flown by Capt. Yoshiro Kuwabara, 77th Sentai, 3rd Chutai, Mingalandon Air Base, Burma, December 1941.
Scheme 8: is overall grey-green with2 diagonal narrow red fuselage bands, 3 narrow horizontal red bands around the rudder, with a black bird in flight over them.
It is a Ki-27 Otsu, Aircraft #8, with Fighter Training Group, Ryompo Air Base, Korea 1942.
There are 2 sheets printed on both sides and folded in the middle to fit the folder. They contain long histories of each of the 8 schemes.
There are 2 decal sheets in this set. They were printed by Microscale Industries, USA. The first is the large sheet for the unit markings.
The second contains the national markings and a set of masks.
I want to thank Lifelike Decals for this review sample.
All Lifelike products can be viewed on their web-site at:
All Lifelike products can be viewed on their web-site at:
Highly recommended.