1:72 Nakajima Ki-43-III Ko Hayabusha 'Oscar'

The real subject

The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was the main fighter of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in the Second World War and its name means falcon in Japanese. The Allies used the designation Oscar for it. It was a single-engine low-wing monoplane with an air-cooled radial engine, built as lightly as possible and tuned for agility: it was hard to match in a turn, and combat flaps added to its maneuverability. It paid for that agility with lighter armament, made up of two 12.7 mm machine guns in the forward fuselage.

The Ki-43-III Ko version

The Ki-43-III Ko belongs to the last production batch of the type. It was given a more powerful engine and differed from the older versions in details of its equipment; the letter Ko distinguishes the variant within that batch. The model therefore captures the aircraft as it looked late in the war, not at its beginning.

Building and painting tips

Before you reach for the glue, dry-fit the parts and check how they sit together; it pays off most with the fuselage halves and the leading edge of the wing. Paint the cockpit and everything that will be visible inside it before you close the fuselage up. Wash and degrease the surface of the parts before painting. Choose the color scheme and the markings according to the manufacturer's instructions, which also give the recommended shades.

• a kit of the Nakajima Ki-43-III Ko Hayabusa aircraft in 1:72 scale
• the Allied designation of the type was Oscar
• a single-engine fighter with an air-cooled radial engine
• the Ki-43-III Ko version matches the late period of the type's service
• the parts are best tried dry before gluing

Terms of supply

The kit is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Paints, glue and tools are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise. The exact contents of the package and the range of color schemes are given in the manufacturer's instructions.