1:48 Ki-61 Hien

A Japanese fighter with a V12 engine

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien was the only Japanese production fighter of the Second World War with a liquid-cooled V engine. The designers derived the Ha-40 powerplant from the German Daimler-Benz DB 601, an inverted V12 that Japan obtained under license. The slim forward fuselage gave the aircraft a silhouette so unusual that Allied pilots at first reported it as an Italian type; hence the code name Tony.

The flying swallow over New Guinea

The name Hien means flying swallow. The machine entered combat in 1943 over New Guinea and later defended the Japanese islands against raids by heavy bombers. Against its American opponents it had decent speed and armor unusual by Japanese standards, but it was troubled by engine unreliability and a shortage of spare parts. When engine production fell behind airframe production, a version with a radial engine was created from the part-built fuselages, known as the Ki-100. That, paradoxically, proved to be the better aircraft than the original type.

Covering the glass before spraying

The contents of the package are self-adhesive masks for 1:48 scale, cut to the glazing frames of the kit by Hasegawa. The masks follow the shape of the frames, so the slow cutting of strips of tape is avoided and the edge of the frame comes out sharp. A part is applied to clean, degreased glass, pressed down around its perimeter with a fingernail and, after spraying, peeled off while the paint is fresh. This set covers no national insignia and no other colored areas. Spraying the frames in two thin coats is recommended.