1:72 Kawasaki T-4 - Blue Impulse

1:72 Kawasaki T-4 kit in the colors of the Blue Impulse team, Hasegawa

A model of the Japanese jet trainer T-4 in 1:72 scale in the colors of the Blue Impulse aerobatic team. The blue and white scheme is among the best known aviation motifs in Japan and turns an unobtrusive trainer into a rewarding model for the display case.

The real subject

The T-4 is a domestic Japanese design intended for advanced pilot training. It has a tandem cockpit for two, a high-mounted wing and is powered by two small Japanese-built turbofan engines, which make the aircraft economical to run and easy to maintain. Besides training, the machines also serve for transit flights, liaison duties and precisely for public displays. The aerobatic team that flies the type is a regular at air shows and its several machines fly in a fixed formation.

Building and painting tips

The basis is a clean white base - under the blue and under the decals it decides the result more than anything else, so spray the white in several thin coats and let it cure properly. Divide the boundaries between white and blue with good tape and run a light coat of the base color over them so that the paint does not creep under. The cockpit for two sits under a large canopy, so work the interior out; finish the model with gloss varnish, because display machines tend to be polished.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of aerobatic team aircraft
• Modelers who want to practice dividing colors
• Anyone interested in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force
• Builders looking for a striking model of smaller size

The kit is unassembled and unpainted - glue and paints are not enclosed with it.