1:72 Ki-78 Ken

1:72 Ki-78 Ken, templates for a speed experiment

The Ki-78 was not a combat machine but a research aircraft built with a single aim: to explore what could be got out of aerodynamics and a supercharged engine in an attempt at a speed record. It had a very small wing, a narrow fuselage and a cooling system adapted to short flights at full power. For its day it reached remarkable speeds, but because of that small wing area it was exceptionally unpleasant on landing.

A low canopy recessed into the spine

The cockpit of the Ki-78 is subordinated to air resistance: low, narrow and running smoothly into the outline of the fuselage. For masking that is a worse combination than it seems. The transition between the canopy and the skin is smooth, so when edging by hand there is nothing to lead the edge by and the frame easily shifts above or below the real parting line. The templates hold that line, thanks to which the canopy on the finished model merges with the fuselage exactly as it did on the real machine.

The procedure when spraying

• Find the parting line against the light before masking and trace it lightly in pencil.
• Seat the template so that the border lies entirely on the glazing, not on the plastic of the fuselage.
• A very thin coat is enough on a smooth transition, as a heavy one would create a visible step.
• Remove the adhesive residue after lifting with a dry cotton swab, not with solvent.

Who we recommend it to

It will be appreciated by collectors of record-breaking and experimental machines who want the low cockpit cleanly separated from the fuselage. You obtain the Ki-78 kit separately, as the set serves only to paint it.