Here are some photos of a recent build, from an old Otaki kit–part of a series of Japanese Army aircraft from that company that have been collecting dust in my closet. I also built an Otaki “Tony” if anyone is interested. Unbuilt models include a “Frank” and an “Oscar”.
I always like constructive feedback, and I am especially interested in the markings. Good references are rare on these planes (it seems), and I am not sure about the accuracy of the markings, so if anyone has comments or ideas about aftermarket decals, etc., I’d love to hear them.
My apologies for the image quality. I’ll get that improved shortly.
That is a great looking Tojo. I am not too sure about the markings since I have very few references for Japanese aircraft. I have same kit in my stash were there any major fit etc… problems?
No! The Otaki kits are marvelous, especially their single-seat fighter planes. Panel lines and rivets are very well molded, and the fuselage and wings, especially, fit like a dream. A really good company, overall. My only complaint about Otaki is that the kits are pretty basic–cockpit, landing gear, engines, etc. can really benefit from aftermarket detail, but some folks see that as a plus (i.e. as an opportunity to super-detail), and the instructions and references are a bit vague (and all in Japanese). I have built their Hellcat, Tony, and Tojo, so far. I have not had much luck finding aftermarket parts for the Japanese Army planes, though. Any leads would be great.
Looks pretty good Doc, in spite of the kinda blurry pics. I’m not sure about the Mission markings, but the national insignia decals are too light a red. The Japanese meatballs were quite a bit darker in shade. The Otaki kits were State of the Art in their day, and still build up into nice models. My only complaint was the overly thick clear parts. BTW, many of the AM sets intended for the Hasegawa kits of the same subjects can be adapted to the Otaki/Arii kits with minimal effort.
Thanks, Rick. I agree about the thick clear parts. The decals were stock, btw, and I was surprised they even went on. I had to treat them with Microscale decal film, and they were pretty faded. I had shopped around for some replacement decals to no avail. I should have probably painted the meatballs on, but my results in that area have been disappointing in the past. Thanks for the Hasegawa tip.
Nice Tojo, would like to see your Tony. The markings look as though they belonged to the 3rd Chutai/70th Sentai, based at Kashiwa Airfield in Japan 1945, according to the pics in my Osprey Japanese Air Force Aces.
Thanks for the info. I figured it was based in the mainland since the kill markings represent downed B-29’s; now I know where, exactly! I appreciate the legwork. I’ll post some pictures of the Tony, but can’t make any promises about image quality. I need a new digital camera [:)]
Otaki is one of my favorite brands,Ive built a hellcat from them. I think its to bad that Arii tried to replace them.Oh and by the way I like your Ki-44 Tojo[:)]
