Fine Molds' 1/48 scale
Nakajima Kikka

by Chris Wauchop

images by Brett Green

 available online from Squadron.com

This is Fine Molds' 1/48 scale Nakajima Navy Special Attacker "Kikka". This was the planned kamikaze version of the aircraft.

The model was built mostly from the box, but I did do some extra work here and there.

The major deviation from the instructions was opening the kit's one-piece canopy and replacing the centre sliding section, which would have otherwise have been too thick to fit over the rear section properly.

The centre canopy section was made by plunge moulding a piece of clear acetate over the original kit part. After several attempts, a satisfactory result was achieved.. The canopy frame did not mould with any clarity so a new frame was cut from thin styrene card and attached using thin super glue, applied with the fantastic "Mission Models Precision Glue Tip".

Other modifications included the following:

• Take-off rockets and the exhaust nozzles were thinned using my motor tool

• The kit tail skid was replaced with copper wire, bent to shape.

• Undercarriage brake lines were added using fine solder,

• All tyres were flat spotted.

• Inner gear door closing brackets were added using very fine wire.

• Radio antenna was added using invisible mending thread

• Bomb fins and fin braces were filed to something closer to scale thinness.

• Fuse propeller for the bomb was made using copper strip. A locking wire was also added.

• Various handles, levers and harnesses were added to the cockpit using stretched sprue, lead foil etc.

All paints were applied with my metal-bodied Aztek airbrush.

Undersurfaces - Gunze Sangyo H61 IJN Grey with H62 IJA Grey 50/50

Upper surfaces - Gunze Sangyo H59 IJN Green with Tamiya KF-11 JN Green 50/50

Leading Edge ID panels - 40% Gunze H24 Orange Yellow with 60% Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow

Bomb and RATO Pods - 50% Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey with 50% XF-64 Red Brown with a touch of Flat Black.

Decals

Kit decals were used throughout, but the overly large fuselage Hinomarus were replaced with the smaller decals for the lower wings.. In turn, the lower wing markings were replaced with the red centre section from the fuselage markings.

This was the first time that I used Polly Scale Flat, an acrylic flat finish. I thinned the Polly Scale Flat with around 10% Windex.

Paint chipping was applied using a silver pencil.

Voila - finished!

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model and Text Copyright © 2007 by Chris Wauchop
Images Copyright © 2007 by Brett Green 
Page Created 24 April, 2007
Last Updated 24 December, 2007

Back to HyperScale Main Page