244th Sentai Part 2

Lifelike Decals, 1/48 scale

S u m m a r y :
Catalogue Number:	LifeLike Decals Item No. 48004(R) - 244th Sentai Part 2
Scale:	1/48
Contents & Media:	One full size and one smaller sheet of waterslide decals; colour instructions.
Price:	Available on-line from these stockists:
	Stockist	Price Plus Shipping
	Lifelike Decals	¥1,500
	Hannants	£10.99 EU Price £9.16 Export Price
Review Type:	First Look.
Advantages:	Offers markings for six different Ki-61s plus two Ki-27s; detailed reference information included; stencil data supplied; decals clearly printed and in register; high quality presentation; great timing for the new Tamiya Hien.
Disadvantages:
Conclusions:	Highly Recommended.

Reviewed by Brett Green

HyperScale is proudly sponsored by Squadron.com

Any new release from LifeLike decals is something to look forward to. They research their decals thoroughly, have a happy knack of choosing interesting and colourful subjects, and they always offer comprehensive additional information.

This time around, LifeLike has revised and re-released three sets of 1/48 scale decals originally released in 2003 and covering aircraft of the Japanese 244th Sentai. The majority of these aircraft are Nakajima Ki-61 Heins.

If this rings a bell, that's because Tamiya has just released a brand new 1/48 scale kit of the Ki-61 Hien type I-Tei. Of the eight subjects on this decal sheet, two are for the Tei version. Of course, they are equally appropriate for the older Hasegawa kits too.

LifeLike's original 244th Sentai decal sets sold out some time ago, so these are very welcome reissues.

The subject of tonight's review is Part 2, Item No. 48-004(R).

Six of the subjects are Ki-61s, and two Ki-27s are included too. Three of the six Hiens are finished in natural metal; one is mottled, one in an overall Yellow Green #7 (similar to Olive Drab) and the final example is in dark green. All but one of the Hiens feature an all-red tail.

Details of the specific aircraft are as follows:

• Ki-27 Type 97 fighter type-Otsu of the 2nd Chutai flown from Chofu AB in Autumn of 1942

• Ki-61 Hien type 1- Tei 4424. Flown by Captain Teruhiko Kobayashi from Chofu AB in February 1945.

• Ki-61 Hien type 1- Tei 5262. Reserve aircraft of by Captain Teruhiko Kobayashi. Chofu AB middle of April 1945.

• Ki-61 Hien type 1- Hei 15 flown by Corporal Seiichi Suzuki from Chofu AB in January 1945.

• Ki-27 Type 97 fighter type-Otsu of the 3rd Chutai flown from Chofu AB in Autumn of 1943

• Ki-61 Hien type 1- Otsu 16. Flown by Corporal Matasumi Nakano from Chofu AB late February 1945.

• Ki-61 Hien type 1- Hei 33. Flown by Corporal Matasumi Nakano from Chofu AB in December 1945.

• Ki-61 Hien type 1- Otsu 73. Flown by Sergeant Masao Itagaki from Chofu AB in early 1945.

Four folded A4 pages are included in the resealable plastic bag. The first doubles as the cover and the profile page.

Next up is one double-sided sheet of detailed information on each specific aircraft. Data on colours, markings, operations and pilots are included. A further single sided sheet covers references and a discusssion about the often depicted clover-marked Hien Tei. Reference is wrapped up with a single-sided page on the colours and markings of the 244th Sentai, including speific information about propeller and undercarriage door markings, stencils and more.

The decals are printed by Microscale and appear to be in perfect register. There is a full-sized sheet for the unique markings, with a smaller sheet of national markings, red markings and white numbers.

This is a high quality release in perfect time for Tamiya's beautiful new 1/48 scale Ki-61-I-Tei.

I have been searching for alternative markings for Tamiya's new 1/48 scale Ki-61 for the last few weeks, but I found that specific information on the Tei type was quite hard to pin down. When these decals arrived, my wishes for reference and alternative markings were answered in one go!

LifeLike's 1/48 scale 244th Sentai Ki-61 decals are throroughly researched, beautifully printed and offer a nice range of options for anyone building the Tamiya or Hasegawa kits. The inclusion of the two Ki-27 markings is a nice bonus too.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Lifelike Decals for these samples.

Text and Images Copyright © 2017 by Brett Green
Page Created 24 January, 2017
Last updated 26 January, 2017

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