Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki
Part 2

Lifelike Decals, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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Sheet 48-037 is the second of the three new sheets from Lifelike Decals for the Nakajima
Ki-44 Sh?ki (Demon or “Tojo”).

The sheet provides markings for a further four aircraft, the details of which are as follows:

• Type II Hei, flown by a Captain Yoshio Yoshida of the leader of the 1st Chutai, 70th Sentai, from Kashiwa Air Base in China in the June of 1945.  The aircraft is in overall natural metal finish with a red/brown spinner and a black anti-glare panel fore and aft the cockpit on the upper fuselage and engine cowling (as do all of the options on the sheet).  The leading edges of the wings are in yellow, again, as are all of the options on the sheet and this latter marking is supplied as a multi-part decal.  It wears a scoreboard on the port side of the fuselage behind the cockpit comprising six victories over B-29s.

• Type II Hei, flown by Warrant Officer Makoto Ogawa of 1st Chutai, 70th Sentai from the Kashiwa Air Base in China in May - June of 1945.   As per the previous option, it is in overall natural metal finish with a red/brown spinner and a black anti-glare panel fore and aft the cockpit on the upper fuselage and engine cowling.  The leading edges of the wings are in yellow as well.  It also wears white home defence bands around its wings and fuselage as well as a thin white band around the rear fuselage.  These bands are supplied as decals.  A scoreboard is worn by this option too and it comprises five markings to signify B-29 victories.   The numeral 2 worn by the machine is somewhat scratched and chipped as are the victory markings.  Lifelike have acknowledged this by including decals that reflect this weathering.

• Type II Kou, flown by Sergeant Sadao Miyazawa of the 3rd Chutai, 70th Sentai (the notes on the placement guide point out that this is not certain) from the Kashiwa Air Base, China in February, 1945.   Again, in overall natural metal finish with a black anti-glare and yellow leading edges to the wings.  It wears a scoreboard signify the pilot’s victory over an F6-F Hellcat on 17 February 1945.

• Type II Kou of the 1st Chutai, 9th Sentai in China circa 1944 - 1945.  This option is in a (peeling) coat of dark green with black anti-glare panels on the upper surfaces over natural metal undersides and yellow leading edges to the wings.

The decals themselves have been printed by Cartograf.  They seem to be very glossy and have a minimum of carrier film surrounding each subject.  Two sets of (minimal) stencil data is provided as are two separate sets of hinomarus which will enable you to realise two separate models from the sheet should you paint the wings yellow leading edges of the second model.

Hasegawa's Ki-44 is the recommended kit.

The placement guide comes in the form of two heavy-weight paper A-4 sized sheets.  Left hand side profiles are provided for each option as well as (smaller upper and lower plan surface views.  As mentioned above, very comprehensive notes are provided for each option and why a particular marking was chosen over another is carefully explained when there is doubt between the various references used in realising the sheet.  The guide also lists 13 different references for the research in producing the decals.

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Thumbnail panels:

The placement guides and the three decal sheets ( a large main one carrying the vast majority of the markings as well as two smaller ones that carry victory markings and the numeral 2s for the second option come packed in a clear plastic zip-loc bag.

This is an excellent sheet from Lifelike Decal.  It provides you with first rate decals and excellent research to produce some unusual Ki-44 options in model form.

Thanks to Lifelike Decals for the sample

Text and Images Copyright © 2011 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 5 February, 2012
Last updated 5 February, 2012

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