Fancy Nates

Nakajima Type 97 Ki-27 Nate

1/48 scale

Arawasi Decals

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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Arawasi Decals is a Japanese based company and a newcomer to the crowded world of after market decals. 

Arawasi was a term used by the Japanese in World War Two to describe their fighter pilots.  Given this, it is no surprise that their products focus on the theme of World War Two Japanese fighter aircraft. 

AR48001 is their first release and it provides markings for four Nakajima Type 97 Ki-27 Otsu machines or the "Nate" as the Ki-27 was code named by the Allies.  The individual aircraft are: 

·       An overall grey-green machine of 6111 Kyoiku Rentai (Training Regiment) Korean 100 Butai, in March 1943. 

·        Another overall grey-green machine, this time, it is from 14 Kyoiku Hikotai (Training Unit) Dai 14 Kyoiku Rentai (Training Regiment) "Hayabusa" 15301 Butai, in November 1940. 

·       A green and earth brown over grey-green camouflaged machine of 29 Kyoiku Hikotai (Training Unit), Hayabusa 17304 Butai, in October 1944.  This option has had the lower wheel fairings removed.  If you choose to model this one you will have to scratch build the undercarriage forks or seek out the now out of production True Details resin ones. 

·        A dark green over grey-green machine of the 50th Sentai, 3rd Chutai (company), Hikotai (Star Unit), based at Clark Field Air Base, Philippines in January, 1942. 

The decals themselves are printed by the Czech Republic based Aviprint company (this company also provide the decals for Eduard, MPM, Sword Models and Accurate Miniatures to list a few).  The decals are very, very thin, in perfect register and have an absolute minimum of film surrounding each subject.  I have used Aviprint Decals in the past and had no problems with them at all, they settled down beautifully even without the use of any settling solution.  One thing you do need to do though is use plenty of water to float them into position and you must treat them gently given their thinness.  A single set of hinomarus are provided as is a single set of stencil data. 

Support information comes via an A-4 sized placement guide that shows full colour left-hand side views of each machine and upper surface plan views of an overall grey-green machine as well as the dark green and grey-green machine.  Whilst there is no problem with these, I would have thought that they would have provided a plan view and right hand side profile of the camouflaged machine to show its camouflage pattern.  The sheet also provides a list of references to help with research as well as scrap views to show stencil data placement.  Colour reference is listed merely as grey-green, green, earth brown, ID yellow and hinomaru red so you will have to do some research on these colours from other sources if you are not familiar with the colours used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.

The decals and the placement guide come packed in a cellophane bag that has a gummed edge on the flap.  What a pain this is!  When you try and insert the placement guide back inside the bag you must fold the flap back out of the way and try to hold it there so that it does not touch the guide or the decal sheet as if it does, you will pull bits off them!  I discarded the cellophane bag and replaced it with a plastic zip-lock one! 

The niggles with the support information and the cellophane bag aside, this is an excellent first release from Arawasi.  It provides decals for four diversely marked Ki-27s which as far as I know, have never been produced in decal format before and I am sure that it will be welcomed by fans of World War Two Japanese aviation. 

The sheet is also available in 1/72 scale.

Recommended. 

Thanks to Arawasi Decals for the review samples

Arawasi Decals are available online from their website

Review Copyright © 2007 by Rodger Kelly
Page Created 01 April, 2007
Last updated 04 June, 2007

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