Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $72.00 Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com The latest release of Hasegawa's excellent 1/32 scale Nakajima Frank kit will build up into the main production version of the IJA's best WW II fighter as it was used to defend the Japanese homeland against B-29 raids in 1944 and 1945. Two of Hasegawa's prior releases of this kit have been reviewed on the IPMS/USA website (and elsewhere), so many modelers may already be familiar with the contents of those kits and descriptions of their construction. This release comes with a retail price of $72, but shopping the web will probably yield a better price. In the box, you'll find the same sprues found in the first Ki84 release. The sprues include 133 gray plastic parts, four poly caps and 12 clear parts. The instructions indicate that not all of the gray parts will be needed to build the model. Some are specific inserts for either the Ko or prototype versions, some are for the open and closed cowl flap options and the sprues include components for two rudder shapes.

Like all of the other new Hasegawa 1/32nd scale kits, the parts in this release are very crisply molded and nicely detailed. It's fair to say they will provide a 1/32 modeler everything needed to build this kit out of the box with few apologies for detail and accuracy. When inspecting the parts, I discovered only one sink mark area that really needed filling. Because of the way it is molded, the main cowling section had noticeable sink marks running along the top edges of the cutout where an insert fits. The photo below shows where some filler was needed to remedy the situation and restore the shape. The cockpit is made up of 22 parts…it's almost a kit in itself. With one possible exception, all details are nicely rendered and realistic. The one exception is the seat. It is molded as one piece with seat pan and seatback pads molded in. Those familiar with the real aircraft know that this was not typical. The Ki84 seat was fabricated as a metal pan that was shaped to accommodate the pilot's seat pack parachute. Therefore, it would have been more accurate if Hasegawa had molded the seat without pads as they have done in their Ki61 and Ki44 kits, and maybe provided the pads as optional separate parts. Fortunately, Hasegawa includes a well-proportioned five-piece pilot figure (complete with numerous buckle/hardware decals) that offers the option of filling the seat with a pilot who adequately covers the padded seat pan. And, carefully assembled and painted, the IJA pilot is very nice. Another kit within the kit is the 2,000hp 18-cylinder Ha45-21 twin row radial engine. Hasegawa has managed to achieve a most convincing rendition with only eight parts. It goes together nicely and, although ignition wires could be added easily, the OOB engine, properly assembled and painted is most convincing. The kit features nicely detailed dropped 'Butterfly' fowler-style flaps, just like Hasegawa's 1/48th scale versions. The model does look more interesting with the flaps down, but there is no photographic evidence that the real aircraft ever sat around with the flaps down. Pilots retracted them upon touching down to keep the slowing aircraft from floating off the ground as it continued down the runway, and it's unlikely they had any reason to drop them again after the aircraft had come to a stop. Unfortunately, the trimming and fitting necessary to properly close them will likely result in most modelers building the kit with the flaps dropped. This release offers two decal options for 1945 mainland defense fighters. The first is aircraft 69 of the 47th Flight Regiment, flown by Capt. Teciichi Hatano in May 1945. The second is aircraft 63 from the Hitachi Training Flight Division based at the IJA's large Akeno training field in the last year in the war. Unlike the thick film Hasegawa decals from the days of yore, these are sharp, with vivid colors and bright opaque white, printed on thin film. There is no need to seek out aftermarket markings for either of these schemes. Hasegawa has made a definite improvement in this area…the kit decals are simply great. This kit is really inviting. As soon as I photographed the sprues, decals and box art for this quick look, I began clipping, cleaning up and dry fitting the parts. It was then that I noticed the sink mark area that needed filling on the cowling. After that, it was business as usual…nothing else needed filling. I've begun the build and am finding it to be an enjoyable kit with no fit problems. I'll finish it soon and be back with a report on the building experience along with photos of the finished model. My thanks to Dragon Models USA for this review kit… stay tuned for part 2.