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Vader’s Model Desk: Kawasaki Ki-45 “Nick”
Posted on 4/6/25 at 3:37 pm
Posted on 4/6/25 at 3:37 pm
quote:
The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu ("Dragonslayer") is a two-seat, twin-engine heavy fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The army gave it the designation "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter" (Ni-shiki fukuza sentoki); the Allied reporting name was "Nick". Originally serving as a long-range escort-fighter, the design — as with most heavy fighters of the period — fell prey to smaller, lighter, more agile single-engine fighters. As such, the Ki-45 instead served as a day and nighttime interceptor and strike fighter.
LINK
Hasegawa 1/48 scale Kawasaki Ki-45 “Nick”
IJA 53rd Flight Regiment
Matsudo Air Base
February 1945
8
Posted on 4/6/25 at 3:42 pm to Darth_Vader
The model is outstanding as usual. But that's not what I wanted to post about.
Visited the Churchill war rooms today in London. Saw these books and thought "I bet Vader would like these....."
Visited the Churchill war rooms today in London. Saw these books and thought "I bet Vader would like these....."
Posted on 4/6/25 at 3:44 pm to Lonnie Utah
That’s like porn to a model building history nerd like me.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 3:58 pm to Darth_Vader
I have a few decks of the aircraft spotting cards.
What's that groove under the fuselage? Some kind of gun?
What's that groove under the fuselage? Some kind of gun?
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:01 pm to FightinTigersDammit
quote:
I have a few decks of the aircraft spotting cards. What's that groove under the fuselage? Some kind of gun?
I believe so. But oddly enough there was nothing on the instructions on affixing any weapon. It appears to be to be perfectly suited for something like a 20mm auto-cannon.
It does have to upward firing 12.5mm machine guns right behind the pilot. They’re angled this was to allow attacks from below bombers.
There is also a cannon in the tip of the nose of the aircraft.
This post was edited on 4/6/25 at 4:03 pm
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:03 pm to Darth_Vader
The old "Jazz Music" trick from the Luftwaffe. Do I also see guns in the prop spinners? Exactly what was the armament?
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:10 pm to FightinTigersDammit
quote:
The old "Jazz Music" trick from the Luftwaffe. Do I also see guns in the prop spinners? Exactly what was the armament?
When I first saw those, I thought they might be the barrels of guns mounted in the prop spinners, but apparently they not and they’re paired brown like the rest of the prop assembly. I’ve always found it odd the Japanese painted their props brown. Everyone else painted theirs black.
As for armaments, here’s what the Nick carried in the original version.
quote:
1 × 37 mm (1.457 in) Ho-203 cannon, 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) Ho-3 cannon, 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) Type 98 machine gun on a flexible mount in the rear cockpit
The 20mm is in the tip of the nose. If you zoom into the third pic I posted, you’ll see it. Best I can tell, in the version I built, the 37mm has been removed in favor of the upward firing machine guns behind the pilot.
This post was edited on 4/6/25 at 4:13 pm
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:12 pm to Darth_Vader
Another fine piece of work.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:13 pm to Darth_Vader
So that belly groove could be for the 37mm?
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:17 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
The 20mm is in the tip of the nose.
Early German fighters?
20mm not much against normal tank armor, but from above, effective for penetrating. Seems the Germans were best at using this.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:17 pm to FightinTigersDammit
quote:
So that belly groove could be for the 37mm?
Had to be. But it was omitted on the version I built.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:20 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
That’s like porn to a model building history nerd like me.
Seems like up until at least the 1970's seems all kinds of "magazines" but with square glue binding instead of folded and stapled. Have not seen them in ages but you ever run across them? Seems you would love them as they were well printed and held up well to wear.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:26 pm to Cheese Grits
Nice work Darth! Do you still get a buzz from the glue? That lovely smell will stick with me forever and haven't built a model since a kid.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:33 pm to Cheese Grits
quote:
Seems like up until at least the 1970's seems all kinds of "magazines" but with square glue binding instead of folded and stapled. Have not seen them in ages but you ever run across them? Seems you would love them as they were well printed and held up well to wear.
I wish I had. I’d snatch them up.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:35 pm to Gauxt
quote:
Nice work Darth! Do you still get a buzz from the glue? That lovely smell will stick with me forever and haven't built a model since a kid.
Thanks. As for a buzz, I don’t use that sort of glue. I use Tamiya Extra Thin Quick Setting glue. It’s actually liquid.
I guess you could sniff it? I’ve never tried.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:35 pm to Darth_Vader
Great work
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:42 pm to OK Roughneck
Thanks. Glad you like it!
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:50 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
I wish I had.
Nice thick cover and focused by book / issue
One may have been German WW II armor, another USA WW II light infantry weapons. They did other stuff like Korea and Vietnam but I guess in the late 70's they were out of commercial favor and the 80's had Grenada, not much to even a single publication. I think the last ones I saw were Arab / Israeli war stuff.
Perfect for bookshelves in your military stuff room, and as a model builder you could get insight on what you were building.
Posted on 4/6/25 at 4:52 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
That’s like porn to a model building history nerd like me.
There are four downvotes for this.What kind of joyless frick does that?
Posted on 4/6/25 at 5:05 pm to Darth_Vader
Darth--that paint pattern is outstanding.
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