HASEGAWA 08880 NAKAJIMA Ki44-II HEI SHOKI (TOJO) JAPANESE ARMY FIGHTER
1/32 SCALE
DESCRIPTION:
The Ki-44 (Codename: Tojo) was an interesting contrast in design requirements from the Ki-43 (Codename: Oscar). Both were built by Nakajima for Army Air Force service. The Ki-43 was developed to meet the maneuverability requirements of a fighter and the Ki-43 the most widely deployed fighter within the Army Air Force. This aircraft was first flown in 1939 and remained in service throughout World War II.
The Ki-44 was designed as an interceptor, trading maneuverability for speed and rate of climb. The resulting design was not favored by pilots as visibility was poor over the nose for landing and this was complicated further by its short wings which resulted in higher landing speeds while not being able to effectively see where you were landing. Early variants lacked effective firepower.
Later versions of the Ki-44 received heavier cannon armament as these were revised to intercept a new menace - the B-29 Superfortress. These interceptors were pressed into air defense roles and remained in service through the end of the war, though many were being phased out of service in favor of the Ki-84 (Codename: Frank).
FEATURES:
Molded in light gray styrene, the kit is presented on five parts trees, plus a single tree of clear parts. You can see on some of the trees where the gates have been closed off to hint at other parts options for future variants from this tooling.
The kit has a nicely detailed cockpit straight out of the box and includes a seated pilot figure. If you build the kit without the pilot figure, you will want to add an aftermarket seatbelt and shoulder harness set to the seat to round out that detailing.
Interestingly enough, a pair of machine guns are provided for the cowl with the breech mechanisms extending through either side of the instrument panel, as with the actual aircraft.
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