Plastic assembly kit produced by Arma Hobby.
Template information
The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was a symbol for the Japanese Army Air Force similar to the famous Zero for the Navy. The Ki-43-II version brought a more powerful Nakajima Ha-115 engine with a two-stage compressor, a reinforced wing with a smaller span, and improved protection in the form of armor plating for the pilot's seat and self-sealing fuel tanks. Due to its extreme maneuverability and excellent flight characteristics, the Hayabusa was very popular with pilots and in the early stages of the war in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, in the hands of experienced aces, it was able to dominate even more modern Allied machines.
This particular edition focuses on the aircraft of the most famous Japanese aces, who achieved their successes mainly over China and Burma. The machines with the iconic white stripe on the fuselage and the distinctive lightning bolts on the rudder belonged to elite units such as the 64th or 25th sentai, where pilots such as Yohei Hinoki were able to fully exploit the maneuverability of this light fighter. Although the weak armament consisting of only two 12.7 mm machine guns gradually ceased to be sufficient against the robust American aircraft, the Hayabusa remained in service until the very end of the war, when it was also used for suicide missions in the final months.
Kit characteristics:
- The kit includes spray masks for the cabin and chassis wheels.
- Decals for 2 decal versions included.
Model specifications:
- Scale: 1:72
- Span: 151 mm
- Length: 124mm
- Number of decal versions: 2
- Number of parts: not specified by the manufacturer
- Difficulty: 3
Recommended Tamiya paints:
Need to purchase:
- Colors
- Glue for plastic models
- Thinner
- Brushes
