Nakajima trilogy Pt.2: Ki-43-II-KAI Hayabusa

[comrade harps]

Ki-43-II-KAI Hayabusa
Personal mount of Rikugun Chūsa ( Lieutenant Colonel) Hiroshi Kiyotake
1st Chutai, 81st Sentai
Pintung, Formosa, April 1945



The Ki-43 Hayabusa (code-named Oscar by the Allies) was an evolution of Kawasaki's radial-engined Ki-27 Nate. Powered by a liquid-cooled V12 engine, the Ki-43 became the most numerous of all IJAAF fighters and was exported to Japan's Chinese, Manchurian and Thai allies. The basic K-43 featured a Ha-40 power plant with a 1,159 hp take-off rating, based on the Daimler-Benz DB601A. The Ki-43-II used the more powerful Aichi Atsuta 12 (as the Ha-40-II), itself another licensed version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601A: the Ha-40-II produced 1,400 hp at take-off. The Ki-43-III series used the Ha-140 with 1,500hp at take-off, this being based on the DB605. The final version was the Ki-43-IV, which used a Ha-240 (based on the Ha-140 but with numerous improvements, including MW50 boosting ) generating 1,775 hp on take-off, but only 29 of these were delivered, all being built by Tachikawa. The Ki-43 remained in production with Nakajima until October 1944, when it was replaced on assembly lines by the Ki-84. However, Tachikawa continued Ki-43-IV production until December 1945.



Rikugun Chūsa Hiroshi Kiyotake had seen action in China, New Guinea and the Philippines before being posted to command the 81st Sentai in Formosa. Arriving in December 1944, he found a force that was understrength and demoralised. Re-organising the unit, he integrated the Sentai's HQ unit into its constituent Chutai, personally joining the 1st Chutai (whose commanding officer had recently been killed in a ramming attack against a B-24). It is for this reason that his Hayabusa combines the blue tail and nose often associated with a IJAAF HQ flights, the 81st Sentai's golden samurai icon, the HQ flight's gold-outlined Hinomaru and the stylised axe motif of the Sentai's 1st Chutai.




Hiroshi Kiyotake's ten kills noted on the fuselage were not, as visually suggested, all American. His tally included both Australian and Chinese planes, but by late 1944 it was common for kills to be represented as white stars, regardless of nationality. During his time on Formosa, he flew this aircraft to two more confirmed kills.




Tasked with air defence, the unit remained (barely) active in Formosa until 2 March, 1946, when Rikugun Chūsa Hiroshi Kiyotake lead the Sentai's last 9 airworthy planes out on a kamikaze mission to avenge the previous day's Allied invasion of Honshu. Most were shot down by the US Navy, but one Hellcat was shot down during a dog fight, many historians and romantic model builders believing that this was Hiroshi Kiyotake's 13th and last kill (after which his plane was lost in cloud and never seen again).

[PR19_Kit]

VERY smart indeed! Nicely done Comrade. 

[NARSES2]

Gorgeous 

[comrade harps]

I took a sports car approach with this, inspired by it being a nimble and lightly armed fighter (just a pair of 12.7mm MGs, just like the real Ki-43-II series).

Until Asiarama, I had avoided WW2 Japanese types, so I had fertile ground to explore, The He-100 opened the door and I've stepped through into a wonderland of possibilities. The need was also arising from all the Allied Asia-Pacific theatre planes I've built over the last few years: they demanded an enemy to oppose.

The key was swapping Axis planes. After that, playing with WW2 Japanese aircraft aesthetics, adapted to my own tastes and brushes.

The Italians will probably have lots of Japanese types (like the Tony, and I have a Dinah in the stash that's earmarked for the ARSI) as will the Luftwaffe (and I've got oodles of spare decals for both). How about a "Me 410" Ginga or a "Bf 110" Gekko night fighter defending the Reich? All quite feasible now.

Must go now and get started on Nakajima trilogy Pt.3.

[Captain Canada]

Another awesome camo scheme ! Love the colours...really stands out.