Mitsubishi Ki-46 in Soviet Service. Finished pics pg 3.

[zenrat]

In the beginning...
Mitsubishi Ki-46 in Soviet Service 01 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Mitsubishi Ki-46 in Soviet Service 02 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

This will be the third Arii Ki-46 i've built.

[TomZ]

The Soviets did actually manage to capture one:





TomZ

[zenrat]

Hadn't seen that, but it's a Ki-46 iii.  I'm building a Ki-46 ii which has the stepped nose glazing.
Here captured by the US.

I'm also changing the engines to Klimov VK-105s.

[zenrat]

Wings are together and nacelles in place preparatory to fitting the new engines.
This kit was tooled in 1975 by LS and has since been released by Arii and Microace (although still with Arii on the box top).
I have a number of these repops and while other subjects can be horribly flashy (I have one, a Japanese torpedo bomber I forget the name of, where the sprues are solid flash as though the moulds didn't quite close all the way) the Ki-46s  I have built (this is the third) have been perfect with pretty good fit.  The nacelles are in two halves which fit above and below the wings and they went on so well today that I shouldn't need any filler on the always awkward 90º nacelle to wing joint.
I've also got the interior built and have started painting it.

[zenrat]

It's a Yokosuka D4Y2.  Just look at that flash!
Yokosuka D4Y2 Mk 12 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

Wow!

Two sprues of flash with a bonus model concealed inside!

[Gondor]

That almost looks like a vac form kit there's that much flash!

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

But they do make LOVELY boxes. 

[NARSES2]

That flash is nothing compared to the Polair PZL-P50 I have in the stash 

[jcf]

The D4Y2 tool is from 1968, and the flash is from a combination of mould
clamping pressure, injection pressure and parts layout.

The way that kit is layed out is poor, because of the limited number of gates
to the large parts; wings, main fuselage and fwd fuselage/engine cowling, the
pressure has to be cranked up to fill the mould cavities as the mould only has
a single injection port for the whole thing. Note that all of these parts are from
a single mould, the full sprue has been cut into two parts. The injection point
is the circle on the section with the wings and fwd fuselage.

[zenrat]

Thank you Jon.
It should be buildable with a bit of care.  It was very cheap (from HLJ) and if built OOB will provide a spare engine for whiffing.

[zenrat]

Cockpit of the Ki-46 is still not together but I have attached the Klimovs to the wings.
Mitsubishi Ki-46 in Soviet Service WIP 05-11-2020 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[zenrat]

Mock up.
Ki-46 in Soviet Service WIP 08-11-2020 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
I'm wondering if I have a shorter, blunter nose.

[zenrat]

I had a rummage but I have nothing suitable to make a shorter nose.  It's quite a narrow fuselage.

I've begun what will the most time consuming part, blending the new engines into the nacelles.  Stage one, add intakes for superchargers/radiators/oil coolers etc.
Ki-46 in Soviet Service WIP 12-11-2020 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[zenrat]

I've been working on the nacelles on this.  Adding more scoops and pieces of evergreen rather than just slapping on putty.
I have also been prepping the fuselage - sanding down the seams etc.