Kit: No. Jt 67
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Hasegawa, distributed by Marco Polo Import, 532 S. Coralridge Pl., City of Industry, CA 91746, 626-333-2328.
Price: $21.98
Comments: Injection molded, 121 parts (eight vinyl), decals.
Pros: Excellent fit, great cockpit detail, vinyl grommet attachment of underwing parts, good decals .
Cons: Ejector-pin marks in some details parts, gear struts fit loosely in grommets, flaps must be modified to be installed in retracted position.
The Ki-84 "Frank" entered service with the Japanese Army Air Forces in mid-1944. Though it had an excellent design, poor workmanship and bad fuel negated much of its excellent performance characteristics. More than 3,000 Ki-84s were eventually manufactured.
The Frank has always been a popular subject, but there hasn't been a new 1/48 scale kit in at least 25 years. Hasegawa has now done justice to the Japanese Army Air Forces' best fighter plane.
Hasegawa's Ki-84 is beautifully molded and virtually flash-free. It is neatly engraved, capturing the knobby surface of the real aircraft - lots of raised panels and rivets.
An excellent 20-piece cockpit is the best feature of the kit - no need for aftermarket replacements here. The rudder is given as a separate item. Separate Fowler-type landing flaps are featured, and two sets of tires - normal and slightly flattened - are provided. The drop-tank supports are delicately reproduced.
The beautifully engineered cockpit is a mini-kit all to itself. When completed, it fits neatly into the right fuselage half. The same degree of detail and engineering finesse is evident in the engine and cowl assembly. The raised panel lines between the gun troughs and mid-way down the cowl sides appear to be mold separation lines, so remove them.
The wing/fuselage fit is very good. The Fowler flaps are designed to be installed in the extended position, but I could find no period photo of a parked Ki-84 with the flaps extended. Removing the flaps' mounting pins should allow you to install them in the retracted position.
One of the few flaws in the kit is the presence of ejector-pin marks all over the interior of the gear doors, landing flaps, and the oleo portion of the landing gear struts.
I was impressed with the overall assembly as it flows very smoothly from step to step. Hasegawa has recently adopted the use of vinyl grommets ("poly caps") for attaching parts. In this kit, they are used for the landing gear, prop, tail wheel, drop tanks, and even the underwing fuel cooler housing! They worked well except for the gear struts, which were too loose; I glued them in. Get out your magnifying glass to install the tiny clear-plastic navigation lights.
I painted my Frank with Gunze Sangyo Aqueous acrylics. I accomplished the paint chips by using Rub 'n' Buff metalizer paste as a base coat, followed with dabs of liquid masking agent in the areas I wanted to be chipped. After the camouflage color was sprayed on, I used masking tape to remove the dried liquid masking agent. Voila! Real chipped paint!
Well-printed decals are provided for two aircraft. They went on easily with a touch of setting solution. If you use the yellow leading-edge decal, you can use its clear spot as the landing light cover instead of installing the clear plastic part.
According to my references, Maru Mechanic No. 8 (original issue) and Famous Aircraft of the World No. 19, Army Type 4 Fighter "Hayate," the model measures to scale.
My Frank was a quick build: just 19 hours. The Ki-84 was one of the most graceful radial-engine fighters of WWII, and Hasegawa's kit has captured its look. If you've built several detailed aircraft kits, you should find this one a pleasurable experience.
- Jim Zeske