Kayaba Ka-Go by Octávio Mântua

Fine Molds  Kayaba Ka-1 1/72

I have finished another Japanese aircraft. This time the Kayaba Ka-1 (autogiro based on the American Kellett KD-1A).
First of all, I would like the thank George Eleftheriou, Hideto Araki and the Yanks Air Museum for their invaluable help.

The Fine Molds model is quite good, but I made some modifications:
- I detailed the interior and made a scratch motor;
- The motor cover was changed with the introduction of various air vents;
- Wheels support struts were replaced by thinner plastic;
- Lights were added to the wheel struts.

As to the colours, the kit is painted using the references by Fine Molds:

- Underside – Tamiya XF-14 J.A. grey

- Upperside: - Tamiya XF-13 J.A. green with a spot of white

                     - Gunze H 66 RLM79 sandy brown

After painting, I gave the entire model a reddish-brown pencil wash.

As to the lights, these were made with some drops of araldite glue. After the glue dried, I painted with clear red and clear blue.

HERE are some photos of the construction process.

- Octávio Mântua -

IPMS North Central Texas "Scalefest"

 IPMS North Central Texas "Scalefest"

June 4th, 2022

This year's event was held in Grapevine, Texas, just north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It was marked by a good turnout with many vendors and plenty of entries. There were quite a few Japanese related entries in various scales, some notable standouts included a Ki-44 with a confident pilot standing on the wing, and a very nice Ki-45 Toryu in 1/32 scale! The Ki-61 also seemed a popular subject.

- Devlin Chouinard -