Our friend Danny Jackett recently sent over the photo below that features a Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar) and asked for further information.
It's a Model 2 Otsu that was found at Clark Field in the Philippines in pretty good condition and was brought to the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU) South West Pacific Area area for evaluation.
Could the wing tip be in yellow or white?
In this photo we can see the same "Hayabusa" in the foreground, a 27 Sentai Kawasaki Ki-45 "Toryu" (Nick) numbered "86" and a 208 Sentai Kawasaki Ki-48-IIa "Lily".
The similarity of the models, the camouflage pattern and the presence of two drop tanks under the wing suggest that in this and the next photo we see the same "Hayabusa" seen in the previous photos. Note the yellow(?) cowling lip and the difference between the color of the cowling lip and the IFF stripe on the landing gear cover.
Note in all photos that the fuselage hinomaru has a thin white border and that it was applied over the camouflage, suggesting that this aircraft left the factory without a fuselage hinomaru.
There are also no unit tail markings, so this one was probably a replacement.
Danny Jackett also mentioned: note the repair or unusual painted panel to the upper rear fuselage spine - no camouflage in that area.
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