Nakajima Ki-43-I "Hayabusa" (Oscar) by Kenneth Henderson

Nichimo 1/48 Nakajima Ki-43-I "Oscar". I really had fun building this 51-year-old kit, which is definitely a better option than the Hasegawa early "Oscar". The only real drawback of this kit is the shallow wheel wells. Some will not like all of the rivets, but they are really well done, and after a coat of paint, they look pretty good! 

I was told years ago not to use all the interior parts for the engine mounts, etc., as they will never be seen once the model is completed. I totally forgot about this and ended up removing all of mine from the firewall and drilling a hole to mount a tube to which the engine could be attached. 

I painted the model with Gunze and MRP lacquer and weathered it with oils. I started out with Aeromaster decals, but ended up painting all of the stripes and using National Markings from Rising, as the Aeromaster decals are not quite accurate when looking at the photos of this machine in FAOW #13. 

The color scheme represents a 1st Hiko-Sentai Ki-43-I flown by Major Takeda Kinshiro from Hanoi, Indochina, in October 1942.

- Kenneth Henderson -