Michał Markiewicz, a modeller known primarily for his excellent ships, this time chose an aeroplane – the Japanese Ki-84 Hayate fighter in 1/72 scale. He built a beautiful model and placed it on a simple but impressive diorama.
Michał agreed to show photos of his model in our Gallery, and he also wrote us a few words about its construction:
I’ve been tired of my ships lately, so I decided to try something faster for a change. I wanted to have the Hayate model basically from the moment Arma released it, and finally last year I came across it at a competition and bought it.
I built it straight from the box without any major additions, especially since the edition with kamikaze machines only includes masks. There is nothing to write about the assembly of the kit itself, it comes together like LEGO bricks, my copy did not have any defects in the form of sink marks, gaps, etc.
The only annoying disadvantage of this kit is the lack of riveting. I had to unpack a tool I bought for this purpose about 10 years ago and never used and learn how to use it. After riveting, I painted it with silver from Gunze instead of primer, thus preparing a base for the chipping.
Then I painted the pre-shading and base colours using Japanese Army aircraft colours vinyl paints from AMMO. The poor resistance of these paints to mechanical damage was a welcome bonus in this case.
Then I put decals on it, without any major problems, they could be a bit thinner, but there were no dramas. The riveted surface did not make things easier in this case. I made the chipping with a sewing needle, without the need to use hairspray. Then wash with Tamiya enamels and other weathering with AK products and oil paints.
To sum up, the model kit is very pleasant to use, I highly recommend it. Looking back, I think a better effect could be achieved by painting as many markings as possible and using as few decals as possible.
See also:
- Buy 1/72 Ki-84 Hayate ‘Special Attack Units’ model kit in Armahobby.com store online!
Ki-84 Hayate – recenzja z japońskiego magazynu „Scale Aviation”
Instrukcja modelu Ki-84 Hayate ze Specjalnych Jednostek Uderzeniowych „Shimbu-Tai”
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