Tamiya Aircraft 1/48 Kawasaki Ki-61-Id Hien (Tony) Kit
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien was a WWII Japanese fighter powered by the Ha-40 engine - a license-produced version of a Daimler-Benz power plant. On account of its liquid cooled engine (it was the only Japanese fighter in the Pacific fighting to have one), the Hien was apparently mistaken for a German aircraft and then for an Italian bird, and was given the reporting nickname "Tony." It saw combat action from early 1943 and proved a competitive aircraft with its top speed of 580km/h, used in the desperate Japanese defense of the Solomon Islands and even as an interceptor when U.S. B-29s got in range to bomb the Japanese home islands toward the end of WWII.
- The model accurately captures the form of the Hien's Id variant, which featured an elongated nose section to incorporate its two built-in Ho-5 20mm cannons.
- The constricted Hien cockpit is depicted with excellent detail, including Ho-5 cannons, ammunition cases, instrumentation, oil tank, canopy brace and more! It is attached after left and right fuselage halves are joined.
- Ha-40 engine and supercharger are accurately depicted. Removable cowl part allows inspection after completion.
- The fuselage underside radiator/oil cooler is depicted in detail, inclusive of air intake parts.
- Parts are included to construct the model with open or closed canopy as per the modeler's preference.
- Optional Venturi tube and fuel cooler parts are included in the kit.
- Comes with parts to recreate 2 drop tanks and their mounts.
- Includes 1 pilot figure and 2 marking options which recreate aircraft flown by the 244th Fighter Group (Sentai) pilot Teruhiko Kobayashi. Masking stickers in the kit aid with painting the canopy.
- Kit includes clear fuselage parts!
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