Kawasaki Ki-84 Hayate Decals Part 2
The Ki-84 Hayate was the premier Japanese fighter of the war. It also sported some really colorful markings that are a natural for an airplane modeler.
The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color. Five aircraft are included in the decals. The exterior sheet has the three-view drawings and the references used to design the decals.
The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf and are very colorful. They are in perfect register and thin. In my opinion, Cartograf is the best decal producer in the world. I’ve used all kinds of setting solutions on them and they perform flawlessly. The decals not only include the aircraft markings but also some stencils.
The first Hayate has never before been seen in print, let alone as a decal. The aircraft has a unique spackled look to it with a beautiful white tiger on the tail. This aircraft was flown by Lt. Shuho Yamana of Army Transportation Unit in the fall of 1944.
The second aircraft is from Corporal Shimizu in May, 1945. This kamikaze aircraft pays honor to the pilot’s family with a special marking on the vertical tail. It’s painted in the typical Yellow-Green #7 with some areas being repainted.
The third aircraft is from Lt. Col. Wakamatsu and is based on the research of the aircraft of the unit and pilot. There are no known photos of this aircraft. This entire profile is based in of research. With that said, the red and white markings make for a colorful aircraft.
Fourth, this training aircraft has a rather unique looking tail marking with diagonal lines and a white surround. The rest of the airframe is pretty standard.
The last aircraft on the sheet is my favorite. It is a Ki-84 flown by WO Yojiro Obusa in China during 1945. The red and white lightning bolt from the tail to the Hinomaru, complete with a white fuselage stripe, makes for a quite striking aircraft. WO Obusa had 19 victories and one British destroyer to his credit, which earned him a Buko-sho Medal in 1945.
Five colorful marking options printed by Cartograf, along with excellent research and some educated speculation, allows Lifelike Decals to offer a great deal of artwork for the modeler’s money.
Highly recommended
Thanks to Lifelike Decals for the review copy and IPMS-USA for the review space.
Reviewer Bio
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Building models since the age of 7, I’ve become known for my Bf-109s and helicopters. I currently run Werner’s Wings. I was previously the ‘star’ of the Master Class Model Building Video series. I’ve been published numerous times on various website, including Hyperscale and ARC. My work has been in FSM and Great Scale Modeling 2001, as well as, numerous other model magazines. I’m a published author with my Squadron/Signal Walkaround book on the Kiowa Warrior. My models have continuously won many regional and national awards. My unique model photography gives my models instant recognition for their historical perspective.
I’m a retired from the Army after 21 years of flying Cobras and Kiowa Warriors, including tours in Iraq, Bosnia, Korea, and Germany. I’m also a retired Flight Officer for the Baltimore City Police and flew their helicopters chasing bad guys. I’m currently flying Cobras and Hueys with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation.
I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart, Yvonne, for 42 years. Our daughters have blessed us with six grandchildren. My passions continue to be his family, friends, helicopters, models and airplanes, especially the Bf-109 and my beloved AH-1 Cobra. My motto has always been - MODELING IS FUN!
Comments
Add new comment
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.