Want a variety of marking and painting options for your Hasegawa Ki-44? Well, Lifelike Decals has exactly what you are looking for on this sheet. It features four aircraft in four distinct paint schemes and marking options.

The instructions are printed on two single-sided A4 sheets in full color. The first page is the cover and the back with the plan views of the subject aircraft. Interestingly, the second aircraft is not shown in the plan views. The other page includes the history and the research used to determine the markings. This is one of the things that Lifelike Decals does better than most manufacturers, in that they show you where they got the research and the logic behind the color call-outs. They don’t even pretend that they know all the answers but give you, the modeler, the information to do with as you please.

The decals are printed by Cartograf, so you know they are thin and in perfect register. They will respond to all solvents and conform even to the most complex curves. The decals are printed on two sheets. The first sheet has all the markings on it while the smaller one includes the kill markings and their background.

The first aircraft covered is a green over grey camouflaged aircraft used by Warrant Officer Kobayashi of the 23rd Sentai in November, 1944. It is simple in its paint scheme and markings but is a colorful aircraft nonetheless.

If you want to challenge your airbrush capabilities, then the second aircraft on the sheet is for you. Flown by the 85th Sentai in China during 1944, this aircraft is green camouflaged pattern over natural metal, or perhaps even light brown. The camouflage pattern extends to the entire engine cowling and the landing gear covers.

More typical of a green camouflaged Tojo is the third aircraft flown by Major Saito during the summer of 1944 in China. The green camouflage is heavily chipped and worn. The blue Sentai markings, spinner, and fuselage band makes this a very colorful aircraft. This aircraft also carries drop tanks with graffiti on them. This is my favorite aircraft of this sheet.

The final aircraft is a natural metal aircraft. With some colorful kill markings on the fuselage and the blue Sentai emblems, this simplicity is quite colorful. The aircraft was flown by Major Sakado in June 1945. In typical Lifelike attention to detail, the eagle wing victory markings are unique to each kill marking. The other thing is the upper kill marking is worn more than the others and this is represented on the decals.

The level of detail in the decals is typical of all the Lifelike Decals. Printed by Cartograf, you know they are the highest quality in the world. The level of research and the quality decals makes this a winning combination.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Lifelike Decals for the review copy.