Nakajima Ki-84 - 1/33 - Halinski

[YOAVHOZMI]

great work...I so enjoy to see your progress.

YOAV

[smithdr]

Thanks Ricardo and Erik...that really helps.

And as always, very inspiring to see your progress!

Dan

[Ofanim]

You progressed a lot on this beast since my last come !
Still impressed by your skills!
Can't wait to see this model complete.
Best regards,
Ronan

[Erik Zwaan]

As always, it's an exciting moment when wings and fuselage are combined. I see what you mean with the minor misfit of the wing fairing, especially at the right wing. Hardly noticable though. Because of the concave/convex curvatures this is usually the difficult chapter of any aircraft build. Perhaps it can be corrected with a small strip of identically colored paper if you wish.

The weathering at the wing and fuselage where the pilot enters the cockpit is very realistic. By the sight of it this aircraft has been in long service, or they used poor quality paint ...

By the way Ricardo, beautiful details at the wing leading edge, especially the gun (you even drilled a small hole in the barrel?) and landing light. A joy to watch!

Cheers,
Erik

[ricleite]

Thanks for the comments

@ Erik - sometimes, I find that the best way to correct a minor mishap is to forget it Regarding the gun, the part is conceived to have a hole. Sometimes, it is a cut on the front of the part that will be apparent after rolling. Sometimes, the part is to be rolled around a wire with a certain diameter. If I'm not mistaken, Halinski has applied both methods...

As you know, Halinski uses a very rigid structure, both for the wings and for the fuselage. In principle, the fittings on those assemblies almost guarantee proper alignment. However, the wing skin position relative to the structure is not always so rigid. The landing gear bays often provide a good reference. It is quite common for me to have to make small cuts in the front and/or rear of the wing structure in order to get the wing skin to cover everything properly. With several “approximations” like these ones, it is not strange if they add up to make minor misalignments. They would be easier to hide if the wing to fuselage fillets were conceived as separate parts, which is not the case here. I remember having trouble with a Zero, also from Halinski and probably for the same reasons. Well, that’s how life is…


It should not be easy to get assemblies with more marked double curvature than those shown in the pictures. Halinski’s solution to a very complex problem consists of a series of strangely shaped parts. I opted to join them with internal tabs before applying to the plane. It may not be the best method but, having in mind the paper limitations, I find the result satisfactory.

[ricleite]

Applying the exhaust pipes and the landing gear doors was, in comparison to the previous tasks, a piece of cake…

[Erik Zwaan]

Hi Ricardo, what a neatly crafted landing gear! From one of the pictures of the second last posting it looks like the gear can be moved into the up position, by looking at the metal thread?

I would love to start a Halinski aircraft but the one thing that puts me off is that'll probably take me two years to finish - serious lack of time. Only 15 years to retirement, ha, ha .

Regards,
Erik

[ricleite]

@ Erik - the visible bit of wire is there because I like to fix the landing gear more solidly to the wing structure. It would be easy to make it mobile but something woulld be needed to lock the leg in the open position. I have several scratch builts with that kind of mechanism that, almost inevitably, is not completely hidden.

After gluing the canopy’s front and rear sections, I remarked that the middle section adjusted reasonably without glue. Not as well as it would be if glued but I decided that the bonus of a more visible interior was worthwhile.

[MacSongLi]

Your work is fantastic Erik. An amazing build. The details are way beyond any plastic model.

Gary

[ricleite]

And there it is! The Ki-84 is a relatively large single seat fighter, with very elegant lines and some details that make life complicated for both the editor and the model assembler. It is surely not the best option for a first try with Halinski kits. However, the difficulties are of the “honest” type, if you know what I mean.
Regarding the colors, I find it a bit “Mr. Brown”. Anyway, it is what it is and both the markings and weathering effects are perfectly applied. I wouldn’t be surprised if Halinski releases more or less the same kit with another paint scheme. Repaints with relatively minor changes to the parts have become common and, as they provide a wider choice, should be looked at favorably.