Nakajima Kikka by Kampflieger

**CMDRTED** · #1 02-11-2012, 12:42 PM

Already in progress is the download Kikka from Kampflieger. The Kikka on the surface looks alot like the Me262 and there is a lot of speculation of the co-op effort with the germans. true the home built engines didn't quite put out the trust the aircraft needed so they borrowed ideas from the bmw design, but the aircraft seems like an original Nippon design. The kampflieger kit is in 1/48 and consists of 5 pages of parts and diagrams. They don't come with connectors , which are needed on some of the parts but are easy to adlib. Interestingly the kit has separate flight control surfaces but they look a little tricky to install. I started into the kit before getting more pics. The 1st one is just about all the parts layed out with a few fuselage segments done. The fuselage went together with no problems, the cockpit section contains the complete cockpit and the main wing spars. The cockpit was a little basic so I double printed some of the drawn on sections to make them more 3d...

**rockpaperscissor** · #2 02-11-2012, 12:57 PM

This is really coming along nicely. I've always had good luck with Roman's models. Did you weight the nose? Like all tricycle gear models, this one is tail heavy. Great job so far.

**GreMir** · #3 02-11-2012, 01:02 PM

Ted,
You are building them at an amazing speed!
Kikka was based on Me-262, but Japanese built her a bit smaller. Engines were based on the German ones, but since the sub carrying samples was sunk, Japanese engineers had to design their own based on some photos, descriptions and measurements taken in Germany.

**Don Boose** · #4 02-11-2012, 02:02 PM

Fast work and looking most clean and precise, as always.

Don

**CMDRTED** · #5 02-11-2012, 03:27 PM

Thanks all. Mike you are the authority on things Japanese. I am mostly a builder of these models, kinda like Oddball from Kelly's heros, I just drive them I don't know what makes them go.... I read the labels on the kits mostly. Yes I did weight the nose, a few BBs are in the petal section. I have definite favorites for downloads; Gremir, Kampflieger, Marek, Kryzchu and Pmodels are the best in the business. Most of the kits from Gremir are Halinski like for detail and complexity followed by Mareks newer 1/33 kits and Kryzchus latest kits. Kampflieger and older Mareks are good quality well fitting kits analogous to Revell kits of the 70-90s. Great detail without going overboard. More later....

**Paperwarrior** · #6 02-11-2012, 04:58 PM

I've wanted to build this kit for awhile. I'm glad to see a craftsman working on it. I am really looking forward to seeing this come together.

Jeff

**CMDRTED** · #7 02-12-2012, 01:41 PM

Jeff thanks, I hope I can live up to craftsman level. next up are the wing roots. These are simple I piece fold over parts that contain the main gear wells. They go together with no problems, you have to score the little lip at the very base and kinda lip it out, this serves as the usual root fairings present on other kits. Also the wheelwells insert into preprepared recesses in the fuselage section. my advice is alot of dry fitting as if you relieve too much you start cutting into the actual skin of the fuselage and too small and it sorta crushes it. Go slow and trim slow and little bits only. Also I made a small lip for the outer sections of wing to grab hold to.

**CMDRTED** · #8 02-13-2012, 12:53 PM

Next up are the BMW influenced jet engines. These are rounded structures with lots of formers and a simple conic structure for the intake and exhaust...

**rockpaperscissor** · #9 02-13-2012, 02:20 PM

Great build so far. That uber delicate engine skin part (4th piece from right) looks really scary, but you apparently had no trouble with it at all - well done.

**CMDRTED** · #10 02-13-2012, 03:00 PM

It was a little hairy, the key to it was to have the smaller ring behind it glued up right away to give it protection. None of the connector strips were included but making them is pretty simple; just cut out the area ahead of the part in a width that will adequately support that segment and the one in front of it. Work from biggest segment towards the smaller, in this case the center segments and work forward and aftwards. Don't forget to paint a little strip down the center of the connector part so it doesn't show up white at the join.