#2 - OTDAEABT 2 - Maly modelarz Ki-44 Shoki 5-86 - Page 5

**dansls1** · #41 04-10-2009, 08:35 PM

Some progress - this is an interesting piece in that it does not have a former and butt up against the rear fuselage section, but rather wraps around it and overlaps for a bit. The whole vert. stab is one piece as seen here, although there is a front 'cover' piece where you can see the separation between the stab and the fuselage. Overall I'm pretty happy with how this piece came out - it looks vaguely the right shape and straight enough. I took some more pics, but they were all fuzzy - will do some more when I get the cover piece in place.
You can also see on the front where the ink breaks off the old paper when you fold it. I don't have an exact color match (hence black edge coloring in most places), so I'll have to try and do my best to color it in with the best dark green I can come up with.

**birder** · #42 04-11-2009, 09:57 AM

Cool Dan, love that plane.

**Don Boose** · #43 04-12-2009, 08:20 AM

Dan -- I'm glad to see you making progress on the Shoki. I think a neutral gray might be the best bet for touching up the areas where the paper cracked. Hope to get to work on my Shiden this week -- just a couple more suspenses to meet and then . . . Don

**dansls1** · #44 04-24-2009, 08:22 AM

Work still continues on this one as well. A couple pictures of the current state. For the exhausts I cheated a bit. The piece is a black tube, to be cut out at an angle to make the 2 exhaust pipes. The actual paper folded and started rubbing the black off, so I originally started rolling a tube out of newer card stock. But then I check and the tube was exactly the same diameter as a Mcdonalds straw (they are bigger than anybody elses). So a bit of sharpee work, and I had 2 exhausts much rounder than I could have managed. It's a cheat - but it's a 'period possible' cheat as one could have used the same straw and marker trick in 1986 :D
Numbering sequence takes you to the rest of the front cowel next, but I'm going to do the wings instead so I don't mess with the fragile cowl while handling the fuselage for the wing install.

**Gharbad** · #45 04-24-2009, 09:54 AM

I dunno about that Dan, I was pretty amazed going into a McDonalds for the first time in Poland

The first one opened in 1992 and I guess I was there soon after.

**Don Boose** · #46 04-24-2009, 10:30 AM

Looks good, Dan. I'm glad to see your Shoki is still in the game. Hope finally to get some work done on my Shiden and 1/50 Shoki this weekend.

Don

**dansls1** · #47 05-20-2009, 11:11 AM

Progress. Pic one is a wing frame - note I used some spare foam board I had lying around because I didn't have any cork as recommended. Should suit the purpose. Pictures 2 and 3 are current status. I tried the 'tissue in the wing tip' trick for the first time, and learned that I put too much tissue in, so you probably won't see a closeup of the left wingtip - it's pretty rough. Also from the top you can see the loss of color on the same wing - don't know what else I can / will do to fix it - but that's what this contest is kind of about - building a vintage kit with original paper, et al. Picture 4 is my 'helper' with his 'I'd never do anything like grab the wing while daddy is trying to take a picture' look. When I laid the plane down to take the pic's he had to lament that the plane is 'broken'. I told him it was OK, I just wasn't done putting it together. It's a common theme - it happened over and over during the James build too

**Don Boose** · #48 05-20-2009, 03:44 PM

Looks good, Dan. I like the faded, weathered camouflage on the wing.

And it's always good to see photos of Niklas!

Don

**dansls1** · #49 05-29-2009, 09:15 PM

Progress continues. I'm probably more inclined to permanently shelf this one - but I'm going to power through and finish. The result is what it will be.
Picture 1 - close-up of wing fillet. They are too long, so I overlapped the front piece over the rear one. In a lot of other cases I would have tried to trim to fit - but it is what it is.
Picture 2 - bottom view of front of wings / air intake. I don't see any way that the color gap is my fault - everything seems to be placed where it should be.
Picture 3 - overall view of current state. If you look close, once the wings and horizontal stabilizer former are in place, I really got the vertical stabilizer crooked. I have been 'massaging' it to try and straighten it out some. Doubt it will ever be perfect - but it fits with the rest of this build.
I also have a piece I'm not sure what to do with (#20). From the cover picture, it could be intended to wrap the front of the gun coming out of the canopy. It also could be the support for said gun. Either way the instructions don't really say. I got the gun supported from behind - so not sure what I'm going to do there.

**GreMir** · #50 05-29-2009, 10:12 PM

Dan,
The thing sticking out of the canopy is a gunsight

I never built this one, but in other kits from this era, it doesn't really pay to allign segments - much better option is to allign engine with the tail.