Zoukei-Mura 1/32 Ki-100 Otsu, previewed by Otis Goodin

The Kawasaki Ki-100 aircraft, also known as the radial engine “Tony,” was developed in late 1944 to replace the in-line engine version of the Ki-61. Engine failures and production delays caused the Japanese Army to develop a version of the Tony using the Ha-112 air-cooled radial engine to be fitted to existing Tony airframes. The result became the Ki-100, also known as the “Tony II,” although no official Allied codename was ever applied to the redesigned aircraft. The Ki-100 proved to be an excellent aircraft and capable late-war fighter.

The improvised Ki-100 first flew in February 1945. Because it appeared so late in the war, only 390 aircraft were completed, with 275 being original Ki-61 airframes, and the remaining 115 being new construction. B-29 raids in June 1945 disrupted production, limiting the total number of airplanes produced.

The Ha-112 radial engine was a compact and reliable engine, producing 1,500 horsepower. The Ki-100 was armed with two 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns mounted in the wings and two 20mm Ho-5 cannons installed in the upper fuselage and aimed using a Type 100 gunsight. The Ki-100 could carry a 200 liter drop tank mounted under each wing, but it rarely carried bombs.

The Ki-100 featured excellent maneuverability, good high-altitude performance, was well-armed and reliable. It compared favorably to the Ki-84 “Frank,” often considered to be the best Japanese fighter of the war. The Ki-100 was arguably better than the airplane it replaced, the Ki-61 “Tony.”

THE KIT

Zoukei-Mura released the Ki-100 in August, and kits are just now making their way to the USA. I bought mine from Volks USA which appears to be the primary importer and distributor for the US market. As part of their Super Wing Series (SWS) of 1/32 scale aircraft, this is the 27^thSWS kit released.

I’ve never built a Zoukei-Mura kit before, but seeing this release of the Ki-100 made me jump on it as soon as it came out. To my knowledge there’s never been a first run kit of the Ki-100 in 1/32 scale before, although a conversion set was released by Alley Cat some time ago. Tom Cleaver did an excellent build review of it back in 2010.

The kit consists of 274 parts spread over 13 separate sprues. There are parts and markings to build one of two planes, with only slight differences in colors and markings. The kit even includes a set of masks for the canopy.

The instructions consist of a 75-page booklet with incredible detail, including photos of the various stages of the model as it is being assembled. It’s divided into subsections starting with the Engine, Section 3-1, which is subdivided across 18 pages into sections A through M. The parts are clearly labeled and described in the instructions along with colors for painting as you proceed. The rest of the kit is similarly described with Section 3-2, the Fuselage, covering 22 pages, the Wings, Section 3-3, covering 11 pages, Landing Gear 3-4 covering 9 pages, Final Outfitting 3-5, 8 pages, and Painting and Decals, Sections 4-A and B, explained in 5 pages.

Color references are for Vallejo paints, although I’m sure Tamiya has all the colors you would need as well. There is an excellent reference book, Japanese Aircraft Interiors, by Robert Mikesh, that contains a section on the Ki-100 with excellent photos of the cockpit and interior.

I look forward to getting started on this kit, although I suspect it’s going to take me quite a while to build it.

KIT #:	27
PRICE:	$124.00
DECALS:	Two options
REVIEWER:	Otis Goodin
NOTES:	Impressive looking, incredible detail