Aoshima Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai 022467
$40.00
Aoshima Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai 022467
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (飛燕, roughly “flying swallow”) was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The first encounter reports claimed Ki-61s were Messerschmitt Bf 109s: further reports claimed that the new aircraft was an Italian design, which led to the Allied reporting name of “Tony”, assigned by the United States War Department.
The Japanese Army designation was “Army Type 3 Fighter” (三式戦闘機). It was the only mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war to use a liquid-cooled inline V engine. Over 2.500 Ki-61s were produced, first seeing action around New Guinea in 1943, and continuing to fly combat missions throughout the war. For years, it was assumed that the Ha-140 powered Ki-61 was designated the Ki-61-III. That appears to not be the case.
It is apparently the Ki-61-II kai. Some sources state that only one actual Ki-61-III was built. Of the 374 Ki-61-IIkai airframes built, the unavailability of the Ha-140 engine meant that 275 of them were converted to Ki-100s, which turned out to be a superior aircraft.. This lack of original engines was due to the destruction of the Akashi engine production plant that made the water-cooled Ha-140 power plant. Those that did enter service mostly served with the 55th and 56th Sentai