1/48 SANGER Mitsubishi Ki-67 Vac...It BEGINS!

[Ohm-men]

Well, I also got some work done on the Sanger Ki-67! I made a vacuform box for my vacuumcleaner, so I could get a better result with the DIY nose- and tail cone canopies. This worked like a charm. I now have a good fitting one piece nose- and tailcone.
Next I made some inserts for the wings, since these have to sit a a certain angle. Again a lot of thinking to get some solution to get the wings at the corret angle to the fuselage. This seamed the best solution.

Then I made a Jig, so once glued, the wings will stay in place.

I'm quiet happy I got this far. I hope to attach/glue the wings tommorow and then start filling the gap at the bottom of the wings with some white Milliput, add the strenghteners and start working on the details of the nose- and tail cones.
Then I guess I can add the tailplanes...

 

[Wurger]

 

[Capt. Vick]

Awesome work brother!

 

[Gnomey]

Good work so far!

 

[A4K]

Echo Jim's comment... fantastic work on what looks like a troublesome kit!

 

[SANCER]

Great job so far Ohm-men!!

Saludos y felicidades

SANCER

 

[Shinpachi]

So, does anyone know anything about this particular Ki-67?
It sits abandoned in a field. I very much like the Japanese characters on the nose.
It also has a strange diagonal stripe on it's tail. I've seen simelar markings on a Ki-57 Topsy transport, so where did this particular Ki-67 belong to?
View attachment 278919
This particular aircraft is a subject on the 1/72 Rising Decal sheet I posted earlier. Though the sheets comments says it's from a unknown unit in 1945.
I'm pretty keen on doing this one, since it looks a bit apart from the other Ki-67. Though I would like a bit more extra info in this aircraft.

Hoping the photo was not fake and if I may see it from the portside, the two Chinese characters can be read "空舘(Tate-Ku reading from the right)" According to Wiki, the Ki-67 was a bomber for the army but two airframes were tested as a torpedo attacker at Yokosuka Naval Air Corps in early 1944. Tate-Ku was abbreviation for Tateyama Naval Air Corps and it was a branch unit of Yokosuka Naval Air Corps.

 

[Ohm-men]

Thanks all for the encouriging comments!!! I'm start to see a light at the end of the tunnel...
Wings are attached now and let the glue set overnight. Joints seam very strong and the gap at the bottom is less wide the expected!

Thank you Shinpaci for the info!!! Quiet intersting. So the "Tate-Ku" was a Navy machine, that could explain why there is no "combat stripe" at the aft fuselage (as seen on most other Ki-67's)
So most likely only used for testing. What strikes me is (even though both pics are not of great quility) that this particular machine had it's doors installed. Most Torpedo (Army) bombers flew without them (like the Betty)

Anyway, I'm very happy with this additional info on this aircraft. I most likely get on with it.
Though, I'm still a bit puzzeled if this machine carried any defensive guns. (and if so, would they have been Navy ones instead of the Ho's carried by the Army...)

 

[Ohm-men]

Since I'm having quiet some fun witht this kit, I got on with it.
Mind The Gap;

Fill The Gap;

And while we're at it, I dry fitted the tailplanes.
Now it really starts looking like a Ki-67. I think the tail looks quiete impressive...

And one last pic with "Heinz", the half painted Stuka pilot in winter gear;

 

[Wurger]

 

[Shinpachi]

You are doing good job, Ohm-men

When I see the photo of unknown Ki-67 from the port side, I can read the letters but the propeller rotation direction is wrong.
When I see it from the starboard side, the propeller looks correct but the letters are unreadable as if a guy who didn't understand Chinese characters wrote them.

The army asked torpedo tests to the navy and all guns would have been removed as no necessary.

 

[Ohm-men]

Thanks for the clarification!
So, this is the instruction sheet of the 1/72 Rising Decal sheet

Not sure if they made the same translation.
It's indeed strange that the characters would be painted on backwards....
The absence of aranement is also reasonble, as it was a test aircraft.
Perhaps I will have to look at another option. I already have the Ho. 103 istalled in the turret and I not gonna take it out
Way too much trouble.
I started on the detail of the nose transparancy, which is another intense job...
Though the old Eduard 1/72 Peggy dtailing instructions are very helpfull in achieving the detail I want.

 

[Capt. Vick]

I believe the armament - less version that you were interested in was to be expended in a one-way attack (if you get my drift). The reason I believe this is because of the dark mass situated towards the rear of the formerly glazed nose. I have seen other Hiryu pictures similar to this but with the addition of a long fuse pole exiting the center of the nose, like where the armament would go. It may be an early kamikaze conversion.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Could that also explain why the propellers are not handed?

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for the clarification!
So, this is the instruction sheet of the 1/72 Rising Decal sheet
View attachment 279177
Not sure if they made the same translation.
It's indeed strange that the characters would be painted on backwards....
The absence of aranement is also reasonble, as it was a test aircraft.
Perhaps I will have to look at another option. I already have the Ho. 103 istalled in the turret and I not gonna take it out
Way too much trouble.
I started on the detail of the nose transparancy, which is another intense job...
Though the old Eduard 1/72 Peggy dtailing instructions are very helpfull in achieving the detail I want.

The instruction sheet reads the two letters as "至誠 (Sincerity)".
I support your decision, Ohm-men

 

[A4K]

Great work again Ohm.men, and great info Shinpachi!

 

[Ohm-men]

Thanks for the clarification Shinpachi.
Well, I'm leaning back towards my original idea for the camo.
The Hamamatsu Bomber School aircraft.
It's been a subject of a Hasegawa offering in 1/72nd scale and there are a few profiles of this particular aircraft to be found on the web.
So, can anyone shed some light on the following?

Aside from the above posted pic (which really is a bit blury) I can't find anything else about this one.
But since Hasegawa went with it, I supose it's a valid scheme?
It looks like a realy dense sprayed dark green mottle camo. More or less Lufwaffe alike?
Thing is, since I've put quiet some work in this model, I kind of want it to stand out in the crowd...
Though, I also lean towards a historic correct model...(though this scheme will allow some artistic freedom...)

 

[fubar57]

Fantastic work on this beast.

Geo

 

[Crimea_River]

Yep, with Geo. I haven't looked in for a while so flipped back a few pages. Great patience and workmanship!

 

[Gnomey]

Looks good so far!