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

Looking good now!

Thanks!
I stubled upun the following page, which has some wartime pics of the Ki-67.
Although it looks like a torpedo bomber, the undersides of this particular Ki-67 don't look green/gray to me.
I've read that some aircraft had black undersides for night missions.
Bombardero Mitsubishi Ki.67 "Hiryu"
If you look at the open hinge, this apears to be almost as dark as the torpedo warhead which is getting loaded on the Ki-67. Also the last pic showing the noe, seams to have dark undersides as well.
Anyone have any insight ont his matter?

I don't think the undersides were of black colour. These pictures are of quite poor quality and it can't be sure. Here you are enlarged pictures of the kite I found via the net. These seem to be of better resolution. It is clearly seen that the undersides were of the grey colour. However the metal frame of the glass nose was of the green entirely. It can be noticed in a couple of other, known images of the Ki-67 bomber as well.








And here is the pic with the taxing or taking off bomber. I corrected it with the Gamma option. It revealed the lighter shade of the fuselage undersides. Not too much but it can be noticed.

Black for the live shell. Red for the simulation shell.
I can't tell the underside color of the fuselage as some say light green, others say grey etc.

Nice !

I agree with Wojtek on the underside colour. Definitely a lighter colour, not black.

Thanks Wojtek for the clarification and the effort to rework those pictures! It's always difficult interpretate these wartime pictures.
I've also came across a colour film still of a line up of Ki-67 wich apear to have dark grey uppersides. Though I think the it's the type of early colourfilm that kind of discoloration is typical.
Anyway, I started on detailing the tail cone. Slow progress but it's getting somewhere.
Though, I'd still hope to find more pictures of the Hamamatsu Ki-67 with the squigle pattern camou...

My pleasure. Keep working.

Tail cone went fine. Perhaps the detail is a bit too heavy, but I wanted something in the to show in the tail. (I post pics later)
I started diggin' a bit deeper in the mystirious colours of the Ki-67.
I came to the conclusion that most of them were indeed Dark green over grey. So far so good.
The Hamamatsu Ki-67 with the strange squigle seamed to be a "prototype" or "pre production aircraft" of some sort. (accourding to 'Army type 4 Heavy Bomber Hiryu (Ki-67 Peggy)', Famous Airplanes of the World No.98, Bunrindo Co.) Hasegawa does not mention any of this in their special edition of this particular Ki-67. So, perhaps to much guess work here.
So, back to the Green over grey Ki-67. As Wojtek so kindly explained, the nose is entirely green arround the glass. This particular green paint (sometimes described as "olive drabb" or "Brown drabb") was a paint that originally was of a dark green shade that rather quickly darkened to a brown-ish hue.
Another intersting fact is that parts of the Ki-67 were manufactured at different plants, making the tail section (aft of the turret) apear as a darker green colour. The undersides were sometimes left unpainted on later production models.

So, to cut this storry short. I "think" I'm gonna go with a less exotic camo scheme. There is one particular Ki-67 bomber that caught my intrest. A machine from "170th Bakugekitai (170th Bomber brigade)"
Kengun Airfield, Kumamoto Prefecture, August 13th, 1945. The 170th Bakugekitai is one of the Bomber brigade which combined the 60th sentai and the 110th sentai. The 60th sentai and the 110th sentai were abolished after the 170th bakugekitai was organized. Most machines of this unit carried the white tail, which was the chosen unit insignia. However, others carried the 'last three' of the aircraft construction number on a camouflaged tail, which was continuation of the practice of 110 Sentai, from which this unit was partially formed. 170th Bakugekitai was one of the few Peggy units to use outlined fuselage hinomaru.


This one might be what I'm looking for. I also means I don't have to use any decals and might get away with simple masks for the Hinomaru. This way I don't have to fear for the Sanger decals (which seam to have a notebly bad rep)

That's a nice choice. The image of the kite is quite well-known one. But what about this one? I have found two of a different tonality. I mean a Sepia and B&W.

Ohm-men, I have a small book on your aircraft type but unfortunately won't be able to get to it until next Tuesday. You are correct about the lack of squiggles on the Kamamatsu aircraft. If you haven't made a firm commitment by Tuesday, I'll see what I can do for you.

Geo

That is one of the kamikaze conversions I was talking about!

Great info and photos guys - looking forward to seeing paint on this bird!

The Ki-67 reminds me of an engine displayed at an aviation museum in Arizona.
It was introduced as Nakajima Homare if my memory is correct and I advised a curator by email it was wrong but seems treated as mysterious one finally.
Though I had no chance to advise again, its formal designation is Ha-104 for the airframe Ki-67. Only one Ha-104 remained in the world.

Sorry for my off-topic

I'm looking forward to your best decision for the colors of your plane amigo Ohm-men. Sure will look good.

(good comment Shinpachi ...)

Saludos

SANCER

Thanks for all the comments and ideas! Super!

I'm pretty stoked on the 170th' Bomber Group aircraft. The white tail kind of grown on me and the phographic evidence is also nice to have. For some reason building an actual aircraft instead of an artist's impression seams more satisfying...
A small pic of the actual aircraft


Anyway, This is what I've done the last few days. Everything has some paint on it now, just haven't takan any pics
of that.

a bit of detail for the tail. There seamed to be some kind of tubular frame in the tail. I made it so the glass dome slides over it and the bars actually sit right after the glass. Pretty proud of that!


And the transparancies, coverd in masking tape. Quiet a hell of a job if you don't have any frames...

Awesome!

Good work so far!

Ohm-men said:

... a bit of detail for the tail. There seamed to be some kind of tubular frame in the tail. I made it so the glass dome slides over it and the bars actually sit right after the glass. Pretty proud of that!

Click to expand...

...and so you should be - looks great mate!

That good job with these tubular !!
It was worth the time spent on it.

Sigo pendiente a tu progreso.
Saludos.