ARII (Otaki): 1/48: Nakajima Ki84 Hayate "Frank" fighter plane
Review By: Darryl Vincent
Pro's: Not too expensive ($13), very nice detail and panel lines, VERYdetailed and realistic cockpit, nice plastic quality, movable propeller,perfect parts fit; parts have an asymmetrical fit (ex: left landing gear strut has [ male end and fits in left [ hole, and same kind of thingwith the tailwings.) Two large, good color pictures of the Frank areincluded as a paint guide. Overall, it's a very nice kit.
Cons: Indecipherable instructions, unless you can read Japanese kanji. The instructions in English are pretty basic, but with the pictures,it's pretty simple to figure out. Unfortunately, there is no Englishfor the paint schemes. Also, there's a good bit of excess plastic totrim, and some of it is in really troublesome areas such as between the pistons on the radial engine. The tailwheel is also really weak anddoesn't hold the weight of the plane that well. I had to cut mine down and redo the holes for the tailwheel (which wasn't that hard).
Overall: A really good kit. Once you get past the instructions, it's a reassy sweet kit. It can also be painted aluminum plate with a black anti-glare strip from the front of the cockpit to the end of the cowl. Also, you'll have to use a hot needle to make the machine gun holes in the cowling. The best part of this kit is the cockpit. It's perfectly detailed and builds up a lot like the real thing. Also, remember to not glue the top of the tail together until you string the thread from the tail to the antenna.