Mitsubishi Ki-15 Kamikaze build
The Kamikaze about to begin its trip, at night, from Tachikawa airfield. I believe this is the 2nd and successful attempt, on April 6.
The luggage was stuffed in the space behind Iimura's head...
The luggage was stuffed in the space behind Iimura's head...
A period sketch of the cockpit from Flight magazine. The only interior information I have found so far !
FM seems to have gotten the front cockpit fairly right. But in the back, a few things are missing : notice the prominent crank (used to start the engine) on the bottom right, the fuel (?) hand pump on the left, the fuel lines between the two halves of the tank, and the large wires to the radio (communication tubes to the pilot?).
FM seems to have gotten the front cockpit fairly right. But in the back, a few things are missing : notice the prominent crank (used to start the engine) on the bottom right, the fuel (?) hand pump on the left, the fuel lines between the two halves of the tank, and the large wires to the radio (communication tubes to the pilot?).
Arrival at Croydon (London) on April 9th. Many variations of this pictures can be found, but on this one, a tube is clearly visible out of the middle of the canopy frame. It served as a hand-hold for the pilot to step out of the hich cockpit, and looks like a hole in the canopy frame the rest of the time (a detail missing in the kit).
A first go at the cockpit. All fine !
Besides the seatbelts, everything is out of the box so far. Beautiful detail and fit, but I later ralized (nearly too late) that the instruments panel should not be so deep in the cockpit. It should be much closer to the pilot's seat, but it's hard to realise since the cockpit is built independently of the fuselage and only inserted in it as a last step before closing the two halves.
The instruments panel should be glued ahead of the full rib below the cockpit opening. Everything fits so well in the fuselage halves that you forget to double check the instructions... Also, the cockpit opening was quite flat and thick, instead of bevelled, at least in front of the pilot. It can be filed to a more accurate shape and it makes the interior a bit more visible !
I left the big ejector pin marks untouched as they should not be visible in the closed fuselage.
I left the big ejector pin marks untouched as they should not be visible in the closed fuselage.
Getting a bit creative : I added wiring to the rear control panel, a cable on the trim wheel and a second control wire up front. Doing so, I glued the framework to the fuselage by error, but it is still easy to build it like this. Later, with the fuselage closed, I was able to add more detail that I had missed (engine crank, hand fuel pump), but it would have been easier to do it at this stage of course.
More detailing : wire braids from the control panels and radios, and large communication tubes to the back cockpit (as seen in the 1937 drawing).
I also added a control box by the central tanks, as well as a tank connecting tube at the bottom of it (not there yet). This is all visible in cockpit drawing.
First test fit of the main parts : looks very good ! It should be a quick build...
Everything just sits where it should. A bit of pressure when gluing and there should be very little filler needed.
The surface detail is beautiful. And I've never yet seen a kit with split control surfaces (molded in). It's too wide on the bottom, so it needs work, but the precision of the molding is clear there. Still, seprate control surfaces would have been nicer, and the aileron actuator can be improved a bit.
It seems that FineMolds has opted for a simple/simplified build with few parts and only styrene (no PE, resin, etc.), and the fineness of their molds (pun intended) certainly warrants that strategy. It will make a beautiful build for just anybody, and a beautiful base to super-detail it for those who wish.
It seems that FineMolds has opted for a simple/simplified build with few parts and only styrene (no PE, resin, etc.), and the fineness of their molds (pun intended) certainly warrants that strategy. It will make a beautiful build for just anybody, and a beautiful base to super-detail it for those who wish.
And yes, it's moving on very swiftly and very smoothly. Even the seperated tail piece caused no problem and look near-perfect with just careful gluing.
An image dated May 21rst, of Iinuma stepping out of the Kamikaze at Haneda airport at the end of the return flight, while Tsukagoshi delivers pressing material to an attendant (the airplane brought back letters as well as images of the British coronation).
This is one of the few images where the back of the engine is a bit visible. The exhaust tube can be made out under the very thin cowling.
This is one of the few images where the back of the engine is a bit visible. The exhaust tube can be made out under the very thin cowling.
Nice image of a night departure, probably from Japan, either on the first attempt (April 1rst), or second, successful one (April 5th).
Now the front of the engine is clearly visible. The push rods seem to be shiny black, and the side air intakes are light coloured : light grey, dull silver, or maybe even the same blue as the cowling (same grey in the picture). The ignition wires are very prominent, silver or white, and the top ones pass over the push rod.
Notice also the shiny labels on the top of the wheel spats and the extended foot step under the redio operator's station.
Now the front of the engine is clearly visible. The push rods seem to be shiny black, and the side air intakes are light coloured : light grey, dull silver, or maybe even the same blue as the cowling (same grey in the picture). The ignition wires are very prominent, silver or white, and the top ones pass over the push rod.
Notice also the shiny labels on the top of the wheel spats and the extended foot step under the redio operator's station.
Radio man Tsukagoshi starting the engine in Paris, just a few hours from arriving in London. By now, the airplane is quite dirty from the exhaust...
Interesting panel line details on the front. Again, the wheel spats labels are visible, as well as the extented fuselage foot rests to climb into the airplane (under the Z of Kamikaze). The big cranks is the one stashed under the forward radio in the cockpit drawing.
Interesting panel line details on the front. Again, the wheel spats labels are visible, as well as the extented fuselage foot rests to climb into the airplane (under the Z of Kamikaze). The big cranks is the one stashed under the forward radio in the cockpit drawing.
Taxiing at Croydon as the crowd of reporters rushes in.
Nice view of the motor.
Nice view of the motor.
Official posed picture at Croydon before getting some rest in London.
Again, a nice view of the engine, with the very visible ignition wiring. The air intakes seem closed... or is that not what they are ?
Again, a nice view of the engine, with the very visible ignition wiring. The air intakes seem closed... or is that not what they are ?
After a few days of official celebrations and visits in London, the Kamikaze flies to several European cities, beginning with Brussels (April 16) for a few hours.
Here, we get one of the rare views of the space behind the radio operator's head.
Here, we get one of the rare views of the space behind the radio operator's head.
This one, I believe is when the Kamikaze left London on May 14th, after the coronation of George V.
A very rare close up of the pilot's area, with its thick frame. The cockpit's opening system is clearly visible, down to the hinge on the right side, as is the sliding window (same in the back). The hand-hold tube and the front foot rest are fully extended.
A very rare close up of the pilot's area, with its thick frame. The cockpit's opening system is clearly visible, down to the hinge on the right side, as is the sliding window (same in the back). The hand-hold tube and the front foot rest are fully extended.
Tsukagoshi working to get the engine started again... May 14th, leaving Croydon back home.
Another nice view of the front. The airplane has been cleaned !
Another nice view of the front. The airplane has been cleaned !
A good view of the other side of the cockpit, taken at a pageant after the return to Japan, on June 5th.
We see the folding split in the canopy's odd opening system, the folded curtains above the pilot's head, and a frame ahead of the radio operator's section, which could be where the hand-hold tube is stored when retracted. In the central part of the canopy, the top navigation light is visible, with a wire going to it from the right side. These are all small details that can fairly easily be added to that big glass house.
We see the folding split in the canopy's odd opening system, the folded curtains above the pilot's head, and a frame ahead of the radio operator's section, which could be where the hand-hold tube is stored when retracted. In the central part of the canopy, the top navigation light is visible, with a wire going to it from the right side. These are all small details that can fairly easily be added to that big glass house.
The only image I could find of the radio equipment (transmitter and receiver). Fine Molds made a fine reproduction of them overall, but missed two 'big' details : the hole in the frame above the transmitter and the wire coming out on the left, which seems to go the rear receiver (a cable running under the left canopy frame is visible in the sketches from Flight magazine).
It is also clear that the rear opening of the back cockpit it flat/straight, not rounded as in the kit.
It is also clear that the rear opening of the back cockpit it flat/straight, not rounded as in the kit.
So after much research of period photos, I went back to modeling and suddenly had a nagging doubt whether FineMolds had made a mistake about the placement of the pilot's instruments panel. And yes, it's definitely too far inside the fuselage, beyond the rudder pedals even... It also hid my beautiful (?!) detailing work !-)
I managed to push it forward with the fuselage already closed. Once unglued, it just slid along the stringers and I was able to glue it against the next rib. A bit closer would have been nice, but it would have been at the cost of makor un-building, so good enough !
Also, I made the engine starter crank from a piece of bent piano wire and glued it where it's placed in the 1937 cockpit sketches.
I managed to push it forward with the fuselage already closed. Once unglued, it just slid along the stringers and I was able to glue it against the next rib. A bit closer would have been nice, but it would have been at the cost of makor un-building, so good enough !
Also, I made the engine starter crank from a piece of bent piano wire and glued it where it's placed in the 1937 cockpit sketches.
I also made a little 'fuel pump' and slid it in under the side windows, next to the floor compas. Not the most accurate reproduction, but it wil do for me!
Beautiful fit of the (usually tricky) wing tips. A bit of preparation and they lood welded on.
As with everything else on the kit, it's not only an amazing fit, but also near impossible to get the parts wrong : if it's in the wrong place, it just won't fit. The kit is half minute precision, half lego (look at those big studs where the cockpit floor sits), and the two work together pretty much flawlessly.
As with everything else on the kit, it's not only an amazing fit, but also near impossible to get the parts wrong : if it's in the wrong place, it just won't fit. The kit is half minute precision, half lego (look at those big studs where the cockpit floor sits), and the two work together pretty much flawlessly.
The back of the engine as it stands. The exhaust ring falls into place, despite being so finicky a part. I dug out the exhaust, since yes, the kit can be improved some... and deserves it !
The mounting ring of the engine is one detail I have yet to see on a kit, and yet it's on every air-cooled engine with a cowling, and quite a visible feature.
The mounting ring of the engine is one detail I have yet to see on a kit, and yet it's on every air-cooled engine with a cowling, and quite a visible feature.
Testing the fit of the front fuselage to make sure the exhaust is away from it.
And with the cowling too... I thinned out the outer edge of the cowling a little bit. It's not bad as such but a little work does the job.
The kit would make such a nice model out of the box (even built by a beginner) that one has to resist the temptation to leave it as is when small improvements make it even better.
The kit would make such a nice model out of the box (even built by a beginner) that one has to resist the temptation to leave it as is when small improvements make it even better.
Testing the front of the engine as it stands. Still not sure what to do about the color of the two air intakes : they now seem too clear compared to the images. They look like they could have been painted in the same blue as the cowling, but that seems unlikely.
And I'm still not sure whether to re-make the ignition wires so that they run in front of the pushrods... and if so, how.
And I'm still not sure whether to re-make the ignition wires so that they run in front of the pushrods... and if so, how.
Back to this kit after a long while... First some steps I had done in the meanwhile.
The gaps in the wings around the flaps need to be filled in. I used Evergreen strips and sprue flash when the gaps were too narrow.
The gaps in the wings around the flaps need to be filled in. I used Evergreen strips and sprue flash when the gaps were too narrow.
A bit of care when gluing the wing to the fuselage yields a very good result, but will call for a bit of putty and attention with the surroundings of the central flap.
Looking again at the photos, I decided to rectify the shape of the radio operator's opening, which should be flat in the back. Also, I closed the hole in the far back of the cockpit, even if it's likely it won't be visible.
The photos show a thick, flat-faced surround around the cockpit opening.
This is the result. The fit of the side window inserts (different in the military version of the airplane) is less than perfect and will need puttying too.
A long, careful session with a mini saw allowed the parts of the canopy to be separated. The bottoms of the opening part of the canopy need to be separated, they were fixed to the fuselage. Here, the second one still needs to be cut off.
The nerve-rattling job of opening the front canopy made me pause (for a long, long while). I really wanted to open the back canopy too, but was worried about how to fix the bottoms back when some material is lost to the sawing. I't not a problem in the front, the canopy shield (frontmost) can be placed a millimetre back. But the rear and central part of the canopy have fixed positions on the fuselage in the kit's design.
In the end, when I saw that the canopy had begun to fissure while cutting the front part, I decided not to risk cracking it completely and gave up on my idea to have both front and back open...
I so wish FineMolds had provided for an open canopy option !
The nerve-rattling job of opening the front canopy made me pause (for a long, long while). I really wanted to open the back canopy too, but was worried about how to fix the bottoms back when some material is lost to the sawing. I't not a problem in the front, the canopy shield (frontmost) can be placed a millimetre back. But the rear and central part of the canopy have fixed positions on the fuselage in the kit's design.
In the end, when I saw that the canopy had begun to fissure while cutting the front part, I decided not to risk cracking it completely and gave up on my idea to have both front and back open...
I so wish FineMolds had provided for an open canopy option !
Some more last-minute detailing on the cockpit area : the chanel for the hand-hold in the central part (I could not confirm that it goes completely across, but decided to do it like that), and a bit of structural detail in the back part (so many uses to Tamiya tape!).
Also, the Aeroplane magazine drawing of the front cocpit interior shows a compass at the left foot of the pilot, under the throttle controls, so I made a very late addition to the cockpit floor with long tweezers !
Also, the Aeroplane magazine drawing of the front cocpit interior shows a compass at the left foot of the pilot, under the throttle controls, so I made a very late addition to the cockpit floor with long tweezers !
Compass in place ! It's quite visible, so it's worth adding (especially if the rear cockpit will be closed). The strip of Tamiya tape in the rear is painted and adds a bit of 'something' to that area (visible through the rearmost set of windows).
A bit of work inside the canopy : the box for the top position light and its cable, and the rear curtain in retracted position. Not knowing its colour (it seems dark, though), I figured the Japanese cared enough for details that it should match the finish of the airplane. A single ply of tissue paper folded up and wetted and a blue marker did the trick for me.
A bit of work inside the canopy : the box for the top position light and its cable, and the rear curtain in retracted position. Not knowing its colour (it seems dark, though), I figured the Japanese cared enough for details that it should match the finish of the airplane. A single ply of tissue paper folded up and wetted and a blue marker did the trick for me.
The big step that held me up for so long ! The rear canopy is fitted first, then the gap before the front part is measured with the bottoms of the opening part, temporarily held by tape (so they can be precisely aligned later. The front can then be glued, and the opening parts should fit too when they are ready to be glued in place.
Alignment of the bottoms of the framing starts with gluing them to the front piece.
The canopy framing was painted by hand... I couldn't imagine cutting all of these masks ! The rest of the painting so far was brushed on too. I like how Humbrol metallic paints allow for a somewhat weathered look in just one go (and they are very forgiving for touch-ups too).
The canopy framing was painted by hand... I couldn't imagine cutting all of these masks ! The rest of the painting so far was brushed on too. I like how Humbrol metallic paints allow for a somewhat weathered look in just one go (and they are very forgiving for touch-ups too).
The canopy framing is in place now, and will probably need a bit of putty where material was lost in uneven ways when separating the parts.
I have also replaced the sad looking aileron actuators by tiny triangles of evergreen sheet. They were in fact full, not just a wire.
I have also replaced the sad looking aileron actuators by tiny triangles of evergreen sheet. They were in fact full, not just a wire.
Masking requires a bit of preparation: I scaled up the manual’s painting information to match the model’s size, applied Tamiya masking tape on it, then cut out the shapes. The resulting masks were fine despite the curvature of the model (and flatness of the picture).
The canopy only required basic masking since it’s already painted. I hope the difference between hand painting and the surrounding sprayed paint won’t be too visible.
It was my first try spray-painting (Revell) enamel paint and it turned out fine (at about 50% dilution).
I remembered to add the antenna first, thankfully.
I remembered to add the antenna first, thankfully.
The result of the masking and painting is pretty good. I’m happy with it even if it will need a few touch-ups.
In my pictures, I noticed that the landing gear spats had a visible ’band’ that seemed to match the suspension overlap, so I had masked the corresponding area. But the result is far too visible and doesn’t match the pictures, so I will have to paint it over. The rest seems fine.
Nearly finished now ! The engine and its cowlings are glued and the decals are on.
The decals took a while, especially since I cut out the individual letters of the four J-BAAI codes. The carrier film seemed like it would show and I decided not to take the risk.
The decals are on the thick side but settled reasonably well with setting solution.
I messed up the end of the J (a separate decal on the other side of the aileron actuator), but fixed it with the decal that is supposed to go over the actuator and painted the rest.
Коментарі
17 4 March 2021, 12:22
akira kitaIt's a precious photo.🙂 Iinuma Masaaki wrote in his memoir that he had loaded a lot of luggage into the cockpit.
4 March 2021, 14:01
Boris BThe flight was a big sensation, even before it arrived, and it is quite documented, both during the flight (at each stop) and afterwards, when the airplane toured Europe and flew back, retracing its steps. For those interested, there are even some films of the arrival of the Kamikaze in Croydon (London) on YouTube :
Youtube Video
Youtube Video
9 March 2021, 15:10
Boris BThank you for your comments. I uploaded a number of period pictures to work out some details. A few pictures have Japanese text that I would love to have translated... If anybody cn help, that would be great !
9 March 2021, 22:04
Łukasz GlińskiPic #14: Date: Year 12 of "S" era (Shōwa?), 5th month, 21st day
Asked my friend to read the rest, but it's gonna take a while.
10 March 2021, 08:39
akira kitaI read comments a while ago and you may already have the translated information. I'm sorry to interrupt you but the text is written as follows.
#14 Pilot Iinuma returned to Haneda after successful European- Asia liaison flight. 5.21. 1937
#18 Their Japanese signatures on post card.
#23 Photo of telegraphist and navigator's seat. ① : nose direction (the red arrow indicates) , The transmitter. ⓶: The Receiving machine.
11 March 2021, 07:28
Boris BThank you Lukasz and Akira, that is very useful. So photo 14 was taken on May 21rst 1937, when the Kamikaze landed back in Japan. I know there were a lot of celebrations, including a big air pageant in June, but I did not have a picture of the landing in Haneda airport.
11 March 2021, 15:12
akira kitaOn the morning of April 1 1937, Kamikaze's naming ceremony and departure ceremony were held at Haneda airport, and after that, they headed to Tachikawa airbase in Tokyo.
It is said that Haneda's runway is too short to take off for full fuel loaded Kamikaze.
They took off at midnight the next day, but returned due to bad weather and a radio failure.
The restart took off from Tachikawaa at 2:12 am on April 6.
On May 21 1937, they first landed at airfield in Osaka and arrived at Haneda airport in Tokyo that same day.
The next day, they were invited to the court and awarded a medal.
Grand celebration ceremonies were held in various parts of Tokyo, and crowded rushed in.
Over the months that followed, they traveled around Japan and were welcomed and blessed by large number of people everywhere.
As far as I know, no Japanese has received such a large celebration ceremony from so many people. Even the parade of Olympic medalists of JAPAN is much smaller. (^o^)
photos can be seen here.
THE JAPANESE LINDBERGHS | Album by akira (1:48)
12 March 2021, 13:26
akira kitaHi Boris, your detailed research and beautiful accurate work is wonderful!
Actually, I wrote a new kit review of this Finemold's Kamikaze in "Hobby Japan" model magazine in Japan about two years ago, so I'd like to post more materials on my album tomorrow night.
24 March 2021, 11:22
Boris BThank you for your kind words, Akira. I thought this would be a 'week' build (I have yet to complete a kit in a week-end!) after a couple of longer builds needing modifications, but now I find that even FineMolds can make some mistakes, so construction is slowing down...
I would of course be very interested in your other documents and a link to your review maybe ?
25 March 2021, 11:42
akira kitaHi Boris, I hope my post is useful for your reference・・
THE JAPANESE LINDBERGHS | Album by akira (1:48)
26 March 2021, 07:36
Boris BAfter a long pause, hesitating about how to proceed with the canopy, I took this build up again and decided opening both the front and back of it was too risky. So I went ahead, wishing the open canopy option was provided for by Fine Molds...
It should now be completed in the coming days... or weeks !
20 July 2022, 16:59
