Kit: Ki-46 'Dinah'
Scale: 1/48
Kit Number: 61045
Price: $33.00
Media: Injected plastic
Decals: I believe two versions (correct me if this is wrong)
Date of review: 9 Jan, 1997
This is a review of the relativly new kit of the Hyakushiki Shitei III Dinah. This is one of Tamiya best offerings in the 1/48 series of aircraft, second only to their F-4U1B Corsair. Although I hope both these kits will be dethroned by the 1/48 Gloster Meteor due out in the spring.
The kit is molded in light grey, with very suttle panel lines suggesting an accurate reproduction of the tight fitting full size speedster. The large sprue of canopies is sealed in its own bag, as are the other parts protecting the fine detail. I must add that I foolishly added the True Details resin set to the kit. Notice that I didn't say resin detail set, thats because its the worst set released by true details. I ground away perfectly good detail, to replace it with crap. The kit was a bit sparce, but probably very accurate, since Japanese aircraft were not built like the QE II. The true details set was more boxes and stuff but the quality is rotten. The side wall stringers are not even straight. Aside from my own foolishness not to check the quality of the parts I was replacing the kit fit is beyond excellent. After completing the interior I assembled, sanded and rescribed the kit in less than two hours.
Careful assembly with Tenax glue, and there was only one slight trouble spot. Where the one piece lower wing joins the front fuselage required only minor sanding and rescribing. The rest of the kit required only a quick pass of the sand paper, and reconnecting any of the wrap around panel lines. Its a good thing, because the surface detail is so fine that it would be difficult to replace. The only deveations that I made from the kit instructions were to leave the landing gear off until after the kit is complete. Glueing the upper wing halves to the fuselage before gluing on the lower wing (parts B8 to A6 and B9 to A18). With super glue and patience, a perfect wing root can be created with no sanding at all, since the glue is added from the bottom. The only other change was adding the nose cap A33 to part A6 left fuselage before assembling the halves this allowed me to get one side perfect, and then I could force the fit on the following side, which was not required. Painting was simple due to the way the engine nacelles snap on and off.
The fit of the glass was excellent. The majority of the side glass, did not even require glue. The kit decals were very nice snugging in with a little mirco sol, a quick dull coat. Presto a impressive kit of moderate size, about equal to a 1/48 P-38. If I can say anthing good about the true details set, is that it doesn't interfere with the fit of kit or of the many glass side windows once it is in place. I'm normally very fussy about the fit of kits, this one is excellent. I very much enjoyed building it, and of my 60 or so kits on display I can honestly say that its not my favorite, Spitfires & Hellcats are, but it was the easist one to build.
Review by Ronn Gibson. Thanks for the review and I encourage all of you to send in reviews for inclusion in this web site.Views, opinions and spelling are that of the reviewer alone. Reviews not edited . You can email reviews to this address