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1/48 Japanese Ohka (Baka)


Hanson

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Finished this one over the New Year's holiday. Got this kit, a 1/48 scale Japanese Ohka kamikaze rocket plane, I think the original Hawk kit (it was later released by Testors), at a swap meet a few months ago. Scratch-built the cockpit interior (the kit had nothing), cut the canopy apart so it was visible, and mounted it on a base to emulate an aircraft found abandoned on Okinawa after the war. Painted Tamiya IJN Light Gray, and weathered to death. The panel lines are darker than I'd normally do them because that's the way they were in the photos. I don't know why, maybe leaking fluids or something, or just accumulated dirt.

 

Here's a comparison shot of the 1:1 aircraft and the finished model:

 

ohka_compare.jpg

 

And some color shots:

ohka_finished_02.jpg

ohka_finished_03.jpg

ohka_finished_04.jpg

 

Comments welcome.

 

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Excellent Ohka Mike! Your rendition has an authenticity to it, especially in the setting you duplicated. I also like the weathering. It appears some sort of red primer is just beginning to peek through the worn upper layer. Thanks for posting!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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I'm debating whether to add the "Keep Out" rope. :-)

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Looks great. I would love to get my hands on another 72nd scale version from the Hasagawa Betty kit. The one I have took a tumble and I couldn't find all the pieces.

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I have the Hasegawa Betty, but don't plan on doing the Ohka carrier. I want to do a surrender aircraft (whitewashed with green crosses). But the Ohka in the Hasegawa kit is a lot nicer than the 1/48 one I just built. At least it has a rudimentary cockpit. And decals. :-)

Edited by Hanson
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Thanks for posting Mike! Nice work finishing one of these!

I have one started, and was also going to do mine in a little diorama - I had decided to do it with a tarp partially covering it, as to avoid the lack of cockpit! :smiley2:

 

I agree that the 1/72 Hasegawa kit is a much better starting point.

Although if you like to spend money there are a few VERY nice resin kits out there in 1/48, but they are not cheap... (can't recall the name off the top of my head, but there are in the $100 range)

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Scratching up the cockpit was actually pretty easy, as it really doesn't have much of one to start with. There's a great photo of the cockpit in the Smithsonian book, At the Controls (ISBN 1-55046-365-9). I copied the pattern of the seat from an Eduard set onto a piece of really thin styrene and then folded it like it was PE. Other than the seat, it's just a throttle and an instrument panel with a couple pipes and structural ribs.

 

Here's an in-progress shot:

ohkacpit.jpg

 

And even so, after assembly not much is visible.

Edited by Hanson
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Nice Job!

 

I started one of these 10 years ago. I was using pistures from an old Aero publication book I have. I got a fair amount of work done when we sold our house.

I have not been able to locate that kit in 10 years and I know it did NOT get left behind!

 

 

Max Bryant

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  • 2 weeks later...

Great job on the Baka Mike!!! I wonder how many of us tossed this kit together when we were kids, complete with the orange rocket exhausts. You really win the "Silk Purse out of a Sows Ear" award.

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Will the person who asked about the box send me a note? I've misplaced the message! Sorry!

 

 

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