Arma Hobby Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate “Frank” Batch Build in 1/72 Scale Part II

Construction starts with the cockpit! Or in my case, the cockpit, stores, engines, wheels, and props. Here are the cockpit tubs all built up and painted Mr. Color 126, cleverly named Cockpit Green. The cockpits were given a black wash and drybrushed with silver. The instrument panels are decals, and look convincing.

There is molded-on sidewall detail, dressed up with a throttle and some parts from the PE fret. The cockpit opening is narrow which will hide much of this, so I decided what Arma provided would be enough for these builds.

The engines were primed and then shot with Alclad Aluminum. The gearboxes are painted Blue Gray, and then the engines are washed with black and brown to bring out the details.

A little test fitting revealed that both the engine and cockpit assemblies could be inserted after the fuselage sides are joined. This allows better access to glue the fuselage from the inside and makes aligning everything easier.

At this point in construction you have to decide whether the canopy will be displayed in the open or closed position as the cockpit opening pieces are different. I’m going with open canopies on mine so that there is more opportunity to see the cockpit detail. I would recommend inserting the cockpit assembly at the same time as the fuselage opening piece. The top of the instrument panel should touch the underside of the fuselage when seated properly and it’s easy to mount it too low.

Part III here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2022/07/29/arma-hobby-nakajima-ki-84-hayate-frank-batch-build-in-1-72-scale-part-iii/