Hasegawa Press Release: December 2013 New Releases
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
1/350 Scale Japanese Hospital Ship Hikawa Maru
Lucky lady of the NYK Line
On her maiden voyage in 1930, Hikawa Maru was one of the most majestic ocean liners plying the Pacific. Just before war broke out in 1941, the vessel was hastily refitted as a hospital ship. She survived multiple mine strikes, and by the end of the war was one of very few large Japanese passenger ships still afloat. The ship was converted back to a passenger liner until, in 1960, she was converted to a museum and floating hotel.
Three upgrade kits are available for the Hikawa Maru:
- HSGS2149 72149 1/350 HIKWAMARU ETCH BAS
- HSGS2150 72150 1/350 HIKWAMARU ETCH DLX
- HSGS2151 72151 1/350 HIKAWAMARU WD DECK
Kit Features:
- New photo-etched parts
- Includes full decals for: I.J.N.Hospital Ship June, 1942 – September, 1945.
- Total Parts: 383
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS4086
- Advertised Price $149.99
1/12 Scale Yamaha® YZR500 (0WA8) “Tech-21 1989”
Burn Rubber with Tadahiko Taira
From 1973-2002, the Yamaha YZR500 led four 500 cc Grand Prix riders to ten separate world championships. One of the most famous riders to take the helm of the YZR500 was Japan’s Tadahiko Taira. For the 1989 season, Sarron rode for the Tech-21 team, scoring 39 points to earn a fourteenth-place finish overall.
Kit Features:
- New chamber, fender and wheel parts, plus decals for:
- Tech-21 Racing Team 1989 WGP500 14th place Rider Tadahiko Taira.
- Total Parts: 162
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS1708
- Retail Price $59.99
1/72 Scale F-15K Slam Eagle
South Korean Special
Sixty specially modified F-15E fighters were transferred to the Republic of Korea with improved engines, avionics, electronic warfare suites and target acquisition systems. All those improvements are needed to offset the substantial numerical advantage of North Korea with which South Korea has been at war since the 1950s. These improvements are backed by the solid performance and massive (23,000 lb 10,400 kg) ordinance capability that is present in all F-15s.
Kit Features:
- New engine, pylon and antenna parts, plus decals for:
- Republic of Korea Air Force 11th Fighter Wing Code: 039.
- Republic of Korea Air Force 11th Fighter Wing Code: 004.
- Total Parts: 160
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS2070
- Retail Price $47.99
1/72 Scale Kawasaki T-4 “Blue Impulse” Two Kit Combo
Join the J.A.S.D.F. Demonstration Team
Japan’s Air Demonstration Team, “Blue Impulse”, amazes crowds of spectators with stunning feats of aerobatics in their T-4 trainer aircraft. These subsonic planes are perfect for the precise maneuvers that the team has to pull off, such as drawing logos across the sky with the plane’s smoke pumps. From the Olympics to the FIFA World Cup, the birds of the Blue Impulse team are an infrequent but much adored sight in the Japanese sky.
Kit Features:
- Two kits with decals for the entire Blue Impulse team:
- J.A.S.D.F. 4th AW 11th SQ.“Blue Impulse” May, 2013
- J.A.S.D.F.4th AW 11th SQ.“Blue Impulse” February-March 2013
- Codes: 805, 26-5805; 726, 46-5726; 730, 46-5730; 729, 46-5729; 731, 46-5731; and 728, 46-5728.
- Total Parts: 67 x 2
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS2071
- Retail Price $44.99
1/72 Scale A-37B Dragonfly “Black Eagles” Two Kit Combo
Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatics Team
Korea’s Air Demonstration Team, “Black Eagles”, amazed crowds of spectators with stunning feats of aerobatics in their A-37B Dragonfly aircraft from 1994 to 2007. These straight-winged, subsonic planes were unusual choices for a demonstration team; however, they proved perfect for the team’s precise maneuvers. The twin engines of these Cessna-built aircraft also made them more reliable than the average jet, leading to a lower average of fatalities for the extremely dangerous demonstrations.
Kit Features:
- Two kits with decals for the entire Black Eagles team:
Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatic Team “Black Eagles” Dec. 1994—Oct. 2007. - Total Parts: 61 x 2
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS2072
- Retail Price $42.99
1/72 Scale Su-33 Flanker-D “Ace Combat” Yellow 13
The carrier-capable Sukhoi standout
Sukhoi Su-33s are direct descendants of the Su-27, made carrier-capable for use as fleet defense interceptors.Su-33s are also capable of in-flight refueling. The range, armament and avionics of the Su-33 are all impressive and easily match or exceed American fighters of the same time period. All of the aircrafts features caught the eye of “Ace Combat” designers, who placed the Su-33 in their game.
Kit Features:
- New display stand parts, plus decals for: Erusea Air Force 156th Tactical Fighter Wing Squadron “Aquila” Yellow 13.
- Total Parts: 204
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS5212
- Retail Price $59.99
1/48 Scale A6M2b Zero Fighter Type 21 “Rabaul”
No chance for New Guinea
When the Japanese attacked Rabaul in 1942, there was never any question of who the victors would be. The RAAF contingent on the island consisted of just fourteen outdated aircraft while the vessels sent against them could carry ten times that number. In a display of extreme courage, the RAAF launched its planes into the path of the Zeros attacking the island. In the following moments, the Zero’s effectiveness was proven beyond a reasonable doubt as the RAAF forces were obliterated.
Kit Features:
- Decals for two Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft:
- I.J.N.Tainan N.F.G.Code: V-117 Rabaul, 1942.
- I.J.N.201st N.F.G.Code: W1-111 Rabaul, 1943.
- Total Parts: 69
- Skill Level: 3
- Available: December
- Stock Number HSGS7359
- Retail Price $37.99