Eduard Brassin 1/72 Ki-61 Upgrades
By Jacob Russell
Tamiya recently "scaled down" their superb 1/48th scale Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien ("Swallow") to 1/72nd scale, and Eduard has followed suit with a Brassin enhancements for the new kit. We'll have a look at 3 of these sets.
First up is a set of wheels (item number 672 201) that includes a tail wheel, a pair of weighted main wheels and a set of masks to facilitate painting these very small parts. These parts are up to Eduard's usual high standard of detail.
Next is a pair of exhausts (672 202) which, like the wheels above, are a straight swap for the kit parts.
Finally we have a pair of under wing drop tanks (672 213). These are a welcome surprise due to their absence from Tamiya's kit. This is a bit of a disappointment; drop tanks were widely used on Ki-61s. This is another one of the Brassin multimedia sets. The drop tanks and under wing racks are made of resin plus some PE attachment brackets which add a nice bit of extra detail. You also get a very small decal sheet for some instructional stencils for each rack. These decals are crisp, clear and in-register.
These are 3 very nice sets. The Kawasaki Ki-61 is one of my favorite World War Two aircraft and Tamiya's new 1/72nd scale kit is among the best available today. It is accurate and well detailed. These sets increase the overall finesse of Tamiya's kit and the drop tanks in particular are a very welcome addition.
I recommend these sets and I would like to thank Eduard for the review samples.