Seems like 1/32 is the way to go nowadays with major manufacturers all jumping on the large scale band wagon. Adding to that is a new company called UMI out of Pennsylvania that is offering a conversion set for the Revell or Hasegawa 1/32 Ki-43. The set is designed specifically for the Revell kit and with only minor modifications, will fit the Hasegawa kit. I have to claim ignorance regarding a Revell Ki-43 so I'd be using the Hasegawa kit.

This is very much a typical garage resin set as you may get several different colors of resin. The parts are well cast, requiring the usual clean up of the mold seams and some filling of air bubbles and pits that are so common in this kind of enterprise.

There are well done drawings showing just where to cut the wings and do other modifications. These include making a pitot tube, telescopic gun sight, adding fins to the drop tank as well as cutting out an exhaust relief to the fuselage side and adding a mounting tab to the Hasegawa fuselage. For several of these additions, templates are provided.

Though perhaps not for the raw beginner, just about anyone with an intermediate level of modeling skills can do this conversion without any real problems.

UMI is planning a nice range of conversion sets and full kits so I encourage you to support them so they can have the funding needed for these kits. Their first full kit is to be an A5M4-K Claude trainer and A5M2b early version.

July 2005

Thanks to UMI for the review sample. Order yours direct by e-mailing harleydst1958pan@aol.com, or writing to them at UMI Resin, 411 Kelso Drive #35, Erie, PA, 16505, USA . Cash, Check or M.O. only at this time. Non-U.S. shipping is extra.

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