This is the Hasegawa kit I was given for review a little while back. The kit went together well with no construction issues. Painting caused all kinds of fits because of a damaged nozzle on my airbrush, and leaks through masking onto the canopy. Base coat was Tamiya alumium from a spray can, followed by a top coat of Tamiya IJN green from the bottle. The chipping was started by removing masking tape, which pulled up the top layer of paint in small areas. I used more tape to add to the effect. A very light wash and oil dots were all that was done for weathering, though I need to add some exhaust and the antenna wire.

Russ,

She - er, he? (George) - looks great! That chipping is effective and authentic to photos I have seen.

Nice work!

Thanks, Fred! I knew you would catch this right away.

Beautiful paint chipping, Russ! I use the same technique. Seems like a lot of WW2 Japanese army planes ended up with conspicuously chipped paint, after being in service for awhile.

Thanks! Using tape made it a lot more random, both in size and location. I have read that the Japanese didn't use primer on the exterior of their aircraft, which caused the paint to flake off.

Nice job, Russ!

The mid-wing 'George' is my favorite IJN fighter and you great job with the finish.

Russ,
Very nicely done. Your paint chipping not only looks realistic, but isn't overly done.

Joel

Thank you, Michael and Joel! Glad you like it.

Russ reviewed this model last autumn and you can read about it here: N1K1-Jb Shiden (George) Type 11 Otsu

I noticed a distinct lack of seams, even along the wing-fuselage and stabilizer-fuselage joints. Excellent!