Hasegawa 1:32 - (08053) Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa (Oscar)
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The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) was a single-engined land-based fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. The army designation was "Type 1 Fighter" the Allied codename was Oscar.
The Oscar was designed to a set of similar specifications as those of the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more lightweight and was even less rugged than its already flimsy naval counterpart. Known for its nimble handling and legendary for its performance in East Asia in the early years of the war, the Ki-43 was designed by Hideo Itokawa, who would later become famous as a pioneer of Japanese rocketry. Although the maneuverability of the prototype was quite good, some Japanese pilots complained that it was less maneuverable than the Ki-27 "Nate". This was remedied by Itokawa's addition of a unique 'butterfly' maneuvering aileron in the wings, which helped performance in tight turns, although some pilots still complained. The initial production version was given the designation Ki-43-I. In addition to outstanding maneuverability, the Ki-43-I had a very impressive rate of climb due to its light weight, with a top speed of 308 mph (495 km/h) at 13,160 feet (4000 m).
The Ki-43 was equipped with two cowling machine guns in various configurations, with either two 7.7 mm machine guns, one 12.7 mm Ho-103 heavy machine gun (machine cannon) and one 7.7 mm gun, or two Ho-103 12.7 mm guns; the aircraft was given various sub-designations to reflect these differences. The configuration that appears to have been most prevalent at the outset of the war was the latter configuration with two Ho-103 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, sometimes given the official designation Ki-43-I (Mark Ic). The Ho-103 was often loaded with explosive ammunition to increase target effect; its penetrative effect against later Allied aircraft armour appears to have been marginal.
Total production of the Ki-43 was 5,919 aircraft.
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