Mansyū KI-98 (Meng 1:72)

[Mike]

Following my review here and my build here, I'm pleased to present this new kit from Meng in its finished form. It was built from the box with the exception of some Tamiya tape seatbelts and lead wire for the brake lines on the main gear. It was painted in Alclad metallic shades, and Lifecolor RLM82 (UA054), which does a creditable job of Nakajima Green. The white ID bands are Alclad White Primer (I seldom use anything else for white these days), and the decals are from the kit, going down very well with a little Mr Mark Setter. Chipping was done with a toothpick on the freshly painted Lifecolor green, and exhaust staining was done with Alclad Transparent Smoke, flatted down with Alclad's excellent Klear Kote Flat varnish.

The kit is a lovely little thing, and builds up quite quickly with only a few areas to watch out for. The nose cone needs careful fitting and fettling, as does the prop boss and the underside wing joint. Other than that, I think I only used CA as filler on the underside wing joint, the rest going together without the need of filler. The transparency is very thin, so be gentle with it. The same can be said of the nose gear leg, although I managed to resist breaking mine so far (famous last words).

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable project and a highly recommended kit

Thanks for watching, and to Annie @ Meng for her encouragement

Available from Hannants in the UK soon.

Review sample courtesy of

[Paul A H]

Very nice Mike! Now don't get too interested in 1:72 will you?!

[Shar2]

Great build Mike, and a very nice little model.

[Mike]

Thanks fellas... I forgot to add the pitot probe! I cut a short length of scale calibre from my stock and used that, leaving it bare metal. The model is now in my cabinet

[Myrsky]

This is a very interesting subjet, I didi't know anything about it. Your model is very beautiful, you have done a fantastic work.

REgards from Spain

Fernando

[Bri48]

Top Notch there!

[Олег Федотов]

[Chris Jephcott]

Now that is something I really like. Great job Mike... I must get my grubby mits on one of these!

[woody37]

Very strange, but there's something I like about it. Done a cracking job there Mike, love the faded look on the top surfaces. That nose wheel looks like it could of been problematic in real life !!

Neil

[Quentin]

Very nice indeed!

[addz0009]

Really nice work. I have a secret liking for this stuff.

Adam,

[Julien]

Very nice Mike.

We look forward to more 1.72 from you

Julien

[Dr.Jellyfingers]

Wow, that's really different and another class finish!

You must have one impressive collection now Mike. Just out of curiosity how many finished models do you have on display?

Si.

[Mike]

Thanks again guys

Si - about 20ish? Maybe a few more than that. I've still got absolutely all of my finished kits in my cabinet though, apart from a Sea Hawk that has just disappeared from my bench whilst waiting to have a wing glued back on.

Very nice Mike! Now don't get too interested in 1:72 will you?!

We look forward to more 1.72 from you

Ummm... errrr.... ? Don't worry Paul, I'll only be doing 1:72 where it's either too large for 1:48, or someone asks me specifically to build summit for them in that scale Sorry Julien

I must get my grubby mits on one of these!

Tell 'em I sent you & ask for a discount

[Luis Alfonso]

Wonderful build, a true masterpiece. I liked a lot the finish you did on this one. Thank you very much for sharing.

[NickR]

Excellent build and finish!

[Mike]

Thanks fellas

[Chris Jephcott]

Obviously with this as a special "pre-release" for you Mike, do you happen to know, or vaguely know, when it might be released?

[Mike]

Obviously with this as a special "pre-release" for you Mike, do you happen to know, or vaguely know, when it might be released?

I'll ask Annie... although she might answer here, as she's been following progress all the way

[stevehnz]

I bought one of these from the LHS about 3 days ago. He'd got his directly from Meng. They're a lovely looking kit & as Mike has shown so well, obviously make up nicely too. I confess I was surprised to see it in the shop, having anticipated needing to get it from overseas, it took all of about 3 nanoseconds to reach for my wallet. Its good to have an enterprising LHS like this locally.

Steve.

Edited July 6, 2012 by stevehnz

[Mike]

I bought one of these from the LHS about 3 days ago. He'd got his directly from Meng. They're a lovely looking kit & as Mike has shown so well, obviously make up nicely too. I confess I was surprised to see it in the shop, having anticipated needing to get it from overseas, it took all of about 3 nanoseconds to reach for my wallet. Its good to have an enterprising LHS like this locally.

Steve.

Why isn't it finished then Steve? He's probably still in business because he's so proactive...

[stevehnz]

Why isn't it finished then Steve?

I can build a stash far quicker than I can build a model. Glacial is the term that comes to mind. I think SWMBO sees it in terms of building a legacy for my kids.

I must say I'm impressed by the speed of your build & the job you made, a good recommendation for the kit that it went together with so little hassle. To my mind Meng are for sure going to be a company to watch.

Steve.

[Mike]

I agree completely... Meng are working up to being an important and interesting* model company in the very near future, if you ask me

* I think they've already achieved the interesting bit. Their Toyota "technical" pickups and the new Merkava 3D are great kits

[Mike]

Obviously with this as a special "pre-release" for you Mike, do you happen to know, or vaguely know, when it might be released?

I've had a reply from Annie, and she says that they're shipping from their factory/warehouse now. I'd imagine that they'll be reaching Europe/UK in the next few weeks now. Keep your eyes peeled

[Chris Jephcott]

Mike,

Thank you very much indeed. I know a couple of us who will be very interested in this when it arrives!!

Chris