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[Allen A]

Not really sure where to put this but as aircraft are mentioned here it may fit ?


Ok, so I'm wondering if anyone can help here ... back in the late 1960's I was in Singapore with the RAF and model making was one of the many pastimes a few of us did at the time, I remember buying two aircraft, one was a Zero and the other was a Kawasaki Hein and I only got those as they were the only ones available and the reason I got them was this ...
They were a large kit, about a 18 inch or so wingspan (memory  .. it was a long time ago) and came with lights wiring and a motor, the thing being that when completed these things actually taxied, the prop would turn the wing lights flash and they would roll along the floor quite nicely, everything being hidden as the batteries were inside the fuselage and the aerial doubled as the switch, the only drawback being the cog assembly to the rear wheel for the drive, goes without saying I cant recall the company name either .. !!
I have asked all sorts of model shops and done a few searches but cant find anything like them or about them at all, even e-mailed Hornby with a description and the idea to maybe produce them, just got a thank you .. so thought it worth asking if anyone else has seen or heard of these type of model and of course if they are available at all .. ??

I had never seen them before, or since and yes it could be nice to have a bit of retro fun perhaps so just thought I would reach out and see if anyone else knew of them ??

[Backerther]

Hi Allen A,
Nice to see you again back on here from the RC PT boat.
And what a very nostalgic subject you have proposed here.!!!!!


First of all, I have to let you know (all of the Westerners) that the designation(spelling) of the old Japan Army fighter Type-3 manufactured by Kawasaki "HEIN" is not correct. Correct reading/ spelling IS "HIEN" which means flying swallow.
I have frequently seen "HEIN" in foreign magazines and other internets.


Well then, shall I go to the main theme of this thread...
What you have mentioned might be Ootaki mfg,co's Zero fighter 1/50? and Hien(US code name "Tony")
I have ever assembled this Zero unsuccessfully about 63 years before because it never taxied on the tatami floor due to poor driving power of the tail wheel...
Though the Ootaki made an advertisement proudly of it as "taxiable Zero fighter model" on the box art in those days.
The company went collapsed in 1986 succeeded by Arii now in business.
   

[Allen A]

Firstly may I apologise for the incorrect spelling of the name .. !


Yes that looks like them only at 1/50 I seem to remember the one I had being a larger scale, almost I think as large as 1/18 but it was a long time ago and my memory of it may be wrong, I do know it was larger than standard 1/72 though. I remember them both taxying well on the floor of the 4 man room I was in at the time and looking very effective at night with the room lights out and the wing nav. lights flashing.


I would love I think to be able to get one again, but would assume they are quite expensive to buy today being scarce as I assume they may be unless of course the new company .. Arii .. is making them still ??.


As a slight aside to this I was fortunate enough to have a task photographing what was at the time a small collection of old aircraft at Cosford, one of them being a Kawasaki Hien .. but with the radial engine, re-designated the Ki-100 I think it was, there was also a complete and unused spare engine with it .. picture attached for your information..

[Allen A]

Hi .. looking again at the pics of your model I cant see where there is any glass/perspex in the wing tips for the nav. lights that mine had .. ... and with the apparent difference in sizes Im wondering if it is exactly the same company as the ones I bought .. ??


The interior layout of the motor etc looks the same, but there doesn't appear to be any length of wiring able to reach the wing tips, also the wings look solid whereas on the models I had they came in two halves to be stuck together  ??

[Backerther]

The 1/50 Ootaki Zero fighter model is no longer available fundamentally in the market except in internet auctions.


The aircraft you have posted is truly Kawasaki ki-100, namely the old Japan army fighter type-5 "Goshikisentouki".
Hien was refitted with a powerful radial engine instead of water-cooled engine due to the shortage of the original engine by which new Hien (ki-100) came to be reborn drastically as a more superior fighter.
Thank you for an interesting photo of the ki-100 painted with camouflage color rarely seen in Japan.
We have normally seen fundamentally this OD color for ki-100 used as an intercepter over mainland Japan in 1945.