Fine Molds 1/48 Ki-10-II Type 95 (Perry) Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The Kawasaki Ki-10 was first developed in the early 1930s and was selected for production over the competing Ki-11 design from Nakajima. The Ki-10 was a biplane fighter with wings of unequal span and chord, while the Ki-11 was a monoplane design. The Japanese Army appreciated the biplane's maneuverability over the monoplane's slight edge in speed.

The Ki-10-II (Ki-10 Model 2) featured an increase in wingspan, enlarged tail control surfaces, and was armed with a pair of 7.7mm machine guns synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.

In combat, the Ki-10-II, designated as the Army Type 95 fighter (codenamed by the allies as Perry), the Ki-10 dealt effectively against the Chinese in the 1930s though by 1939, it was obsolete against the Russians at Nomonhan.

Fine Molds has tackled the Ki-10 in 1/48 scale for the first time as a styrene kit. A few of these have been released in the past in 1/72 scale, but this marks the type's entry into a more 'visible' scale. Fine Molds definitely made plenty to see in this kit.

Molded in medium gray styrene, the kit is presented on two parts trees representing the aircraft. A third tree molded in desert yellow is provided with a nice array of field maintenance items including fuel/oil drums, ladders, and even two figures. A clear tree provides the windscreen.

Assembly of the kit starts with the rather large radiator that fits in the chin and (of course) the cockpit. The cockpit is nicely appointed with details even though aircraft of this era are typically simple. The kit provides the stick, rudder bar, throttle, and several control boxes on the sidewalls. The instrument panel has the minimum essential instruments, with the rear of both guns resting on either side of the instrument panel.

While the ailerons and elevators are molded in-place, the rudder is molded separately so it can be posed according to taste.

The instructions don't address the rigging of the model - it can be built into an impressive model without the wires. An AMS modeler will want to add rigging and the box art provides a good starting point for rigging the wings.

As I mentioned earlier, the kit comes with a nice array of diorama parts, so you can simply park the kit on your shelf, add a pilot figure seated in the aircraft, or add one or both of the ground personnel for getting the aircraft ready for flight. With the parts included, you can set up a nice diorama of a field operation with fuel and oil drums, working tables, ladders for reaching the fuel tank in the upper wing, and even a hand-cranked fuel pump to transfer the fuel.

Decals are provided for two examples:

• Ki-10-II, 77th Air Regt, China, 1938/39
• Ki-10-II, 2nd Sqn/77th Air Regt, China, 1938/39

This is a beautiful kit that is not yet another Bf 109 or Mustang. This little gem fills a void in military aviation between the World Wars. In any case, the award for best Perry kit in any scale goes to Fine Molds!

My sincere thanks to HobbyLink Japan for this review sample!