Ki-61-I TEI

Model length: 35cm

You can find all parameters for the model on the side tab. We provide maximum information for each model so that you can make the right decision about your purchase.

We also offer laser accessories for the paper model. These are frame parts, details, plastic wheels and cabin, that will take your model to a higher level and simplify your work.

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien was a Japanese single-engine fighter aircraft used in World War II. In the Japanese military, the type was designated Fighter Type 3. The Allied code name for the Ki-61 was Tony. It was the only Japanese mass-produced fighter aircraft with a liquid-cooled engine.
In February 1940, Kawasaki received orders to build prototypes of two fighters with inline aircraft engines. These were the pure fighter Ki-60 and the multi-role fighter Ki-61 with a different wing. Thanks to their lower frontal resistance, they could carry more powerful weapons than the Japanese types with radial engines that had been produced so far. In April 1940, the Japanese obtained the rights to license the production of the Daimler-Benz DB 601A V12 engine in Germany, along with production documentation and sample units. Three of them were installed in Ki-60 prototypes.

The first prototype of the Ki-60 did not meet expectations, mainly due to its high landing speed and low maximum speed. Improved performance was expected from the lighter second and third prototypes with an enlarged wing and modified engine cowling. The first and second prototypes carried a main armament consisting of a pair of 20 mm Mauser MG 151 cannons in the wing and two 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns installed above the engine. The third prototype was armed only with machine guns.

The Kawasaki plant in Akashi was preparing for the licensed production of the DB 601A, from where the first manufactured example of the Japanese-made Kawasaki Ha-40 engine was handed over for testing in July 1941. Before the end of the year, this engine with a take-off power of 876 kW was accepted by the Army Air Force as the "Army Aircraft Engine Type 2".