Lifelike Decals is a new Decal company out of Japan.  The owners have been involved in the researching of decal sheets for other companies for many years.  They have decided to create their own decal line.  Their third sheet is this one featuring six different Ki-61's and two Type 97 fighters.

The Ki-61 has always held a special spot in my mind.  It was a unique plane using a licence built version of the DB-601 engine used in the Me-109.

This decal sheet provided a wide variety of paint schemes and markings and you can see in the instruction sheets below.

There are also a few more pages of text (not shown here) describing the various colours and markings and references on these planes.  Four of the planes have kill markings on the side of the fuselage by the cockpit.

Click on images below to see larger images

The first plane is a Type 97 Fighter Otsu of the 2nd Chutai at Chofy airbase in late 1942.

The second plane is a Ki-61 Type I-Tei #4424 flown by Capt. Teruhiko Kobayashi, Commander of the 244th Sentai, Chofu Airbase, February 10 1945.  This aircraft has 6 kill markings. 

The Third plane is a Ki-61 Type I-Tei #5262 and was  areserve aircraft of Commander Teruhiko Kobayashi out of Chofu airbase in the middle of 1945.  This plane includes kill markings.  The paint scheme is overall green with a red tail.

The fourth plane is a Ki-61 Hien I-Hei #15 flown by Corporal Seiichi Suzuki.  This plane includes kill markings.  The paint scheme is complicated mottling.   

The fifth plane is a Type 97 Fighter Otsu of the 3rd Chutai at Chofy airbase in late 1943.

The sixth plane is a Ki-61 Type I-Otsu #16 flown by Corporal Matsumi Nakano out of Chofu Airbase in late February 1945.  The paint scheme is overall green with a red tail.

The seventh plane is a Ki-61 Type I-Tei #57 with bar, pilot unknown, Chofu airbase, March 1945.  The paint scheme is overall grey with a red tail.

The eighth plane is a Ki-61 Type I-Otsu #73 flown by Sgt.  Itagaki.

Decal Sheets

The quality of these decals is quite pleasing.  The carrier film in nicely limited around the decals.  The decals themselves are clearly printed and in perfect register with fine clear tiny stencils.  The colour of the decals appear solid enough to prevent paint showing through the decals.  

You can purchase these decals either directly from Lifelike Decals at fax number is +81-3-5680-6733, and e-mail is lifelike@eos.ocn.ne.jp. or from HobbyLink Japan.  

Other shops that stock Life like Decals are *Hannants/UK, *Mister Kit/Italy, *Revi (publisher)/Czech Republic, *SkyGrid/Canada, *Roll Models/USA, *Great Models Webstore/USA, *FlightDecs/Canada, *Victory Models/USA
*M & Models/USA, *Zed Hobbies/Australia, *AB &S Enterprise/Australia, *Desert Miniature/USA