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Project Notes

#745 キ51 over Burma 1942

Building the ClearProp Ki-51 Sonia 1:144 with a motorized prop and a camo scheme as used in Burma 1942.

Build

Here’s a quick demo..

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Notes

The Mitsubishi Ki-51 was introduced in 1939 and initially used in China. It was soon outclassed however by fighter aircraft of the other Allied powers. However it did find a useful ground-attack role in the China-Burma-India theater, where it was able to operate from airfields too rough for many other aircraft.

The scheme depicted here is apparently for the 27th Hikō Sentai 飛行戦隊 in Burma 1942, according to the ClearProp instructions. I’ve yet to find much information about this flying squadron, except that they also played a role in the Malayan campaign.

Build Resources / Reviews

Mitsubishi KI-51 Sonia, Captured WWII Japanese Bomber Walkaround Video

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Clear Prop Ki-51 Sonia 1:144 Build by Jamie Haggo

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Paint Scheme

Feature Color Recommended Paint Used
A White C1 H11
B IJA Green C16 H60
C Steel C28  
D Clear Red C47  
E Burnt Iron C61  
F IJA Grey Green C128 C128
G Propeller Color C131 H17
H Clear Green C138  
I Silver C8  
J Khaki C55  
K tire Black C137  
L Black C2  
M Cockpit Color (Mitsubishi) C126 H73

Circuit Design

A very simple circuit - just a micro-motor powered by a CR2032 3V coin cell battery.

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schematic

Build Log

build01a build01b build01c build01d build01e build01f build01g build02a build02b build03a build03b

Ki-51 “Sonia” Type 99 Assault Plane 九九式襲撃機, キ51 over Burma ‘42. The workbench has been a little slow of late, but this great little 1:144 kit from @clearpropmodels has me inspired again! Found just enough space inside to hide the smallest motor I had on hand.

build04a build04b build04c build04d build04e

Credits and References

About LEAP#745 scale modelsCraft
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This page is a web-friendly rendering of my project notes shared in the LEAP GitHub repository.

LEAP is just my personal collection of projects. Two main themes have emerged in recent years, sometimes combined:

  • electronics - usually involving an Arduino or other microprocessor in one way or another. Some are full-blown projects, while many are trivial breadboard experiments, intended to learn and explore something interesting
  • scale modelling - I caught the bug after deciding to build a Harrier during covid to demonstrate an electronic jet engine simulation. Let the fun begin..
To be honest, I haven't quite figured out if these two interests belong in the same GitHub repo or not. But for now - they are all here!

Projects are often inspired by things found wild on the net, or ideas from the many great electronics and scale modelling podcasts and YouTube channels. Feel free to borrow liberally, and if you spot any issues do let me know (or send a PR!). See the individual projects for credits where due.