Category: Kit/Product News

Kit News: Zoukei-Mura Taking Pre-Orders On Their New 1/32nd Kawasaki Ki-100-I Otsu “Goshikisen” Type 5 Fighter

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Zoukei-Mura recently announced that they are taking pre-orders on their new 1/32nd scale Kawasaki Ki-100-I Otsu “Goshikisen”. To say this has been a long awaited kit is a gross understatement. Prior to this release, there was no mass produced injection molded Ki-100 model in 1/32nd scale available to modelers. Kudos to Zoukei-Mura for recognizing the need and producing this kit!

Zoukei-Mura

The pre-order period on the Zoukei-Mura Official Site runs from June 26, 2026 through July 26, 2026. For pre-orders coming from Japan, Zoukei-Mura has announced that shipments will begin on August 8, 2026. You can also pre-order the kit through the Volks USA, Inc. website until August 31, 2026, and shipments of those pre-ordered kits will begin in mid-September. The pre-order price through the Volks USA site is $124.00 plus $6.27 in shipping costs.

Zoukei-Mura

As you can see from the above and below photos of the built model from Zoukei-Mura’s website, it looks every bit the part of the real plane.

Zoukei-Mura

There appears to be two decal options as shown below. Both are well known aircraft, and I think it is a safe bet that after market decal manufacturers will provide us several other options as well.

Zoukei-Mura

Again, kudos to Zoukei-Mura for this long awaited kit. I have pre-ordered mine through Volks USA, and will do a review once I receive it in September.

Based on CAD drawings previously published by Zoukei-Mura, I believe modelers can also expect the release of the Ko version (fastback/razorback) of the Ki-100. I believe Radu Brinzan has confirmed that Zoukei-Mura will release both versions.

Kit News: Eduard Includes Decals for 528 “The Enchantress” in its 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang Weekend Edition Boxing

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Eduard recently released the 2nd Weekend Edition boxing of its popular 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang kit. The first three decal options are for Lt. Edward F. Pogue’s P-51D-5 “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” (79th FS, 20th FG, 8th AF); Capt. Clarence E. Anderson’s P-51D-10 “Old Crow” (363rd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF); Flt. Off. Charles A. Lane’s “Meatball Rap II” (99th FS, 332nd FG, 15th AF). All very interesting and popular subjects for modelers.

Eduard

Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Decals: Eduard has again included decals for 528 “The Enchantress” (P-51D-25-NA, 44-72671), a 457th FS, 506th FG Mustang flown by 2nd Lt. William E. Saks. Unfortunately, 2nd Lt. Saks was one of the pilots lost on the infamous June 1, 1945 “Black Friday” mission, but he was not flying 528 on that day. “The Enchantress” is popular amongst modelers because the nose art and the Albert Varga pin-up girl that adorns the fuselage.

Eduard

2nd Lt. Saks did not score any aerial or ground victories and was lost within a few weeks after the 506th Fighter Group arrived on Iwo Jima.

Dr. Theodore Paprocki sitting on the wing of “The Enchantress (506th Fighter Group Association via Maurita Paprocki)

Below are the aircraft profile drawings for the plane that are included in the instructions for the kit.

Eduard

528 “The Enchantress” survived the war and was part of the USAAF’s inventory that was transferred to Japan as part of the occupation.

528 “The Enchantress” (506th Fighter Group Association)

Because this is a Weekend Edition boxing, there are no photo etch or resin update sets within the kit. The decals included in the kit are very nice, in register, and with a full set of stencils for a 1/72nd kit. Just what we all have come to expect for Eduard.

Eduard

Kudos to Eduard for including decals for an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang in this boxing!

Kits News; Eduard’s 1/72nd Very Long Range Tales of Iwo Jima to be a Limited Edition Dual Combo Boxing

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Back in October of 2024, Eduard announced the future release of a limited edition “Very Long Range: Tales of Iwo Jima” boxing of their excellent 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang kit. They announced that kit would be released in the second quarter of 2025, and it would most likely contain the same decal options as their 1/48th limited edition “Very Long Range: Tales of Iwo Jima” boxing.

Eduard

The British on-line retailer Hannants now shows the kit as a limited edition dual combo boxing to be a July 2025 release. Hannants anticipates having it in stock in late June.

Eduard

As can be seen from the kit’s aircraft profiles above, it will similar to the 1/48th scale limited edition boxing in that it provides 12 decal options that cover all of the all nine of the Iwo Jima VLR Mustang squadrons. They will be the same decal options with one change. The 457th Fighter Squadron decals will be for 539 “Lil Ole Meanie II”, flown by 2nd Lt. William G. Hetland, instead of 542 “Fighting Lady” flown by 1st Lt. Ralph Gardner and 1st Lt. Chester Jatzcak. The decals for 542 “Fighting Lady” are included in the 1/72 Profipack boxing.

Kudos to Eduard for releasing the Very Long Range Tales of Iwo Jima in 1/72nd scale, and for making it a dual combo boxing.

Kit News: Eduard Includes Decals for 542 “Fighting Lady” in its 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang ProfiPACK Boxing

On By acarothersvlrmIn Kit/Product News3 Comments

Eduard recently released the 2nd ProfiPACK boxing of its popular 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang kit. Most of decal options are of fighter aces; Lt. Col. John D. Landers’ Big Beautiful Doll, Lt. Col. John C. Meyer’s Petie 3rd, Maj. Leonard K. Carson’s Nooky Booky III, Lt. Col. Glenn T. Eagleston’s P-51D-20-NA, and Capt. Fredie F. Ohr’s “Marie”.

Eduard

But it also includes decals for 542 Fighting Lady, a P-51D-20-NA assigned to the 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group. Neither of the pilots assigned to fly Fighting Lady were aces.

Eduard

542 Fighting Lady was assigned to 1st Lt. Ralph Gardner and 2nd Lt. Chester Jatzcak. Below is a nice close up picture of the pin up art that adorned the fuselage.

542 Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)

While the quality of the below photo is not the best, it does clearly shows the position of the name Fighting Lady on the nose below the engine exhaust stacks and the elegant design of the Mustang’s nose.

Unknown ground crew member lying on the wing of Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)

Norma Jatczak, 2nd Lt. Chester Jatczak’s wife, was of the belief that the plane’s name was “Broadway Gal”. Unfortunately, the 506th Fighter Group Association does not have a photo to substantiate her belief. Eduard suggests in its instructions that the name of the plane was changed from Fighting Lady to “Broadway Gal” at a later date.

2nd Lt. Chester Jatczak crouched on the wing of “Fighting Lady” (506th Fighter Group Association via Norma Jatczak)

Please note the photo below does not have the name Fighting Lady on the nose yet. This photo was most likely taken in June of 1945 as the plane has a solid green tail instead of the initial squadron markings of diagonal green stripes on the tail.

1st Lt. Ralph Gardner in the cockpit of Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)

I interviewed Ralph Gardner at the 2013 506th Fighter Group Reunion in Chino, California, but did not think to inquire about whether the plane had the name of “Broadway Gal” at one point in time, or whether the name was on the right side of the nose. The photo below appears to dispel the notion that “Broadway Gal” appeared on the right side of the nose.

1st Lt. Ralph Gardner flying Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)
457th Fighter Pilots in front of Fighting Lady – Front row left to right; Lts. Alan Kinvig and George Hetland; Back row left to right; Lts. Ray Miller, Martin Ganschow, Ralph Gardner and Larry Grennan (506th Fighter Group Association via Ralph Gardner)

1st Lt. Gardner was credited with an aerial victory on June 10, 1945.

Thanks to Eduard for including decals for an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang in this boxing!

Kits News: Update on the Development and Projected Release Date of Zoukei-Mura’s 1/32nd scale Kawasaki Ki-100-1 “Goshikisen”

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Zoukei-Mura recently updated the modeling community regarding the continued development and projected release date of its much anticipated 1/32nd scale Kawasaki Ki-100-1 Goshikisen. In the “Old Man Blog” No. 135, Hideyuki Shigeta, the President of Zoukei-Mura, indicates “if all goes well”, they may be able to deliver at it the end of this year or early 2026.

Zoukei-Mura

It appears from the CAD drawings on the blog, we will be getting the “Ko” version first, which is the razorback version of this important World War II fighter. Radu Brinzan has confirmed that Zoukei-Mura will also be producing the “Otsu” version as well. As can be seen by the CAD drawings, they will continue their business model of providing the modeler with a lot of internal structure and detail.

Zoukei-Mura

No matter when these kits are released, they will provide modelers with the first 1/32nd scale full kits of this important late war Japanese fighter. Kudos to Zoukei-Mura!