The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Dragon Killer) was known to the Allies as Nick. Well liked by its crews, the Nick was effective as a bomber destroyer - especially when armed with a pair of 20mm cannon firing upwards at an oblique angle behind the pilot, but as per other twin engined fighters the Toryu was overmatched by allied single seat fighters.
The basic scheme was an overall grey-green, which was later camouflaged with green blotches in an attractive pattern. Others could be seen in overall green, brown and possibly black.
Sentai emblems were displayed on the tail, with the individual chutai denoted by the colour of the sentai markings - usually white, red and yellow for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Kawasaki Ki-45
4th Sentai, 1st Chutai
Japan
1945
Source: Famous Airplanes of the World #21
This Nick shows the typical pattern worn by the Ki-45 of green blotches over the gray-green base. The white 'bandages' around the fuselage and wings denote a home defence unit, while the Sentai badge on the fin/rudder signifies a sword hilt imposed over the river region where the 4th was formed
Kawasaki Ki-45
5th Sentai, 2nd Chutai
Japan
1943
Source: FAOW #21
Kawasaki Ki-45
13th Sentai, Unknown Chutai
Philippines
1944
Source: Scott: Emblems of the Rising Sun
With the adoption of this Sentai emblem, the 13th dispensed with individual chutai colours
Kawasaki Ki-45
27th Sentai, 2nd Chutai
Source: FAOW #21
This Nick is in an overall brown primer which was occasionally used as a camouflage colour. The Sentai emblem can be seen to be a stylized '2' '7'.
|
Kawasaki Ki-45
45th Sentai, 2nd Chutai
Philippines
1944
Source: Scott: Emblems of the Rising Sun
Although shown in overall black, I am having my doubts and a dark green is more likely. The Sentai emblem is attractive variant of '4' '5'
Kawasaki Ki-45
53rd Sentai, 2nd Chutai
Japan
Source: FAOW #21
Another Nick in a blotch pattern. The Sentai emblem is a combined '5' '3'
Kawasaki Ki-45
53rd Sentai, 3rd Chutai
Japan
1944-45
Source: FAOW #21
This was a Chutai commander's aircraft as denoted by the stripe on the fuselage. As with the other black Nick, this is more likely in dark green.
Kawasaki Ki-45
Source: FAOW #21
This is the Ki-45 KAIc variant armed with a 37mm cannon in the nose. The pattern is intersting in it shows a variety of designs - crosshatched tail, squiggled fuselage and wings and blotched nose and nacelles - and should be fun to replicate on a model.