Empire City Decals 1/72 Mitsubishi Ki-51 Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2007 | Manufacturer | Empire City Decals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Ki-51 (Sonia) | Scale | 1/72 |
| Set Number | 7203 | Pros | Seven distinctive Ki-51 Sonias |
| Cons | Skill Level | Novice | |
| MSRP (USD) | $8.00 |
First Look
Empire City Decals is a newcomer to the decal market and are releasing an interesting series of subjects produced on the Alps printer. Some of you might have heard of Mike Grant Decals - Mike started out his family of interesting decal subjects using the Alps printer as well. The quality is definitely there.
Empire City Decals has released this set of seven Ki-51s as they appeared at various times and locations around the Pacific including:
- Ki-51, 45th Hiko-Sentai, Philippines, early 1945
- Ki-51, 48th Hiko-Sentai, Philippines, early 1945
- Ki-51, 66th Hiko-Sentai, Burma, early 1944
- Ki-51, 71st Hiko-Sentai, Okinawa, early 1945
- Ki-51, 83rd Hiko-Sentai, Japan, 1942
- Ki-51, 104th Hiko Rentai, Japan, 1944
- Ki-51, 42nd Dokuritsu Chutai, Taiwan, 1944
The decals are printed sharp, clear, and in perfect register. The only notable difference between 'normal' decals and Alps decals is the carrier film. 'Normal' decals print the clear background first and builds the colors up from there, which provides a decal that is ready to apply. The Alps printer uses clear decal film - the entire sheet is one decal - upon which the colors are printed. This only means that you must trim the clear as close the color as possible before dropping the decal into water.
These will provide some interesting subjects for the 1/72 Ki-51. Definitely recomended!
For more information about this set and the other releases from Empire City Decals, visit their website at http://www.empirecitydecals.com.
My sincere thanks to Empire City Decals for this review sample!