Tachikawa Ki-54Hei (Ki-54c) "Hickory"

Please note that at least 3 Hickories were used in 1945/46 in Dutch East Indies by both the Dutch armed forces as well as the infamous "Arens Airlines"

On September 13th, 1945 Herman Arens was the first pilot to land on Batavia and was one of the first Dutchman to visit the Japanese POW camps in September 1945 where his wife to be, Ans, also was inprisoned for three years. The POW's gave him messages for their relatives. It's because of Arens the first signs of life came out.
Herman Arens was given the job of the so-called RAPWI-flights (Recovery of Allied prisoners of War and Internees) and manages to impound a couple of Japanse traffic aircraft to, together with Japanse pilots, endorse these flights.

Here the Hickories where used!   Indeed an unkonown but important piece of Dutch Aviation history

 The Ki-54 Hickory was a WW2 Japanese twin engine aeroplane which was manufactured in four main versions used for pilots training, wireless operators and navigators training, aerial gunnery training and finaly the version used for both transport and anti-submarine patrols. The kit comes on four styrene sprues and one with clear parts.
   This first incarnation of our kit is the transport variety and brings three Japanese airframes, one of which in two guises. Among the schemes you will also find the Ki-54 Hei / Hickory no.5541 which had to make an emergency landing on the Towada lake on 27 September 1943. The plane was found and fished out of the lake on 5 September 2012 and was put on display at the Misawa museum. An airframe which can boast with its interesting past is the 10.Dokiuritsu Hikodan Shireibu machine which was used to fly the Lieutenant General Masao Baba capitulation delegation to Borneo. For this particular option, the decal sheet has the green capitulation crosses as well.

• the Ki-54 has never been kitted in styrene format before
• decals cater for airframes with interesting history
• paint masks also available no.M72025