Like it’s naval counterpart, tge Mitsibishi Zero, the Nakijama Ki.43 Hayabusa (Allied code name Oscar) was in action from the first day of Japan’s war until the last, by which time it was woefully outclassed by allied fighters. The prototype Ki.43 flew in early January 1939 and 716 early production models were made. These were the Ki.43-I, Ki.43-Ia, Ki.43-Ib and Ki.43-Ic, the last two having better armament. They were followed in 1942 by the new and improved varient, the Ki.43-II, in two sub-varients: The Ki.43-IIa and the Ki.43.IIb. Then came the Ki.43-Kai, adopting all the refinements from earlier models. The final model was the Ki.43-III, the only varient with cannon (although some aircraft were fitted with cannon as an upgrade, especially found on the Ki.43-Kai). Production totalled 5878 aircraft. The Hayabusa was the allies key oponent in the Phillipines, Burma, and the Kurile islands north of Japan. An excellent and versitile fighter, the Ki.43 lacked armour, which made it very vulnerable. This is a Ki.43-IIb. These were fitted with Nakijama Ha-115 engines, with a two-stage supercharger and a three-blade propeller.