A good choice if you're looking for a quick build, or to add the best mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war (and probably the coolest) to your collection:

This kit is fairly typical of older Hasegawa releases, which is a good thing. The parts fit together extremely well; the only place where you'll need to do significant sanding or puttying is around the engine cowling, where there is a step with the fuselage. Otherwise, construction is extremely simple, with few parts.

The kit has raised panel lines, which is something that bothers some modellers (I don't mind raised panel lines, personally). The Ha-45 radial is well-detailed, especially since it is mostly hidden behind the tight cowling. The cockpit, on the other hand, is fairly simple, consisting of only an armchair-style seat, a joystick, and a decal for the instrument panel. The lack of cockpit detail isn't a major flaw, though-the kit does not have an open canopy option, and the canopy is heavily framed, so not much will be visible once the fuselage is closed up.

The wheel wells have some detail, in the form of structural beams, and the landing gear are decent representations of the real thing. Since the Hayate was solely used as an interceptor, there aren't too many stores options: you get the choice of whether to mount the two underwing drop tanks or not.

Decals are a bit on the thick side, but totally usable. There are two marking options: The natural metal option shown in the picture from the 29th Sentai in Taiwan, and a green over grey-green option with white bands around the hinomaru, from the 47th Sentai, in Narimasu.