This
is the wonderful Tamiya 1/32 Zero. I really can't add on to anything that
has been said before and all the praise this kit has gotten are well deserved.
The fit was near perfect and the detail was beyond anything I've seen before.
All of the added bonuses make the kit expensive, but it is really worth the
extra money. For this model I used the new Tamiya XF-71 cockpit green and
XF-70 Dark Green 2. The interior was painted Cockpit Green, then all of
the black boxes and switches were painted their respective colors. Then
the interior was dry-brushed with XF-16 Flat Aluminum to give the cockpit a well
used look to it. The black rings on the instrument panel were made by
taking a toothpick dipped in X-18 Semi-gloss Black and running it along the
inside edge. The wheel wells were painted in the recommended 3:1 mix of
Metallic Blue and Clear Green. The inner gear doors took forever to look
right, and then were lost somehow, so replacements are coming.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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This
model depicts an A6M5 based at the Ohita Prefecture from the 653rd Fighter Group
in 1944. As a base for the weathering, Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver was
sprayed, and then allowed to dry for about three days. For the paint
chipping, the colors were sprayed down, and then within 15 minutes I went to
work using clear packing tape to rip up the paint. Didn't work as well
with the gray, but the green came right off. The leading edges were brush
painted as I missed them the first time with the tape. The canopy was
masked with the provided masks, which worked well, and then brush painted the
semi-gloss black and then Dark Green. The decals were put on, and then
unintentionally weathered as I was masking the bottom with tape to do a
touch-up, the tape pulled off the decals, so the side hinomarus had to be
replaced. The exhaust staining was achieved by using thinned down
Semi-gloss Black paint and spraying along the fuselage and wings along
weathering places, such as the guns, and aft of the exhausts.
This model took first place in the aircraft division and best in show for the
junior class (15 and under) at the April HobbyTown USA model competition.
All in all this was an excellent
model to build. I can recommend this to everyone except for the true
novice, because of the photo-etch and the small parts that must be painted and
assembled. All comments are welcome,
so please feel free to let me know what you think. Next on the build pile
is Classic Airframes S-79 Torpedo Bomber, so keep an eye out for it.
Matt
(15 years
old)
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images below to see larger images
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