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1/48 Hasegawa A6M3 Type 22 Zero (Finished)

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  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
1/48 Hasegawa A6M3 Type 22 Zero (Finished)
Posted by lawdog114 on Monday, December 1, 2014 9:17 PM

As I am on the heels of finishing that Dauntless debacle, I found myself staring at my kit stash pondering my next project.  I was thinking about an easy out of the box build that would not need too much work.  Perhaps some decals and PE belts keeping it simple.  I was eyeing my Japanese stack and I eventually had it dwindled down to the Hasegawa A6M3 Type 22 "Rabaul" Zero and KI-44 Tojo.  Since my Alclad supply is dwindling, the NMF Tojo was ruled out and would have to wait.   I decided on the Zero.  Besides, Its the only variant I haven't built yet and the Zero is by far my favorite Japanese fighter (thanks to the movie Final Countdown). 

I started with the cockpit.  Its decent OOB but nothing spectacular.  I thinned out the seat a bit to scale and drilled out the lightening holes in the backrest.  I then added PE lap belts from the stash (alot of Japanese aircraft only had lap belts....some not even that).  The 'pit was preshaded XF-1 Flat Black and then sprayed with XF-71 Cockpit Green which is supposed to be the correct color for Mitsubishi interior green.  I added a touch of XF-49 Khaki to brown it up a bit.  I used the kit decal for the IP dials under Micro Sol, then added 5 minute epoxy to simulate the glass lenses. It turned out ok I think. 

If you would like to see a tutorial on how I do my cockpits from sprue cutting to final finish, see the beginning of my Dauntless build here....  

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/160714.aspx

I added the cockpit to the fuselage and test fitted the airframe.  It looks like the fit will be good and void of the Hasegawa infamous wing root problems.

I'll be buttoning this one up soon.  Off to find some A6M3 decals...

Joe  

 

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    August 2013
Posted by Jay Jay on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 10:08 AM

Looking good as usual Joe.  

BTW, I use your tutorial office techniques as my s.o.p. now on all my offices and I am very happy with the results, again many thanks for the detailed info .

 

 

 

 

 

 I'm finally retired. Now time I got, money I don't.

  • Member since
    June 2013
Posted by bvallot on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 11:20 AM

Joe!! Where do you find room for all these planes?!?!?

On the bench:  

Tamiya F4U-1  Kenneth Walsh

 

  • Member since
    February 2011
  • From: Detroit, MI
Posted by Marmaduke on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 9:24 PM

Looking good so far! Can't wait to see more!

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 3:40 AM

bvallot

Joe!! Where do you find room for all these planes?!?!?

Thanks folks.  Britt, here's my current display cabinet............

LOL.....I'm still trying to find an appropriate display cabinet.  In the boxes they stay safe and free from dust.  A co-worker said I should start selling some which I may consider in the near future, especially some of my older builds.  I may have to build a cabinet. 

The large angled box in the lower middle is my Heinkel 111.  I couldn't find a box big enough so I made a dust cover for it.  Now you see why I dont build 4 engine bombers. Tongue Tied   Perhaps someday.

Jay, I'm glad my techniques work for you.  How about some pics or even a WIP thread?

Joe

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    June 2013
Posted by bvallot on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 2:15 PM

HAAA!  Holy cow!  That's insane...I guess this is what I have to look forward to huh?! =D

On the bench:  

Tamiya F4U-1  Kenneth Walsh

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 2:33 PM

Another stunning looking pit Joe, great start again.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Thursday, December 4, 2014 9:01 AM

Wow, that went together quickly. Is that kit really that easy, cockpit, fuselage, wings, done?

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Thursday, December 11, 2014 1:05 AM

Brandon I wish....lol, but this one has been a walk in the park compared to the Hasegawa Type 21 I built a few years ago.  Other than the usual issues with the wing-fuselage joint, it was painless. 

I then preshaded the panel lines with XF-1 Flat Black.  I then sprayed the leading edge wing ID stripes with XF-3 Flat yellow enhanced with a touch of XF-7 Flat Red and taped these off.  I also painted in the red "do not step" warning rectangles with XF-7 and taped these off with thin strips of Tamiya tape.  Past experience showed this to be much easier than the flimsy decals for these. 

Since I always have trouble with Japanese Hinomarus (the meatballs) decals setting properly, I thought I would try my hand at painting them in.  I sprayed the general area with XF-7 then took out my trusty circle template.  I used a fresh Exacto and carefully sliced out the appropriate sized circles in Tamiya tape, which was fastened to a piece of mirrored glass.  I was surprised how easy this was.  I need to find a metal template though for I don't know how well mine will hold up under many many Hinomarus...

My research showed that A6M3 models in the South Pacific (Rabaul and Bouganville, etc) were either all "olive green" or dark green over olive green, at least according to the "jaircaft" website (awesome by the way).  I took olive green as the elusive "Amer-hiro" caramel-like color and painted the underside with XF-76 Grey Green thusly. 

Then it got the usual menagerie of streaking and post shading.  A bit of XF-1 Flat Black was added to the post shade solution for the exhaust streaks which wanted to stick out.  I also lighted the fabric control surfaces by adding XF-2 Flat White to the XF-76. 

These were Navy planes so for the upper surface I chose XF-61 IJN Dark Green.  I wanted to simulate sun fading, so after I sprayed it straight, I added XF-57 Buff and lightened panels. 

I then did my normal streaking effect and also faded out the control surfaces.  I used the same technique on Boyington's Corsair which I was pleased with.  Here we are after all the tape has been removed.  It looks like the wings have been taking a beating from the sun.  The cowl was painted XF-1 Flat black with XF-8 Flat Blue added to simulate Mitsubishi cowl color.

Now its time to address the Sakae 21.  Hasegawa does a nice job on it, to include separate push rods, but it needs wiring.  I used styrene rod and stereo wire for this.

First, everything was sprayed in Alclad Dark Aluminum.  Using a picture as reference, I added the wire points with the rod styrene as seen here. 

Next the (stereo) wires themselves were chopped, pre-shaped, then added to the points and run to the cylinder heads using instant superglue.  Use "pointed" tweezers to make your life less miserable with this.  Kidding aside, this goes quickly once you get the wire cut and bent to the right sizes(s).

The push rods were painted black and gear box in Neutral Grey.  Once painted, do the following in this order:

1.  Testors Gloss Coat (barrier for the wash)

2.   Detailer wash

3.  Testors Flat Coat 

4.   A blast of Tamiya Smoke (X-19) full strength for a used appearance.

Done

Thats a brief overview.  For an in-depth step-by-step look at how I rig my radials, go here..

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/149327.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=1

Now if I could just decide on a particular subject.  A6M3 decals are slim pickings and not very interesting.  I can't justify buying a whole sheet for just tail markings.  I may raid my two Tamiya kits in the stash...

Joe

 

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, December 11, 2014 10:15 AM

Again another spectacular job Joe, really looking forward to seeing her all done!!!

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    June 2013
Posted by bvallot on Thursday, December 11, 2014 10:32 AM

Your painting is still my favorite part to watch. =]  You really do that dark green surface justice!!

On the bench:  

Tamiya F4U-1  Kenneth Walsh

 

  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Brunswick, Ohio
Posted by Buckeye on Thursday, December 11, 2014 11:19 AM

Wow, you are really able to turn out the masterpieces!  I'm hoping to get another project started between Christmas and New Year.  So much to do and so little time.

Mike

  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Thursday, December 11, 2014 3:50 PM

Great looking zero. I have a few in my stash. I can only hope they turn out half that good.  Bow Down

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Saturday, December 20, 2014 3:38 AM

Thanks for the kind words.  I got it finished last night.  It's in the markings of Chief Pettty Officer Takeo Okumura of NAG 201 on Bougainville Island around September of 1943.  Okumura was a 54 kill ace and is reportedly the only IJN pilot to score 10 kills in a day.  On September 22nd, 1943, his luck ran out when he tangled with P-38's and P-40's and went MIA. 

To rehash, the kit is the very nice Hasegawa A6M3 Model 22 "Rabaul edition".  It has good detail and a well done cockpit, but its not in the same league as the new-tooled Tamiya example (which is stunning).  That said, these can be found relatively cheap, half the price of the Tamiya kit.  On this one, I wired the engine and added PE lap belts.  I also added brake lines and made a new pitot tube out of brass tubing.  I painted in the Hinomarus which were much easier than I thought it would be.  I did use some of the kit decals and then pieced together Okumura's tail code with various decal sheets I had in the stash.  I ended up painting in the "WI" on the tail.  It worked out well and I may paint in more of these codes and such in the future.  Amazing what a bit of Tamiya tape and an Exacto can do.  Believe it or not, I had no trouble with the Hasegawa decals that I did use, albeit they were small.  I wouldn't chance it and try their Hinomarus. I like my new method...lol. 

Another first (and last) was using grey Tempura paint to highlight the panel lines in the black cowl.  I'm not to thrilled on how it turned out.  It just looks sloppy.  I'll probably go back and respray the cowl

Thanks for following...

Joe

BTW:  I got a Model 21 Zero off E-bay cheap so I'm going to stay in Zero mode and build a Pearl Harbor example next.  Stay Tuned....

   

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Corpus Christi, Tx
Posted by mustang1989 on Saturday, December 20, 2014 4:05 AM

Another winner Joe! Looks fantastic!

                   

 Forum | Modelers Social Club Forum (proboards.com) 

  • Member since
    July 2011
  • From: minnesota
Posted by handiabled on Saturday, December 20, 2014 6:56 AM

Superb!  Great build all the way thru!!

  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Saturday, December 20, 2014 2:29 PM

I'll definitely be referring back to this when i build my Zero next year for the GB. I appreciate all your wisdom on these kits. My wife thinks I'm a figgin genius!! Awesome job.

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Saturday, December 20, 2014 6:38 PM

Thanks guys....

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Saturday, December 20, 2014 6:44 PM

Yeah another beautiful job Joe, the streaking looks even better here than it normally does.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Merton, Wisconsin
Posted by bigfoot01 on Monday, December 22, 2014 11:26 AM

Great work Joe, it looks incredible!

John 

 

  • Member since
    November 2014
Posted by CaptainBob on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 6:59 PM

Two comments:

First, compliments on a really great job; second, hopefully you are familiar with Saburo Sakai's book, "Samurai." I read it as a young teenager raised on WW II movies (God is my co-pilot, etc). He was the last living, highest scoring ace of the IJN. The book is a very good read.

Bob

  • Member since
    August 2012
Posted by AndrewW on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 1:08 PM

Top notch as always, Joe.  Nice to see those markings masked and painted in.  Once again, you amaze me in how beautiful a finish you produce.  Beautiful work.

Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne.


  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 7:28 PM

Thanks folks.  Bob, that book is on my bucket list.  I built Sakai's zero a few years ago.  On a sidenote, there's supposd to be a Japanese movie called "Eternal Zero" which is supposed to be fantastic too.  A buddy is going to burn me a copy.  I can't wait to see it.  

Joe

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Naples, FL
Posted by tempestjohnny on Thursday, December 25, 2014 9:14 AM

Great build Joe. If you're serious about building a display cabinet and have any questions let me know I've built a few. John

 

  • Member since
    June 2013
Posted by bvallot on Monday, December 29, 2014 12:14 PM

Sweet Joe!! I can't wait to see your Pearl Harbor Zero.  =D  Hopefully I'll have mine finished in time for it.

On the bench:  

Tamiya F4U-1  Kenneth Walsh

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by SNOOPY on Monday, December 29, 2014 12:32 PM

This is a great looking plane.  I have a "ZERO" Tamiya A6M3 (not sure type) and have not tried building it yet.  One of those I do not want to ruin by my inexperience and low self confidence.  Pitiful huh?!!!

It looks really nice.  I can't wait to see the Pearl Harbor version.  I liked the Navy's Grey Version better.

  • Member since
    May 2008
  • From: Ypsilanti, MI
Posted by MIflyer on Monday, December 29, 2014 1:10 PM

Great looking build, and beautiful paint job. I did my first IJN build earlier this year and found out what many already know - the hinomaru decals in a lot of kits are like leather. I bailed on them and painted my own, too, although mine didn't come out as nice as yours. Great job!

Kevin Johnson    Ypsilanti, Michigan USA

On the bench: 1/72 Fujimi Ki-36 J-BAAR

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