1:48 Tamiya Japanese A6M5 - First Build and First WIP COMPLETED 2/27/16

Good to see you starting a build, and well done for doing a WiP on it. I think a lot of people find that daunting if they are new or been out of the hobby for a while. Your off to a good start.

But i think the first thing you need to do is inform Mrs Anderson that there are more important things than dinner and a movie.

Just make sure she doesn't hear you when you say it.

Welcome to the bench Hunter. I'm so glad you are giving this a whirl- the old man would be delighted.

You have picked a really nice kit. It won't fight back, goes together like a dream.

I'm sure she will like "T-T-T!"

Hunter,

I think it's outstanding that you have choosen to start a WIP! I'm really looking forward to seeing your progress! 

Bish,

I'm laughing my head off...she would get a kick out of your comment. I wanted to do this WIP so I would gain insight from everyone that looked to see their comments as far as tips, techniques, help and guidance. Steve (ModelCrazy) has been an immense help in getting me started with PM's answering any questions I may ask. EVERYONE has been great here in the forums. I am totally pleased that I deceided to do this and look forward to many years of this great hooby.

GM,

Thank you sir, I have read a lot of your postings and know if I keep paying attention that I will learn a lot from you. I am honored that you, and BISH looked in on my first WIP and look forward to getting to know you. And you are correct....what little I have done it has gone together nicely. Have a great night in "The City"

P.S. You wouldn't believe how many times I tried to get her to watch that great movie

T-T-T!! great reference GM

You always have to take care of the Queen of the empire.  She's first, me?  I told my Queen I'm just the janitor around these parts.  LOL!  Enjoy your time out and I will be keeping an eye out for your build.

Toshi

Hogfan, Steve, & Toshi,

Thank you gentlemen, I greatly appreciate your support and look forward to learning from you. I have researched each internal forum and seen what each of you can do and I know I will learn a lot from you. Thank you for looking.

Oh this is a beautiful kit. Have fun. 

Built it a few years ago and loved every minute of it. Hard to pick a better kit to get started on - it has everything - great fit, easy assembly, excellent detail.......you'll enjoy it.

Hunter 

Is she going to be a out of box build? ?..

And have to chosen what color scheme your doing ?..

5-high 

Welcome Hunter. You came to the right place.  I echo that you couldn't have picked a better kit. Here's mine should you want to use it as a reference. 

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/160003.aspx

Good for you, Hunter, you said you would take this up in earnest and now look, a WIP. I'll be checking it daily, looking forward to see it moving down the production line. You're in good company here at FSM, so many really nice guys and gals to answer any questions and post lots of great build examples.

All of the other responders are such talented builders, some of them a third of my age and turning out work WAAAAY past my limited abilities. I'm sitting here with a glass of fine single malt whisky, thinking of excuses, no luck yet. Maybe with another dram?

Your Dad, our friend Jeff, I'll bet would be over the moon with you carrying on his hobby interests.

Best regards

Patrick 

Since I can't really add to any of what's above, I'll just say they're all right...and welcome aboard. =]

Looking forward to your build. 

NathanT, Ruddratt,Patrick and bvallot,

Gentlemen thank you for your comments and for looking in on my WIP. I will be hard at it Saturday morning because I am already ADDICTED to this. While at the movies tonight I kept thinking of what I wanted to do and how I was going to assemble this or that and what I wanted to paint. Patrick thank you for all your kind words here and in PM's to me amd my family and for always offering to help with what ever. Thank you Sir. 

Lawdog,

Thank you for the link to your build, yours turned out beautifully. I told myself before starting this build that I was just going to follow the instructions and not get very detailed and really enjoy the process. Great job on your build and thank you for looking in and hope you check back.

5-HIGH,

I thought it being my first build that it would be smart for me to do this straight out of the box and stick with the colors on the box art ("IJN" Dark Green & "IJN" Light Gray). I have never air brushed before so I plan on practicing for a little while tomorrow to figure out air pressures and proper thinner ratio's. Thank you for looking in on my WIP and hope you check back

TJ,

Thank you for stopping in, and I hope you enjoy and please don't hesitate to point out if I'm doing something wrong. So grab a cup of "Joe" and get comfy 

Hunter

Bish,

I'm laughing my head off...she would get a kick out of your comment. I wanted to do this WIP so I would gain insight from everyone that looked to see their comments as far as tips, techniques, help and guidance. Steve (ModelCrazy) has been an immense help in getting me started with PM's answering any questions I may ask. EVERYONE has been great here in the forums. I am totally pleased that I deceided to do this and look forward to many years of this great hooby.

GM,

Thank you sir, I have read a lot of your postings and know if I keep paying attention that I will learn a lot from you. I am honored that you, and BISH looked in on my first WIP and look forward to getting to know you. And you are correct....what little I have done it has gone together nicely. Have a great night in "The City"

P.S. You wouldn't believe how many times I tried to get her to watch that great movie

T-T-T!! great reference GM

 

I am sure we have all found that posting pics of our work as it progresses, whether in threads like this or GB's, is the best way to improve. I have progressed more in the last 8 years posting on here than i did in the previous 25.

And if we can have a bit of a laugh and some fun along the way, all the better. We just have to remember to keep the ladies in our lifes happy, and at least let them think they are in charge.

DEsooner,

Thank you for your kind words and hope you can look back in on my WIP and give me your feedback on anything I am missing or give me any tips or suggestions. 

Thank you for looking in on my build. I don't want to dwell on it, but I wish I would have taken up my dad's offer to help me get started a few years ago. But I have learned a lot from everyone in here and I have put some of those lessons into the first few steps. I do know this, my next 2 purchases will be a Optivisor and Spray Booth. 

Thank you again DE,

Hunter

Good day Hunter from Montana (I'm originally from Great Falls)

Great kit to start your chops on.  You will do fine and you got some great mentors here.  I too will be looking in on how you are doing since I need the motivation that new modelers seem to give to keep building.

And check out and join the Japanese Group Build that is going on.  

Scott

Bish

 

 

Hunter

Bish,

I'm laughing my head off...she would get a kick out of your comment. I wanted to do this WIP so I would gain insight from everyone that looked to see their comments as far as tips, techniques, help and guidance. Steve (ModelCrazy) has been an immense help in getting me started with PM's answering any questions I may ask. EVERYONE has been great here in the forums. I am totally pleased that I deceided to do this and look forward to many years of this great hooby.

GM,

Thank you sir, I have read a lot of your postings and know if I keep paying attention that I will learn a lot from you. I am honored that you, and BISH looked in on my first WIP and look forward to getting to know you. And you are correct....what little I have done it has gone together nicely. Have a great night in "The City"

P.S. You wouldn't believe how many times I tried to get her to watch that great movie

T-T-T!! great reference GM

 

 

 

 

I am sure we have all found that posting pics of our work as it progresses, whether in threads like this or GB's, is the best way to improve. I have progressed more in the last 8 years posting on here than i did in the previous 25.

And if we can have a bit of a laugh and some fun along the way, all the better. We just have to remember to keep the ladies in our lifes happy, and at least let them think they are in charge.

 

Yup, pictures tell a thousand words and don't lie hee hee.  My models are like my body, look great to my eye but when I take a picture, seem to be full of wrinkles, pits, and defects and look 25 lbs heavier.    Posting is a fun way to express yourself and I have always had postive, motivating comments from this site.

My wife made a comment the other day, said something about an obssession since she has noticed a lot more wingy thingies on my shelf and around my workshop.  Wonder if she's contemplating an intervention, since the vacation brochures  and gardening catalogs are all over the kitchen table. 

Hunter

DEsooner,

Thank you for your kind words and hope you can look back in on my WIP and give me your feedback on anything I am missing or give me any tips or suggestions. 

Thank you for looking in on my build. I don't want to dwell on it, but I wish I would have taken up my dad's offer to help me get started a few years ago. But I have learned a lot from everyone in here and I have put some of those lessons into the first few steps. I do know this, my next 2 purchases will be a Optivisor and Spray Booth. 

Thank you again DE,

Hunter 

You and I are at the same stage - I only started back in this hobby several months ago and I've purchased more kits than I've built lol...believe me, my skill is nowhere near any of these other guys and I could never post pictures of anything I build. My joy in this hobby comes elsewhere...

I did want to say, though - I purchased my spray booth on Amazon, and it was $88 and for as little as I use it (once a week?) it works really great, can't beat the price...I also bought my airbrush and compressor on Amazon from TCPGlobal for $120??? and it came with three airbrushes, the 1/5 HP compressor, about 10 Createx paints, a really great deal - matter of fact, I also paint (spray paint art) and I use the Createx line for my painting vice...

I also purchased my Optimizer from Sprue Brothers for about $50 and I like it alot, it's a Donegal 5X but I have recently purchased two more, because they were so cheap, from Amazon - I bought one for $12 and another for $14 I believe, and they both have greater magnification than the Donegal.

Just wanted to let you know about the spray booth and compressor and optimizer in case you haven't settled on one in particular yet. I am very happy with what I have purchased, and it wasn't very expensive at all, considering.

DESooner

 

 

Hunter

DEsooner,

Thank you for your kind words and hope you can look back in on my WIP and give me your feedback on anything I am missing or give me any tips or suggestions. 

Thank you for looking in on my build. I don't want to dwell on it, but I wish I would have taken up my dad's offer to help me get started a few years ago. But I have learned a lot from everyone in here and I have put some of those lessons into the first few steps. I do know this, my next 2 purchases will be a Optivisor and Spray Booth. 

Thank you again DE,

Hunter 

 

 

 

You and I are at the same stage - I only started back in this hobby several months ago and I've purchased more kits than I've built lol...believe me, my skill is nowhere near any of these other guys and I could never post pictures of anything I build. My joy in this hobby comes elsewhere...

I did want to say, though - I purchased my spray booth on Amazon, and it was $88 and for as little as I use it (once a week?) it works really great, can't beat the price...I also bought my airbrush and compressor on Amazon from TCPGlobal for $120??? and it came with three airbrushes, the 1/5 HP compressor, about 10 Createx paints, a really great deal - matter of fact, I also paint (spray paint art) and I use the Createx line for my painting vice...

I also purchased my Optimizer from Sprue Brothers for about $50 and I like it alot, it's a Donegal 5X but I have recently purchased two more, because they were so cheap, from Amazon - I bought one for $12 and another for $14 I believe, and they both have greater magnification than the Donegal.

Just wanted to let you know about the spray booth and compressor and optimizer in case you haven't settled on one in particular yet. I am very happy with what I have purchased, and it wasn't very expensive at all, considering.

 

Thank you DE,

I know what spray booth you are taking about. I got a Masters Pro Series Compressor and airbrush from the same place you mentioned. I know I need to get a Optivisor....man those parts are  small and hard to see fine details, plus I have big hands. LOL.

I will look into what you have suggested and go from there.

Thank you,

Hunter

Hello everyone,

Well it's Saturday and I spent the first couple of hours playing with my new airbrush and learning the pressure settings, changing out the needle and properly thinning out the paint. I finally got it figured out and sparyed the remaining parts to the cockpit, engine and the nose of the plane. I have made one minor error so far.....I got called into work and while I was wrapping up so I could clean up I assembled the cockpit and forgot to hand paint the knobs, gauges and electrical. I will go back and fix that.

The plus side of going into work is I get off Tuesday and do not have to go back until Monday afternoon....so 5 days of modelling!!!! 

As you can see.....all cockpit green 

In the instructions it mentions adding AM or PE to the pilot's seat....I am not ready for that YET. Maybe 4 or 5 models down the road. But as I stated I will go back and paint the remaining gauges, knobs and electrical Wednesday. 

Thank you for looking...as always your input, suggestions and tips are highly welcomed.

Bish - Thank you for the help on adding quotes

Hunter

Bish

 

Hunter

Bish,

I'm laughing my head off...she would get a kick out of your comment. I wanted to do this WIP so I would gain insight from everyone that looked to see their comments as far as tips, techniques, help and guidance. Steve (ModelCrazy) has been an immense help in getting me started with PM's answering any questions I may ask. EVERYONE has been great here in the forums. I am totally pleased that I deceided to do this and look forward to many years of this great hooby.

GM,

Thank you sir, I have read a lot of your postings and know if I keep paying attention that I will learn a lot from you. I am honored that you, and BISH looked in on my first WIP and look forward to getting to know you. And you are correct....what little I have done it has gone together nicely. Have a great night in "The City"

P.S. You wouldn't believe how many times I tried to get her to watch that great movie

T-T-T!! great reference GM

 

 

 

 

I am sure we have all found that posting pics of our work as it progresses, whether in threads like this or GB's, is the best way to improve. I have progressed more in the last 8 years posting on here than i did in the previous 25.

And if we can have a bit of a laugh and some fun along the way, all the better. We just have to remember to keep the ladies in our lifes happy, and at least let them think they are in charge.

 

Bish, kind of got that backwards, in that they let us think the we are in charge.  Mine has been gone for over a year, and she still runs things......

Hunter- coming together nicely so far.  You are right, lots of experience and help here, and I have picked up a bunch to try and improve what I do.

scottrc

Good day Hunter from Montana (I'm originally from Great Falls)

Great kit to start your chops on.  You will do fine and you got some great mentors here.  I too will be looking in on how you are doing since I need the motivation that new modelers seem to give to keep building.

And check out and join the Japanese Group Build that is going on.  

Scott

 

Hello Scott,

Wow, Great Falls is a great place and very nice people. My wife and I go through there every time we go to my parents place. We have been talking about relocating there so we would be closer to my mom. I have made a couple of calls to some of the captain's there to see if there were any openings. Will have to wait until there is.

You mentioned the Japanese GB....I am building the plane my dad purchased for this build. I don't know if it's too late to join...but I am happy with doing this WIP so I can get everyone's tips, suggestions, techniques and guidance. I am definitely going to join a GB in the near future because I like how everyone is building something together. Great way to learn and expand my knowledge of modelling. Thank you for looking in on my WIP and I hope you check back in.

Take care,

Hunter

Hunter,

Great job on the "pit" or "office", don't wory about forgetting the knobs, gauges and electrical, we all do that and go back to fix it. This is really looking good!

One of these builds, when your ready, you need to try you hand at some weathering. It will rock youe world.

Steve

Hunter

 

scottrc

Good day Hunter from Montana (I'm originally from Great Falls)

Great kit to start your chops on.  You will do fine and you got some great mentors here.  I too will be looking in on how you are doing since I need the motivation that new modelers seem to give to keep building.

And check out and join the Japanese Group Build that is going on.  

Scott

 

 

 

 

Hello Scott,

Wow, Great Falls is a great place and very nice people. My wife and I go through there every time we go to my parents place. We have been talking about relocating there so we would be closer to my mom. I have made a couple of calls to some of the captain's there to see if there were any openings. Will have to wait until there is.

You mentioned the Japanese GB....I am building the plane my dad purchased for this build. I don't know if it's too late to join...but I am happy with doing this WIP so I can get everyone's tips, suggestions, techniques and guidance. I am definitely going to join a GB in the near future because I like how everyone is building something together. Great way to learn and expand my knowledge of modelling. Thank you for looking in on my WIP and I hope you check back in.

Take care,

Hunter

 

Drop a post on the Japanese GB 5 page.  Gamera is an easy guy to work with, and plenty of time to finish.  I have to finish mine from last year....Basically in GB's yu are posting what youare putting up here on that page along with the other builders.  You can still keep the thread going here as well.

modelcrazy

Hunter,

Great job on the "pit" or "office", don't wory about forgetting the knobs, gauges and electrical, we all do that and go back to fix it. This is really looking good!

One of these builds, when your ready, you need to try you hand at some weathering. It will rock youe world.

Steve

 

Hello Steve,

Thank you for your support and I will definitely go back and correct the error. I know!!! I can't wait to do some weathering and paint pitting. The recent Japanese Float Plane you did in that beach dio is AWESOME!! The way you weathered that plane was perfect. It looked so real.

I know when the day comes when I want to play with water....I am driving to Idaho to learn from you. (laughing) 

Thank you for everything friend,

Hunter