Metal  I agree with Richie on that most zeros were know to blow apart  when hit

Jason

thanks guys yeah i know Zero's were pretty much flying time bombs.

This is not going to be a static display it will be "in Flight" with a Hellcat on the Zero's 6 firing, hence the bullet holes. just trying to figure out a clean way to put tracer fire between them and smoke from the Zero, I am thinking thin fishing line with a bright orange streak's on it. and cotton wool for the smoke sprayed black and grays etc..maybe... I'm not quite sure yet 

small update!!

hoping get her buttoned up by christmas

Metal she's looking good mate!!! Liking your idea for the display!!!!

Some constructive criticism here on the Zero.  If you are thinking of having another aircraft on it's six with a visual representation of bullets spraying into the aircraft somehow, then perhaps more thought to the placement of bullet holes should occur.

Given how you have located the bullet holes along the wing with the "metal" splayed upward, it appears the attack is coming from directly below the Zero.

What do the penetration holes on the bottom of the wing look like?  Little details like this can make or break a dio.

Cheers

Some update pics please ignore the prop was just testing the colour. Just got a few thing on her to finish and then build the base and the mounts , should only take a couple of hours...... The Hellcat is done, so everything should be ready to be posted in the next couple of days

Darren, if it's cool with you, I'd like to join in on this one with a Tamiya 1/48 A6M5. Got it for Christmas and it looks like a sweet kit and a fun build. Some pretty high standards being set here based on what I've seen, so I'll do my best to keep up.

Ruddrat!!!! Darren will be along in the near future to officially welcome you and put you on the roster. Glad to have you aboard!! Looking forward to your build!!!

Thanks for the welcome Richie! I checked out this entire thread, and man, there's some serious work on display here, a great group of fellas, and a heap of fun goin' on too. I couldn't resist!

No problemo Ruddratt, it's great to have you on board, I'll add your Zero to the page 1 roster.

Cheers

Welcome aboard, Mike!! Nice to see you in this GB!!!

Here's my A6M3 Type 22 finally finished! 1/48 Hasegawa standard OOB build. The Carpet monster stole a piece or two, so it's not as I'd hoped but here she is:

Charles...another beauty......very clean and crisp...I really  like the subtle weathering. This will make a great addition next to your other Zeke!!

Happy New Year....

CS

Nice looking Zero, Charles.  I think I saw the missing part down there in the carpet in your picture.

Charles very nice indeed!!!!! Beautiful build mate!!!!!!! Well Done!!!!!!!!

Thanks, guys.

Carlos: I tried to do some variation with the painted surfasces to show fading and used a light panel wash, but nothing serious for the weathering. Heck, a simple OOB build takes me 2 months!

John: Sadly, my Carpet Monster is actually a Concrete Monster, but he still eats small parts. I think I have about a 72% save rate for fallen parts.

Thanks Darson. I appreciate it.

That's one fine looking Mitsubishi Mucker!

Darson, Simpilot34:

 I'd looked over this thread before but was thinking the build ended on Dec 31 2009. Since you're running till June 30th 2010 I'd like to enter if I may at this date. I have the three MasterBox 'Bloody Atoll' sets of US Marines and Imperal Japanese Army (the box says Japanese Marines but their uniforms are Army) soldiers and an Academy Pacific Sherman I'm trying to build into a small diorama. I started them in late October 2009.  

Mucker great job on the zero

gamera welcome aboard can't wait to see this come along. Really intrested in how you pain t the Japanesee figures, I have some for my planes and would like to try painting them

Jason

Gamera

That's one fine looking Mitsubishi Mucker!

Darson, Simpilot34:

 I'd looked over this thread before but was thinking the build ended on Dec 31 2009. Since you're running till June 30th 2010 I'd like to enter if I may at this date. I have the three MasterBox 'Bloody Atoll' sets of US Marines and Imperal Japanese Army (the box says Japanese Marines but their uniforms are Army) soldiers and an Academy Pacific Sherman I'm trying to build into a small diorama. I started them in late October 2009.  

If I am not mistaken the SNLF troops (Japanses naval infantry) wore the same style uniforms as the Army. The primay difference being insignia. on headgear IJN troops had an anchor vs the IJA star.

Gamera

That's one fine looking Mitsubishi Mucker!

Darson, Simpilot34:

 I'd looked over this thread before but was thinking the build ended on Dec 31 2009. Since you're running till June 30th 2010 I'd like to enter if I may at this date. I have the three MasterBox 'Bloody Atoll' sets of US Marines and Imperal Japanese Army (the box says Japanese Marines but their uniforms are Army) soldiers and an Academy Pacific Sherman I'm trying to build into a small diorama. I started them in late October 2009.  

aboard Gamera, Iv'e added your build to the roster and I'm sure we'll all be looking forward to updates coming through.

Cheers

Nicely done Charles, love those Zeroes!  Don't see many of the A6M2's in the green, but I like them when I do see them.  Again, excellent work there.

Nicely finished Mucker. I like the subtle weathering and the overall clean look to your Zero.

Mobious

[quote user="stikpusher"

If I am not mistaken the SNLF troops (Japanses naval infantry) wore the same style uniforms as the Army. The primay difference being insignia. on headgear IJN troops had an anchor vs the IJA star.

[/quote]

Stikpusher: Sorry I actually I should have been more specific- the uniform was the same except the colour with the Imperial Army being a tan/kaki shade and the Imperial Marines being an olive green that to my eye looks something like US uniforms but slightly greener. 

The webbing was different though with canvas for the army and black leather for the marines. Again black leather jackboots for the marines and brown leather boots sometimes with puttnees for the army.

The pictures on the boxes are painted as Imperial Army but you could just change the colour of the uniform and webbing to do Imperial Marines. The boots are different though, I'm not sure if due to resource limitations the marines may have been equiped with army footwear later in the war though.

All my research comes from one source though, Andrew Mollo's 'The Armed Forces of World War II'. The box-top art on the MasterBox figures looks exactly like the Imperial Army paintings in Mollo's book so I went and painted mine the same way.

Stikpusher if your references show different please let me know. Working from one single reference isn't foolproof and I may be way off track here.

Gamera, I had a good website on Japanese uniforms from a re enactors site, but I cant find it at the moment. The  cloth colors and material make perfect sense to me. But footgear is another matter. Jackboots would primarily be worn by officers and troops requiring such foot gear. I did find this wikipedia article that has some good info. I know they are not foolproof, but this one sounds well researched and written.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Special_Naval_Landing_Forces

and I did find this re enactors site...but no good pics here like the one I saw before

http://www.9threenactmentsociety.com/Japan/JSNLF.html

Stikpusher thanks for the two sites. I found an excellent link from the reenactor site:

http://www.reenactor.net/ija/ija_main.html

I'm posting from work (slow day) so I don't have the book with me but I do know the Mollo book was written back in the early '80s so it's very possible the information in it may have been superseded by new research. I just assumed the jackboots went with the SNLF/rikusentai  being elite troops but it certainly sounds like the Mollo book is wrong, or maybe I am.

The MasterBox box art:

http://www.mbltd.info/3542.htm

The painting shows what look like soldiers from the descriptions of both Mollo and the sites. But the box says 'Marines'. I remember the one helmet without a cover has a star on it instead of an anchor even though the NE corner of the box shows an anchor. I suspect that MB either decided to create some symmetry by calling them Japanese Imperial Marines to go with the US Marine set or just thought calling them marines was sexier.

Anyway I think having them as soldiers makes more sense in the concept of the diorama I'm doing and the khaki uniform makes them stand out better versus the US Marines.

Thanks again for the website. I'm going to bookmark the reeanctor one. I'd love to see the other website if you find it. Please either post it here or PM me.

Happy New Year to you and your family! 

Check out this link for the Osprey book on SNLF.

http://books.google.com/books?id=DVuvj1KPOLIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

I thik that site you linked on the Ija re enactors is the one I used to have..the pics look the same...

I am reporting ANY step forward I make lol. I have a splash of color on th eJake now. Painted the leading edge ID bands today. Now just have to touch up a few bits. Anyone ever tell you how hard it is to manoeuvre an AB around floats whilst trying to minimize overspray???? Anyhoo here is a couple pics. Before anyone brings to my attention the scrape behind the portside band, let me assure you I found it when I removed the masks LOL

Just checked pics and you can't really tell, camera friendly models, gotta love'em!!!! I know it's there though!!!! Anyways HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!! ALL THE BEST AND GOOD MODELLING!!!

Mucker, nice job on the Zero.

I certainly can't see anything missing!

Cmdr Ritchie, I know what you mean about progress, looking great all the same.

I will get around to posting some pics of the Ki-44 in the next few days, and I'll probably make a start on my 1/48 Raiden as my first build of 2010.

Karl

Very nice work on the Zeke, Charles! I took a real good look and couldn't find one single thing missing or out of place. Paint, decals, construction, everything looks flawless!

Ritchie, great work so far on the Jake. I have to ask - how long did it take you to mask that canopy?! That thing would have driven me nuts!

You guys have got me pumped to start that Zeke of mine, but like I said earlier, that bar keeps getting set higher all the time. I'm going to have to pull out all the stops just to keep up with you fellas!

She's looking good so far Simpilot. I can see what you mean about the floats.

Thanks for the link Stikpusher, if I do anymore Japanese troops one or three of the Osprey books would be a good investment. Seems I was wrong- the painting I thought was wearing jackboots is in fact wearing ankle boots with some sort of leather shin guards. In fact in the Osprey book link you sent me the guy on the left with the glasses is wearing the same type of footgear.

So as far as I know the set could be built either way depending on how you paint the uniforms and gear.

Frank: This Zero was the A6M3...I went with the decals in the box, after ,mulling about trying the cool green moittle like yours. I took the easy way out on this one, but there will be some mottling on by Scwalbe in your 262GB. I can't wait to start that one!