Well done on the Val Congo :)

Thanx for positive comments guys, here last pictures of the wip before finished version:

Solved the rear opened canopy with a trick , not perfect but not found a better way :(

the tail wheel 

Scratchbuilded the lost pitot

A few amout of fumes on the sides, painted exhaust and glued a new gunsight

After i glued the flap and the propeller, left only the antenna wire and it's finished :)

At the next

Wow Congo, love those masked markings- esp the difficult stripes on the tail. Looking forward to seeing her with the masks off, I hope everything went well there.

And good to see you almost done Bsyamato, just a little more!

I've started on my Zero.  So far I've painted the engine and assembled the cockpit.  I'm a little disappointed that the instrument panel is just a decal on a flat surface, but it actually doesn't look too bad.

Here's the box art:

The engine:

The cockpit assembly:

And all put together:

SB I'm not an aircraft guy but I think you've done a great job with the cockpit. I've always imagined it looking thru a cockpit window that makes the interior slightly distorted? Terry

Bob: Looking good!!!

Thanks guys! Terry, sometimes it's harder to see the cockpit through a closed canopy because in most cases the clear plastic is too thick. I usually leave a piece unglued so if I want to I can remove it to get a better view.

Makes sense after so much work, looks like a fun build.  

Nice work Bob, just the green seems not so homogeneous or is the flash effect, another green thinned layer could resolve but other details are done now.

Thanks bsyamato!  I took a look at at it, and I think it's mostly a combination of the flash with the dry brushing I did.  I'll take a closer look at it when I set down at the bench again.

Normal administration then :) it happens to me few times too

Well I'm calling My Zero done.  It's been a blast doing this one,  considering I was really afraid of the chipping/weathering that comes along with Japanese planes.  But I'm very pleased with it.

John

I picked this  1/72 George up at goodwill for $1 that just had the wings glued together and kinda did it in tandem with my Zero.  I'm really pleased with it as well.

even being small it was fun.

John

John - both those builds look right on, and very successful at the chipping and weathering effects.

It's amazing how the detail on  1/72 scale can stand up to 1/48, nicely done!

regards,

Jack

jgeratic

John - both those builds look right on, and very successful at the chipping and weathering effects.

It's amazing how the detail on  1/72 scale can stand up to 1/48, nicely done!

regards,

Jack

  I always thought I was a 1/48 scale guy all the time until I've started doing some more 1/72.   I kinda like them,  i do have to wear my optivisor all the time however,  plus they are cheaper!

John

John: Yeah, both of those look terrific! I too would have thought they were 1/48th till you told us. Really nice work on the chipping, it's easy to overdo and I think I did overdo it on my Shiden...

Are those photos okay  to post on the front page or did you want to take some more?

Yea, that's fine.  the 1/72 George wasn't on my list for this build though, I just threw it in

John

Lol, I noticed but you did finish the George so I might as well post her! I'll either do it tonight or this evening depending on if I have time at work or not.

Again kudos!

Thanks,  it's been a great GB.  Ive started on another Zero and a Ki-84 Frank.  First it was 190's  now Japanese wwII,  what's next?   lol

John

Thanks and they are addictive!

Did you want me to put you down for those are are you doing them on your own time? Still five months to go here!

You can go ahead and put me down for the Frank,  can't remember where I'm at on the 2nd Zero at the moment.  Lol

John

Lol, okay! Is the Frank 1/72nd too? And what company?

Sorry, the Frank is 1/48  Tamiya

Thanks, got it!

I primed and preshaded my Zero, but as luck would have it I need to charge my camera.  I'll get pics posted as soon I'm able.  I do have a question about the engine cowling.  The instructions say it should be semi-gloss black, but I've also seen where people mixed their own black-blue color for it.  Which should I go with?  If it makes a difference I'm doing the markings for Shigeru Itaya's bird during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Hey Bob, looking forward to the photos.

As I understand the cowlings had somewhat of a bluish sheen to them. You could just paint it black or add a little blue to the paint. I tend to pre-shade it by painting it black and then adding a light spray of thinned dark blue to the top areas.

Thanks Gamera.  I was looking through my paint and came across a mix of dark blue and black I made for a night attack Stuka.  I might use that if it's still any good.

Phone is charged so here are the pics of preshading and the engine cowling.  The flash makes it look more gray, and I added just a bit of blue to the black, it's very subtle to my eye.  Does anybody know what color the inside of the cowling was?  Sorry for so many questions, this is my first build of a Japanese plane.

John: Sorry, dragging my feet last night but just posted those two beautiful fighters just now!

Bob: Cowling and the pre-shading look good! The interior of the cowling is probably just bare metal aluminum best I can remember. If anyone else knows please correct me!

I'm not sure either about the cowling interior.   Found this from a series of walk around photos of  a refurbished aircraft, and interior looks the same as the outside:

Clicking the photo should send you to the web site where the photo was found.

regards,

Jack

Thanks for the help!  Jack that"s an awesome gallery!