Thanks sim34, I got to experiment with some new things on this build.

BTW the big Zero's cockpit is almost complete. After seven months, at this rate I'll have to brush my long white beard out of the way to paint the thing... 

And the interior. I didn't bother to add a wash or anything since you really can't see much inside other than the bluish shade of the aotake. I've seen people even put hoses in for the air tanks but again, I don't think the hoses would be visible even with a flashlight so I think I'm going to leave it as is. 

Cliff,

That office looks fantastic! Great job!

Hey thanks guys! The washes are overdone, but since I'm going to shove the thing down into the dark hole of the fusilage and people are mostly going to be viewing it from a foot or so away I decided to overdo things rather than trying to be subtle. Crossing my fingers it'll look good when everything is closed up. 

That pit looks sweet Gamera. Too bad most will be buried in the fuselage.

Hey thanks PJ! 

Oddly, I'd started out trying to replicate one of the last scenes in the Japanese movie 'The Eternal Zero' and then dropped it partially due to having a pilot in the cockpit would block a bunch of the detail... 

Crazy wicked awesome Gam!

Rob, big thanks! 

Gam the office is looking great!! I'm with you on the fact a little over shadowing won't matter a whole lot once the fuse is closed up. Love it!

YIPPEEEEE!!! LOL at long last have some progress on the E7K. Got the greyed silver on and some color!! Might try and shoot the floats tomorrow. Feels great having some progress on my shelfless queen. Starting to see the summit then its a downhill slide to the finish, hopefully no serious bumps along the way lol. Anyway here's a couple pics.

Thanks SP34! 

And nice work there, very clean smooth paint job! 

I'm likin' it Sim...keep at it!

Rob, Gam, many thanks!! Getting the Future shot on now. Having to do it in stages as you think you have a good coverage only to find out after it dries it's still not a perfect sheen. Nearly there though. Avoided a near disaster with the AB. I was assuming Mr. Color was an enamel, it's not, it's a laquer! I put my low odor turps in and then dropped the paint in....and nothing, Gave a lil stir, nothing. It wasn't mixing! Grabbed the enamel thinner, same thing. Quickly tore down the AB and scrubbed. Mishap avoided. After a few brewa and a good ale I regrouped and read a bit more about Mr. Color, that's when I saw it was a laquer. Went and bought a small bottle of Mr. Color Levelling Thinner so all is good. WHEW! So once the clear is all good then the floats.....with the proper thinner.

Well I got the gloss finished on the fuse and wings, and the floats shot with the Mr. Color. Shoots beautifully with the proper thinner lol.

Sim, nice save...I can say, I've never even seen Mr. Color. Not a brand here or near me.

SP34: Yeah as Rob said good save there! Looks great now! 

I've used a little Mr. Colour, I can't say I like the stuff very much myself. First time I used it there was something that looked like spider webs stuck on the model. I figured I'd gotten cobwebs on the model somehow and put everything away, waited till the model dried, sanded it away, and then carefully washed the thing off. Next time same deal, which had me really confused since I'd washed the model very carefully. Then I noticed the paint was spraying out of the brush like Silly String! Seems if you don't thin the paint enough it somehow dries as it's spraying and makes a string as it comes out of the airbrush. Or at least it did for me! There are a few shades I have to use the stuff for but otherwise I avoid it... 

My big 3 'go to's' are Tamiya, Model Master and Vallejo. Vallejo for me is still new and the jury's still out on that. I have had some success with it, but, I struggled with it a few times.

Rob S.

My big 3 'go to's' are Tamiya, Model Master and Vallejo. Vallejo for me is still new and the jury's still out on that. I have had some success with it, but, I struggled with it a few times.

 

Yeah, those are great brands there, can't go much wrong with any of them. I end up using the Model Master mostly though since it's the only thing the local hobby shop carries. 

Steve: Very clean work there cutting out the fabric on the control surfaces. I wonder if you could use some foil or something to make a few ragged pieces still hanging on? I dunno, just throwing out ideas- it might look hokey. 

Not sure about the canopy frame, maybe someone here has suggestions? As brittle as clear plastic is I'd be afraid to try to drill the 'glass' out without cracking it. There used to be a brand called 'Fast Frames' that made peel and stick canopy frames. You painted them on the sheet and them stuck them to the canopy so you didn't have to mask it. Not sure if they're even still around, a websearch found only a few old websites. 

Yeah Gam, I'm thinking of some hanging fabric on the control surfaces.

I may remove all the framing and glass from the canopy base and add some strips of sprue for the framing. Again, it will be encrusted so being precise isn't hugely important. I'll figure something. 

Looking forward to you working your magic again Steve. 

yes, Steve, this is going to be epic...

 Lookin' good Steve, looking forward to seeing you add the icing to your Zero cake! 

Looks cool, really looking forward to seeing how this comes together. 

"The old sunken delapidated Japanese Zero on the bottom of the ocean floor trick!"

I can hardly wait to see the conclusion to this suspense.

Nice, I really like your sea plants.