Bobbaily: 1/48 Hasegawa Shinden

Cbaltrin:  1/72 Hasegawa Ki-44 Tojo

Edwin: Ship model Tamiya 1/700 Shimakaze

GAF: Hasegawa 1/72 G8N1 Rita

Gamera: TBA

Glamdring: 1/24 Aoshima Kyouto Yataiaji Ramen Mobile Food Shop

Greysnake: Tamiya 1/35 Type 61

Hoggarth: Tamiya 1/48 Light vehicle type 95 Kurogane

Jeaton01: Tamiya A6M3 Type 22

                  Hasegawa 1/48 Rufe

                  Hasegawa 1/48 A6M5-K Zero

Keavdog: Tamiya Ki-84 Frank

LostAgain: Hasegawa 1/48 Tony custom racer

StugIIIG: I400/I401

Waikong: Finemodes 1/48 Ki-15 'Kamikaze

WrinkledM: 1/700 IJN Takao

                   1/48 A6M2b Zero

Badge:

I'm in with the old Tamiya Ki84 Frank.... maybe more :)

Awesome John, just put you down. Is that 1/72nd, 1/48th, 1/32nd, or something else?

I'm in. TBD.

1/48

Cblatrin: Cool, putting you down! 

John: Thanks! That's the kit I assumed you meant but I wanted to make sure. 

Gamera,

You can put me down for a Hasegawa 1/72 G8N1 Rita as long as you accept cross-overs.

I'll do that in conjunction with the X-Files GB.

Gary

Cool Gary! Just put you down! 

Put me down for a Tamiya A6M3 Type 22 in 1/48, Cliff.

I'd like to give this a try.  I'll build the I400 or I401 submarine...from whom I don't know yet.  The Tamiya looks too big to start with (this would be my first sub and first seagoing vessel in about 40 years).  I might even try a 3D printed version I found and spice it up with brass details I make.  

John: Sorry I did put you down and somehow forgot to say anything down here. My apologies...

Stug: That sounds cool! I put you down, let me know when you decide on a scale or company. 

Heading way outside of my comfort zone this year and will be tackling the 1/700 IJN Takao heavy cruiser with a possible special guest. ;)    My plans are also to tackle the new Academy 1/48 A6M2b Zero but time will tell. 

Wrinkledm

Heading way outside of my comfort zone this year and will be tackling the 1/700 IJN Takao heavy cruiser with a possible special guest. ;)    My plans are also to tackle the new Academy 1/48 A6M2b Zero but time will tell. 

 

Those sound great! I'll put you down for both but if you don't get to the Zero don't sweat it. 

BTW: IJN Takeo is one of the ships Big-G eats in Godzilla Minus One! 

Sign me up, Gamera!

Thinking of doing a ship. Last ship I did was 43 years ago when I was 12. Will decide soon which ship this will be. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

Edwin

Sign me up, Gamera!

Thinking of doing a ship. Last ship I did was 43 years ago when I was 12. Will decide soon which ship this will be. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

 

 

Sounds cool! You've got a year to decide.

Welcome!!!

Need some help. 
Have decided on a 1/700 Yamato. Not decided which: Tamiya? Fujimi? Pit Road? Any others to consider?

Anyone has advice on this? Am looking for a relaxing OOB build. Simple PE work should be fine. 

Edwin

Need some help. 
Have decided on a 1/700 Yamato. Not decided which: Tamiya? Fujimi? Pit Road? Any others to consider?

Anyone has advice on this? Am looking for a relaxing OOB build. Simple PE work should be fine. 

You might wish to ask under the SHIPS thread for advice on this one.  I doubt anyone here is familiar with all the kit manufacturers.

Gary

Yeah Edwin, as Gary said you might check the ships forum or just look for YouTube reviews. I have no idea which kit is best or easier to assemble. I do know that some like Tamiya even have multiple kits of IJN Yamato out, both an older one and a newer one. 

There's a thread upon this very topic.

https://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/188887.aspx

Pricing and availability probably has changed since 2021.

Gary

Gamera

Yeah Edwin, as Gary said you might check the ships forum or just look for YouTube reviews. I have no idea which kit is best or easier to assemble. I do know that some like Tamiya even have multiple kits of IJN Yamato out, both an older one and a newer one. 

 

You and Gary are right. Question posted in ships forum. Was just hoping for a quick opinion from someone on this GB, in case they have worked on the Yamato before. 

GAF

There's a thread upon this very topic.

https://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/188887.aspx

Pricing and availability probably has changed since 2021.

Gary

 

Thanks Gary. 
I searched and read that thread before posting. 
The questions from NZAnglia were different. He asked which manufacturer makes the best kit, is the best value and currently available. 

Edwin

Need some help. 
Have decided on a 1/700 Yamato. Not decided which: Tamiya? Fujimi? Pit Road? Any others to consider?

Anyone has advice on this? Am looking for a relaxing OOB build. Simple PE work should be fine. 

 

I don't think you can ever go wrong with a Tamiya ship kit, but I am by no means an expert on the ins and outs of the various Yamato kits on the markey.  I do have the 1/700 up detail edition of the Tamiya Yamato in my stash though for someday.

Gam, count me in for this year!  Will draw straws soon for which kit from my stash will be built this year...

Sounds good Robert- put you down as TBA. 

Put me down for a 1/72 Hasegawa ki44 Tojo to start with.

Ohh, looks cool! Just put you down! 

I decided on going a little light hearted with my selection this year... plus this was the closest to the top of the stash pile:

1:24 Aoshima Kyouto Yataiaji Ramen Mobile Food Shop

Started the Tojo!

Robert: Owwww, that looks cool! We've had a couple of auto entries this year, it's cool to see something different. Just put you down. 

Cbaltrin: Great to see you her started up! 

Engine on...

Engine Off again .. Haseagwa engine mounting design  not good. Need to figure out how to get it centered with cowl and perpendicular with firewall... 

Major componets assembled.

I was able to solve the engine alignment issue. I had to bore and oversized  hole through the firewall. Then I drilled a 1/16 inch hole at a 90 deg angle through some a section of 0.10 styrene strip, and inserted a section of brass rod of equal diameter through the hole.

This engine mount jig was then inserted through the firewall and the engine slipped over the brass rod. With engine and colwing in place and positioned correctly , I glued in place the styrene block. Once the engine is glued in place, the brass rod will be removed.

bNjzp2zf/2024-72-HSGW-KI44-IW-095016.jpg" alt="" />

There's nothing that can't be fixed if you have a hammer, a sharp instrument and determination! 

Gary

Nice workaround!  I have always thought that Hasegawa was one of the higher end brands, but honestly it seems some of their 1/72 scale kits leave much to be desired.  I assume they are from very old designs and molds.

Glamdring

Nice workaround!  I have always thought that Hasegawa was one of the higher end brands, but honestly it seems some of their 1/72 scale kits leave much to be desired.  I assume they are from very old designs and molds.

 

It's a perplexing kit. Scalemates indicates the molds are from 1972, yet exterior detail is nice with engraved panel lines and even some wheel well detail. Engine is decent. Overall the fit is good. No cockpit detail is provided. The only issue I have discover is the engine alignment...

I have a few of the early Hasegawa 1/72 Zeros and they are not what we are used to seeing today.  They tried to get several versions out of the same plastic even back then.  They are much better than the earliest Hasegawa kit in my stash which is the 1/75 F1M2 which is from 1965 and is numbered kit F-3.  F-2 was a P-51D in 1/70 scale released in 1963, but the interesting one was a transparent kit in the same scale issued in 1964.  I have a 1999 reissue, at least I bought it around then but it is an exact copy of the 1964 issue with no number anywhere unless it's in Japanese.  It looks like a faithful scale down of the Monogram 1/32 transparent kit in USAF markings but no operating gear, electric motor, or stand.  The moldings actually look nice in the Mustang but the Pete is very much on par with early Airfix with a nod to Aurora in the way of raised lines where the insignia go.

Major assembly,  filling and sanding is complete.

Cbaltrin: Ouch, sorry to see the issues you're having there. But clever solution, looks like you've got things in hand there! 

Gamera

Cbaltrin: Ouch, sorry to see the issues you're having there. But clever solution, looks like you've got things in hand there! 

 

Great work there on the masking! 

Best of luck with the yellow leading edge ID markings. I hate doing those! 

That Zero is certainly coming together very quickly, well done!

I started puttering about with the Ramen food truck over the weekend, and finished the kitchen portion.  Looks like most of it will not be visible through the serving windows, but I am content with it like this.

I also installed the wheels, please ignore the cat hairs in thhe middle...I didn't see them in time.

I admit the instructions of this kit and some parts are confusing me.  There are holes  in the middle of some parts that are not addressed in the instructions, nor can I see anything in the leftovers on the sprues that look like it should go there.  All I can think of is that these are for the other trucks in Aoshima's line of these.  I will probably fill them in or grab some random part from the spares box to fill in that space if in a visible area.

Robert: That looks cool! Nice work. 

I know they make at least three of the trucks, yours, a gaming truck, and a sushi vehicle. I'm not surprised as to different parts there but I'm I am a little surprised it's not noted in the instructions. 

Glamdring

That Zero is certainly coming together very quickly, well done!

If you are talking about my Ki-44, well then, thank you 

cbaltrin

 

 

Glamdring

That Zero is certainly coming together very quickly, well done!

 

 

If you are talking about my Ki-44, well then, thank you 

 

I stand corrected, the Tojo!  LOL

It has been awhile! I lost most of my interest in building models last year. I recently rekindled my interest by switching from armor to aircraft. 

I will join up with a Tamiya 1/48 Ki-84 Hayete (Frank) and a Tamiya 1/48 A6M5/5A (Zero). Will start the Ki-84 either tomorrow or Saturday. 

Welcome (back) Greysnake!

As for me, I need to get started on the G8N1 Rita, but I need to clean off my desk first.

This one will take some room!

Gary

GreySnake

It has been awhile! I lost most of my interest in building models last year. I recently rekindled my interest by switching from armor to aircraft. 

I will join up with a Tamiya 1/48 Ki-84 Hayete (Frank) and a Tamiya 1/48 A6M5/5A (Zero). Will start the Ki-84 either tomorrow or Saturday. 

 

Cool - I'm doing the Frank as well.  I ordered this set of decals - still not sure what markings I'll end up doing

 Leaning towards the last one - Yojiro Obusa, 50th Sentai.  He was an ace with 19 kills.

Ohhh that's cool Greysnake! I'll put you down. 

As the guys said there's a boatload of cool marking schemes there. 

Started on the Ki-84 this evening. I do like the box art 

IMG_7710 

There aren't many parts.

IMG_7705

Cockpit detail is well there isn't much detail. I will be putting the pilot in the make up for some of the lack of detail. This does make make me want to get the Hasegawa kit one day since the detail is so much better.

IMG_7706

The gear doors have some nasty injection pin marks that needed filled. 

IMG_7711

After about ninty minutes here is what I have. Some of the parts needed some careful cleaning, the landing gears being really nasty. 

IMG_7712 

Next will be giving the parts a bath and panting the interior parts. It took some research but I guess the cockpit, gear wells and landing gear should be a green color which I am using tamiya XF-71 cockpit green for. Visiting the hobby shop Tuesday so going to make sure I have plenty of paint for the base color. 

So far this has been an okay build for a 1972 era kit. Test fitting shows there is going to be some filling needed when the wing joins the fuselage but nothing dire. 

Great start Greysnake! 

Love that old box art, you just can't beat it! 

And the lack of detail to the cockpit is a little annoying but with a pilot in there you won't be able to see much anyway. 

As just a weird aside a lot of army pilots flew with their swords strapped to their hips. Couldn't have been too comfortable! The funny thing is most navy pilots left their swords with their ground crews when they got into the plane. 

Gamera

Great start Greysnake! 

Love that old box art, you just can't beat it! 

And the lack of detail to the cockpit is a little annoying but with a pilot in there you won't be able to see much anyway. 

As just a weird aside a lot of army pilots flew with their swords strapped to their hips. Couldn't have been too comfortable! The funny thing is most navy pilots left their swords with their ground crews when they got into the plane. 

 

The box art is what got me to first build the model when I was twelve years old, okay it being $13USD also helped out! 

Flying with swords does not sound comfortable. 

I worked on the cab over the weekend, spartan details and I don't plan on busying it up.

You can see one of the mysterious holes in the middle of the two seats.  It's not addressed in the instructions and there is nothing in the sprues that would look like a fit.  It does align with another hole in the roof which is pictured in the instructions, but is not used for anything.  Since it is in a rough area to putty fill, I am thinking of ordering a set of 1/24 soda or water bottles and making it into a cup holder, or maybe shrinking and printing down a couple manga comic covers to cover it up with.  For the one in the roof, I am thinking of a flashing light or something rather than filling it.

I like your idea Robert, actually a cup holder would look just right there! 

Slow progress, but we are getting there.  

The top signs are installed and the body is painted: 

And my chef/driver is a Starbucks drinker:

Looks great Robert, love the seats! 

Looking good Robert.

I made Aoshima's festival truck five years ago, and yes it is the same base body with special sprues for each version. I do have the kitchen in my spares box somewhere...

Gamera, here is my offering after a few years out: Hasegawa 1/48 Tony custom racer:

And started with the interior painted ready for weathering

lostagain

Gamera, here is my offering after a few years out: Hasegawa 1/48 Tony custom racer

Hi Lostagain. Cools subject -- Still need to finish mine from last years GB  BTW,  Did you say custom racer?  What's a Ki-61 Custom Racer?

Also, Very nice festival truck!

Piers: Ooohh, that looks cool! Will put you down. 

And thanks for reminding me, I knew someone had built the food truck but I couldn't remember who. 

Glamdring> Nice food truck!  Coming along nicely!

Lostagain> Love the Tony!  I also wonder about the "Racer" part?

Gary

Thamks guys!  

Lostagain - interesting build from the past, I don't recall that variation being available from the online shop I bought mine from.  They are kind of fun kits, if I didn't have to much to build as it is, I'd circle back and snag a couple others.

Got the Ramen Wagon decalled up and sealed, so I feel comfortable starting installation of all the non-gloss internal and  external components.

Getting close to the finish line now....

Hi Robert,

Yes I only saw a couple in the shops when I was in Japan recently, and ones that I had not seen four years ago when I was last there.

Looking at the Aoshima website, there are 10 in the series, some good fun ones.

https://www.aoshima-bk.co.jp/en/product/?s=&brand_en=&category_en=&scalename=&seriesname_en=1%2F24+CATERING+MACHINES&number=&jan-code=&when1-year=&when1-day=&when2-year=&when2-day=

Oh she's coming along great Robert! 

And cool Piers, I've seen about half those at the HLJ website but didn't know they made that many. 

And I apologize... I STILL have no badge. I'll get something whipped up. It won't look as good but it will be something... 

I want to add two more to the GB, both Hasegawa 1/48.  The Rufe, and an A6M2-K trainer.  They call the trainer an A6M2-K, but it has the A6M5 wing so I think it might also be called an A6M5-K.  There seems to be some confusion about the type and who built what.

For the Tony, I have the cockpit complete and the seatbelts in.

The seatbelts are from Kamizukuri, laser cut paper, with buckles and fittings available

With the fuselage closed up:

Nice work on your Ki cockpit lostagain!

John: I'm not sure about the correct designation on the trainer either but I just put you down with both. 

Piers: She's lookin' good! I have some of the Kamazukuri laser-cut paper weapons straps for US GIs but haven't used them yet. Those seatbelts look great!!! 

Thanks, Cliff.

I've been having issues with my main computer but I have now a report on the Rufe, it is well underway.  I have built 3 of these Hasegawa kits before and this one will be fine when it's done but it has been more trouble than the others to get good fits.  The Rufe fuselage halves are different to accommodate a ventral strake and bigger fin/rudder and the lower wing is also a new part as there are no wheel wells, but there are spots to add the central float pylon and struts.  When I first started fitting things together there was a furrowed brow for awhile, but with various nudges and squeezes everything eventually fit as well as any of the others, almost.  I had to force the cockpit module in to the fuselage, which I have never had to do before, and let it cure up good before more work.  The lower aft fuselage wanted to argue about coming together so I wrapped it real tight with tape while it cured.  The wing fit looked like a mess everywhere, so I glued the upper wings to the fuselage first and clamped them with some flanges on the bottom and let them cure.  There was a little sliver of a gap on the right wing root but a bit of Tamiya putty fixed that.  When I fit the lower wing half to the uppers they had to be glued in small spots, averaging out the fits, but to my surprise when I was done there was goodness in the land, and all were joyous.   
However, there was still some questions about the fit of the float gear, as the fit of the pylon to the fuselage was loose and not at all even on top.  Careful gluing and nudging before the glue set got it straight, I think, but the little struts in the back had an approximate fit and needed a little filler.  Quite likely a little more care when fitting the main pylon to the wing might make that better, and next time I will attach those struts to the float first as the depression where those struts fit on the bottom of the wing are much deeper than those on the floats and might hide some fit issues, if there are any after the float pylon issue is addressed better.  There is no separate part for the carburetor intake on this kit as there is on the others, it is molded as part of the lower wing.  By minimizing the gap at the aft wing to fuselage join there was a slight mismatch on the front which I fixed with a little sanding, and also by not trying to get a good tight fit on the ring the engine mounts on.  Spreading it open on the bottom improved the sideways fit on the forward wing root around the oil cooler area.  As you will see I did not neglect to put 16 grams of shot in the nose of the float, held in by dams of Aves Epoxyclay and a thorough soaking with RC 560 canopy glue.  The kit comes with a nice dolly to display the model, but I think I also see one of those Tamiya Kubota crawler tractors to go with it.  The cowl is attached to the engine, and it is the back of the engine that holds the assembly to the fuselage.  That makes it possible to thin the back edges of the cowl flaps to a nice edge.

Every time I look at this box art I wonder why all those B-24 gunners are asleep!

Sorry to hear about the fit issues John but she came together nicely! 

It's not a problem if it works in the end, right, Cliff?

Nice work on the planes, Gents!

Rounding for home on the Ramen Wagon...Remember that unused hole in the roof I probably should have filled, but didn't?  It's now a radio antenna.  

Just waiting for the banner that hangs on the pole on the back to dry then I just need to do some paint fixing on the edges that wore off during assembly and handling.  It seems the coat og sealer I used was not as robust as it normally is.

Excellent job on the food truck!  Nice idea about the antenna on the roof.

Gary

She's looking great Robert! 

John: Yeap!

Looking really good there Robert.

John, the Rufe is coming along well. SOmetimes you need to show those models whose boss...

Not in this group build as I'm pretty awful at completing them. However  thoroughly having a good time watching these kits come together. 

Hey, I'm been missing out!  Always a fun GB with Gamera.

That Tony cockpit is nice - never seen those paper cut belts before, lays really nice into the seat.

I would like to join please, I can start maybe in 2-3 week.  I will be building the 1/48 Finemodes Ki-15 'Kamikaze'.  The plane is a civilan paint job for a change, set a world time record for traveling from Japan to London for the King's coronation in 1937. Before the whole world went to hell, and planes were meant to make the world a closer place.

The Ki-15 should be a fun build, Waikong.  The Fine Molds kits are pretty nice, especially the newer ones.

With the better weather here I've had some distractions but I have a report on the Rufe. Canopy is on and masked. The bottom was painted the Nakajima grey green, and then the upper surfasces were painted with Alclad dull aluminum, followed by a clear coat to protect it. You will see that there is some silver on the left lower wing but it was just aluminum powder that wiped off with a damp paper towel. Today I put on an uneven coat of Nakajima Dark Green on the upper surfaces. When it has dried for a while I will do some chipping, and also add the yellow wing ID strips on the wings. All the paints are Mr Color.

Nice job on the Rufe, John!  One of my favorites.

Looking forward to the Ki-15, Waikong!

Gary

Thanks.

John, that's an interesting color for the Rude bottom. I don't think I recall seeing a green color like that before for the underside of a Japanese plane. Were they unique to seaplanes?

I haven't seen it before either.  I hope Hasegawa and Gunze are not lying to me!

A little more done today, some markings painted on.

That looks great John!!! 

Waikong: Sorry, I'll get you down now. Nice selection there! 

Great work, John!

Thanks, Robert and Cliff.  Here are two more photos, I have some more weathering to do and I am building a Komatsu tractor to go with the model which I am waiting for paint to arrive to complete.

looking very nice!

That's a beautiful Rufe!

Gary

John: Wow that looks superb John!!! Great work! 

I went ahead and posted you, when you get the tractor done I can replace the photo with the newer one. 

Lovely work on the Rufe there John!

jeaton01

Thanks, Robert and Cliff.  Here are two more photos, I have some more weathering to do and I am building a Komatsu tractor to go with the model which I am waiting for paint to arrive to complete.

 

 

 

Beautiful Rufe John!

Thanks, everyone for all the nice comments.  Here are some photos with the Komatsu and a Kurogane for good measure.

John,

That's a magnificent result on the Rufe, Komatsu and Kurogane.

The Tony is staggering forward - I now have the white primer on after blacking out the canopy framing.

Thanks, Piers.  Your canopy masking looks nice and neat.

Piers> Nice start on the Tony!

Gary

Piers: Looks fantastic! Great work! 

John: Are you finished? I'll post the photos if you are. Really nice work there! 

Thanks, Cliff.  Yes, the finished photos are with the Komatsu and Kurogane.  On to the A6M3 type 22!

posing the Rude with thenKurogane and Komatsu on Brown paper over a blue bottom, surprisingly effective and suggesting a beach. Kinda minimalistic modern take on a Dio, I love it!

Hey John, got the new photo up! Waikong said it well, the simple nature of the dio keeps from distracting from the quality of your work! 

Started on Frank.  Here's a mockup.  Not a bad fit considering the age of this kit

Great job there Keavdog John! She's coming along nicely! 

Anyway I am working on a badge. Several things have already fallen though so I just ripped something off an AI art generator. Not the best thing but I guess it will work for the time being. I'll see about fiddling with it to something a little better. 

Tamiya has gotten a lot of mileage from this Frank, apparently they are still releasing it, John.  It will be interesting to see how it goes.

I can say that this A6M3 Type 22 I am starting on has nothing whatever to do with the Tamiya A6M2 I did before, which dated from the same time as the Frank.  It was a trouble free build as I remember, not as well detailed as the Hasegawa Zeros I have built but still a good representation.  This one has the detail of a very nice 1/32 kit.  So far I am painting small parts for the cockpit and engine, the only assembly is a gun panel added to the bottom of the instrument panel and the seat assembly of four parts including a purple seat cushion added to the aft cockpit bulkhead.  Also, the rudder pedals are on the floor, attached to a clear part which accomodates a small window in the floor just aft of the rudder pedals.  I'm using the Mitsubishi interior color from Gunze.  There is an option for open or closed cowl flaps, I'm going with open.

Looking good John.  I've got the A6M5/5a kit in the stash.  according to scalemates same as your kit with a few different parts.  Kit looks nicely detailed - I'll be following along on your build and taking notes.  I'm guessing being a recent  Tamiya kit, it will fall together.

Yeah, no issues so far, John.  So far not much to remark on other than being a great kit.  I am moving one one part of the instructions to another to allow paint to dry or decals to set.  There are so many parts that you do have to be careful to use the right ones in some cases, such as several throttle quadrants and two machine gun control panels.  I did cast aside the purple seat cushion because it would have complicated the seat belt installation, and I think it might be there in case you use the supplied pilot.   There is also a standing figure.

Keavdog> Nice Frank!

John> Don't have a 3, but good start on it.

Gamera>  The badge look okay to me!  Well done!

Gary

John: Looks good! You're off to a great start!!! 

Gary: Thanks, it's not the best badge but four months into the build and I need to get SOMETHING up... 

Sorry, been away too long. Last few months were crazy!

Gamera, I will work on this Tamiya 1/700 Shimakaze:

I got this as well to practise on first, since I do not have much experience with ships:

Hope to get started soon.

Just getting back to a bit of modeling after being away for a few years. Would love to get into this group build.

Hopefully duplicates are okay. I picked this up a bit ago and would love to build the little guy. I have a Kate in the stash but I figure there would be plenty of those.

Tamiya 1/48 Light vehicle type 95 Kurogane

Edwin and Hoggarth: Great choices guys! Just put you both down. 

I like the latest additions to the GB!

Progress on the Fank - all buttoned up

Need to do some filling and sanding next

Well, the website is back to acting strange again so I hope this posts. 

Looks great John, you're making great progress!! 

I've made progress on the A6M3 and the A6M2K.  The meatballs have been painted on the A6M3, with a thin spacer mask so there will be an unpainted ring around each one.  No white surrounds on this one.  Then I put on a mottle of dark green on the top side.  There is a distinctive pattern on the fuselage right behind the cowl and I will have to try again there, as I didn't get it the first time.





I decided to put the pilots in the A6M2K and that was interesting as the Hasegawa pilots required major reduction in body size to get them to fit.  I think it will be more interesting that way.  I still need to put a flat coat on them and the cockpit assembly.  As usual not a lot will be visible once the fuselage is assembled over it.

Great progress John.

Frank is almost ready for paint

Those look great guys!!!

Two more Zeros slid into the display cases today, the Hasegawa A6M2-K and the Tamiya A6M3 model 22. The Tamiya kit was a gem to put together, the Hasegawa kit was less so in comparison but it is a high bar. There were two versions of the trainer, one with the A6M2 model 21 wing and engine, the other with the A6M5 wing but still the type 21 engine. This model is the latter type. As you can see in the last photo with both models facing each other, the A6M2-K had a longer forward fuselage ahead of the wing, and a longer tailwheel, both to accommodate the back seat where the instructor was. Those changes re-balanced the airplane and improved what little forward vision there was from the rear seat.

Here are the photos of the A6M2-K, the next post will be of the A6M3 model 22.

The Tamiya A6M3 model 22.

The paint scheme was the thing I most wanted to get right on this one, as there is a much published photo of it showing the random mottling and a unique pattern on the forward fuselage. That photo is the basis for Tamiya's box art for this kit. I think I got close but getting a really fine line still eludes me, though I did improve some on this project.

The cowl, prop, and canopy all both press fit, allowing for easily varied display options.

nice zeros! I have never seen the a6m2k before, very interesting.

Made progress on my build but couldn't get into the forum for almost 2 weeks.

John> Nice work on both versions of the Zero!  Like Waikong, I've never heard or seen the A6M2-K before even though over 500 were built.

Gary

Thanks!

Second attempt at hairspray chipping.  Curious why my chips are very round.  I'll keep trying.  Decals are setting

John, I can't control what happens very well with hairspray either, though I will admit I gave up pretty quick.  What I am doing now is to apply a nmf. I've been using dull aluminum but it doesn't matter too much what is used as the next step is a good coat of Alclad II Gloss.  It dries to a very hard finish after a few days.  Over that base I use enamel or acrylic colors and let them get reasonably dry.  After that I can be pretty rough if I want to and the aluminum undercoat is hard to damage.  I use toothpicks and even pattern files.  For general wear even sandpaper to simulate erosion and thinned oxidized paint.  I haven't so far become interested in a heavily weathered airplane but there doesn't seem to be any reason it couldn't be done this way.

I find using an old hard tooth brush gives me good control with removing paint in a  'random' pattern

Hey Jeaton those look great!!! Fantastic job! 

Love the yellow trainer undersides to the K model! 

Just posted you to the front page!!! 

Keavdog: Looks good to me! I like how you did most of the chipping where the ground crew would work and walk, always helps to apply some logic to it! 

I tend to use a large rough toothbrush like Waikong and a toothpick as Jeaton suggested to 'pick' at areas to selectivly remove chunks where they aren't coming up normally. 

Very nice work on your Zeros John!

Calling Frank done.  This was really my second experiment with chipping and it was better than the first in that I didn't go down to bare plastic but still not happy.  Needs more randomness so to speak.  Other than that - box stock, decal problems with the yellow leading edge lifelike decals not settling down.

Let's go with the first pic for the completed gallery.  Thanks for running the GB again!  My 3rd Japanese plane because of these GBs :)

Oh wow that's nice!!! I think the chipping looks just fine, I'd be proud to turn out such a beautiful model!!! 

Thanks for joining us and hope you'll build a few more Japanese aircraft! Frankly (sorry) I need to build more myself, I've got in an armour rut recently... 

Going to put you on the front page now. 

Lemme put up the badge again. Seems I screwed up and didn't put a post in the beginning of the thread for it: 

Nice Looking Ki-84 John! Like your paint chipping.

Getting back to the Ki-44 which took a brief stint on the shelf after I botched the paint job. I had to repaint the wing ID stripes, glare panel and most of the bare metal areas. I really only saved the meatballs as they were masked since I initially painted them....

John, the Frank looks fine, a worthy addition to the GB and your shelf.

Chris, the repaint looks like it went very well.  Just another small bump in the modeler's life.

Duplicate post.

Duplicate post 2

But you did put a post reserved for badges, G, it is right after completed builds on the first page.

Gamera

Lemme put up the badge again. Seems I screwed up and didn't put a post in the beginning of the thread for it: 

 

Thanks John, I'm an idiot.... 

Cbaltrin: That looks good! Seems like you've got things under control! 

Keavdog (John)> your chipping looks good!  Nice work!

Cbaltrin> Repainting is an art form!  If I don't have to repaint some or part of an aircraft, then I've done something wrong!  Looks like you nailed it. 

Gary

This could take a bit of time...

Wow - that is fantastic!

Leopard spots!

cbaltrin

This could take a bit of time...

 

 

This is super fun, super tedious, and super hand cramping, all at the same time.

Yeah, that looks great! A lot of work but the results look fantastic! 

Great work on the builds guys.

Haven't had much time to work on my builds but with it becoming so hot outside model building season has started again for me.

I am having some trouble getting motivated to work on the Frank because the fit isn't the best. Hopefully I can get some work done today. 

btw I "might" change my second build to a Ki-61 since I bought a replacement for the one that never got completed a couple group builds ago. 

Take your time Greysnake, we've still got six months to go. 

And sorry I haven't been more active. Lately it takes me 2-3 mins to load a page on the site assuming it works at all. 

I'll build a model for you if this board shows up on my email. One hasn't worked in four years.

Eric Bergerud

After years of failure on Firefox, I'm trying this on Chrome. If I start getting emails back, I'll build you an Oscar.

Eric Bergerud 

Ok Gamera and fellow builders...

Here is the Final on my Haswegawa 1/72 Ki-44.   I think this is the smallest kit I haver ever built!

Eric: Not sure what to tell you. I've been using Brave which is normally a great browser but the forum issues here have been pushing me away from the site. 

Cbaltrin: WHOA!!! That looks fantastic!!! A lot of work but it was worth it!!! Simply phenomenal! 

Just posted you, as usual if you'd rather have a different photo lemme know and I'll swap you out. 

Chris, that's just spot on!

cbaltrin,

Wonderful camo job!  Hard to believe you did that by hand.

Gary

Gamera

Cbaltrin: WHOA!!! That looks fantastic!!! A lot of work but it was worth it!!! Simply phenomenal!   

Thanks Gamera!

jeaton01

Chris, that's just spot on!

 

GAF

cbaltrin,

Wonderful camo job!  Hard to believe you did that by hand.

Gary

Thank you Gary!

Amazing work on the Ki-44!!

Think I have reached the point I am not enjoying working on the Frank. It's a mix of the molds being rather old and me realizing again lol why I really don't like building airplanes.

Gamera, could you remove the Frank and Zero and replace it with a Tamiya 1/35 Type 61? I built one a few years ago for a past GB and want to see what I can do with newer skills. 

Oh wow, Sorry to hear that GreySnake.  The hobby is supposed to be enjoybale isn't it? I think you are making the right choice. Turn the page and work on something you will enjoy!  I also struggled to finishing the ki-44. I just did not have that much interest in the type. I just wanted to add one to my small but growing 1/72 j-aircraft collection. The lack of information, photo's , etc for some of these more obscure types of planes can be a de-motivator of sorts. I also never finished my 1/72 ki-61 from last year's GB -- and it is a much much  better and enjoyable kit than the ki-44!  Good luck on your Type 61. 

GreySnake

Amazing work on the Ki-44!!

Think I have reached the point I am not enjoying working on the Frank. It's a mix of the molds being rather old and me realizing again lol why I really don't like building airplanes.

Gamera, could you remove the Frank and Zero and replace it with a Tamiya 1/35 Type 61? I built one a few years ago for a past GB and want to see what I can do with newer skills. 

 

GreySnake

Amazing work on the Ki-44!!

Think I have reached the point I am not enjoying working on the Frank. It's a mix of the molds being rather old and me realizing again lol why I really don't like building airplanes.

Gamera, could you remove the Frank and Zero and replace it with a Tamiya 1/35 Type 61? I built one a few years ago for a past GB and want to see what I can do with newer skills. 

 

Sure no problem! 

Time to get started on my entry for the GB, which is a G8N1 Rita four engine bomber.  I managed to find a copy in my local antique mall where I've picked up a few models before.  The original run on this model was 1967, though the version I have is 1991. It seems to be in good shape, though I'm wary about the decals.

The G8N1 was a prototype, four engined bomber produced towards the end of the war, but was canceled due to lack of materials.

Not sure what version I'm going to do yet: Orange prototype, operation bomber, or American captured version.

Gary

That camo brush work on a 1/72 ki44 is amazing. I don't think I have the patience or sill for that! 

My ki-15 is done, just got to post pics. Couldn't get on the forum for weeks, keep getting errors. So couldn't post in progress pics.

Great work being displayed here-well done all.

Gamera-finally ready to dive in-Hasegawa Shinden 1/48 (cross over with X-Files GB)

I need to get my Father's Day Lego build first but hopefully can get started on the Shinden before the end of the month.

Oh cool Bob.  I almost bought that kit the other day after watching Godzilla minus one.

Interested to hear your opinion on the kit.  Lot's of pics please!

Looking forward to that shi den, I built the same kit for the last Japanese GB.

Gary: That looks cool! Looking forward to seeing how it comes together.

Waikong: Looking forward to the photos! Same here with the issues on the forum. Things seem to have smoothed out now though.  

Bob: Looks awesome too! I also picked up a Shinden in the wake of GMO. No idea when I'll get to it.