1/72 HobbyBoss Mitsubishi A5M4 Claude

Gallery Article by Hal Marshman, Sr on Aug 12 2014

 

I am not generally a 1/72nd kit builder, but the little A5M Claude is one of my most favorite Japanese fighters, and has not been well served in 1/48th. This little kit is one of the HobbyBoss easy build kits, thus has 21 pieces, to include the clear windscreen. The construction departs from what we usually expect. The fuselage is split between top and bottom sections. The bottom section includes the wings and stabilizers all in one piece. No way you can screw up the dihedral on this one. 

The top half includes the fin/rudder assembly, and fuselage coaming from tail to cockpit. The cockpit is pretty basic, with rudder pedals cast in, and no sidewall detail. There is a separate control stick and seat. Unhappily, they do not include an instrument panel, thus I had to scratch one up from sheet styrene. For something so small, I merely cut the sheet to size, paint it black, and with various size drill bits, just cut through the black paint, making white circles. This simple panel serves quite well, though I really wish I had a decal for it. Seatbelts were scratched up using masking tape. That's enough to make what little cockpit is visible, interesting. 

 

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The engine is cast into the cowling, and if you look closely, it barely resembles what should be there. Once painted up with washes and highlighting, it creates a decent impression. Were I to do another of these little birds, I believe I'd rob a single bay 9 cylinder out of another kit, or purchase one aftermarket. 

The decal sheet provides markings for 2 airplanes, the one I built, which was probably one that served in China, or one of the silver painted Claudes, where the slightly yellowed clear laquer was applied. 

The prop is a very delicate and quite a nice casting. The exhausts are separate, but benefit from being drilled out, as are mine. The main gear pants come in two halves, with a one piece wheel. You are supposed to trap the wheel between the 2 halves when you cement them together, thereby causing a difficult masking situation when you go to paint the model. Well, I'm of the "props should not turn, nor should wheels roll" fraternity, thus I have solved this problem by not installing the wheels until the painting is done. Whereas I don't need the wheels to roll, I razorsaw a small wedge from the outer rim to the axle hole. Now once painted, I merely apply glue to the inner axles, and slip the wheel into the pant, with the axle hole fitting right into the cast in axles. Works a treat!

The Claude I wanted to do was the China camouflaged plane. The kit includes a colored drawing showing how the colors were applied. I found WEM Colorcoats RLM 79 tan and RLM 83 Dark Green to be a pretty good match to HobbyBoss' rendering. The bottom of the plane remains in silver, for which I decanted Tamiya rattle can Silver Leaf, and ran it through my airbrush. This is a pretty decent metal finish, and is tougher than most. I gave it a finish coat of Testor's Metalizer top coat, which served to protect the silver, and gave me a gloss base for the decal work. Just to be certain, I gave the vertical tail surfaces a brushed on coat of "Future". The decals went on beautifully, and once the model was Dullcoated, there was no silvering. 

I have to say, I really enjoyed building and painting this wee bird, and will most likely do another, with the yellowed silver finish, and red stripes and tail. By the bye, the price is most reasonable, and if you grab it on a Squadron Computer sale, it becomes a very good bargain. 

Have fun, 

Hal Marshman, Sr

      

Photos and text © by Hal Marshman, Sr