1/32 Tamiya A6M5 Zero

by Matt Robeson

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This is the wonderful Tamiya 1/32 Zero.  I really can't add on to anything that has been said before and all the praise this kit has gotten are well deserved.  The fit was near perfect and the detail was beyond anything I've seen before.  All of the added bonuses make the kit expensive, but it is really worth the extra money.  For this model I used the new Tamiya XF-71 cockpit green and XF-70 Dark Green 2.  The interior was painted Cockpit Green, then all of the black boxes and switches were painted their respective colors.  Then the interior was dry-brushed with XF-16 Flat Aluminum to give the cockpit a well used look to it.  The black rings on the instrument panel were made by taking a toothpick dipped in X-18 Semi-gloss Black and running it along the inside edge.  The wheel wells were painted in the recommended 3:1 mix of Metallic Blue and Clear Green.  The inner gear doors took forever to look right, and then were lost somehow, so replacements are coming.

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This model depicts an A6M5 based at the Ohita Prefecture from the 653rd Fighter Group in 1944.  As a base for the weathering, Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver was sprayed, and then allowed to dry for about three days.  For the paint chipping, the colors were sprayed down, and then within 15 minutes I went to work using clear packing tape to rip up the paint.  Didn't work as well with the gray, but the green came right off.  The leading edges were brush painted as I missed them the first time with the tape.  The canopy was masked with the provided masks, which worked well, and then brush painted the semi-gloss black and then Dark Green.  The decals were put on, and then unintentionally weathered as I was masking the bottom with tape to do a touch-up, the tape pulled off the decals, so the side hinomarus had to be replaced.  The exhaust staining was achieved by using thinned down Semi-gloss Black paint and spraying along the fuselage and wings along weathering places, such as the guns, and aft of the exhausts. This model took first place in the aircraft division and best in show for the junior class (15 and under) at the April HobbyTown USA model competition.

All in all this was an excellent model to build.  I can recommend this to everyone except for the true novice, because of the photo-etch and the small parts that must be painted and assembled.  All comments are welcome, so please feel free to let me know what you think. Next on the build pile is Classic Airframes S-79 Torpedo Bomber, so keep an eye out for it.

Matt (15 years old)

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Photos and text © by Matt Robeson