Hive mind,
I have a buddy that wants to build a 1/32 zero, I do not do 1/32 stuff (no room to display it) and I have no idea which one to recommend. Any thoughts on which one I should point him too. He is looking for one that is accurate, I don’t think complexity is an issue so, any help?
Tamiya has a pretty good offering. But it’ll cost you. At least $120 and likely up. I managed to pick one up a few years ago and though I don’t know about other manufacturers it’s probably the best 1/32 out there, pleanty of details.
Thanks…I don’t think the price will be a hurdle for him, I will pass on the recommendation.
heres an idea to spruce it up…
stick a float on it and call it a Rufe…[:P][whstl]
but thats just me 'cause im partial to floatie thingies…
Tamiya’s looks great form the articles I’ve read…
carlos
Funny enough when I was showing him some 1/48 stuff there was a picture of a Rufe and he was drooling.
I’ll second the Tamiya 1/32 A6m. If price isn’t an issue, it is the only one to consider.
there you go…I had a blast with my Rufe…but then I add fiber optics to mine…now theres a Trumpee 1/24 Rufe… that one he can store in the garage next to the “family truckster”
C
HLJ got the Tamiya Zero’s in stock.
http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?SeriesID=187&Dis=2
There used to be an edition with a DVD, etc that was way pricier than the kits on offer.
IIRC, the special edition has metal barrels & metal pitot tube included.
P.S.: Note they will be down for a few days to recover from quake damage.
If accuracy & detail are the criteria, Tamiya wins hands down.
Regards, Rick
Revell…
!(http://www.oldmodelkits.com/jpegs/Rev H521 Baa Zero.JPG)
Baa Baa Blacksheep… boy does that bring back memories. I never missed an episode and RTV still shows it.
Aren’t they converted Texans or something else? I know in some episodes they closely resembled them.
The Revell kit is an A6M5 and dates back to the late 60’s early 70’s. The Zeroes used in Baa Baa Black Sheep were converted from AT-6’s. I have fond memories of that kit, and still have one in my collection (as well as the Revell 33 1/3 record).
Hans, do you happen to know what model of Zero was in the Revell kit, and do you happen to know if it has been repopped like the Spit I, Hurricane I, and the Seafire recently? I would like to do Koga’s Zero sitting on the dock in Dutch Harbor after being recovered by Lt. Thies and crew.
Hasegawa can be made decent with after market parts, but for a little trivia, make the cowl blue/black. This was the actual color used, according to some old Japanese references I have. If he is making a weathered craft, the ‘Meatballs’ usually turned a rusty reddish brown color. If he is making a Mitsubishi Zero, the underside gray goes up the sides to the front of the elevator at the back of the plane, then back down to the tip of the tail from the back of the elevator. If he wants to build a Nakajima Zero, the green (or brownish green on an old plane) is a straight line from the trailing edge of the wing all the way under the elevator to the tip of the tail. I like my planes ready for take off so I don’t need too much interior detail, since you can’t see it anyway, so I find Hasagawa good enough for me, but Tamiya does admit-tingly make two beautiful Zeros
As stated, it’s the Dash 5 Zeke in the box… According to the current Revell catalog, there’s no recent release of the Zero out there, so it’s an Ebay item and there are several re-boxings of it, the “Smithsonian” series being the most recent of memory serves…
The “Texas Zeros” on the “Baa Baa Black Sheep” kit-box aren’t the model in the box, altough I’d love it if they DID release a kit of the “Tora” Zeke in either 1/48th or 1/32 (preferrably both)… Academy released the Hispano Ha 1112 Buchon not too long ago, so I picked a couple up (off Ebay). A “Texas Zero” would make a welcome addition to a go alongside Battle of Britain" “Me 109E” that I’m building for the “ollywood” Group Build. Leftwaffe markings are included in the Academy kit…)… That said, the Monogram/Revel AT-6 is converted easy enough, if you’re like me and have a Tamiya Zeke on-hand to rob the spare “closed” canopy from, or get a vacuformed replacement. However, I digress…
The Revell kit, if you can find one of them in the three or four different boxings (including a Revell of Germany offering), goes for about 60.00 on the collector’s market, less, about ahlf to a third) on the builder’s market, and it’s as “accurate” as any Zeke out there in that scale (although you might argue with that if you carry a calipers and line-drawings with you. I generally forego that)… It looks like the one real Zeke I’ve been up close and personal with, the CAF’s Dash-2 (although that bird has a P&W radial, rather than the Sakae powerplant, not that there’s much difference in the two, since the Sakae is a copy of the Pratt & Whitney version, right down to the Japanese-character “Depenability and Reliabilty” motto on the Sakae’s data-plaque)…
The Chino, CA-Based “Planes of Fame” museum has an airworthy A6M5 (the only Dash-5 flying in the US that I’m aware of, as is the CAF dash2) with an original Sakae engine if you need refs, too… The CAF’s Zeke is also located in that area, with the CAF SoCal Wing…
The only other 1/32 A6M2 kit currently available is Doyusha’s.
http://www.hlj.com/product/DYS40076
It’s a reissue of a kit from the 70’s that was produced at various times by Swallow and Tomy. While it ain’t a patch on Tamiya’s Zero’s in terms of overall detail (the cockpit in particular is very basic), it does have it’s strong points:
If you’re looking for a model that will look good from 2-3 feet away or one to use as a basis for scratchbuilding, the Doyusha kit can’t be beat.
Hasegawa can be made decent with after market parts, but for a little trivia, make the cowl blue/black.
Note that this is correct for Mitsubishi built Zeros, on Nakajima built examples the cowling should be straight semi-gloss black…
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I am steering him toward the Taymia kit since it is readily available.
There is one other 32nd scale Zero that should be mentioned, namely the now-defunct 21st Century Toys “A6M2” and “A6M3” that were released in both pre-built and kit form.
http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/Kits/WW2/21stCentury/zero/zero.php
These kits were pretty much simplified copies of the Tamiya A6M5. Unfortunately that means that they don’t represent their intended subjects very well (the A6M5 had a shorter wingspan, multiple exhaust stacks and a firewall that was moved back to accommodate the larger Sakae 21 engine.).
Having said that, if you look at it as an aftermarket set rather than a stand alone kit the 21C Zeros are something of a bargain. The cockpit is a simplified copy of Tamiya’s, so much so that the parts are interchangeable. With minimal modifications it can be used with both the Doyusha A6M2 or the Hasegawa/ Revell A6M5’s, and represents a significant upgrade on the cockpits offered in those kits. 21C’s decals are also outstanding, well printed and in perfect register.
21C’s Zero kits retailed for around $10.00, and can still be found on eBay for $20-30.00. When you consider the cost of most aftermarket sets these days that’s a steal.