This is the older Tamiya Zero kit which was a gift to me as part of the Secret Santa IV group build. It goes together well and despite its age is representative of the usual Tamiya quality. I built this as a Pearl Harbor A6M2 from the Akagi (per the kit instructions and decal sheet). Wheels are up and this will be hung from the ceiling along with my other “in-flight” Axis warbirds (a Betty plus a bunch of Luftwaffe aircraft).
It is painted in Model Master acrylic light gray, not technically the Imperial Japanese Navy color but actually German licht grau, with the cowling painted in semi-gloss black. Light weathering with some Tamiya pastels (oil stains and soot) and a panel wash. Decals settled down nicely with solvaset over a Future finish, which was then sealed with flat clear.
Looks good Steven. I wish we had a way of knowing what colors early Zero’s really were. Your choice looks good to me. I think you might have the sliding canopy reversed, It will probably fit better the other way round.
Looks good Steven, but I agree with John on the center canopy being reversed. The color of the early Zero remains debateable. Some experts claim they were a light tan rather than the light grey so often portrayed.
Nice build. I have one on the bench right now. For the money its a nice little kit. I’m fighting some self initiated decal issues right now, but as they say “Its a learning process.”
Thanks for everyone’s comments. It’s funny how when looking at something with my own eyes I am unable to see the issue with the canopy, but looking at the photo it is crystal clear what is wrong. Thanks for pointing it out. I’ll get back to the bench to fix it.
Hey nicely done!!! I’m saddened that I couldn’t be a part of this year’s festivities (was so busy with school I missed the deadline… ARG!). I’m glad to see that you carried on the tradition of at least one member finishing before the New Year!! I’ve got the same kit in the stash, and I’m excited to see what it looks like.
When in the local hobby store last week, I saw this kit right next to the newer Tamiya kit. I think there was a $20+ difference in price. It got me wondering… how is the detail in this kit - especially in the gear bays and interior ? From your pics the outside surface detail looks really nice.
I’ll hang this Zero alongside my Luftwaffe aircraft.
The detail was ok, nothing particularly special but ok. As kits go, there are far far worse, and this one would be good for the super-detailers among us. There was a bit more flash in this kit than I am accustomed to seeing in Tamiya kits.
I also have that newer Tamiya release. There are considerably more sprues (this one had 3 total sprues including the clear parts), which leads me to believe there is a lot more detail in the newer release. Does that justify the difference in price? Probably not, as both will build into good representations of Japanese Zeros.
