1/48 Hasegawa A6M5 Zero

by Mark McClellan

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This is not so much a “what if” model, but an “almost was”.  A couple of years ago I got a great book about an Australian fighter pilot, Clive “Killer” Caldwell, DSO, DFC with Bar.  I’m always interested in the exploits of wartime pilots, and Clive Caldwell really fit the mold as a “fighter pilot”.  Flying for Australia in WW2, he was finally credited with 30 planes shot down, 3 of those shared.  Clive flew the P-40 Kittyhawk in the early stages of the war, Spitfires in the latter.  I have included the book title below, so if you want a good read, buy it!

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Before Australia got really involved in WW2, the (then) Attorney General Robert “Pig Iron Bob” Menzies had actively campaigned to purchase military equipment from Japan.  Australia all but signed on the dotted line to purchase 40 aircraft from Japan to be paid for with ore and minerals, not cash money.  The deal fell through but one wonders what it would have been like to see Japanese Zeros doing combat with Australian Zeros!

This kit was built out of the box, the only thing I added was a set of Superscale Clive Caldwell decals from Flightdecs.  I had to do a bit of Internet research to find the actual colour to paint the Zero in Australian markings.  This was a really fun project, hopefully no old “Diggers” will turn in their graves at the sight of an Aussie Zero!

Reference: “Killer Caldwell, Australia’s greatest fighter pilot” by Jeffrey Watson, 2005

Mark 

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Photos and text © by Mark McClellan