1/48 Hasegawa A6M5b Zero Type 52 Otsu

by Alan Williamson

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The Kit: 09384 Hasegawa Mitsubishi A6M5b Zero Type 52 Otsu

Additions: Eduard Japanese Navy seat belts

Construction

This Zero is built straight OOB except for the seat belts from Eduard, Hasegawa has supplied a great kit with little fuss in construction. Like with most kits from Hasegawa there are a few extra parts for making up two types of Zero. The kit was very straight forward to build with little putty required in the build, probably one of the very few kits that every thing seems to fit. 

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I opted to leave the cowling and engine off until I had finished painting the Zero picture 3 shows the kit prior to airbrushing.  Picture 4 shows the first colour I added to the Zero Aluminium.

Painting

After painting the entire kit in Aluminium, I then went over the Zero in gloss clear, followed up with the green and grey for the fuselage, and the black for the cowling.  Once the paint was nearly dry I went to work on the kit with the masking tape  ripping the paint off, for that chipped effect.  An other coat of gloss clear was airbrushed over the entire kit for the decals.

 

Finishing Touches

After applying the decals I went over the kit yet again with the gloss clear to seal in the decals and ready for the pastel chalk. Picture 6 shows the mess of the pastel chalk before its wiped off.  I have found that with the last couple of kits that the longer I leave the pastel chalk on the more it sets into the panel lines. I have been leaving the pastel chalk on for a couple of days before wiping it off. Once I'm happy with the outcome of the pastel chalk and the highlighted panel lines I then go over the entire kit with matt gloss to seal in the pastel chalk.  With the matt gloss now dry, the kit is ready to be finished cockpit window, cowling, propeller, landing gears etc Zero finished. This kit is made up to represent Tsukuba Naval Air Group Oct. 1944. 

Thanks

  • To Craig at Areowoks for getting me in the Eduard seat belts. Craig can be contacted via E-mail at aeroworks@iprimus.com.au for a product listing.

  • To Steve Bamford for placing yet another article on ARC.

Alan 

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Photos and text © by Alan Williamson