Mitsubishi A6M2b by CDW - Tamiya - 1:72 scale - Finished

[popeye the sailor]

we've already seen snow here........just a little though    but it means that it's right around the corner!  a lot of the model company names that I'm used to are gone........I've had to adapt too  

[CDW]

Just now, popeye the sailor said:

we've already seen snow here........just a little though    but it means that it's right around the corner!  a lot of the model company names that I'm used to are gone........I've had to adapt too  

My daughter said she saw snow along the roadside when they drove from the Boston airport back home to Manchester on Monday morning.

[lmagna]

We had about 20" of rain in November, (A record) and today it almost reached 60 degrees F! I think we are trying for spring already.

[Egilman]

4 hours ago, lmagna said:

We had about 20" of rain in November, (A record) and today it almost reached 60 degrees F! I think we are trying for spring already.

In October we had two different rhodies bloom, yeah October!  They usually bloom April -June, been the strangest darn weather I've seen in a long time...

[CDW]

[CDW]

[CDW]

[CDW]

Next the decals, then panel details and weathering.

 

 

[CDW]

Livery is Carrier Akagi, lead ship of Carrier Division 1, Lt. Saburo Shindo, Air Superiority Force, 2nd Strike Unit

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Looking really nice Craig.

 

OC.

[Egilman]

10 hours ago, CDW said:

Livery is Carrier Akagi, lead ship of Carrier Division 1, Lt. Saburo Shindo, Air Superiority Force, 2nd Strike Unit

And here he is is in the moment... Taking off the Akagi early morning, Dec 7th 1941.... He was the leader of the second wave Fighter Section...

Edited May 14, 2022 by Egilman

[ccoyle]

Leave it to Tamiya to pack such a high level of detail into a 1/72 scale kit. You are doing it justice!

[CDW]

38 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

Leave it to Tamiya to pack such a high level of detail into a 1/72 scale kit. You are doing it justice!

Thanks Chris. 1:72 scale has come a long way in the past few years. Much more practical for shelf space. Even 1:144 scale is awesome now. Have a few large modern bombers to do in 1:144 scale, soon.

[Javlin]

Craig I have been seeing more of that technique showing up on YT builds.I like the technique over just doing pre-shading of panel lines breaks up the color ever  so slightly.I like the effect you accomplished in 1/72 it would seem as one moves of in scale more you can play.

[CDW]

On the right, an application of a medium gray oil wash was applied to accent the panel lines. This will be done on both the lower and upper surfaces of the aircraft, followed by individual panel highlights before a mat varnish over everything.

 

[CDW]

Here’s the finished panel line accent on the lower side. The idea here is to keep it subtle. Not too much, less is more. Will work the upper side then the panels after it dries. Oil takes a little longer to dry.

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

That looks perfect  Craig  - just the right amount.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Here are the subtle panel accents done with white oil paint, applied highly diluted with white spirits. It tends to set off the panel lines a bit I think.

 

 

[CDW]

Topside is done. Fuel tank sticks out like a sore thumb as it hasn’t yet received a treatment similar to the rest of the model.

 

 

[Javlin]

I am liking it Craig esp. that black on the cowling looks just a touch of grey?

[CDW]

Just now, Javlin said:

I am liking it Craig esp. that black on the cowling looks just a touch of grey?

Vallejo black-gray

[CDW]

Closer to finish now, just some few more details to add and will be done.

 

 

[Egilman]

31 minutes ago, CDW said:

Closer to finish now, just some few more details to add and will be done.

You know, George Welch's aircraft, (P-40B #160) would be a nice company keeper with this one.... They were both in the same air at the same time on the same day....

[ccoyle]

19 minutes ago, Egilman said:

You know, George Welch's aircraft, (P-40B #160) would be a nice company keeper with this one.... They were both in the same air at the same time on the same day....

 

Close . . . but not real close, as far as I can ascertain. Welch was in action over MCAS Ewa, while the aircraft depicted by the Tamiya kit is that of Lt. Fusata Iida of Soryu, whose aircraft was badly damaged while attacking NAS Kaneohe Bay (Iida died later while attempting to crash his crippled plane into a hangar).

[Egilman]

27 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

 

Close . . . but not real close, as far as I can ascertain. Welch was in action over MCAS Ewa, while the aircraft depicted by the Tamiya kit is that of Lt. Fusata Iida of Soryu, whose aircraft was badly damaged while attacking NAS Kaneohe Bay (Iida died later while attempting to crash his crippled plane into a hangar).

Very true, I didn't claim they faced each other... But they were both in action in the same airspace and would be a good representation of the two sides... That's all I was thinking...

[CDW]

I’ll look for a decent kit of the P-40B. The only one that comes to mind is the Academy kit but there is maybe a Hasegawa kit

[Javlin]

Craig a fella I know from Aussie who I would say is an expert on the PTO and Japanese a/c and docked me on a GB for to light of a shade of grey(correct) and not enough sheen(correct).I think you have both Sir,Nice Work!

[CDW]

46 minutes ago, Javlin said:

Craig a fella I know from Aussie who I would say is an expert on the PTO and Japanese a/c and docked me on a GB for to light of a shade of grey(correct) and not enough sheen(correct).I think you have both Sir,Nice Work!

Thanks for the comment. If I got the colors right, it was by accident because a PTO, Japanese aircraft, and color expert I am not. Not even close. I just build and paint for the sheer pleasure of doing it. Like a blind squirrel, I may find an acorn every now and then.

2 hours ago, ccoyle said:

...the aircraft depicted by the Tamiya kit is that of Lt. Fusata Iida of Soryu, whose aircraft was badly damaged while attacking NAS Kaneohe Bay (Iida died later while attempting to crash his crippled plane into a hangar).

 

I never realized the Japanese were doing the kamikaze thing that early in the war.

[Javlin]

13 hours ago, CDW said:

I just build and paint for the sheer pleasure of doing it. Like a blind squirrel, I may find an acorn every now and then

Me the same just an assembler.

[CDW]

Final photos - done