Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero

by Christian Anderson

Hasegawa's 1/48 scale A6M2 Zero is available online from Squadron

This is Hasegawa’s Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Type 52, built (almost) straight from the box; I added Eduard seatbelts. It was a fun and simple build.

The cockpit is very nicely detailed; a resin set wouldn’t add enough to justify the cost. I was very impressed with Hasegawa’s instrument panel and the decals for the gauges. Gunze Aqueous Interior Green was shot for the overall inside color, and Testors enamels were used to pick out details. A wash of Winsor and Newton Oil colour, Raw Umber, was used to add depth.

Construction was very easy, with only a bit of seam filling and few vices. The only noteworthy problem was the dreaded wing root gap. I solved this with a bit of scrap styrene and some sanding. I also tried a bit of Gunze Mr. Surfacer on a few spots, and was very pleased. It has since earned a permanent place in my tool box.

The kit was painted with Gunze Aqueous and Testor's Acryls, using my Iwata SBS side-feed airbrush. The underside was shot in Gunze Aqueous IJN Gray. To achieve the mottled appearance of new paint over old on the upper surfaces, Testors Acryl Panzer Schwarzgrau RAL 7021 was shot as a base. The darker green was Gunze Aqueous IJN Green shot freehand to give a soft edge. The gear bays and the flaps received a coat of Gunze Aqueous Metallic Green Blue.

Decals are from Aeromaster’s “Zero! Pt.2”, sheet # 48-159. The markings I chose are for an aircraft from 261 NAG, Saipan, February 1944; Nakajima built (which explains why you don’t see a shoulder strap on the seat!). After drying overnight, a coat of Future was shot and an oil wash was used to bring out the panel lines. Finally, I shot a coat of Testors Acryl flat clear and did minor detail painting.

The canopy was dipped in future and allowed to dry overnight. I used Eduards Express Mask, but was not terribly pleased with their performance; they had a tendency to lift off of the curved canopy sections. I finally got them to (mostly) stay down long enough to shoot Testors Panzer Green over black. I doubt I’ll be using or recommending them again soon.

The kit took 2nd in my club quarterly contest the following day.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

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Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2003 by Christian Anderson
Page Created 31 October, 2003
Last Updated 17 March, 2004

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