discussion 1/72 Hasegawa Mitsubishi Zero Fighter A6M2

[Lee Drennen]

I’ve been wanting to build some Japanese Navy fighters this will be a series of different Aircraft of the Japanese Navy and sorts first one up is a Mitsubishi zero fighter A6M2 Aircraft. All planes in this series will be Hasegawa. The planes have some age with rivet detail and raise panel lines but I don’t really care I think they’re nice Aircraft and I haven’t built one of these since 1989 hope you stick around and follow this series.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Got a little built tonight

 

[Lee Drennen]

I’ve got everything painted and ready for Assembly

 

[AlanG]

Are you going to try the hairspray weathering Lee? I know that paint on these aircraft used to wear away very quickly

 

[Lee Drennen]

Are you going to try the hairspray weathering Lee? I know that paint on these aircraft used to wear away very quickly

Probably not this one Alan I will be building a Green one I was thinking of doing I will be going out of my comfort zone but I think I’m going to try it anyway

 

[Guest]

I know that paint on these aircraft used to wear away very quickly

Not on most IJN aircraft, AFAIK, especially not early in the war: carrier-based aircraft were well-painted to protect against corrosion. IJA aircraft, on the other hand, left the factory mostly unpainted and were camouflaged in the field, often by people with no painting experience, inadequate tools, and no inclination to clean them beforehand

 

[Lee Drennen]

Jakko
That would be me no painting experience on camouflaging Aircraft

 

[Lee Drennen]

Everything is put together and ready for decals.

 

[flyjoe180]

That's looking great Lee

 

[Guest]

That would be me no painting experience on camouflaging Aircraft

You seem to paint large areas of colour quite well, maybe you should try your hand at a straightforward camouflage pattern Something like US Navy three-tone camouflage is easy enough, while RAF green-and-brown or green-and-grey isn’t very difficult either. Both are simple to paint or spray freehand (though for RAF camouflage, the overspray on a 1/72 scale model is likely to be a bit too much without masking, I think).

 

[Lee Drennen]

You seem to paint large areas of colour quite well, maybe you should try your hand at a straightforward camouflage pattern :smiling3: Something like US Navy three-tone camouflage is easy enough, while RAF green-and-brown or green-and-grey isn’t very difficult either. Both are simple to paint or spray freehand (though for RAF camouflage, the overspray on a 1/72 scale model is likely to be a bit too much without masking, I think).

Jakko

I’ve done one so far free handed it was this Corsair. I’m just worried about the break up pattern but I’m going to try it.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Thanks for the complement Joe. Going to try the decals next there old but I put a sealer on them last night we will see how they do

 

[Guest]

Looking good :smiling3:.

 

[Jim R]

Hi lee
Well this came together quickly. Looks as if the fit was ok for an old kit. You're right to build for fun and not worry about the raised panel lines. You could spend more time on them, sanding and rescribing, than on the rest of the build :rolling: Some people are into that and good liuck to them. Looking forward to the decals - always make plane builds come to life.
Jim

 

[Lee Drennen]

Thanks Jim for the encouraging words. If I wanted a more accurate and detailed one I’ve got one in my stash but these have sitting in my stash for years. I’m not getting any younger so why not have some fun bringing these old kits to life.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Ok I can’t believe I saved these decals with some clear coat I gave them last night I tested a couple before sealing and the just disintegrated due to there age and was hard to slide off the paper. Usually when you seal a decal that won’t come off the paper it glues it for good. I let them soak for a long while but I pulled it off

 

[Guest]

I’ve done one so far free handed it was this Corsair.

See, you can do camouflage

I’m just worried about the break up pattern but I’m going to try it.

Do you mean worried that the camouflage won’t line up if you paint the parts before glueing them together, like you seem to do with most of your aircraft models? In that case I’d say paint the base colour before glueing, but add the camouflage after.

Or do you mean getting the shape of the pattern right? In the case, you’re best off first drawing it onto the model with a pencil, after painting the base colour. This allows you to correct it easily before you reach for the paint. You can work out where the lines go by comparing the panel lines on the model to those on the drawings.

 

[Lee Drennen]

Thanks a lot Jakko! I never thought to draw them and use the panel lines as a guide. I have another Thunderbolt I need to that to but was trying to figure out how to do the pattern. I’m talking about little camo spots on it like leopard spots.ive got a idea I’ve been practicing I think might work. Thanks again for your help

 

[Allen Dewire]

Hey Lee,

Sorry I'm a little late in on this. A great job on saving the decals and getting them in place Sir. The older kits are really great because they were made back in simpler times, but still well detailed. They were cheap and most of the time you got a decent fit when putting them together. Well done Sir!!!

 

[Lee Drennen]

Thank you Alan. This one went together pretty good I can’t complain. Stay tuned I plain on building several of these old Hasegawa Japanese Aircrafts.


This one is finished