discussion 21st Century 1/32 A6M3 Zero model 22

[Vaughan]

Well this could be a bit of a mistake but here goes I'm starting another model. This is the kit I bought at Duxford last Sunday. It's an interesting kit that should be screwed together(I won't be) but some gluing is required.


The office is very well detailed with but the moulding is a little crude. I will try and clean up most of the flash but they should look ok. No sprues on this one in fact no part numbers in the instructions but the sub assemblies are bagged up so there shouldn't be any problems. The engine has both rows of pistons and includes the pushrods. Panel lines are a little deep on the wings and fuselage but no worse than some older models.. Will make a start in between juggling the Airacobra


and Dauntless.


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[stona]

It's not a bad kit at all. The hardest bit for me was filling the holes where the screws go. The little plastic caps supplied in the kit are about as much use as a nun in a brothel


Didn't use the undercarriage on mine, as I did want to use the excellent pilot figure:


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Cheers


Steve

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[Guest]

Screwed together. this is a first for me- I have never heard of this method.


Theuns

 

[yak face]

Nice start Vaughan , theyre a bit of a contradiction arent they these 21st century kits? on one hand theyre designed to be screwed and clipped together (presumably for younger modellers) but on the other hand the level of detail is very good . As steve and a few others have shown they can be made into excellent models with a bit of work , Ive done their Macchi mc 205 Veltro and really enjoyed it although filling the screw caps was a bugger and I found the plastic to be a bit strange too- make sure you use plenty of water when rubbing down and watch out when gluing , the plastic seems a bit reluctant to join together sometimes , cheers tony

 

[Guest]

This kit is a very nice kit, built mine a while back.


Scott

 

[monica]

nice start I do like the Japaneses planes,

 

[stona]

filling the screw caps was a bugger and I found the plastic to be a bit strange too

100% with you Tony. I filled the holes with Milliput (which doesn't shrink) and finished with a skim of some filler or another. The plastic is a bit odd, but Tamiya extra thin did work for most of the major joins.


Cheers


Steve

 

[Guest]

i have done four of these kits and loved them. i resorted to using superglue and talc to fill the screw holes. the stuka is very nice but the snake decal is a bit of a bugger

 

[stona]

the stuka is very nice but the snake decal is a bit of a bugger

The trick is not to apply it in one go but to cut it into three or four more manageable pieces which can then be married up.


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Cheers


Steve

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[papa 695]

It looks a nicely detailed kit Vaughan

 

[Vaughan]

Thanks everyone for the information regarding filling those screw hole, it sounds like it will be fun(not). Steve I forgot you built the Zero a few years back , you made a good job of it. I have made some progress with cleaning up the office parts and have primed and top coated them followed with some detail painting. The pilots seat seems a bit on the small size looks more like 1/48 scale, maybe that was the size, but it will do I'm not going to scratch build one. Engine and pushrods have been sprayed Aluminium and a wash added.


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[Guest]

Looking very nice, currently building a pre war ka-14 and I wonder if you know if the cockpit is the same green and what green that is?

 

[Vaughan]

Dougie, I think it should be a grey green but not 100% sure. I've gone with interior green but I think there's a lot of debate over colour depending when it was built and which manufacturer.

 

[stona]

That is a very nice start. You did get a lot for your money with the 21st Century kits.


Cheers


Steve

 

[Guest]

Dougie, I think it should be a grey green but not 100% sure. I've gone with interior green but I think there's a lot of debate over colour depending when it was built and which manufacturer.

Thanks mate... This one was a Mitsubishi form their own factory as a prototype. I'll keep that in mind when looking


Cheers

 

[Vaughan]

Small update the office is complete. Fuselage is yet to be buttoned up but all is looking good.


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[Guest]

Wow that's a lot more detail than I would have expected! I always thought 21st Century kits were ... well, toys really

 

[spanner570]

Like others I have built these kits - the Stuka and Me109. They were great, cheap kits, sadly no more, but if you see one on ebay, get it.


The pilot is second to none, probably one of the best around....even his head and arms turn!


Be warned, for some reason I found the figures impossible to fit in the cockpit after the fus. halves were fitted together. Hence my models are shown with crews either on the wing or sitting rather crudely on the cockpit rim!

 

[colin m]

That's looking nice.

 

[Guest]

fantastic job on the cockpit mate