1/72 Airfix Zero A6M2b Type 21(Finished)

[danb.]

Hello fellow MSC'ers another wingy build for me as i have lost my mojo with armour projects at the moment a few weeks ago i picked up Jans issue of Model Airplane International and there was a review and build log of Airfix's latest new tooled Zero the review got a 10/10 for value for money and how detailed the kit was for the money so as im new to the wingy scene this was a must for me to get some practice in .

Part 1. Cockpit and fuselage

Heres the box art



Then i made a start on the office this fell together with no problems i made a few modifications to the seat and made some belts from printer paper and super glue once this was finished it was primed and painted using the following products:

Halfords plastic primer
Tamiya XF-71 Cockpit green IJN
Vallejo black
GW Bleached bone
GW Scorched brown
GW Boltgun metal
AK Slime and grime green enamel wash
kit decals





Then the fuselage was painted using the same colours.



Once the paint had dried it was time to assemble the fuselage and wings this also fell together fine with a small amount of filling needed on the spine and underbelly superglue was used for this the engine and cowling was then fitted i was intending to paint the engine and cowling seperate but where it joins to the fuselage i was scared the glueing stage might ruin the paint so it will have to be done fitted .









Part 2 next priming and painting

Dan B

[fightnjoe]

she looks good from here. should look very good painted.



joe

[danb.]

Thanks Joe should have part 2 posted up by tonight

Dan B

[Mence]

Judging by the way you posted this in acquisitions I didn't think it would take you long to get cracking and you've nearly finished it already!

Bet it's a pleasure compared to the other wingy you're doin?

[danb.]

You aint wrong there Prof the jug is nearly in the bin im sliding it along the bench in the direction of the bin hoping it might fall in there!!!! LOL its an absolute nightmare loosing interest with it rapidly on the other hand this zero is really enjoyable

Dan B

[Deleted]

looks very nice indeed

[danb.]

Thanks Smudge laying down some Alclad at the moment hoping to get another update done tonight

Dan B

[danb.]

As promised Part 2....

With the primer sanded it was time to lay down a metallic basecoat for this i used Alclad's Duraluminium this was applied through the AB in 3 light coats with 15 mins drying time between coats a hairdryer was used to aid with the curing process.

Basecoat......



Then i used to lighter shades to highlight certain panels.

1st highlight Straight aluminium 2nd Highlight White aluminium then sealed with Vallejo matt varnish ready for part 3..











Dan B

[`Boots`]

Looks tip top Dan.... , real good to see ya having a go at the wingies buddy..............i find them a challenge i have too say..............keep up the terrific work fella

[Mence]

That's looks really good Dan, great finish.

[danb.]

Thanks chaps much appreciated

Dan B

[bullardino]

Stunning job, Dan. How did you mask the panels without marring the alclad finish?

[bbd468]

WOW Dan....you did not hesitae to open the box and get at it!!! Jeesh...that looks freakin' awesome in the alclad. So you'll be chippin' away at the paint?

Gary

[danb.]

Welcome Part 3.......

Whilst searching on the net i came across this Ref pic of a "Kate" which did looked a bit tired i liked the look of all the scratches and chips so this decided for me what my Zero shall look like



Underside....
To start things off the whole model got 2 coats of HS through the AB then 2 misted coats of highly thinned Tamiya XF-76 IJN Grey just enough was applied so the tones of the metallic undercoat could still be visible this was then left for 15 mins before the chipping could begin.





Topside...........
Once i washappy with the chipping i moved on to the upper fuselage 1st i cut a wiggly mask out of tamiya tape this mask will be where the grey meets the green camo as the box art suggests when this was in place i mixed up a highly diluted Tamiya XF-70 IJN Dark Green2 mix 2 light coats were applied certain panels were picked out to break up the tones then onto the chipping...







Wings.........
2 coats of HS was applied to the wings then a light coat of dark green again some panels were picked out to replicate weathering effects on the different panels once again this was chipped but only in the high use areas





The last bit to get done was the engine cowling Tamiya black and blue was mixed together then sprayed on followed by some light chipping.





Dan B

[`Boots`]

I love it Dan............great find on the pic as well, the chipping looks ace to me fella and a nice little SBS to accompany

[bullardino]

Wonderful technique showcase, Dan

[fightnjoe]

wow. now that is impressive.




joe

[Leon]

Dan that is some fine work there fella

[danb.]

Boots thanks buddy hope the sbs can be of some use to others

Luigi for masking i used Tamiya tape and sticky post it notes Alclad is very strong as long as the surface is clean and light coats are applied and be left overnight to harden there should be no problem thanks for your comments mate

Joe thanks mate glad you like it

Leon mucho gracias my freind

Dan B

[danb.]

Boots thanks buddy hope the sbs can be of some use to others

Luigi for masking i used Tamiya tape and sticky post it notes Alclad is very strong as long as the surface is clean and light coats are applied and be left overnight to harden there should be no problem thanks for your comments mate

Joe thanks mate glad you like it

Leon mucho gracias my freind

Dan B

[bullardino]

Thanks a lot, Dan

You're making me wish to take my F-100D shelf queen and finish it...

[venom1]

Hey Dan,

Looking superb so far mate! I bought this kit a few weeks back due to the excellent review it got, and on opening the box I wasn't disappointed! Obviously it doesn't have the detail of the Tamiya kit, but at 1/4 of the price, who cares!

That picture you are using is the same one that Jamie Haggo used for inspiration for his magnificent Kate, so you are in excellent company! If you haven't had a look yet, check out his blog at haggismodels.blogspot.co.uk/ it is well worth the read if you are doing less-than-cared-for airplanes. This guy is my new modelling hero!

Anyway, sorry for the minor thread hijack, love yer work, bring on the next bit!

Cheers,

Sam

[deafpanzer]

Excellent chipping job!!! I know little about WWII planes... always wondered why Japanese planes couldn't hold paint any better than others? Harsher weather or its their paint that doesn't bond well?

[bullardino]

Both paint quality and tropical weather in conjunction with sea salt.

[Mence]

Loving the effect Dan, she's looking really good. Keep it up buddy!

[danb.]

Many thanks chaps for all the comments and encouragement its much appreciated

Prof glad you like it bud

Deafpanzer Luigi has hit the nail on the head for ya buddy the pacific was a harsh place for paint;) i have probably over done this factor on mine but i love it

Venom: I did find that piccy on JH's blog and found some other nice abandoned pics of Jap aircraft i sent the link to CB hopefully he can put them up in the libary i am too a follower of his blog im going to use his oils tech on this one fingers crossed i dont ruin it :/

Dan B

[bbd468]

WOW Dan!!! Tha chipping is most impressive! Looks awesome buddy.

Gary

[danb.]

Cheers Gary

Dan B

[deafpanzer]

Thanks! Makes sense... because I love hairspray technique especially chipping now I am tempted to try that on a plane one day. LOL Keep it coming Dan!

[danb.]

Thanks for the comments chaps as always i really apreciate it

Dicky: Thanks for letting me off with the mojo issues!!!!LoL when i find a suitable scheme and scenario for the VK im hoping i should be back to normal :/
I did plan on using the kit decs thats why i left the markings off until now but due to the chipping i decided on painting them.

Part 4...... Filter and markings

Once i had made my mind up on the markings issue i got on and cut some stencils out of Tamiya tape and a circle cutter once these were applied to the kit instructions i sprayed two light coats of HS followed by tamiya white as a highlight for the red then GW Blood red once dry the chipping could begin

I used AK's Winter streaking grime as a filter highly thinned with white spirit and applied with a round brush it was thinned due to not wanting to lose the light grey on the underside or lose the highlights of the green on the topside and luckily this filter was dark enough for the panel lines









Next up is Part 5 Oils...........

Dan B