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BUILD LOG - Tamiya's 1/32nd A6M5

S

Scrodes

Member
Despite the influx of great models in my new preferred scale (I have the Kittyhawk P-39 and the Tamiya 32nd scale F4U sitting in the front room) I have decided it's time to finally cut some plastic on one of my three Tamiya 32nd scale Zeros. I want to experience the start of this 32nd scale superkit revolution.

This kit will be built OOB with the possible exception of the markings and possibly a set of Mater Barrels.


BRg9fn8.jpg


Off I go! [:::]


The Zero is the 109's modelling twin - it's a heatsink for rivet counters. The forum that no-longer exists proves this point. Good references are a must. Tamiya themselves included some equipment that is out of place.

I can't forget these two beauties - they are the pride of my library. There is nothing I love more than WWII Japanese aviation.

QowrZxf.jpg
 
Click subscribe guys!

Sooooo, I just ordered an HGW harness for the kit...


I can't for the life of me understand why Tamiya - the cutting edge of model making - provides a set of canopy masks that you have to cut out yourself. Why can't they laser cut them just like the ones I'm going to buy anyway. The brand new F4U is the same way.
 
Trogdor said:
I'm hungry for pictures :popcorn
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Yeah yeah, I know. Its been one of those weeks. I've cut parts off for the first colour, not much to show yet.


I actually have the weekend off, so i might get some stuff done.

I've been looking forward to building this - built the P-51 as soon as I had it; best building model ever. Even crammed full of Barracudacast.

Dry fitting and some gluing tells me this is going to be just as nice.


Thanks for you enthusiasm guys - it keeps these blogs alive, which is the lifeblood of these online forums.


Mal - yes, I will be using masks for this. I try to avoid decals as much as possible.

Stay tuned, it wont be fast, but she'll be pretty.
 
It took more time to prep than I expected - but there are a lot of parts to sort and a solid plan needed to be figured out.

If this thread gets enough subscribers, then there might be a surprise coming for everyone!




Started in my usual fashion - this is one of my favorite steps because the detail really starts to show.

I paint all of the interior pieces black - in this case the Vallejo black primer.

Then, I spray in the primary interior colour from the direction of the light source (cockpit opening in this instance). This makes for a natural shadow. You can already see a lot of detail, which would've been very monotone had I not used this method. This also serves to hide some of the edges that should be a little thinner (edge of consoles etc).



The fuselage

qvKnrg4.jpg

You want to mottle on the colour - I don't want the colour to have a paint-by-numbers uniform appearance. This adds depth.

Cockpit floor

nYsKNtC.jpg

You can see all of the detail already. The technique and result is similar to pre/post shading the exterior. None of these details has been drybrushed or washed yet.

2pn5DcO.jpg

As you can see - the paint was sprayed mostly downwards, essentially highlighting the areas which would receive the most light. Light passes were made on a 45* angle to make the fading a little more subtle. Care was taken to keep the shadows.

The effect on this part (ammo feeds and chutes) is much more impressive in person. The green was sprayed mostly on a downward angle, giving the bottom of the projecting area a nice pronounced shadow.

3Jpozzk.jpg


e9k8VoJ.jpg


This is the forward bulkhead of the cockpit.

ONuuF2P.jpg

The central area will be visible behind the rudder pedals, but in the event you can see more than I expected, the outer edges fade to black to hide the join to the fuselage - blending it in a bit.

Left side console
u3spnhH.jpg


It's hard to make out (despite being 5 times larger than the actual piece) but the shadows you see on the face are from the painting method - this photo was taken with flash, so the shadowed areas are actually illuminated. The edges of this console remain black - so the part maintains a scale thickness without thinning the piece.




Up next - some detail painting, and then I show you how I do my aotake finish.
 
Very cool technique. Consider it stolen..ok borrowed. I'll try that on my next one. :popcorn

Taking notes...
 
Very Interesting! I usually just go ahead and carve things to the thickness I want them. Good idea on the black base coat though. (y)

Much food for thought :hmmm

What color blue is that on the inside?
 
Looking good, Matt. If I ever find the 1:32 A6M2 at a reasonable price I'll pounce on it. In the meantime I'll 'share' yours !!

Ian.
 
moon puppy said:
Very cool technique. Consider it stolen..ok borrowed. I'll try that on my next one.
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That's exactly why I write build logs. If it weren't for the work of others, how would we ever learn and enhance the skills we use? If it weren't for modelers like Chuckw, I would still be relying on a monochrome basecote and a layer of Tamiya smoke.


The latter is something I wish more people would try - it acts as a wash AND gloss cotes all of your interior/engine pieces, which is helpful in these large scales where interior decals are becoming more and more prevalent.


It's so nice building something that fits together nicely after the last few builds I've done. :captain
 
ij001 said:
Looking good, Matt. If I ever find the 1:32 A6M2 at a reasonable price I'll pounce on it. In the meantime I'll 'share' yours !!

Ian.
Click to expand...

To be fair Ian, considering the contents of this kit - even full MSRP is a reasonable price. But what do I know - I have three of them lol.
 
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