1/48 Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M2

Gallery Article by David Mielke - "VMFA314Knights" on July 28 2016

 

      

This is the ages old 1/48th scale Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero Fighter kit that I had sitting in the stash for quite some time, waiting on information about the probable colour of the early Zeros. After doing some research, and finding an article by James Lansdale on the topic, I decided to jump in a build a few of my Japanese Navy aircraft to compliment the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy WWII Pacific aircraft I have on display.

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I selected for this subject Yoshiro Hashiguchi's A6M2 that he flew while stationed in the Dutch East Indies in 1942. 

Wanting to keep it a low-stress build, this one was built straight out of the box, including the decals. The only add-in was the seat belts made of painted masking tape. Choosing a colour close to FS16350 (lightened) for the air-frame I added some subtle shading and weathering (which doesn't show well in the photos). This one was completed pretty quick (along with Pearl version, a "Rufe" and an A6M3) as I wanted to get them on the shelf next to their adversaries. Considering the age of the kit and how little it cost me, I am fairly happy with the result. 

Keep on Building,

David Mielke

Photos and text © by David Mielke