Tamiya 1/32 Nakajima A6M2 finished 6-13-17

[MustangManiac]

Thanks Mirek.

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

 

Brady

[Out2gtcha]

Hi Brian,

 

The paint I'm using is just about none of the Tamiya colors except for the control surfaces which was XF-76 because I'm doing a Nakajima built Zero. The main color I used is the Colourcoats brand Nakajima Amber Grey (Ameiro) ACJ17 since this is a Nakajima built bird they had different colors. This brand of paints I chose to use because they are all made from artifacts of real warbirds and by Japanese historians, like Jim Lansdale and Ryan Toews. I learned of it on the forums of j-aircraft.com. All those Zeros which come in the Tamiya box I believe are Mitsubishi birds and really shouldn't have Aotake wheel bays at all. I do know there were no Nakajima built Zeros at Pearl Harbor because they hadn't begun their production of the Zero yet when the Japanese attacked.

 

Here's a review of the paints on modeling madness if you're interested:

 

http://modelingmadness.com/scott/accessories/wejapanw2.htm

 

Cheers,

Brady

I wasn't really meaning the paint, but more the tanish color of the plastic on the rear fuse and elevators

[LSP_Kevin]

I wasn't really meaning the paint, but more the tanish color of the plastic on the rear fuse and elevators

 

I think what Brady is saying is that this colour is not the plastic, but WEM's Nakajima Amber Grey (Ameiro) ACJ17. I think it looks too caramel, and I swear I read somewhere that the amber colour had been usurped by the pistachio green variation as the leading contender for the actual colour used. I could, of course, be completely confused about that.

 

Kev

[MustangManiac]

Hi guys,

Yea what I meant Brian is the tail is painted with the WEM color and the front portion of the fuselage and the wings are not painted yet. The whole plane will later get some green field camouflage applied over the top so it won't all be as much of the amber grey color. I got this profile from Ryan Toews that he did research for the restoration of a real Nakajima bird and used it for the basis of color selection:

 

 

This is how we determined my Zero is definitely a Nakajima built bird and the tail of the restored Zero

 

 

I hope that gives you a better perspective of what I had pictured as what they started with before the field applied camo green was added.

 

Cheers,

Brady

[MustangManiac]

I do have a question about the kit itself though. Since I'm doing a Nakajima Zero which spinner parts do I want to use? I know there was a difference in spinners of the props between Nakajima and Mitsubishi Zeros.

 

Thanks in advance,

Brady

[Out2gtcha]

Ah!

[A6M]

Hello Brady,

 

I recently bumped into your thread and I am pleased to see how your project is coming along. Looking at your work is inspiring and it just might get me to actually start on one of my Zero kits.

 

You will want to use the longer spinner for the Nakajima A6M2. Early Nakajima Zeros used the same short spinner as was found on the Mitsubishi A6M2, but at about the same time Nakajima began to apply the white surround to the fuselage hinomaru they also switched to the larger spinner. Keep in mind that the spinner was not bare metal but was painted with aluminum paint over a red-brown primer. 

 

Keep up the nice work,

 

Ryan

[Vandy 1 VX 4]

   A6M    Ryan  Thanks for your post

[LSP_Kevin]

Hello Brady,

 

I recently bumped into your thread and I am pleased to see how your project is coming along. Looking at your work is inspiring and it just might get me to actually start on one of my Zero kits.

 

You will want to use the longer spinner for the Nakajima A6M2. Early Nakajima Zeros used the same short spinner as was found on the Mitsubishi A6M2, but at about the same time Nakajima began to apply the white surround to the fuselage hinomaru they also switched to the larger spinner. Keep in mind that the spinner was not bare metal but was painted with aluminum paint over a red-brown primer. 

 

Keep up the nice work,

 

Ryan

 

Welcome aboard, Ryan!

 

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Kev

[MustangManiac]

Thank you for the information Ryan. I've been working with Randy (sluggo) to get the stencils made for this bird to both our satisfaction. We got them done the other day and he has them posted for sale if anyone is interested in doing this bird for them self the link is: 

 

http://www.stencilpal.com/?product=sp-32045

 

One more question for you Ryan do you happen to know the part number in the Tamiya kit I want to use? If I remember correctly there's two or three spinners in the A6M2 kit, I may also be thinking of the leading face of the drop tank as one and I'm just not beside the kit at the moment to look.

 

Cheers,

Brady

[A6M]

Hello Brady,

 

There are three spinners in the A6M2 kit, but spinner E11 is a carry-over from the A6M5 sprues. The short A6M2 "Mitsubishi" spinner is Q21 and the longer A6M2 "Nakajima" spinner is Q22. Be sure to drill out the small shallow circles moulded into the spinner between each opening for the propeller blades. These are the outlets for the prop de-icing fluid system. 

 

Ryan

[MustangManiac]

Thank you for all that information Ryan. I definitely wouldn't have thought about drilling those holes out.

 

Cheers,

Brady

[A6M]

Hello Brady,

 

Glad to help. I am trying to post a picture of an A6M2 spinner but so far I have not figured out how to do so.

 

Ryan

[MustangManiac]

Hello everyone,

 

Did you all think I quit building?... Lol. Well I got some painting done this weekend and this bird is starting to look like a Zero. Randy has the stencils finished and on their way to me for the tail markings. I pretty much have the overall color paint scheme done as if it were new from the Nakajima factory before it got the green applied in the field later on. This is what she looks like now:

 

 

 

 

 

That's what she looks like now that I've applied the overall coat of Nakajima Amber Grey to the wings and fuselage. I still have a bit to go but it's looking more like a Zero now.

 

Cheers,

Brady

[A6M]

Hello Brady,

 

It's really looking good.

 

So far I have been unable get an image from my Photobucket account to show up here. However, there are several other things I can draw to your attention. The metal of the trim tabs on the ailerons, horizontal stabs, and rudder all should be painted the same shade as the rest of the plane. Only the fabric itself would be light gray.  

 

Be sure to install the tail hook. Although it is often claimed the tail hook was deleted on land-based Zeros I do not agree with this conclusion. Besides, the Zero you are doing was only temporarily land-based. The tail hook Nakajima used had attachment end and the hook itself painted gloss black. The shaft of the tail hook was painted the same olive-gray as the rest of the plane as is the tail hook well.

 

Ryan