A6M2b Zero - Attack on Pearl Harbor - 1/32 Tamiya

[Alex]

8 hours ago, AlbertD said:

Alex, I know absolutely nothing about Japanese aircraft but really want to build a Tamiya Zero (thanks mostly to your build). Can you recommend one over the other? I will probably just build one and am leaning to the a6m5 mod 52 only because I want to do a heavily chipped green paint job. 

Hi Albert.  I believe that the two kits are almost identical with respect to the plastic.  My kit contains a number of parts that would go on an A6M5.  One difference would be the engine, as the kit for the later plane should contain a different spruce for the Sakai 21.  Either way, the kit should be excellent.  I would agree that if you want to build a heavily worn green Zero, the A6M5 provides plenty of authentic scenarios.  I can also recommend Eduard’s PE enhancements if you really want to go over the top on it.  Glad this build has been an inspiration to build a Japanese subject!

[Alex]

So I did my wet transfer experiment, and learned some things.

 

1. For anyone who is thinking about using these:  They come as a stack of four layers.  The bottom layer is the familiar thick blue decal backing paper that you are used to.  The next layer up is the decal ink itself that you will transfer.  The layer above that is a very thin clear film.  The top layer is a much thicker translucent protective paper.  It is very easy to remove the top 2 layers when you are trying to remove only the topmost protective paper!  How do I know this?  I think you can guess.  Fortunately, it is not too hard to get the clear carrier film layer to lay back down smoothly on top of the ink layer and decal paper.

2. Having navigated that crisis, I tested out 4 conditions.  2 substrates: smooth flat Gunze lacquer wet-sanded to 3000 grit and that surface covered with Gunze clear gloss lacquer.  By 2 solutions: Mr Mark Setter and Micro Sol.  I left the transfers in place overnight before removing the clear film.

3. The results:

• All 4 conditions resulted in the decal ink transferring solidly to the test surface.  Once on it resisted being rubbed off very strongly.
• The gloss surface made it easier to remove the clear transfer film, but it was not too hard to do without the gloss.  This appears to be the only benefit of the gloss surface.
• The Mr Mark Setter (which is a milky colored liquid) left much more visible residue on the test surface relative to the Micro Sol (which is a clear liquid).  This residue was hard to clean off, and curiously harder to remove from the gloss surface than the matte.

So my final conclusion/process.

• I am going to soak the transfers in water for several minutes before trying to place them, not the 20 seconds that HGW recommends.  It is critical that they be fully soaked off of the decal paper before you try to lift them with the clear transfer film.
• I am not going to bother with a gloss coat.  I will re-check the smoothness of areas where transfers will land, and may go ahead and wet-sand with 4000 and 6000 grit in a targeted way to make those spots ultra-smooth beforehand.
• I am going to use Micro Sol
• I am going to remember to fold a corner of each plastic film piece over (someone, maybe Brett, recommended that) when placing the transfer, as this made it easy to tweeze the thing back up the next morning.
• I am going to do this very slowly and carefully, in several rounds, because it is way more delicate than using regular decals (but the result looks awesome, so it is worth it).

 

The last decision I have to make is whether I'm going to try and cut masks to paint the large tail code numbers on the vertical stabilizer, or use the transfers for them.  I'm leaning towards the transfers because I think the result will look every bit as good as paint (unlike a traditional decal), but I may wait until I have some experience with smaller transfers before deciding on using these large ones (the biggest of the set).

[Brett M]

Thanks for sharing your experience and testing. More learning for all of us! The corner folding bit was probably John (Thunnus) since I did the same as he 

[Alex]

This is going well so far.  I applied a few of these last night and then removed the transfer film this morning.  Especially on the cowl, it makes a huge difference.  There's just no way you could get this painted-on look over semi-matte black with a traditional decal:

 

 

The one thing I'm not happy with is the red color that the HGW transfers use.  It's too primary and luminous for my taste (unlike the red of the Tamiya decal sheet, which matches my home-mixed "hinomaru red" very closely).  For the small markings like the fuel fillers and wing no-step outlines that's probably fine, but for the tail codes I think the HGW and my hinomaru color will just clash too much.  So, I could risk using the Tamiya decals for the tail codes, or I can finally get off my ass and set up the cameo cutter I ordered and figure out how to make that precise paint mask.  I think I'm going to try to achieve the activation energy to do the latter on Sunday.  It's not easy to get excited about fooling with a computer program on the weekend after spending all of the work week staring at a computer screen, but I know I'll be happy with having the thing up and running once it is.

[Kagemusha]

That looks terrific. 

[Brett M]

Definitely love the look of the wet transfers and how well they blend.

 

Good luck with the cutter!

[Miloslav1956]

8 hours ago, Alex said:

This is going well so far.  I applied a few of these last night and then removed the transfer film this morning.  Especially on the cowl, it makes a huge difference.  There's just no way you could get this painted-on look over semi-matte black with a traditional decal:

 

 

The one thing I'm not happy with is the red color that the HGW transfers use.  It's too primary and luminous for my taste (unlike the red of the Tamiya decal sheet, which matches my home-mixed "hinomaru red" very closely).  For the small markings like the fuel fillers and wing no-step outlines that's probably fine, but for the tail codes I think the HGW and my hinomaru color will just clash too much.  So, I could risk using the Tamiya decals for the tail codes, or I can finally get off my ass and set up the cameo cutter I ordered and figure out how to make that precise paint mask.  I think I'm going to try to achieve the activation energy to do the latter on Sunday.  It's not easy to get excited about fooling with a computer program on the weekend after spending all of the work week staring at a computer screen, but I know I'll be happy with having the thing up and running once it is.

 

HGW red is good, the color is distorted by the transfer foil. Here is a photo for comparison with MRP Hinomaru Red

 

[Alex]

Yes, I agree.  It matches the MRP color quite well.  But like Tamiya, my hinomaru color mix is a shade deeper and a bit less pure primary red (it’s basically Gunze primary red with a bit each of extra dark sea gray and dark earth added).  So to my eye it clashes with the transfers too much to use them for the tail numbers.  If I paint the tail numbers, then they match my painted hinomaru perfectly.

[AlbertD]

Those wet transfer's sure look nice and worth the extra effort.

[A6M]

Alex, once again I have to compliment you on your modeling work – well done. I plan to order up a set of the HGW transfers to give them a try (or at least add them to my stash of Zero after-market products). Thank you for your tips on how to best apply them.

 

I went on the HGW site and looked at their instruction sheet images and found a number of points to consider:

 

Decals 3 and 4 – use the black “Step Here” on olive-gray Zeros. The red version is for factory- applied dark-green camoed planes.

 

Decals 5, 6, 7 – for a PH Zero use Decal 5 if the plane has the balance arm (P1 – painted gloss black) attached to the underside of each of the ailerons. If no balance arm is to be used then apply the Mitsubishi version (either Decal 6 or 7, I cannot make out the details of the Japanese characters from the HGW website image) but you can reference the drawings as detailed below.

 

 

Decal 13 – the Decal 13s are correctly shown on the sides of the Mitsubishi Zero fuselage (4 on each side) although the position just to the front of the horizontal stabilizer on the rear right side should be the same as shown for the left side (just to the rear of the fuselage ID stencil). The two Decal 13s shown on the leading edge of the wing are correct, but there should be an additional such marking on the leading edge of each wing at Rib 11. Although I have not been able to confirm it from photos, at least one source shows similar markings on the underside of the front and rear wing spars at Rib 11.

 

 

The same jig alignment markings, albeit in black, are found on the underside of both spars at Rib 24. Also note the small Decal 10 pattern line on the front of the access panel.

 

 

Decals 14 and 15 – Decals 14 are for Mitsubishi Zeros, 15 for Nakajima. The instruction sheet should show the option of Decal 15 on the right rudder. Note that the locations shown for Decals 14 or 15 are all more accurately illustrated in the Tamiya decal instruction sheet.

 

Decals 16 and 17 – use the red version on the aluminum painted spinner.

 

Decals 18, 19, and 20 – 18 is Mitsubishi, 19 is for Nakajima in the same location as 18; 20 is not applicable (there were no markings in the location show for 19 and 20 on the instruction sheet). 

 

 

Decals 31, 32, and 33 – 31 and 33 are Nakajima, 32 is Mitsubishi.

 

Neither the HGW or the Tamiya kit decals include the yellow “Jack Here” marking between the tail hook well and the tail wheel assembly.

 

 

Ryan

[A6M]

This is in reply to AlbertD’s interest in building heavily weathered Zero. One option is, instead of an A6M5, to do a late war A6M2. It would have the same dark-green upper-surface camo as on the A6M5, but has the attraction that this scheme is much less modeled on the M2. There are some differences in the cockpit compared to the early M2, but fortunately the Tamiya M2 kit includes several components from the M5 kit that can be used to recreate the late M2 differences.

 

Ryan

 

[Alex]

Ryan,

 

thanks for the detailed run down on the HGW transfers and choices between versions.  The HGW instructions are far from clear on this, although I was able to get some better clarity from the Tamiya kit instructions and your comments on Sean’s earlier build.  The HGW kit does not include extra jig alignment marks (13s), unfortunately, so I don’t have extras to place a third on the wing leading edge.  There also are not extra of the red alignment marks for the filler caps (you show one on the cap near the wingtip).  But there are some spare red lines that I can cut from to do those.

[A6M]

Alex, how do the HGW and the Tamiya "crosshair" jig-alignment decals compare in size and colour? Would it be noticeable if they are applied on the same model but not right next to each other?

 

Ryan

[Alex]

6 hours ago, A6M said:

Alex, how do the HGW and the Tamiya "crosshair" jig-alignment decals compare in size and colour? Would it be noticeable if they are applied on the same model but not right next to each other?

 

Ryan

Good point - they are a bit different, but they are so small that unless you were literally using a magnifier you couldn't tell.  I will just use a couple of the Tamiya decals to do that final two on the leading edges as you indicated.

[Alex]

Progress on the home-made mask front.  It's straightforward to have the Silhouette software trace a solid shape on an image.  So I took a photo of the Tamiya decal sheet.

 

 

And used the Cameo to cut it out in Oramask 813 vinyl film.  I got some 810 as well, as I've seen people discussing using both types.  The machine has a pre-set cutting protocol for an Oracal 651 stencil vinyl, and I just used that since the parameters in it are identical to what some folks had posted about using for Oramask.  This is the vinyl post-cut (I made four replicates to play with).

 

 

I placed a piece of regular artist's frisket paper on the front of it, and buffed it down well.

 

 

And then peeled the backing of the Oramask off of the back.

 

 

And stuck this down onto a piece of styrene card.

 

 

 

Peeled the frisket off and picked out the letters.

 

 

Sprayed some paint.

 

 

And peeled the mask

 

 

Not bad, although I nicked the "B" a bit when peeling the mask off.  So proof-of-concept for sure.  I need to do another test on a painted surface to make sure the Oramask isn't so sticky that it might pull the base paint off.  If it is I'll try to de-tack a bit before placing the masks.  But it looks like this will work to let me paint the tail codes with pretty decent precision.  For scale, those numbers are 10.2 mm tall.