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Tamiya A6M5

Juggernut

By Juggernut
in Turning Japanese

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Juggernut

Juggernut

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17 hours ago, Greif8 said:

Nice scratchbuilding and very knowledge information Tim!  The radio shelf looks great; did you use the kit parts as a template?

 

Ernest

 

Thanks Ernest, yes I did.  It's not perfect but it'll pass muster.  Since the RDF won't be installed, I needed the shelf to look as much like the original as possible since it's easily seen behind the pilot's seat and bulkhead.  I can't take credit for the information; it came from Ryan Toews and my seemingly endless queries regarding these early A6M5's.  I'm just relaying what I've been told and if I've got it wrong, it's my fault for not relaying or interpreting what I've been told, correctly.

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Juggernut

Juggernut

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Little bit more progress.  Got the cockpit "tricked out" for an early A6M5 with the type 96 radio from the A6M2 kit and a few detail changes (like the RDF control box platform that doesn't look like the one for the type 96 radio installation).  The Quinta Studios cockpit set is really nice but unfortunately the interior green color of the set doesn't match what it should be (Yes, I ordered the Mitsubishi set); there's a noticeable discrepancy...look at the lighter green oxygen panel dials on the lower instrument panel.  The boxes for which were also scratch built as they differed from the kit version of the A6M5 and should be like that of the A6M3 model 22 prior to approximately December 1943.  If i'm rehashing what my source information says, correctly).  Fixing the color mismatch amounted to carefully repainting the Quinta Studios parts.  The interior green color is Gunze Mr. Color Mitsubishi interior green and is a close match to what my source indicates is the correct interior color for a Mitsubishi built aircraft; Nakajima built aircraft would've used their version of the interior green spec (hence why we have the two, not-necessarily-correct interior color identifications).  The Quinta instruments look WAY better in place than do the Coke-bottle instrument lenses using the Tamiya kit parts.  If you ever use this method, just be sure to fill the instrument panel holes in the Tamiya part with plastic rod or super glue as there's no support behind the Quinta Studios panel and they will deform if you accidentally poke them.

 

For most A6M5's (if not all), the tail hook raise/lower lever (Part E4) and its associated mounting bracket on the sidewall needs to be eliminated and the fuselage structural details restored.  You can see that I've done just that on the sidewall just below and to the right of the pilot's seat.  Also notice the transmitter and receiver from the A6M2 kit.  No mods done here as both Tamiya kits have the same side panel.  Had I wanted to  go crazy, I would've heavily modified these two radio units as they're not exactly prototypically correct.  They're too deep and should have their backsides rounced off with additional details added...I did not want to get into that so these will suffice.  They do cover the little box on the floor with the fresh air control (and the other two red-handled gadgets which purpose eludes me at the moment). 

 

You'll also notice the unpainted dynamotor just below the cockpit floor in the photo.  This goes on the side shelf of the left hand sidewall (below the right sidewall in the photo).  The fire extinguisher panel was cut off (not present on pre-December 1943 A6M5 aircraft) and the shelf built out a little to allow the dynamotor (which I robbed from the A6M2 kit) to sit on the shelf as it should.  This part is not needed in the A6M2 kit if like me, you're building a post December 1943 A6M2 (strictly a Nakajima built aircraft) that uses the Type 3 radio system.  The dynamotor would be as it is on kit part E74).

 

Still have some more work to do on the cockpit but it's coming together nicely.

 

wLoJDlH.jpg

 

Here I've separated the light from the high altitude mixture control and scratch built it's mounting bracket and post.  I'll add the control linkage a little further down the road.

 

LxpB3gP.jpg

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Greif8

Greif8

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That is some top shelf scratchbuilding Tim!  I think the Tamiya cockpit is quite good and you have taken it to another level.  I am currently building an Eduard Bf109 "Condor Legion" aircraft.  The Qunita set for that kit is also off in color, the RLM 02 being a noticably lighter shade.  

 

Ernest

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Juggernut

Juggernut

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7 hours ago, Greif8 said:

That is some top shelf scratchbuilding Tim!  I think the Tamiya cockpit is quite good and you have taken it to another level.  I am currently building an Eduard Bf109 "Condor Legion" aircraft.  The Qunita set for that kit is also off in color, the RLM 02 being a noticably lighter shade.  

 

Ernest

 

I think a lot of the Quinta WWII stuff and indeed a lot of their stuff suffers from that affliction to a certain degree - some much closer than others.  I almost went with a shade of green that was "close" to what color the Qunita Studios set is but I tried to paint the panels and lo-and-behold, it worked.  Now I can use a prototypically correct color (as much as can be reasonably inferred from all the research and extant evidence that's been examined).

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Juggernut

Juggernut

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I've been busy at work but managed to get some stuff added....  Hydraulic lines and electrical cables.  They're not 100% representative of the actual items but they look good enough.  Barely noticeable toward the top is the tail hook raise/lower cable and crank.  I added that from EZ-Line.   Not sure I'm liking the aotake control rods but I'll sleep on it and decide what to do about it later.  Got some more to do just before the cockpit gets installed in the fuselage.  The electric arming switch box that moved from underneath the instrument panel to the right sidewall and the light have yet to be added here.

 

Little bit more to do with the left side console as well.  The control rods from the throttle quadrant need to be added, I'll probably do that in the next day or so.  Hopefully by the end of this weekend, the cockpit will be installed in the fuselage and I can move on.  Again, not 100% authentic but close enough that I'm content.   the bends in the hydraulic lines, while not intentional, are not unrealistic for a plane that's seen the ravages of combat and probably been stepped on and deformed by both pilot and ground crew.  Fun fact:  In order to access the area behind the cockpit, the pilot seat has to be tilted forward or removed...so there's a lot of feet in the vicinity of those hydraulic lines.

 

cw5Imp3.jpg

 

9WEISzM.jpg

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Juggernut

Juggernut

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11 hours ago, Greif8 said:

Excellent work TIm!  I think both the hydraulic and electrical lines look the part.

 

Ernest

 

Thanks Ernest...I'm thinking about how I can make them stand apart from each other a little better.  As it sits right now, there's not a noticeable difference between the two.  The photos I have that show these installations have a monotone nature to them but one can obviously tell which is which in those photos.  Maybe that's just me though?

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