Zero for Christmas!

Christmas is really for children, as we all know, but it can be made to appeal to adults by giving them the sort of gift that really has lasting appeal.  My wife knows what I like, and last Christmas she gave me a 1/32 A6M-2 Zero from Tamiya.  It was stashed under the bed for a while, and I just 'sensed' it was there.....

Now here we are in May and I'm still enjoying it.  I've had other, more pressing projects, so I've only been able to do a bit on it every now and then until now.  But I have at last been able to finish it, and I thought I would share it with readers on here.

Here are a few views of the engine and the cockpit.  I've used lead and copper wire to detail both areas.  To add a detail set for this project would just be overkill.  The kit offers plenty.  It has tried my patience a little - adding the wings and tail, for instance.  Not a perfect fit.  Some fine cracks have to be filled and a bit of trimming is needed, especially on the wings.

It seemed appropriate to receive a 'Pearl Harbour Attack Zero" seventy years to the month after the actual event.   A fabulous build, I hope you enjoy these photos.

The Final Hog

I suppose the prospect of an A-10 in its lizard scheme did seem a well-trodden path, but recently I built this one from Hobby Boss.  The old Tamiya kit was always good but like the rest of us, it's getting a bit old.

This new kit is quite different.  Extensive detail, nice decals, lovely clear transparencies.  The only build problem I had was getting the fuselage together.  The best way I found to solve this was to glue the front half together and allow it to dry.  This forms an anchor to allow the rear half to be fixed.

Fitting the flaps was interesting.  An empty slot in the wing was the flap's home!  One false move and it would be lost in the wing forever.  After that it was plain sailing, an absorbing build.  LOADS of weapons.

You can add resin and etched parts if you want to, but I suggest just doing it out of the box.  It looks accurate, it looks good, and it is fun.