**** DONE: A6M5 Zero - ATAIU*SEA U.K. - Captured / Aircraft in Foreign Service GB

**N4521U** · 01-26-2012 05:38 AM

User Name : N5421U
Real : Bill
Category : Still somewhere in the middle
Entry : British marked ATAIU*SEA captured A6M5 Zero.
Kit : Hasegawa 1/48th scale..... OTB! Maybe some scratch build stuff. Gonna keep this one simple.
Accessories : Decals see photo.

OK, this is the revised ATAIU*SEA build to fit the decals I have. Silly reason to start another build I know, but I have never claimed to be the brightest star in the universe. I do have to thank Wayne for contributing to this revision tho. The things we do for one another. What a place eh?

**Wayne Little** · 01-26-2012 05:57 AM

Ok Bill, GO FOR IT ..!!

**A4K** · 01-26-2012 06:00 AM

With Wayne!!!

**N4521U** · 01-26-2012 06:06 AM

Look at me, I don't even know what build I'm in.

Anyway, I have started off on this one. Silver undercoat, Tamiya Leaf spray can, for the cockpit and will ude a darker green from the bottom, a lighter, faded, green from the top. Will do some wire brushing to remove color for Age. Wheel wells and gear doors wil be the tranparent blue. Gonna do the same on the overall and remove copius amounts of color for the look in the photo. This plane will be overall green outside without the gray underside. I think this will be correct for the end of the war???? Yes, no?

I've thinned the outside panel on the gear doors for scale. Same with the seat back. Made a dimple for the hub center with the end of a dremmel tool and scribed the little acces door with a punched template. Not gonna do all them rivets tho. That would be wayyyy tooo much.

**A4K** · 01-26-2012 06:09 AM

Great start mate!

**Wurger** · 01-26-2012 07:37 AM

Ditto....

**T Bolt** · 01-26-2012 08:13 AM

Nice start Bill

**Vic Balshaw** · 01-26-2012 04:53 PM

Off to a good start Bill, looks like you're going to be busy.

**N4521U** · 01-27-2012 08:14 PM

Started the painting process this morn. instead of golf............. I must be seious about this one eh!!!!!?

I did the gear bay and doors in Tamiyas transparent blue. Discovered why it's always so dark on kits. Seems the transparent paint gets a little spotty from the gun. Coat after coat to get it even, and wallah, dark transparent blue! Can't get away from it it seems.

Green on the cockit parts, dark first, then washed out, added white from the tops to make it faded. Can be seen in the picture. I will try wire brushing the color off the silver undercoat to get the Used look.

Nope, it'a not a 4 wheeler! I'm building a second one as new, kinda before and after. Will post it as a built aircraft later not in the GB.

I sailor on.

**Airframes** · 01-27-2012 10:18 PM

Nice work Bill.

**Vic Balshaw** · 01-27-2012 11:50 PM

Good stuff mate.

**Wayne Little** · 01-28-2012 06:05 AM

Bill, your choice, but your Zero appears to be a Mitsubishi built aircraft, therefore the wheel wells and both sides of the undercariage covers should be in the same colour as the lower surfaces, this colour is similar to FS 16350

**N4521U** · 01-29-2012 12:14 AM

Dam Wayne....... This color was so difficult to put on, I think it may stay on. If anyone thinks about using this color, and if I had, I wouldn't have. It goes on rather thick since it is transparent in order to get the color to go away from blotchy. I would recommend MASKING the opening, I had to scrape all the color off the wing surface, very anoying.

I'm showing both A/C for comparrisons. I used a small flat dremmel tool and flattened the 3D instrument from the panel making a recess. Punched the instruments from the decal sheet, cut half the backing off, put a dab of white glue in the hole and pressed the decal into it and cover the face with another dab of white glue. You can see what the wire brushing did to the green coat on the panel and other surfaces.

Painted the side panels, made a new throttle quadrant, and the seat adjustment bar on the right side of the seat. I also drilled out the dimples in the seats. The interiors for both the new plane, and the captured are ready to install.

And finally a picture of the cleaned up wing surfaces of the transparent blue, whice one would really WANT to use. I don't reccomend it, but if used, I sure would do some serious masking.