SPA Modeler

Arigato, pzl and Kari!!

Man that work on the engine is really payin' off Kenny. Kudos goes out to you on the wire harness. I look at it like this.....if we're going to take the time to open something up then go all out and wide open throttle with it. I also believe that when we open something up like this to show it off it becomes the "showcase" of the model. Like "look in here" type stuff. When something is a show case....well......give 'em a show.

Love the work, Kenny. From the tonal depth that your basing technique gives to you mono scheme to the decision to paint your fabric surfaces in a different color... your choices and execution have been wonderful. I love the look of the Zero with the legs mounted but engine absent... reminds me of a factory scene. Only a couple of observational comments. The landing gear and wheels look a touch too new and pristine? I know weathering is yet to come and I may be premature with that comment but I thought I'd throw it up. That just caught my eye, compared to the weathered look that your basing technique gives to the airframe. The other comment may also be baseless. It looks like the tonal variation is almost non-existent on the bottom compared to the top. Is it just the photos or something that you purposefully did?

I'm really digging your work Kenny! One of the projects that is sparking my desire to come back and work on my builds again.

mustang1989 wrote:Man that work on the engine is really payin' off Kenny. Kudos goes out to you on the wire harness. I look at it like this.....if we're going to take the time to open something up then go all out and wide open throttle with it. I also believe that when we open something up like this to show it off it becomes the "showcase" of the model. Like "look in here" type stuff. When something is a show case....well......give 'em a show.

Mustang Joe, I could not agree more.

The cowling on this kit, and those side panels, are meant to be removable. And at first I was inclined to just build it out and entomb everything in there, but Tamiya did such a good job on the engine and stuff, and it’ll look great in there with the Aotake color as a backdrop, contrasting the main color, I rethought that decision especially considering I have the PE set that Eduard made to pick up what little slack Tamiya left, detail-wise. I want to be able to show this all buttoned up and then pop the cowling and panel off and say “And hey! Look in here!” It’ll be worth all the extra effort, definitely!

jkim wrote:Love the work, Kenny. From the tonal depth that your basing technique gives to you mono scheme to the decision to paint your fabric surfaces in a different color... your choices and execution have been wonderful. I love the look of the Zero with the legs mounted but engine absent... reminds me of a factory scene. Only a couple of observational comments. The landing gear and wheels look a touch too new and pristine? I know weathering is yet to come and I may be premature with that comment but I thought I'd throw it up. That just caught my eye, compared to the weathered look that your basing technique gives to the airframe. The other comment may also be baseless. It looks like the tonal variation is almost non-existent on the bottom compared to the top. Is it just the photos or something that you purposefully did?

I'm really digging your work Kenny! One of the projects that is sparking my desire to come back and work on my builds again.

John, those are both solid observations.

In terms of the landing gear- they haven’t undergone any weathering yet. While this carrier-based aircraft was new at the time before the raid, I’d imagine it would’ve been flown several times pre-raid and that even being carrier-based, the gear and struts wold get brake dust on them, maybe even some hydraulic and brake fluid here and there, and so forth. So when the time comes for what little weathering I plan to do comes around, I’ll be adding some of that.

As to the underside, that’s probably the light and the fact that the surface isn’t curved. Here’s a better shot:



The tonal variation is on par with the top, to my taste at least, with one exception- I did not go as far in terms of lightening hues inside the panels as I did on the top, and that was absolutely intentional and in-line with my vision for this project. In my mind, topside sees more sun on a carrier deck than the bottom, same when in the air. When I was envisioning this project, I imagined an allied pilot seeing one for the first time. The aircraft banks, the hue shifts, and the sun illuminates certain panels and sections more than the others, and that illumination shifts to other panels in an almost other-worldly way, as the aircraft moved through the air, and banks more steeply. I should probably mention that my vision for this on no way reflects reality or any kind of verisimilitude or whatever. While I did correspond with Straggler so that I could get a good, solid color match for the airframe and fabric-covered control surfaces, as well as the “Modeling The A62M Zero” book, the vision that developed in my mind was more akin to what you would’ve seen if there were early Zeros in Ghost In The Shell, or Akira. In other words, my vision is half what may have actually been in reality and half what you might see in anime. I’m waking that line that separates the two and trying to blur it a little bit. I guess because at the moment I’m fixated on aircraft that seem otherworldly to me, so to me, there should be something otherworldly to it, like the hue shifts, and that at certain angles there is more or less hue shifts and variation, along with the surface detail being subtly called out in that “noticed but not seen” way. LOL Anyhow, it’s really just me, a dude with a vivid imagination, trying to represent what’s in my head when I envision this aircraft, as opposed to strict reality, while using techniques that represent what could happen in reality as best I can, and trying as hard as I can to not make it look like a die-cast toy. That’s my style. That’s what I’m developing.

Thank you both for your comments and kind encouragement. It is much appreciated. Sincerely :-)

The actuators are installed, man.



I took the easy way out, here, opting for Tamiya’s cowling flaps which I sanded down, instead of using Eduard’s PE flaps. I’m 100% comfortable with that decision. I’m not good enough working with this PE stuff yet for such delicate exterior details. My skill will improve while I add the various fiddly bits that complete the engine.

Oh- a word about the PE. I changed up how I prep it. This time around I wiped the frets down with Mr. Leveling Thinner, then rinsed them real well, and then gave them an acid bath (with white vinegar) for a half an hour. Hopefully this’ll beef-up the paint adhesion.

Those actuators look great! Exactly as they should and perfectly in scale.

Carlos, thank you! Getting those mounted took a while, me and my somewhat limited PE experience. I’ve mounted IP’s and stuff but that’s easy, this kind of thing is a whole different animal. But hey- this whole kit is kind of a whole different animal, with the movable flaps and retractable gear with the working struts and whatnot. Holy cow what a ride.

I love your description of the vision that you have when modeling the Zero. The anime references... the hue shifts... very unique and personal, which is how modeling should be.

The actuators for the cowl flaps look wonderful, much better than the stretched sprue "sticks" that I normally use! And they're not flat like most PE parts... were they multi-part pieces?

John,

NO! As a matter of fact, they appear the way they do because I installed them incorrectly! HAHAHAAA!!!! I put the mounts on wrong. They’re supposed to be mounted such that the groove in the mount runs straight up and down, and then the actuator goes in there flat side out. Well, the old boy Kenny x screwed the proverbial “pooch” on that and accidentally mounted them with the slots running left to right instead, so what you’re seeing is the edge. I didn’t realize the mistake until earlier this morning, and I’m actually disinclined to sweat it. They’d barely be noticeable even if I had put them in correctly, and as-is, with a nice swipe of aluminum on each one after it’s all painted black, they’ll add a nice subtle touch.

To me, I guess it just must’ve seemed more correct to me at the time. I was really tired when I mounted them. And I’m really happy with how they look when installed this way. Oh! And I test for all the stuff on the back of the engine this morning and it all fits and the actuators don’t interfere with anything!

Happy accidents, my friend, happy accidents! HAHAHAAAA


Bruce,

Thanks my man! I appreciate that!