Zero Floatplane; A big Rufe Rufe! Finished; well almost.

[georgeusa]

To prove I wasn’t kidding about trying to eliminate my shelf of doom here is the Trumpeter Nakajima A6M2-N “Rufe” Floatplane.

I know I started a new build when I publically stated my goal was to only eliminate the shelf of doom, but sometimes you just gotta build something you want to build. These kits were on the shelf of doom for a reason. A brief history of this kit. I got it when it went on sale about 7 or 8 years ago. I began construction probably within the year I obtained it. Now I know it has some shape problems regarding the rear of the fuselage, but at the time I began it my modeling skills were not that good (and now only marginally better, maybe . . . possibly. . . oh crap, they haven’t gotten worse at least!) and I knew I couldn’t do the surgery to fix it. So this is an OOB build with the exception of some Eduard seat belts. Would you like to hear about the inertia of a model builder, mainly me? As near as I can determine, the only reason this kit was put on the shelf of doom was due to my not having enough fishing weights to weight the float so it wouldn’t sit on its tail. I put the build aside with the mental note to go get some weights and then life got in the way. It was set aside out of sight; other models came and went; I forgot it was there; and when I was rearranging my kits, I discovered it in its present state. It took me a while to figure out what was wrong with the kit, and it was nothing wrong with the kit, just with me. So here is its present state of build. Most of the kit has already been built up.

What is left is to attach the main floats, whatever miscellaneous pieces that need to go on prior to painting and then paint the beast. I noticed I have already broken off the radio mast. Luckily, it is in the box. (Curiously, there are a couple of 1/32 Eduard German seat belt sets also in the box, have no idea why they are there. Does this happen to anybody else?)

The cockpit needs a bit more work in it though. It is much too shiny, what was I thinking?

The front coaming with the gun sight has been built up.

I have a lot of the parts built up as sub-assemblies. It looks like I was building it with all the control surfaces being moveable and the wing tip fold working. I even built the docking trolley.

And here are the culprits that needed the weights to be added.

I did find some in progress shots I did when I first started building this kit. Here they are.

For the life of me I don’t know why everything has such a shiny finish to it. Oh well, it is nothing a quick coat of dull coate can’t cure. Back to building this kit, I installed the appropriate nose weight, (I hope) in the front of the float held in place with a large amount of blue tack.

The two halves were then joined.

While the main float dries, I need to fix a couple of things on the main body. It looks like the engine cowling is coming off and has to be reattached. I also need to check and see if the engine itself is loose. Also needed is a paint plan for this kit. I need to figure out how much to weather it and the colour scheme. Anyway, it doesn’t look like this kit will be too hard to finish. Just a lot of painting. The existing seams need to be checked to see how they are holding up prior to painting. As always, all comments welcome.

[hendie]

Ah. the shelf of doom production line loses it's grip on another victim!.

The model looks interesting, but that box art is driving me nuts - it maybe an optical illusion but that center float stanchion looks like it's offset to port quite drastically.

[georgeusa]

It is in the box art, but not on the model. I agree the box art is just irritating.

[Stew Dapple]

Hi George,

That interior should look really good without the shiny, it's very detailed, isn't it?

Agreed about the box-art, it looks like one of those Escher drawings; the plane looks okay, the float looks okay, but look at them together and woah

Anyway, look forward to seeing your progress, it's always interesting to see 1/24 kits being built

Cheers,

Stew

[Pete in Lincs]

That's a ball joint on the bottom of the stanchion

and it swivels with the rudder.

(Saved them having to add fishing weights)

[georgeusa]

First update; work on the floats. Well, in my haste to get this kit finished, I joined the main float halves together. All well and good, except for this part.

This part should have been wedged between the halves here:

Why may this be a bit important? The part I left off is the one used to locate the main float to the body of the aircraft. So I cut one of the ends down, inserted the piece into the hole and then glued it in with enthusiasm.

Hopefully it will dry rock hard as there is just a tad of weight in the float to keep the kit resting properly in its trolley. Next up were the different float supports. The main float has a support branching out from either side. For some reason, rather than molding the support in one piece, Trumpeter decided to mold all of the supports in halves to be joined together; oh joy.

And when joined together, of course, a seam was created that needed to be fixed.

Now, I do not think this is my doing as these parts had locating pins. The parts for the outrigger supports did not and there were no joins to fix.

Finally there is a little rudder assembly to be put at the end of the main float with a working feature. This was done and it now works.

After a cursory play moving the rudder back and forth, I forced myself to do that which I like the least; filling and sanding. I cleaned up the seam on the main float and that went fairly well. However, there is this oval portion at the top of the float, I have no idea why it is there, its purpose, and it really needs something else to make it pretty.

So if anybody has a clue as to the function of this hole, I would appreciate it. Otherwise I think I will put a searchlight in it and be done with it.

The trolley for the floatplane was next up for inspection. It has been put together for the most part with the upper supports left off until I could make sure they are put on correctly using the main float for guidance. The upper supports have some sink holes around them that need filling.

Some application of putty and these will be set aside for later fun sanding.

There are sink holes around the rest of the frame and the wheels have a very nice ridge that needs to be eliminated.

In the above picture I have finished sanding down the left wheel with the right one still needing work. And after some sanding, some filling, some general hi ho fun I get these parts.

As long as I was doing less than thrilling tasks, I tackled masking the canopies. Thankfully, this was not too difficult as Trumpeter has very distinct and nicely detailed frames molded into the canopies.

Even though this is not a difficult canopy to mask, I am so bad at this. This measly task took me almost an hour to do. And this is where I stop for now. Paint is next on the agenda and I need to determine the scheme and the weathering for this kit. And, as I was putting it up and straightening things, I found the front windscreen that needs to be masked. Oh well, back to the tape. As always, all comments are welcome.

[Darby]

That should be a good build. The Zero series are one of the fewJapaneseaircraft I like. As for the float if you wear 3D glasses at the time of a waxing gibbous moon..it doesn't make any difference

[hendie]

...... inserted the piece into the hole and then glued it in with enthusiasm. [/size][/font]

Aha, enthusiasm glue - can't beat it. Unfortunately, it only comes in very small tubes, and only one per kit.

Looking good George - what are you going to scratch build on this one?

[rav]

One remark: Rufe's wing tips could not be folded. Good luck with your build!

[georgeusa]

Rav,

Good to know. Must glue them in position then. I would guess the wing tip fold is a feature of the Trumpeter Zero land plane. I like when I get advice that allows me to fix something. Most often it is when whatever wrong is long past the stage where correction is not an option.

[Stew Dapple]

Hi George, I can't say what that hole in the float support is for, but it seems to be generally left as a hole by modellers and not a light... if I recall the float also functions as a fuel tank, might it be an air intake to maintain the tank's internal pressure? Whatever, it does not seem to be glazed in any way.

Nice work on the trolley, and while you probably hate masking as much as I do you have at least got the bulk of that behind you.

Cheers,

Stew

[Pete in Lincs]

The hole is for that bit that Trumpy left off every one of these kits.

You wouldn't really need a hole that big to pressurise the float tank.

In a choppy sea it would take in water too.

Most odd.

Stick the light in there. Say it's a Japanese '46 model.

Edit.

After a bit of a ponder, a light bulb lit up somewhere close by.

The hole may lead to a funnel which leads to a venturi.

This would increase pressure even at slow speeds, thus ensuring,

via relief valves, a fairly constant supply of air to the float tank.

Hmm, Drain off water ingress somehow & you have a neat solution

to the problem.

Of course they may have taken pressure/vacuum from the engine

instead. But it kept me happy for a while.

[hendie]

these two photo's would suggest that it is an opening of some sort, but for what purpose, who knows.

http://www.warbirdphotographs.com/NavyBWZeros/Rufe-31+.jpg

http://www.arawasi.jp/RESEARCH/Ru1.jpg

I think Pete's funnel/venturi idea sounds like a good guess

[georgeusa]

I have searched on the web for a clue as to the hole and have found nothing. But, I can't leave it in its present state. So the question is what could I do? Could it be the intake area for the fuel nozzle to fill up the gasoline tank in the float? Would make it a protected area away from water contamination when refueling. I don't see how the refueling cap could be on the float; how would you fill the tank without a high risk of water contamination. Maybe I should just hollow it out and leave it at that. Still open to suggestions.

Pete,

I have no idea how to represent the scenario you have given for the float hole. Any clues other than a big ole hole?

[Pete in Lincs]

Just some sort of funnel shape in there.

Make up dispenser? Something from the kitchen?

The end of a cheap ballpoint?

At least you then won't have just a large hole

to explain away. The Venturi thing sounds plausible

at least. maybe someone else knows better.

Probably just after you finish the build.

[georgeusa]

I did find this on an IPMS USA review: "There is also a screen and adjustment linkage missing from the intake on the main float support. Trumpeter just gives you an enclosed hole."

So perhaps it just needs to be opened up with a metal screen covering the hole?

[hendie]

I've got some fine brass mesh if you need any!

[Tom Hall]

The round hole at the top of the float pylon is not a lamp. It is the intake for the oil cooler. This from page 74 of Aero Detail 7, Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter.

The oil cooler in the A6M2 (Model 21) Zero may or may not be instructive: In the plane with wheels, it is a cylinder roughly as big around as the hole in the float pylon. The cylinder is probably covered with screen. It is back from the opening in the air scoop at least eight inches and points forward and downward, maybe 30 degrees from vertical. In other words, its lower front edge would protrude slightly below the outline of the ventral fuselage. Since the oil cooler is part of the engine, and since it's the same engine as in the plane with wheels,....

I don't think I have a photo showing how Nakajima did the metalwork around that round hole. I doubt it would have been a sharp edge. Maybe a rolled edge.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Tom Hall

[georgeusa]

Tom,

Thanks for clearing that up. Just seems odd there would be a hole there without some sort of purpose. I would guess some sort of mesh covering would be over the hole to keep debris out?

[Tom Hall]

The photos I have show the hole itself wide open. No screen. The screen was apparently at the oil cooler, some inches into the duct. The duct is something of a mystery for me at the moment. It is fairly clear that Nakajima had to relocate the oil cooler into the pylon (compared to its location on the Model 21 Zero). And, one of my books says the engine is the Sakae 21, not quite the same engine as in the Model 21.

The good news is you may not have to split open the top of the float pylon.

The bad news is (1) I don't know how far back into the duct the oil cooler is, how it is oriented or the shape of the duct; (2) there may have been a door or butterfly valve to limit air flow to the cooler. This plane served in the Aleutians and such a control would have been useful. That is maybe what the "linkage" refers to in the comments you found.

I see in a photo at p.77 of FAW 5 that the metalwork for the mouth of the intake is sharp. Perhaps Nakajima simply cut the edge of the sheetmetal into tabs and folded them back into the duct.

(Edit Umpteen: After some thought, I imagine the Rufe still had the Sakae 12, as in the Model 21 Zero, in spite of what Maru Mechanic said years ago on a drawing. I think that because Rufe has the carb air intake for a Sakae 12. Of no relevance to the Mystery of the Round Hole. Whether Sakae 12 or Sakae 21 engine, the oil cooler is about the size and shape of a one-gallon paint can. I wish I could suggest how to position it.)

Edited November 21, 2014 by Tom Hall

[hendie]

aha - very informative posts

[georgeusa]

Tom,

Many thanks to all the wonderful information you have given me. I have searched the web for pictures of the oil cooler area and to say they are sparse is an understatement. I can't leave it like it is, so I'm back to my plan of just darling out the hole, maybe putting something machine like in the hole and the covering the hole with some mesh recessed back somewhat from the hole entrance.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

You weren't joking about the big bit either were you George.....Wow what a kit!

[Pete in Lincs]

The oil cooler makes sense too.

It would free up some room in the cowling.

I'd just out some fine mesh in there.

If there is no information/picture out there,

Who is going to say it's wrong?

[hendie]

......

If there is no information/picture out there,

Who is going to say it's wrong?

judging by past behavior...... about eleventy seven BM'ers