Mitsubishi A5M4 Nichimo 1/72

[Ed Russell]

This Nichimo A5M4 came as a semi-dismantled built model. I was going to bin it but I always liked the between-the-wars lines of this and similar planes, so I thought - see if I can restore it.

There were no salvageable decals and I didn’t really want to spend anything on it so I looked for a simple scheme.

This one is represented in many profiles, not always identically. I eventually found a picture in FAOW #27 but there must be others. Interestingly it is described as being a coppery or gold colour and some profiles (and models) look a bit silly in pure gold. What were they thinking? I like the theory that the natural metal was varnished and that the lacquer just yellowed a bit with age.

9-151 was the aiircraft of Lt Motonari Suho, a division leader of the 14^th Kokutai, land based on Wichow Is., China in 1940.

The Nichimo kit is apparently accurate and reasonably well detailed for its 1960’s vintage. There is a better kit from Fujimi.

It was built as is, with no extra parts. The aerial and arrestor hook were discarded as per the photographs, a simple decal seat belt was added and the missing propeller and tailwheel were added. It was painted overall aluminium and ‘weathered’ with various products to similate the yellowing. Decals were mainly from the spares box but I printed the 9-151 codes.

Looking at the great range of schemes and availability of decal sheets I was minded to go and get half a dozen Hobbyboss kits and start a production line. That was until I read a review of this kit

http://www.hyperscale.com/2014/reviews/kits/hobbyboss80288reviewmd_1.htm

and discovered they had let their B-team engineer it. It looks as though an accurate modern 1/72 A5M kit is still required. Maybe Tamiya will have a go......... even at their prices I would buy a couple.

[JackG]

This looks quite good, and you did right by not tossing it into the bin.

I thought the Fujimi boxing (1995) was a great little kit, though the one here actually rivals it in some details - rivets and aileron surfaces.

regards,

Jack

[GrantGoodale]

The IJN tried a varnish to prevent corrosion from salt air. That varnish was made from pine trees and had a definite tendency to yellow. Obviously it was not a roaring success since you never hear of other "golden" aircraft. The best way to duplicate it would be to mix a little Tamiya clear yellow into some Future (or whatever it is called now) to give a yellow tint.

I think that you have done a good job showing a weathered varnish finish.

Well done and a good salvage and recovery.

[Rabbit Leader]

Ed,

I picked up a couple of the Fujimi Claude's fairly cheap from Hobby Link Japan some time ago.

I know the Yen to Aussie conversion is pretty good, so you may be in luck searching some of the Japanese online stores.

Although currently "not in stock" you can back order these for 800YEN - roughly eight of our dollars. Link - http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ72041/Air

I'm sure there's four different boxes, each one slightly different.

You probably know this already, however just thought I'd chime in.. nice completed kit above by the way..

Cheers .. Dave

[Ed Russell]

varnish was made from pine trees and had a definite tendency to yellow.

Thanks for the praise and the information. When I do the Tamiya one I'll stir a bit of yellow and a bit of Pine-O-Cleen into the Future. Thanks!

[Navy Bird]

Nichimo! Now there's a name I don't hear too often any more. Nice work, Ed! Nothing wrong with saving an old model, I like your fortitude!

Cheers,

Bill

[Stesca]

I like this, well done.

[dalea]

Fujimi A5M's are scarce as hen's teeth at the moment. Fortunately Fujimi has re-released some of their kits recently. Most notably their D3A, after the big disappointment of the Cyberhobby one. Others include the J1N1-S and the E16A. So maybe the A5M will reoccur, too. Just as the British can never have too many Spitfires, the Japanese can never have too many A6M's. By all means save old models, I can't see anybody else doing another E14Y. Sigh for those Revell Ki 21's.

Edited January 28, 2015 by dalea

[JWM]

Nice saving old kit, Ed.

I can't see anybody else doing another E14Y

I have E14Y from a Czech short run kit. I made it more than 15 years ago- I think it was MPM...

Cheers

Jerzy-Wojtek

[GrantGoodale]

Thanks for the praise and the information. When I do the Tamiya one I'll stir a bit of yellow and a bit of Pine-O-Cleen into the Future. Thanks!

Be very careful about adding something like Pine-O-Cleen. Test it on some scrap plastic first! In Canada, we have a cleaner known as Pinesol that is pine oil based. It will dissolve polystyrene! Great for cleaning acrylic paint from brushes.

[sroubos]

Amazing coincidence, I'm wrapping up work on my Nichimo Claude at the moment.

[JOAN]

Fantastic ! great build so far. I love the way you ve done the translucent brownish paint.

Very nic.

olivier

[JWM]

Be very careful about adding something like Pine-O-Cleen. Test it on some scrap plastic first! In Canada, we have a cleaner known as Pinesol that is pine oil based. It will dissolve polystyrene! Great for cleaning acrylic paint from brushes.

I am using pure NaOH in water solution (close to saturation) to wash out old paint. You may buy it just as chemical reagent, or use some media for unblocking chocked tubes of house waste waters system, which contains it. It can hurt only metal parts and your fingers if you do not use latex gloves. Google to protect eyes are also reasonable to wear, if you work with this stuff... Be careful - during dissolving it produces heat, so first dissolve, than wait until it is in room temperature and then immerse parts of model (or whole model)

Cheers

J-W

[Ed Russell]

Be very careful about adding something like Pine-O-Cleen.

My "Pine-O-Cleen" comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek as the local version of it is a mild disinfectant most noticeable for its "pine-tree" smell. No chance of dissolving anything in it but I rather fancied the pine scent of my next "Claude"......

I'm wrapping up work on my Nichimo Claude at the moment.

Thanks all of you for the nice comments - SR - feel free to post a pic of your "Claude" here if you aren't doing a RFI.

x

[GrantGoodale]

One test is worth a thousand opinions :-)

[Nick Millman]

It's nice to see this classic kit built and the gungy effect of the brown is just right. Coincidentally I have just posted some details on my blog about the "clear finish" on the A5M in relation to another matter. The reason it was not continued on other types was simply because it was superceded by the two-part opaque finish introduced when the Zero entered service.

It's Waichow Island btw.

[Ed Russell]

gungy effect of the brown is just right

Thank you - I guessed correctly then..........

It's Waichow Island btw.

嗯 (ēn) - I was misled by the FAOW page. Looking for Waichow Is brings up Weizhou Is. I think it's the same. Amusingly, looking for Wichow brings up "Wikihow Is" (to which I say 呸 - pēi)

[Nick Millman]

Also btw IMHO and FWIW the linked Hyperscale review of the Hobby Boss kit is overly harsh and points out a number of minor airframe detail differences between the A5M2 and A5M4 as errors! The groove in the top of the cowling was not for the machine guns which had muzzle tubes in the forward lip of the cowling but for the optical telescopic sight and was present on the A5M2. The A5M2 windscreen had the extra frame, etc. Comparing two kits of different variants and assuming one of them is accurate is probably not the best way of assessing whether the airframe shapes are correct.

The Doyusha kit is the Hobby Boss kit re-marketed. I've checked the Doyusha kit against the shinkigensha plans and consider the shape differences to be trivial and hardly worth bothering about. For a line-up of scheme and markings variety it is an acceptable option.

[sroubos]

That's good news. I like the look of this place but the Nichimo kit is a bit fussy to build; I believe there are some nice aftermarket decals available that would go well with the HobbyBoss kit.