Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero

[Paul A H]

Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero

1:72 Airfix

The infamous Mitsubishi Zero was able to dominate the early years of the Pacific air war through a combination of tremendous agility and endurance. Mitsubishi designed their fighter to be as light as possible in order to make the most of the relatively low power available from its radial engine. This weight saving became a major weak spot for the Zero, however, once heavily armed and armoured opposition such as the Grumman Hellcat entered the fray.

The legendary British test pilot Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown flew the Zero in 1946. He found that it possessed superb manoeuvrability and a good rate of climb. He was less impressed by the constant ‘panting’ noise emanating from the aircraft’s ultra-thin metal skin in flight and the lack of a bullet-proof windscreen, seat armour and self-sealing fuel tanks.

This Zero is an all-new kit from Airfix and it arrives hot on the heels of their impressive Curtiss Hawk. The kit is part of their series one range and arrives in a neat end-opening box. Inside are three sprues of grey plastic and one small clear sprue as well as decals and instructions. The painting instructions for the single example provided for on the decal sheet are printed in colour on the back of the box. The kit’s 47 parts are nicely moulded and the panel lines are very similar to those found on the Curtiss Hawk. The sprue attachment points seem finer than they were in the Hawk though, which can only be a good thing.

The kit takes another cue from the Hawk when it comes to the cockpit; the sidewall detail is a combination of embossed and raised detail. This has the added advantage of making the fuselage sides appear thinner at these points. The remaining cockpit detail is comprised of a rear bulkhead, instrument panel, seat, control column and floor. All are nicely detailed although a decal is provided to depict the instruments on the instrument panel instead of raised detail.

Turning to the rest of the aircraft, the 14-cylinder Nakajima Sakae engine is very nicely represented. The two rows of cylinders are moulded separately and the cooling fins are very delicately depicted. Construction of the rest of the model is fairly conventional. The lower wing is moulded in one piece and the wing tips are moulded separately which will allow them to be posed in folded configuration (although this will only save about half an inch of space on the model shelf!).

Separate parts for the undercarriage doors are provided for gear-down or gear-up configurations, so no cutting of plastic will be required. The main gear bays feature some basic rib detail and diagrams are provided in the instructions to help you get the angle of the landing gear legs right. The canopy is moulded in one piece but is pretty thin and clear and the raised framework is crisply moulded.

As mentioned above, just the one option is catered for on the decal sheet. The aircraft depicted is from 201 Kokuta based at Tobera Airfield, Keravat, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea in 1944 and is finished in the classic green over natural metal scheme. Unlike other recent Airfix releases, the box doesn’t say that the decals are printed by Cartograf*, but whatever their origin they look nicely printed if a little matt.

* Actually it does, but I didn't spot it when I wrote the review.

Conclusion

This looks like another winner from Airfix. The kit is well moulded, nicely detailed and if it builds up as easily as their Curtiss Hawk it won’t give you any trouble. As a keen modeller of 1:72 subjects I have to say I’m very happy with Airfix’s recent output and I look forward to more of the same in 2012.

Review sample courtesy of

[John]

The box does have a Cartograf logo, just above the bar code on the back.

J

[Paul A H]

The box does have a Cartograf logo, just above the bar code on the back.

J

Well spotted John! I'll add a little note to the review to clear that up

[Paul A H]

Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Starter Set

1:72 Airfix

The release of a Starter Set boxing of Airfix's new Mitsubishi Zero has prompted me to pen a short update to my original review. I won't run over the contents of the box in great detail as it is all covered in the review above. Suffice to say that the plastic is identical (and therefore excellent) but this time around it is accompanied by a small tube of polystyrene cement, four acrylic paints and a brush. The decal option is also different.

This time the decal option included in the box is for a Mitsubishi A6M2B-21 as flown by Lieutenant Saburo Shindo, Carrier Division 1, Air Superiority Command, 2nd Strike Unit, carrier Akagi, Operation AI, Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941.

Conclusion

This is a great little kit. It looks excellent in the box and judging from the build threads I have seen on the forum, it should be a real peach to build. Airfix seem to have a knack of producing kits that are relatively simple to build, but still retain a good level of detail. This is another kit in that mould and it comes highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of