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Zoukei-Mura 1/32 Raiden


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I am trying to get out of my modeling funk here lately as I have stalled on a few builds, Mosquito, Mustang, Harrier (sheesh the list is getting long) and others. So to try to get back in the swing of things I stepped out of my box and built a couple of Revell 1/144 tiger meet jets. I normally only do WWII aircraft (yeah, I know the list above had a Harrier, contradictions are my nature), so this helped. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the Zoukei-Mura 1/32 J2M3 Raiden arrived at my office. I had pre-ordered it who knows when (got to stop late night internet shopping when I’m bored), but it had been so long ago, I had forgot I had ordered it.

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First impressions out of the box were “Can’t believe the level of detail and the amount of parts!” With the kit, apparently, I had ordered the photo-etch interior set and the metal gun barrels; who knew? By the time I had perused the manual (I can’t be the only one out there that must open the box, look and feel some of the plastic, gaze at the decals, and then go through the entire manual even if I have no intention of building the darn thing for years. Just have to do it when I first get a kit.), I was hooked and had to start on it right away. Now, I have purchased every one of ZMs 1/32 models to date with the exception of the Mustang. (And they are all sitting in the stash to do.) Why this one made me want to immediately start, can’t tell you. So, it was break out the Japanese paints, (where is the aotake?), nippers, glue, filing sticks and start.

Now, there is a difference between the first perusal of the instructions and actually getting them out to begin building. By the way, the instruction manual so far is great. Very detailed, very informative and gives you finished examples of what you should end up with which helps me actually end up with a fair resemblance to what it should be. Anyway, I am going build this as per the manual, mainly out of the box and then see how much of the effort actually pays off as being able to be seen once built. I figure a lot of what is done will only be seen in the photos I take as it is being built. Once built, I hope a large percent still is visible, but I have my doubts. So, here goes. And, if I put too much detail and too many pictures, let me know. Going to do this step by step as per the instructions. If I should start skipping steps and just show the finished product, let me know.

The first step is the engines not the cockpit. Since I am assembling with the view everything will be visible, my first step of putting the cylinders together was very disappointing.

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There are gaps at every end of every cylinder. Now maybe this is my fault with construction, but I doubt it since both cylinders have the gaps. So out with the filler and fun and games begin. If this is typical of the fit, then this will be a frustrating build.

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All the gaps are filled and now the cylinders and different engine parts are ready for painting. here are the first stages of paint laid down prior to weathering.

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Put the cylinders together and gave them a dark wash,

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Added the push rods, housing and propeller shaft. All the parts since putting the cylinders together have fit perfectly and have meshed quite well. The detail is still amazing. But, I can start to see much of the build will not be seen when completed. An example is the engine pistons and connecting rods. But, I am determined to paint and finish all that there is even though it may never see the light of day.

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The exhaust pipes get a base metallic coat to begin their finish.

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As the paint on the exhausts dry, I finished weathering the cylinders/housing/propeller shaft assembly.

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Next after weathering the exhausts, I attached them to the engine. I then attached the engine mount cover, various bits and pieces behind it, engine mount and carburetor vent and intake.

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Now is where I become a bit anal. I really want this to be a good build (I would like it to be great, but I know my limitations, good is a maybe achievable goal.) On the cowl flap assembly, there are lightening holes represented. Thought it would be a good idea to actually drill them out. It was great fun. What I am most proud of is I didn’t break the part as I was drilling it. Anyway, the left part has the drilled holes; the right part is the kit representation. Once it is put together, it probably won’t make a lick of difference. Now on to drilling out the other side.

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Here is the back of the engine with the last of the bits and pieces added.

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And the engine is finished.

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So far, it looks like drilling the holes has helped. Will have to see how much is visible after final assembly.

Next update will be the start of the cockpit.

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Holy smokes! Some seriously impressive modelling going on! That engine, though a labour of love, is exquisite! Fantastic work, keep it up, the weathering is brilliant on the gear housing.

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For the future updates, am I posting too many pictures, going into too much detail or should I do more? About to post the beginning of the cockpit and just would like comply with the wishes of the people viewing this mess.

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As for the weathering, it kinda depends on what it is, my mood and how ambitious I am. I prefer enamel paints as a base and Humbrol as the preferred enamel except for Testor's metallic silver which is better, I think than Humbrol 11.

For the exhausts, I started off with a base of metallic gun metal (Humbrol 53) From that base I then added some Tamiya clear blue, let that dry a bit and then brushed on Tamiya acrylic thinner to take most of the color off and just give a bluish tint. Then I added Tamiya clear red and did the same thing. The last layer I added was Flory rust with a slight bit on the part of the exhaust closer to the engine and a thicker coat towards the tip.

For the engines, started off with the base color of Testor's metallic silver and Tamiya Nato Black. After they dried, a coating of Tamiya Smoke helps pop out some details. Then a drybrushing of Testor's metallic silver gives some highlights. Finally a very light washing of Flory's rust. With Flory the effects can be achieved one of two ways for me. Either I lightly brush on the wash and spread it very thin and direct it to the areas I want to highlight. Or, I slather it on, let it dry for about 10 to 15 minutes and then wipe off the excess with either a paper towel or Q-tip. If I can't remove the amount of Flory wash I want with just a dry wipe of the paper towel, I moisten it with my tongue and that always provides the necessary moisture to remove the offending wash.

The hardest thing I have learned is when to stop. If I think it needs a little more, I am 99% of the time wrong. However, if the part being weathered will be in the recesses of a cockpit or cowling, i.e. dark, I will exaggerate the highlights so it will at least be a bit visible.

When I get to the cockpit, I'll explain that a bit.

So, Hendie, is this what you wanted or am I completely inept at explaining. (I do not discount my limited explanations and hope they made sense.)

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So, Hendie, is this what you wanted or am I completely inept at explaining. (I do not discount my limited explanations and hope they made sense.)

Yup, but next time with photo's please - I may want to do this someday

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Next update will be the start of the cockpit.

I purchased the photo etch interior set for the cockpit with the kit. When I compare the kit parts to the PE parts, it seems a shame to not use the kit parts. So, I will probably build up both versions, kit and PE, when possible to compare. When a tossup, I shall either leave it up to you guys to determine which is the better, or let SWMBO as I value her input as a casual observer. So here goes. As with the engine, I have no idea how much of the detail will be visible when it is actually put together and the kit completed. So in keeping with doing unnecessarily needless work that probably won’t be seen, here is the first step.

First up is the seat adjustment lever. There are representations of lightening holes in the kit part.

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Breaking out my micro drill set,

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I drilled out the lightening holes for a slightly better effect that once put in place will never be seen.

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Here is the start of the interior regarding the seat bulkhead, seat supports and adjustment lever.

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First choice is between PE and kit parts. Here is the kit part for the seat with the seat belts molded in place. (I truly bite at painting figures, so there will not be a pilot.) Normally, I don’t like the seat belts molded in, but the detail in these are awesome. I will build up the PE version to compare.

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I’ve started to put some of the PE in the cockpit; this is the back part of the seat bulkhead. The detail is quite fine. Also, can’t recommend enough using a PE bending tool. I use the Mission Models Etch Mate 3c. It lets you do precise and uniform bends on minuscule PE parts like below.

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There are also some small enhancements to be place on the rails of the seat bulkhead:

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I kid myself into believing I prefer 1/48 scale and larger because the parts are not as small and are easier to handle. However, to give you a scale of the PE parts that I am using, here are 3 of the parts on top of a Humbrol tin for scale. One is the attachment for the seat belt on the rear of the seat and the other 2 parts are for the seat supports. A magnifier and good tweezers are my only saving grace.

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I am literally following each step of the instructions so far, so am painting and weathering in steps. I know some people do the whole cockpit at once, but I find it easier to do sections and then blend in. Also, for the interior I brush paint those. (Sorry Nigel, still have a bit of trepidation when it comes to the airbrush.) Here is the cockpit base color. It is Humbrol Matt 80. Why this color? Because out of all the various shades of interior green I have, it is the closest to the prepainted PE green of the instrument panel. So, I am hoping the PE green is slightly accurate. Now Humbrol 80 straight out of the can is not close to the PE. However when I weather both, it is a pretty close match.

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While the cockpit dries, I am working on the kit seat and the PE seat. I have put the base color on both and started the weathering process.

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The detail in this kit as I have said is superb. But sometimes I wish more effort would go to what shows, rather than detail that has absolutely no chance in appearing. An example is the bottom of the seat.

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It has great detail, but I cannot think of any instance that this could appear short of me not putting one seat in the plane and a diorama of another seat being installed. It is useless engraving and design that I would prefer be invested in what will show.

As the seats dry, I now put the base black wash on the cockpit floor and seat back to begin the weathering. I am also doing the bottom of the cockpit as per the instructions, but I bet is will be lost to sight forever.

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Now back to the seats. I have begun the detail painting of the seat belts on the kit parts and have installed the PE seatbelts on the PE seat.

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Right now the PE looks the best, but I haven’t finished the detail painting on the kit part.

As the seats dry, back to the cockpit floor and seat bulkhead. I have put a dry brush coat of silver to bring out the details and do a bit of weathering scruff. After that dries, some detail painting of boxes and wiring.

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Back to the seats, have finished with the detail painting of the kit part and now I am not sure which one to use. I think both look pretty good. So it is vote time and will also consult SWMBO for her opinion. So I think this would be a good stopping point. I have a decision to make regarding the port side instrument panel. I can either use the kit parts or grind down detail and use the PE parts. Need opinions as to the seat to be used.

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Need your votes and comments.

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George,

I originally thought the resin seat looked better than the PE version - the molded in detail looked great. However, once painted, I believe the PE seatbelts look better than their resin counterparts, but the kit seat still looks better than the PE version. - but you still have a cushion to put on the PE version.

I think I am heading towards PE in this instance, but don't base your decisions on my observations otherwise you could lose your business, wife, homestead, and life savings... be warned!

Love what you are doing though, and really appreciate all the photo's

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Next update will be the start of the cockpit.

I purchased the photo etch interior set for the cockpit with the kit. When I compare the kit parts to the PE parts, it seems a shame to not use the kit parts. So, I will probably build up both versions, kit and PE, when possible to compare. When a tossup, I shall either leave it up to you guys to determine which is the better, or let SWMBO as I value her input as a casual observer. So here goes. As with the engine, I have no idea how much of the detail will be visible when it is actually put together and the kit completed. So in keeping with doing unnecessarily needless work that probably won’t be seen, here is the first step.

If it's any consolation, the cockpit on the Raiden is tremendously visible - it was on the 1/48 one I recently finished, thanks to a wide opening and large glasshouse. So in 1/32 the detail you are striving for will be well worth the effort!

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Only my two cents worth - with regards the seats I have to agree with Hendie - both look good but PE version just has the edge at the moment. Other parts looking good too!

Kind regards,

Stix

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this is amazing build, nice work on the weathering! what are you using for wash? As it looks nice "oily" and smooth, great.

Most of the time, I use Tamiya smoke over an enamel paint finish. If I have done something other than my norm and the base paint is acrylic, I use a tempra based, very diluted black wash. It looks a bit more oily in the pictures as the paint has just been put on and is still wet. When it is dry, still has a bit of a sheen but not near the amount as in the progress pictures. What I have also found is that as Smoke is used when the bottle is about half full, I need to dilute it with thinner as it tends to thicken up in the bottle when exposed to air. I put it on quite heavy at first, clean the brush and then wisk the excess away with the clean brush until I think too much has been removed. Usually that is the right amount. Go figure.

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Back to the cockpit and bulkhead and the rest of the parts that need to be added to the cockpit floor. Here is a very crappy picture of the port side instrument panel with the base cockpit color.

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Now I have to decide about whether to use the kit parts or go for the PE replacements. If I use the PE, all the lovely detail of the kit parts needs to be removed. I think I am going with most of the kit parts as their detail is quite good. Most of the decision rests on the fact that the PE will replace nice, round, control levers with 2 dimensional flat pieces of painted metal. I just don’t see the value. However, there are a couple of PE pieces that I do plan to use that accentuate the kit detail rather than try to replace it. So, the first PE used is a placard for the oil pump lever. Another nice detail, which only I and the people who look at this photo will ever see.

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Probably the same result for the enhancements that go on either side of the port console control lever column. (It is the semi-circle portion with the black outline and texture. It really looks nice when added and much straighter than I can paint, but don’t know how visible it will be in the actual cockpit. It is applied to both sides.) Oh yeah, I weathered the port console with a Smoke black wash and then a dry brushing of silver, with the wires painted black.

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Next up are the straps that go over the rudder pedals. Carefully using a high tech bending tool to get the right angle (a suitably sized piece of sprue), the metal straps have been glued in place. And, I think I will leave them natural metal as I like the look. Probably not accurate, but I think it looks pretty nice.

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Started the detail painting of the port console prior to installation.

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Did a bit of weathering to the rudder pedals. Some black wash and then a silver dry brush.

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Here, the different parts are installed in the cockpit, the seat, the port instrument console and the rudder pedals and different levers. Now as for the seat; it is the kit seat and not the PE. SWMBO looked at both and thought the kit seat was “cuter”, followed by “How much longer are you going to work on this?” Using the Coupling translator for this statement (English version, not the absolutely horrible and painful American version), it turns out what she was really saying was “I am ready for you to come to bed with me, stop what you are doing and nice things will happen to you, continue to fiddle with that model and the bedroom temperatures will drop to a very Artic frigid record low.” So, equipped with my translated version, I popped in the kit seat and took my happy rear into the bedroom as I have found, if she ain’t happy, I ain’t happy. But, do not fear, the PE seat is going to find a very nice home in the Hasegawa version of this same plane. So, this was my stopping point, further updates ahead, domestic bliss has been maintained while getting a bit of modeling thrown in. Life is good.

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Back to the cockpit. Woke up early and couldn’t sleep, so I thought a bit of building was in order. The next step will be the instrument panel. I looked at the detail on the kit part and the detail work on the PE and I knew, given my limitations, I could never paint the kit part to match the PE panel. So, with great regret, I sanded off the kit panel detail to get it ready for the PE.

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So, do you think subliminally when I took the above picture I positioned it next to the exclamation mark that coincided with my feeling when sanding the detail off? Back to the project, next I painted the instrument panel frame with the base coat.

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Here are the PE panel inserts. It is a layered affair, but some dry fitting revealed it will not exactly fit perfectly on the kit instrument panel. So a bit of fiddling around is necessary.

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After trying to line everything up, this is the result. Will still need to sand a few things and blend the interior paint with the PE pre-painted panel.

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Remember the bottom of the cockpit floor that I painted interior green and then weathered. Seems as if I misread the instructions and the bottom of the cockpit floor should be metal colored. So I repainted it silver, gave it a black wash, and the drybrushed for highlights. Plus stuck some odd bits and parts on it, i.e. oxygen bottles, bulkheads, control rods, etc.

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Oops, looks like I forgot to paint the oxygen bottle regulator brass. Will need to go back to do that. Next up is the starboard side panel section. Again, there is a choice of PE versus kit parts. I did the kit parts up for the 3 different switchboards for the sidewalls. The photos have the painted kit parts next to the PE replacements.

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So while, I am debating about kit versus PE, back to the instrument panel. I have blended the two paints together for this result after putting the instrument panel in the panel frame.

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Okay, back to the starboard side panel. I have painted it up along with the different kit parts that would be attached. I find it interesting the kit instructions for painting the instrument panels differs from the way the PE parts are pre-painted. The kit instructions call for the base color of the instrument panels to be the interior green color and that is verified by the instruction book photos of the completed part. (They are quite informative, but also a bit disheartening as my version usually doesn’t match their version in quality. Oh well.) The PE parts all have a black background. I am not sure which is correct.

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After I dry fitted the kit parts and then looked at the PE parts, I had this argument with myself. The kit parts have more structural detail that I like, but the PE parts, although only 2 dimensional, are far more detailed in the painting of the details. So, after much debate with myself, I lost and went with installing the PE parts. (It hurt a bit sanding down the finished kit part.)

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Well need to get to work, so that’s this mini update. Next it will be back to the instrument panel and a bit of madness I think on my part.

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Very nice work so far, I like the weathering effects you're getting. And I'm glad you went for the resin seat, those p.e. belts look very garish & don't sit at all realistically - IMO only of course!

Looking forward to watching this one progress.

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