1:24 A6M2 Zero

The greenhouse of a Japanese carrier fighter

The Mitsubishi A6M2 entered service in 1940 and for the first two years of the war had no equal in the Pacific. It bought that, however, by saving on everything that weighs: the airframe was lightened to the limit, the pilot had no armor and the tanks were not self-sealing. The Model 21 could also be told by its folding wingtips, which turned up so that the aircraft would fit into the ship's elevators.

The cockpit is conspicuous for its long greenhouse canopy. It runs from the windscreen to far behind the pilot's head and is divided by a dense network of frames, because there was no other way to make such a long tunnel rigid. For a modeler that means the largest number of small frames of any machine of this period, and in 1:24 scale it becomes a job for several evenings.

Working with the inside of the frame

The sheet holds two matching sets. The first serves to cover the clear areas while spraying the outer finish, and the second copies the same layout from the inside, so that the light cockpit color can be applied to the frames visible through the glass. With glazing as extensive as this, it is precisely the inner side that sets a carefully built model apart from a quick build. The three masks for the national insignia serve for spraying the round markings, whose edge tends to be the weakest point of decals.

The procedure that has proved itself is to fit the inner shapes first, spray the cockpit shade, put the part aside to dry and only then take the outer parts and the camouflage itself in hand. Thin frames will take only a light coat, otherwise a visible ridge forms on them. The model of the aircraft is bought separately; the sheet holds only the stencils.