1:48 A6M5 Type 52 gun bays PRINT

A6M5 Type 52 gun bays in 1:48

This set by Eduard makes it possible to open up the spaces of the wing armament on a model of the Japanese fighter A6M5. The parts are made by three-dimensional printing, which tells most of all on intricate internal spaces: the feed mechanisms, the ribs and the skin frames come out sharply even where a casting from a mold would not allow undercuts. The item is intended for finishing a model in 1:48 scale and does not contain the kit itself.

The armament of the late Zero

The Model 52 version, in Japanese Type 52, was the most numerously built form of the Zero and came about as the answer to the growing superiority of Allied fighters. Its recognition features are shortened wings with rounded tips and separate exhausts, which added a little thrust. The wing armament consisted of 20 mm cannons; their ammunition feed and their housing in a thin wing are among the technically most interesting places on the whole aircraft, but on a closed model nobody will see them. That is exactly why open bays became a popular way to set a build of the Zero apart from dozens of others. Watch out for the sub-versions, though: the arrangement of the weapons changed on the later series, so the set is aimed at the basic Type 52 rendition and not at the later 52a, 52b and 52c.

Open bays step by step

First mark the cutout on the plastic exactly and remove the material in small amounts; you will not put it back. Paint and weather the interior before you close the bay up with the skin parts, because later you will not reach inside with a brush. Lay the covers slightly ajar, so that the contents are visible but the shape of the wing is not lost.

For which modelers

• builders of Japanese fighters in 1:48 scale
• those interested in open technical spaces
• modelers with experience of cutting into plastic
• builds intended for the competition table

You will not find the kit of the aircraft, paints or glue in the package.