Another Reason to Love Mr. Color

Last night, I decided to paint the Airfix A6M-2 Zero which I put together four years ago. (Nothing moves quickly around here.) I pulled out my jar of Mr. Color Hemp only to find the paint solidified in the bottom of the bottle. For most brands of paint the only solution to this problem is to toss the jar in the trash. However, with Mr. Color you can bring it back to life. I added a very generous dollop of Mr. Color Leveling Thinner and let the jar sit a few hours. After a couple of vigorous stirrings and an overnight sit, I now have paint that is ready to be thinned and sprayed. Just another reason to love Mr. Color!

Flying Heritage Collection Hangar Opening

On Friday, I was lucky to attend the Grand Opening of the Flying Heritage Collection's new hangar at Paine Field.  Here are a few pictures.

The newly restored Hellcat had its first flight only a few weeks ago.

I know the scheme is slightly controversial, but I really like the look of the A6M2 Zero.

The MiG-29 is back on display.

This is not a common sight in US flying museums. (The IL-2 is having a little work done on the flying surfaces.)

More of the IL-2. Some inspiration for the new Tamiya kit.

Actual Modeling

With fall hitting the Americas, it is time to get back to modeling.  I currently have the Airfix A6M2 Zero and the Eduard Hellcat on the bench.

The Zero is a nice kit that, unfortunately, has been lapped by the brand new Tamiya A6M2 Zero.  I found it to be a rather easy kit to build, and the price is right, but many commentators have exaggerated about the panel lines.  Sure they aren't Hasegawa fine, but they do not detract from the model.  The Zero actually has a chance to be completed thanks to my generous girlfriend who bought me some Eduard masks that you can just barely make out on the right side of the photo.  This way, I won't be hung up for months trying to work up the nerve to mask the canopy.

The Eduard Hellcat is the Weekend Edition, so no extras, but also a pretty nice price.  I had a hard time with the wing fit, hence why I chose to glue in the wings before joining the fuselage.  This allowed me to apply a goodly amount of force to get them to seat properly which was still needed even after copious sanding.  Oddly, I have not seen this problem mentioned in any review.  While many love the panel lines on the Eduard kit, I find them too fine and much too easy to erase with sanding.  Guess I'm just out of touch with most of the online modeling world.

Heck, maybe I'll even finish something this fall or winter...

Aviation of Japan

As I have become more interested in World War Two Japanese aviation, one blog that has become required reading is Nick Millman's Aviation of Japan site.  It is a goldmine of useful information, both modeling and full size.  Today he has posted a few of my A6M3 photos with some interesting commentary.

Flying Heritage Collection Fly Day - Zero

On Saturday, I attended the Flying Heritage Collection's Fly Day and Zero Debut.  This Zero was rebuilt into two seat configuration from a wreck recovered from New Guinea in 1991.  Restoration was started in Russia, and continued in Chino, California andWenatchee, Washington. It has assumed the ID of Mitsubishi A6M3 # 3852/N3852 and looks pretty snazzy in its brand new paint scheme.

Impaling and Some Bondage

Actual progress at the bench!

The Airfix Sabre 5 has been primed. I think I'm going to finish this up as Hawk One during its last stages of life with the RCAF. Might even experiment with SNJ polishing powder on my usual Tamiya spray can silver.

The Airfix Zero is moving swiftly. I've had more fun with this kit then anything I've build in quite a while. Maybe my new found interest in Japanese aircraft is a good thing, as it is a topic I know nothing about. Since it is not RCAF or RCN I'm not AMSing or obsessing over details and/or markings, so I can just get on enjoying the build. Plus it is a damn nice kit.

Legend Flyers Zero Restoration

While in Seattle last week I got a chance to visit Legend Flyers in Everett and check out their Zero restoration project. This Zero is an A6M3 (s/n 3148) recovered from Taroa Island and is being restored to flying condition for the Evergreen Museum in Oregon. It will feature an original Sakae engine rather than the more common American engine seen on the majority of flying Zeros.





The drop tank will probably need to be completely reconstructed, but it does give a good idea of the colour of the red primer used on Zeros.



The instrument panel.