Hasegawa 1/72 Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Type 52 '302nd Flying Group'

HASEGAWA 1:72 A6M5 ZERO TYPE 52
"302ND FLYING GROUP"

Reviewer: Steve Papworth (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 9 May 2004

Kit Details:

Hasegawa Kit No. 00094. A6M5 Zero Type 52

Aircraft History:

This review is supplementary to Jon Hudak’s reviews of the Zero Type 21 and 32. The Type 52 followed these types into production in 1943. It was a major overhaul of the basic Zero design in an attempt to keep pace with improved allied fighter aircraft. The changes include shortening the wing span by one metre, redesigning the engine cowling to accommodate a ‘single thrust’ exhaust system and a change in armament to a belt fed type 99-2 20mm canon. The overall top speed was increased to 565 km/h.

The Kit:

The kit comes in a standard sized Hasegawa box. This contains five sprues of parts moulded in light grey plastic and a clear sprue containing the canopy. Interestingly these sprue are numbered C, Q, S, R and T. There are a number of parts included in the sprues which are not used in this kit which leads me to believe that all the Hasegawa Zero kits are related with different sprues being included in the box, depending on which version is being depicted. Eg sprues S & T are the engine cowl and exhaust system which is the major difference over the 21 and 32 variants. Whilst this makes sense from the manufacturers point of view modeller should pay careful attention to the instructions to ensure they use the correct parts for their version. The parts are of the excellent quality we have come to expect from Hasegawa. The instructions are the standard Hasegawa A4 fold out. They give clear instructions on assembly and painting and as previously stated it is important to follow them exactly.

Construction:

The kit goes together beautifully. I had no problem with flash and the part fit was excellent with no gaps.

Nine construction steps commence in the cockpit which has a seat stick and bulkhead included. Decals are used to show the instruments; these fit well and can be seen through the clear canopy so attention to detail is important. The cockpit assembly is trapped between the fuselage halves which fit perfectly.

The engine and cowling are painted and assembled before being attached to the fuselage. The wings follow; these have a single piece bottom section and two upper halves. I had no problems with the fit of the wing section but as usual I fitted whilst it was drying and slid the wing sections to cover the gap resulting in a perfect fit.

The undercarriage, whilst not detailed, do show enough for 1/72. This is assembled and then attached to the wings. Beware! The inner U/C door should not be set at right angles to the fuselage as the drop tank has to fit between them. I got it wrong and had to leave the drop tank off. The undercarriage fits well and is strong enough to support the model.

The propeller comes next, this has separate blades and spinner, which I don’t like but they fit together well. There is a second set of blade and two more spinners on the sprue so make sure you get the right one. The assembled propeller unit fits into the centre of the engine but is not cemented so you may remove it to paint the cowling. The radio aerials and canopy complete the kit.

Colour Schemes/Decals:

There are two paint schemes provided. The colours are given in Gunze Sangyo and Mr Color paint numbers but the equivalent is readily available in Humbrol if one chooses. There are some interesting paint descriptions such as ‘cowling color’ and ‘propeller color’, which don’t readily translate into Humbrol but when you consider the cowling is black and Japanese fighters generally have wood brown propeller blades it become a bit clearer. However I liked the look of John Hudak’s completed kits so I painted my propeller in silver as well, maybe it’s not correct but I think it looks good. The decals are the usual excellent quality from Hasegawa.

I chose the version flown by Ensign Sadaaki Akamatsu of the 203rd Naval Flying Group at Yokosuka in 1944. Akamatsu was pre-war trained, but repeatedly broken in rank due to his off-base behaviour, his lack of respect for superiors, and his thoroughly un-Japanese individualism. Akamatsu spent his off-base time in the nearest geisha house, drinking sake and carousing like an outlaw. He would delay his take off until the last moment, driving wildly onto the base still waving a bottle of sake while he climbed out and boarded his aircraft for takeoff. However he must have been sober some of the time as he managed to become an ace, shooting down 27 aircraft and flying 8000 combat hours. He survived the war becoming a restaurateur.

The second version is one from the 261^st Naval Flying Group. The pilot of this aircraft is not specified.

Conclusion:

Being Japanese the number of Zero kits made by Hasegawa should come as no surprise. As long as you are aware that some parts in the box belong to different kits even beginners should have no trouble with this kit. It is accurate and very well made which also should be no surprise given Hasegawa’s reputation. It builds up into an excellent representation of the Mitsubishi Zero and would complement any collection.

web hosting • domain names • video sharing
free online games • photo sharing
free blog • short URLs