HASEGAWA 1:72 MITSUBISHI A6M8 TYPE 54/64 ZERO

 

Reviewer: Johan De Wolf (contact via SMAKR webmaster)
Kit Review submitted:  28 March 2009

Kit Details:

Aircraft History:

Most modelers will be aware of the history of earlier Zero versions, but this last one is less well known. I certainly never heard of it until I stumbled upon this box. All through its development the Zero gained more weight through added armor and heavier armament. It never got a bigger engine though. After the relative ineffectiveness of the A6M5c and A6M6c the Japanese Navy finally realized that a more powerful engine was needed if the Zero was to keep up with the new allied fighters. So it gave permission to install the 1500hp Kinsei 62 engine. Due to the larger diameter of this engine a new cowling was fitted. Partly because of this and partly to safe weight, the fuselage guns where omitted The carburetor intake was enlarged and a bigger prop was fitted with a larger spinner. Wing armament stayed the same as on the type 52. The wings itself were modified to be able to carry two 150l drop tanks. This freed the fuselage centerline for installing a 500kg-bomb mounting. Two prototypes where completed in April 1945. Flight-testing revealed no serious problems but the oil cooling system was revised. Top priority was given to a production order for 6300 machines but none was completed before the end of the war.

The Kit:

Packed in a familiar Hasegawa box you will find a bag with 5 grey sprues, a bag with the resin parts and a bag with the white metal prop. The clear parts are bagged together with the decals and a further two bags with the etched parts and white metal cannons barrels. The injection-molded parts show a little flash here and there, but have crisp detail. The canopy is thin and very clear. The resin parts are bubble free but a bit less crisp than the plastic parts. A slight rub down is needed for the white metal parts, to get rid of the mould seam. The etched parts are of high quality, as are the decals. The fit of the parts is excellent. The clear instructions are in the usual Hasegawa style and leave no questions.

Accuracy:

The dimensions are spot on. Others before me have already commented on great accuracy of the new mold Hasegawa Zeros. This one is no different because it is basically an A6M5 with a new engine. However I have not been able to find a picture of the M8 version so I cannot comment on the new engine. Although the new engine is not that much bigger, the finished model surely looks like a Zero on steroids. The new engine spoils the thoroughbred lines of the previous versions, but makes the aircraft look a lot more menacing.


© Johan De Wolf 2009

Construction:

This starts with the cockpit which is made up of a floor with molded on side console and rudder pedals, a stick, a seat, the rear bulkhead and an instrument panel. The only details on the floor are no less than 5 ejector pin marks which had to be removed. I added scratch built rudder pedals here. I also drilled out the lightening holes in the rear bulkhead. There is no detail on the cockpit walls either but again 2, this time slight, ejector marks. After removing the blemishes I added some structural detail. As the fuselage guns were omitted on the A6M8 make sure you use the instrument panel without the gun breaches. There are decals for the side console and instruments. The etch set only provides parts for the bomb. Why it doesn’t contain seatbelts is beyond me. A missed chance if you ask me. I added seatbelts made from masking tape. Next the fuselage is closed up and the deck in front of the cockpit can be added. Don’t forget to remove both gun barrels here. 

Next the wing can be added. Here I needed a bit of filler, both at the front and the rear connection to the fuselage. The stabilizers fit without a problem. The engine is still the same as in the A6M5 kit and it looks decidedly too small. However with the cowling and big spinner in place it can barely be seen. So I decided to just use what’s in the kit. The exhaust arrangement is the same as on the A6M5. I thinned down the rear end of the resin cowling to a more scale like appearance. While dry fitting the cowling I found that the position of the exhausts do not match the slots in the cowling flaps. Even beside that, the fir of the resin cowling is very poor. Even with a lot of filing and sanding I could not get it to sit right so that the prop is in the middle and the slots fit over the exhaust, while the centerline is aligned correctly with the fuselage. In the end I decided to remove the cowling flaps completely and install the plastic ones from the A6M5. This solved the alignment problem and the exhaust now fitted correctly on one side. On the other side they are still slightly mismatched. As I glued the plastic flaps to the resin with superglue it would be impossible to remove them without a major disaster so I decided to leave it as it was. I used the arrester hook, but in hindsight I wonder if it was fitted to the real machine, as the Japanese navy had lost all of its aircraft carriers at this stage in the war. Before installing the canopy I added a reflector gun sight. 

Next the various external details were fitted. The white metal prop needed a good clean up and a sanded the blades slightly thinner. The bomb consist of a resin body with 8 etched metal parts. It is very fiddly to put together, but I succeeded in the end. However I decided not to use it, as it just looks out of place on a Zero. I did use the external wing fuel thanks though as I am sure the thirstier Kinsei would need a larger supply of fuel to stay airborne for a meaningful time.


© Johan De Wolf 2009

Painting & Decals:

Colour calls are in Aqueous Hobby Color, Mr. Color numbers and generic term only. No FS or other, more widely available, references. Over here, where neither of these paint brands is available, this is a bit of a problem.

Painting details are given throughout construction. The decal sheet gives two options: Markings are for the second prototype and speculative markings for a machine based with the Yokosuka aircorps. Both machines are painted in dark green over pale grey (green?), with a black cowling and a brown prop.

The decals went on without a problem but had even more of a problem conforming as they are double thickness in case of the roundels. Having learned from my experience with the A6M1 I left the Hypersol in the drawer this time.


© Johan De Wolf 2009

Conclusion:

Another fine Hasegawa kit. The only thing missing from the Zero line now is an A6M1. I know there was a kit by Gartex but its difficult to find and even without the collectors’ value it costs its weight in gold. Talking about price, this Hasegawa kit is not exactly cheap either, and for this price I would have expected a little more cockpit detail.


© Johan De Wolf 2009

Major Colours Used:


© Johan De Wolf 2009

References:


© Johan De Wolf 2009

 

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