Hi Patrick thanks for the compliment! I've figured out the way to chip the paint that looks best to me. I use a metaliser by Gunze that looks just like aluminium when sprayed on and if over coated with another colour will literally peel off if you apply masking tape to it. But I trialed it on the bottom only as I wasn't sure how the two paint types would mix. Seems to be fine so when I build my next subject and I want to chip the paint I'll use this technique.

Okay so I've finally got her finished! I've painted the pitot tube and the navigation lights. Weathered the landing gear and the flaps. Unmasked the canopy and cleaned up. All in all I'm pretty satisfied with the results. The seat makes an enormous difference to the cockpit as does the photo-etch. Replacing the kit barrels with metal ones was also a vast improvement. This kit represents the physical appearance of the Zero very well with raised rivets and recessed panel lines where appropriate. But is let down by the actual age of the kit with it's poor mouldings of the cockpit and barrels. It's simply an age thing as the moulds themselves still seem to produce reasonable sprues with little flash.

Anyway here are some pics of the finished article.

Chris,
Nice job! I really like the way you've weathered this Zero.

Gaz

Cheers Gaz! It's been a bit of a learning curve but I've got a technique sorted out that I think will render a very life like effect for chipping. And the weathering while a little heavy in places was pretty much what I was looking for.

Nice job Chris ! Looks like the Pacific environment and losing the war has taken it's toll. What's next ? Richard

Thanks Richard! It's a harsh environment and some airframes fared worse than others. It's fine line between just enough and too much.

As to what's next well I'm in 11 campaigns (yes 11 what can I say) currently and I have completed 3 of them. I've got my Pacific Coast Models 1/32 scale Hurricane to finish for the "Other guys campaign" and I have two other kits underway for the ETO campaign and the Soviet Phoenix campaign. They are a 1/72nd scale Mk-IV Blenheim night fighter and the ICM 1/48 scale Polikarpov I-153.

I'm also deciding what to build for the flying boats campaign and I've got to get the 1/48 scale Airfix Supermarine Walrus for the "I really wanna build this" campaign. Assuming it'll be available for the campaign if not my second choice is the Airfix 1/48 Bolton Paul Defiant. I'll be blogging about the builds for both campaigns.

I've got another campaign that I'll be running in August the ANZAC brothers in arms for which I've settled on a Staghound Armoured car of the New Zealand 19th Armoured Division in Italy.

There's probably a few other campaigns and models I've forgotten about but that's the current stuff. Too much information?