On opening the box you will find the sprues are moulded in light grey and contained in 2 clear bags, which also hold the decals and the clear canopies. Two sets of instructions are packaged, with one set in Japanese text. There is also a nice colour plate included in the box to help with the painting guide.
The kit
The fuselage and wings have the unusual mix of recessed and fine raised panel line's. The wheel wells are fairly detailed but do not seem as deep as the later kits. All the control surfaces are moulded in place and would require some skill in positioning them to different angles.The sides of the cockpit on the inside of the fuselage are quite detailed on one side but there is nothing on the other side. The engine is just a half-moulding, so displaying it with the cowl removed or open requires some work and aftermarket parts.
There are 2 canopies in the kit to give you the option of open or closed canopy.
What's different
The A6M2 moulding is slightly different to Tamiya's A6M3 and A6M5c kits, with a new cowling, which has a different exhaust set up and a longer wing span.
Instructions & decals
The instructions are very easy to follow and understand with painting guides to parts as you go along.
The decals seem rather thick, but on past experience seem okay after application. There are markings for 5 aircraft included, two of which are for the later green top surfaces and grey underside aircraft. The other 3 markings are for the overall grey with one of the set based on the aircraft carrier Akagi at the time of the Pearl Harbour attack.
Conclusion
Despite the age of the kit, it has stood the test of time as there is no flash present and sink holes are in places that won't be seen or an inconvenience.
The kit is a nice and cheap alternative to the more modern releases and you can still build a decent model from this old Tamiya offering.
SUMMARY
This is a follow-up to Jean-Luc's review of the Tamiya family of Zero's. The Zero is probably one of the most modeled W.W 2 aircraft around and the Tamiya kit is around 25 years old. This kit is not up to Hasegawa or later Tamiya standards, but for a lot less money you are still getting a good kit.
About Andy Brazier (betheyn) FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH EAST, UNITED KINGDOM
I started modelling in the 70's with my Dad building Airfix aircraft kits. The memory of my Dad and I building and painting a Avro Lancaster on the kitchen table will always be with me. I then found a friend who enjoyed building models, and between us I think we built the entire range of 1/72 Airfi...
