User Name : Wayne Little
First Name : Wayne
Category : Judge - Non Competing
Manufacturer/ Model : Eduard Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
Scale : 1/48
Extras : Not really Extras…Some Eduard Etch & Seatbelts and canopy masks in the Kit…!
I have a series of Zeroes that I have been jumping back and forth on doing a bit at a time during and in between other builds, mostly Group Builds for quite a number of months, much longer on some…..
So in short….abandoned or on hold for differing periods of time…
This Group build now gives me the opportunity to get some of them actually finished quicker than my current schedule and It's my Favourite OTHER aircraft along side the Fw190D/Ta152 series.
This first "Zombie" is from the Eduard series of Zero releases. A fair bit of work has been completed to the point it has already had preliminary painting started, but has been sitting unattended for a couple of months.
The subject aircraft is an A6M2 Zero flown by Warrant Officer Kanichi Kashimura
582 Kokutai based at Buin Airfield Bouganville in March 1943.
On the 6th March 1943 in a fighter escort mission Kashimura was shot down and Killed, his aircraft coming down in the shallow waters of Pavuvu Island in the Russell Islands.
This A6M2 was a Nakajima built zero confirmed by the White surround to the Red fuselage Hinomaru, another unique addition to this aircraft was the White Horizontal stripe painted on the Cowling, thought to be a Shotaicho or Flight leader marking, as opposed to the normal Tail Band Stripes usually used to identify Command Structure aircraft of One, two or 3 Coloured Stripes.
The Double Red Chevron markings identify a Kokutai 582 Chutai Leader, while another feature was the addition of Yellow wing Stripes which were applied to all Aircraft from October 1942 to further help identify Japanese aircraft in combat as friend or Foe.
The aircraft is noted as carrying the identification code of 2185 in some other sources and in the kit which has been carried forward over time but not in fact confirmed to date from any early source, One additional more recent source gives the code as being 2187 and I would lean towards this option, taken from the below Reference.
The front view photo of the lower cowl seems to show the top round '0' portion of an 8 and maybe a Horizontal portion of the top stroke of a 5 or a 7 along side of the '0'…?
It could also be Possible that there may be better unpublished image of the reference photo that does show the number as '87' hence the possible Tail code of 2187.
Reference: Pacific Profiles Volume 5 Japanese Navy Zero Fighters Land based, New Guinea and Solomons 1942-44
Michael John Claringbould with Ed DeKiep and Ryan Toews.
Photo's :
1. side view from the internet, Source Unknown for this image which actually shows the Yellow Wing stripe, barely visible in the other photo source at J-Aircraft.com. and also seen at Pacific.Wrecks.com.
2. Front View : J-Aircraft.com. reference article, also in Pacific Profiles Vol.5 page 103
Both Images used only for their Historical reference to the subject matter.
Note, There is One additional image at J-Aircraft.com that shows a heavily stripped fuselage where the 2 Diagonal Red Stripes are plainly visible.
First Name : Wayne
Category : Judge - Non Competing
Manufacturer/ Model : Eduard Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
Scale : 1/48
Extras : Not really Extras…Some Eduard Etch & Seatbelts and canopy masks in the Kit…!
I have a series of Zeroes that I have been jumping back and forth on doing a bit at a time during and in between other builds, mostly Group Builds for quite a number of months, much longer on some…..
So in short….abandoned or on hold for differing periods of time…
This Group build now gives me the opportunity to get some of them actually finished quicker than my current schedule and It's my Favourite OTHER aircraft along side the Fw190D/Ta152 series.
This first "Zombie" is from the Eduard series of Zero releases. A fair bit of work has been completed to the point it has already had preliminary painting started, but has been sitting unattended for a couple of months.
The subject aircraft is an A6M2 Zero flown by Warrant Officer Kanichi Kashimura
582 Kokutai based at Buin Airfield Bouganville in March 1943.
On the 6th March 1943 in a fighter escort mission Kashimura was shot down and Killed, his aircraft coming down in the shallow waters of Pavuvu Island in the Russell Islands.
This A6M2 was a Nakajima built zero confirmed by the White surround to the Red fuselage Hinomaru, another unique addition to this aircraft was the White Horizontal stripe painted on the Cowling, thought to be a Shotaicho or Flight leader marking, as opposed to the normal Tail Band Stripes usually used to identify Command Structure aircraft of One, two or 3 Coloured Stripes.
The Double Red Chevron markings identify a Kokutai 582 Chutai Leader, while another feature was the addition of Yellow wing Stripes which were applied to all Aircraft from October 1942 to further help identify Japanese aircraft in combat as friend or Foe.
The aircraft is noted as carrying the identification code of 2185 in some other sources and in the kit which has been carried forward over time but not in fact confirmed to date from any early source, One additional more recent source gives the code as being 2187 and I would lean towards this option, taken from the below Reference.
The front view photo of the lower cowl seems to show the top round '0' portion of an 8 and maybe a Horizontal portion of the top stroke of a 5 or a 7 along side of the '0'…?
It could also be Possible that there may be better unpublished image of the reference photo that does show the number as '87' hence the possible Tail code of 2187.
Reference: Pacific Profiles Volume 5 Japanese Navy Zero Fighters Land based, New Guinea and Solomons 1942-44
Michael John Claringbould with Ed DeKiep and Ryan Toews.
Photo's :
1. side view from the internet, Source Unknown for this image which actually shows the Yellow Wing stripe, barely visible in the other photo source at J-Aircraft.com. and also seen at Pacific.Wrecks.com.
2. Front View : J-Aircraft.com. reference article, also in Pacific Profiles Vol.5 page 103
Both Images used only for their Historical reference to the subject matter.
Note, There is One additional image at J-Aircraft.com that shows a heavily stripped fuselage where the 2 Diagonal Red Stripes are plainly visible.