Doyusha 1:100 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero-Sen 21

[A4K]

Received some great gifts recently from a mate who visited, including 2 models fom a hitherto unknown brand to me.

The company is Doyusha, from China, and they produce a huge range of 1:100 and 1:144 scale kits, prepainted on the sprues. They sell in mixed bags of 10 kits, the buyer not knowing which kits are in the package. My mate's LHS however opens the bags and sells the kits as single items.

Detail is superb! Parts are airbrushed and canopies brush painted.
Each kit comes with a display base, and the series seems to consist of 20 or so major aircraft types, in many different versions and schemes. The most common seems to be the Zero, with 32 or so kits (including the capturd A6M5 in ATAIU SEA markings).
Doyusha also make a ground crew set, a deck diorama set, and 6 of the kits even come with motors to spin the props!

This kit is No.78 of the 1:100 'Tsubasa Collection', and is basically the A6M2 kit no.13 in special markings. Among the sprue components, there is an optional bomb, centreline rack, and A6M3 prop. Not being applicable to this kit, they are left unpainted in the original light blue plastic.

Anyway: pics of the kit as she comes, and progress so far...
(Ivett would not be amused, but the external detail is so great I am considering making a decent cockpit for her. Various external details will also be enhanced by painting and weathering too (MG barrels, ejector slots, etc).

Enjoy!

 

[Shinpachi]

What an interesting stuff you have got, A4K!
They are selling at the convenience stores in my town.
Only kids or maniac adults buy them

*Micro motor is said option.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvRITiKDy98

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alptN_klsv4

 

[A4K]

Hirohiko says we're both just big kids (and Ivett agrees ), so that explains it!!

These are great little kits - (especially with that motor running, hmmm...) - have you made any yourself Shinpachi?

 

[Wurger]

Looking really very nice my friend.

 

[Airframes]

Interesting stuff, and a great way of getting a good collection of small scale aircraft, quickly.

 

[Shinpachi]

- have you made any yourself Shinpachi?

No, sir.
Sorry but my hobby is this - repairing old cameras...
Please tell my best wishes to Hirohiko!

 

[A4K]

Dzieki Wojtku and cheers Terry!

Arigatou Shinpachi, I will! I've talked to him about the forum, and he asked if there were other Japanese modelmakers here, so I mentioned your 3D A6M8 project. Want to send him some links, and hoping he will join!
(Asked him about the Sai-un aswell, will post a comment on Panagioti's thread when I've written all the information out)
- and no need to be sorry for your hobby, I have full respect for anyone who enjoys repairing or restoring things.

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for everything, A4K.
I can't wait his grandfather's testimony soon!

BTW, our member ppopsie is also a scale modeller, precisely a scratch builder, from Yokohama Japan though I don't hear from him lately.

 

[A4K]

Arigatou shinpachi!
Hirohiko will be pleased. He's a great modelmaker, working mostly model railways, but has a ceiling full of aircraft models aswell (his favourites being WW II Allied types)
His train layouts have been in Japanese magazines, and his co-work in club layouts have been displayed publicly. Hoping he will tell us all more himself sometime.

Also, I remembered wrong - it wasn't his grandfather who designed the Sai-un, but Uncle: Fukuda Yasuo. His grandfather, Fukuda Ichiro had been a Rear Admiral in the IJN!

Evan

 

[Wayne Little]

does look like a cool little kit...

Aircraft was flown by Lt. Masao Sato Buntaicho or Squadron leader from the IJN carrier Zuikaku Dec.7th 1941.

 

[Shinpachi]

Fukuda Ichiro, his grandfather, is also famous for his many books about the IJN submarines.
Awesome!

 

[A4K]

Thanks Wayne! I thought it was a Pearl Harbour bird, but didn't want to say till positive!

And thanks too Shinpachi! Yes, Hirohiko said since losing his position when the IJN was reduced, he concentrated on submarine development. He lived to 103 years of age!

 

[rochie]

good stuff Evan, those kits look similar to the range of 1/100 pre painted airfix kits, the bases are the same as well !

 

[A4K]

Cheers Karl, and really? Haven't seen the Airfix kits -wonder if it's the same moulds/ manufacturer??

 

[rochie]

called mini series if i recall correctly, quite good range as well

 

[A4K]

Cheers mate, will check those out! Wouldn't be surprised at all if it's the same kits, considering the way the model market has turned in recent years.

 

[smackers]

They are the ones released by Airfix Evan, they released 4 Zero's from Collection 10
The Doyusha Tsubasa collections can be found here. You'll notice kit collections are listed in reverse order hence my link direct to page 2.
The Doyusha Wings Collection EX can be found here.
There is another collection of sorts but i don't know much about it, pretty certain it's a lot that has not been pre-painted so is more like normal kits.
What Airfix released was just a mere selection from what i've seen and they never released any of the Ki-44 Shoki, Ki-61 Hein, Ki-84 Hayate or N1K Shiden-Kai versions.

Not sure if you've heard about thewaybackmachine? It's a website that takes screenshots of sites on internet and archives them for historical purposes which is useful as alot of sites (especially shop sites) are constantly changing. If you have bookmarked a site and all of a sudden that bookmark is no good because the host has gone bust or something then try the waybackmachine and see if the info you want can still be got.

The link for the waybackmachine is here

I used the site to find the Airfix kits from their sale back in June 2010 here
I do know the Airfix releases came in 2 styles of packaging and i know for certain that some subjects were changed as the "Old Crow" i have is fully camouflaged and not BMF as in the later release (and on the link i supplied).
Just how many different kits were done by Airfix is something i'm not certain of.

Mike

 

[A4K]

Thanks for the info Mike!

Admittedly this has been put aside at the moment, awaiting a scratchbuilt cockpit, as with the Ki 61 'Tony' (also a Doyusha Tsubasa collection kit). Simply too many other things to do at present.
Would like to get some more of these in the future though, so your links will be very useful - thanks!

Evan

 

[smackers]

Just bought a couple of the unpainted kits from a well known auction site, arrived today.
Appears to be 6 in series, 1) A6M5 2) Ki-43 3) J2M 4)Ki44 5)Ki-61 and 6) Ki-84. Also note no stands included.

Mike

 

[A4K]

They look nice, great scores mate!