The kit's mostly together now. Just a few more bits and bobs to stick on then I'll mask the canopy and start laying down some paint.
Filled all the fuselage and wing gaps. This kit is really nice, if you have any interest in Zeros and would like one in 1/48 scale I can definitely recommend the Tamiya one. The fit is really good, very few gaps to fill, I like the way the wings are done as the moulded spars and wheel well locks in the dihedral. So without any real effort there's almost no gap at the wing roots and the dihedral looks good. Likewise the horizontal and vertical stabilisers fit in nice and firmly in a good position so no fiddling around trying to get the alignment right.
I filled gaps with Gunze's Mr Surfacer. Previously I've used putties like Squadron putty but this time I decided to use Mr Surfacer because I always struggle to get a flawless finish with putties. I think it worked well, basically airbrushed on the Mr Surfacer, it gives you an idea of where the gaps are, sand it off, apply a bit more Mr Surfacer with a hairy brush, sand it off and it's good to go. If it's a particularly large gap it might take a few applications, but you can sand it within a few minutes of painting it which means it comes together quickly.
For the interior aotake I used Gunze's metallic blue green, but in hindsight I like the look from a distance but up close the metallic grains are too noticeable, so I've bought some Tamiya clear green and clear blue which I'll try and use in the wheel wells and flaps.