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Academy new Zero in 1/48. Question about markings.


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Hi, I just ordered the new Academy Zero in 1/48th. The box indicates "The Battle of Midway 80th anniversary" and I wanted to build a Zero during that battle.

Comparing the markings in the Eduard kit (Tora! Tora! Tora! boxing) with the ones in the Academy, I realised Academy offers some of the same markings present it the Eduard kit.

 

My question is: did Academy offer the kit as "Battle of Midway" but included markings from the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 or, as it is also possible, the aircraft maintained their markings and pilots from December '41 to June '42?

 

You can check both manuals on Scalemates:

 

Eduard kit page: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/eduard-11155-tora-tora-tora-zero-a6m2-type-21--1379226

 

Academy kit page: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/academy-12352-mitsubishi-a6m2b-zero-fighter-model-21--1452835

 

Eduard instructions: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/2/2/6/1379226-40-instructions.pdf

 

Academy instructions: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/8/3/5/1452835-65-instructions.pdf

 

 

 

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Just giving my opinion as I’m not an expert but I had a similar problem when building a A6M2 for my Midway collection

 

-most likely some surviving aircraft from Pearl flew at Midway, the Japanese carriers were consistently in action after Pearl.  Replacement planes and crews would have been needed.  Given that, Other than the specific aircraft numbers, the planes still had the same markings.  Akagi zeroes would still have a single red band, with AI-1 _ _  on their tail fin.  Though there is some debate whether Hiryu and Soryu changed their aircraft codes when Admiral Yamaguchi changed the flagship of that carrier division from Soryu to Hiryu.

 

-all the Zeroes at Pearl were Mitsubishi built

 

-by Midway, they were also operating Nakajima built Zeroes, if you didn’t know, the paint Colors are different from a Mitsubishi plane.   Finding a colour I was happy with was frustrating.

 

-I could not find any information that could tell me whether a specific plane at Midway were Mitsubishi built or Nakajima built, except for the A6M2 that crashed upon Midway island being a Nakajima machine.

 

 

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Hi Benner, thanks for the information.

 

The Academy kit indicates all markings were built by Mitsubishi, so I'll use AK Real Colors cockpit colour for that one (I also have the Nakajima cockpit colour).

 

I think I'll stick to the kit markings and assume Academy did their homework and that aircraft markings (and pilots) didn't change much from late '41 to mid '42.

I should receive the book "Shattered Sword" today and it might have some more information about the Zeros in the Battle of Midway (or so I hope).

Edited by madcow
punctuation error
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Okay, I have just received the book. If the book is right, some of the pilots on the Academy kit are not on the roster of the Japanese carriers during the Battle of Midway or, if they are, the rank is not the same (it's higher). I am now more convinved that Academy just copied the markings from Pearl Harbor.

 

-- EDIT --

 

I had missed this before. Academy's kit provides markings for Fusata Iida. The thing is this pilot died during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Edited by madcow
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Too bad the only pictures during Midway of Japanese planes are the blurry ones of Hiryu’s B5N2 attacking Yorktown.

 

The reason I built the A6M2 that crashed on Midway was people examined the wreckage, there would be little doubt whether it was Nakajima or Mitsubishi built.

 

Shattered Sword is a book I plan to purchase one day.

 

Will you building any other Midway planes?

 

 

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11 hours ago, Benner said:

Will you building any other Midway planes?

 

I will. All in 1/48th, except for the Academy PBY-5 (I don't have it yet), which will be in 1/72.

 

I already have two Accurate Miniatures/Academy SBD-3 and decals for Dick Best (the Academy kit has markings for this one) and Wade McClusky (using Starfighers decals), the Academy (Accurate Miniatures) SBD-2 which I'll try to convert to Lofton Henderson's aircraft. I just need to change the markings.

Also, an SB2U-3 from Academy (Richard Fleming's markings).

Yesterday, I received Eduard's new F4F-3/4 "Midway" boxing and I'm waiting for Special Hobby's F2A-3 Buffalo to arrive.

Finally, I want to buy GWH's TBD-1, but I can't find the new boxing (which has the parts with the correct landing gear height for a plane on the ground).

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On 3/2/2023 at 6:55 AM, madcow said:

 

Finally, I want to buy GWH's TBD-1, but I can't find the new boxing (which has the parts with the correct landing gear height for a plane on the ground).

There was some mention that GWH/GW was re-releasing their 48th TBD, and that it has both the bomb and torpedo parts, plus both configurations of defensive MGs and the choice of landing gear.  And that they ditched their masks, which were' less than useful'.

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4 hours ago, metroman said:

There was some mention that GWH/GW was re-releasing their 48th TBD, and that it has both the bomb and torpedo parts, plus both configurations of defensive MGs and the choice of landing gear.  And that they ditched their masks, which were' less than useful'.

 

Apparently they did. The problem is they re-released the kit with the same reference (4807). If you buy it online, ask which box they'll send you.

 

New box:

gwh-l4807.jpg

Old box:

s-l1600.jpg

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