History

There is so much out there on the Zero that I will not take up too much time with the history of it. The A6M2 Model 11 went into operation in 1940. After a short production run it was modified in November, 1940, to have folding wings (Model 21).

The Kit

This kit is made up of 2 sprues of grey injected plastic and 1 clear. The parts are flash free and have very fine detail and I did not notice any sink marks. The decal sheet gives you markings for 3 different aircraft of the 2nd strike unit and was flawless.

Scale Aircraft Conversions comes to the rescue again with another of their white metal landing gear upgrades. One of their latest upgrades is for the Czech Model F2A-3, Special Hobby F2A-2, and the Model 239 & 339 Buffalo kits.

The replacement parts included are the main landing gear (MLG), retraction struts for the MLG, uplock roller brackets (not in the kit), barrier guards for MLG, and three different tail wheel assemblies. There is one tail wheel assembly for the F2A-2 and -3 and the Model 239 & 339.

I will say that the MLG that SAC provided is a step above the kits’. Yes, there is a small seam that you will have to clean up, but it would be not even be close to the work that is involved in the two kit pieces that make up the kit MLG.

The fit of the MLG also seems a lot nicer than the kit part in gear well.

I would recommend this to anyone that has these kits as an upgrade to the kit parts.

Scale Aircraft Modelling is an excellent monthly publication focusing on modeling scale aircraft. The name of the publication gives that bit of information away rather easily.

Averaging just under 100 pages, SAM is filled with “build” articles featuring some of the newer kits on the market as well as projects based on old favorites. In this issue (Vol 34, Issue 09) a number of featured articles cover a range of subjects, both jet and prop.

Neil Pinchbeck, also featured in the last issue, provides an excellent article presenting the Valom Scale Aircraft Saunders Roe A.29 Cloud. The Cloud is a seaplane used by some British airlines in the early ‘30s. Neil’s article provides an excellent guide for those who wish to construct this kit of a rather nostalgic aircraft.

This kit is everything one expects from the Special Hobby label – an interesting subject not often kitted, superb casting with no flash, excellent detail, PE and resin parts, fine decals, and a bit of work to get it all together. Those with patience will be rewarded with a fine kit of a subject not easily available elsewhere.

Five sprues with 74 light gray and 30 transparent (yes, this plane has LOTS of windows!) greet one upon opening the box. There is a photo etched fret with 36 larger brass parts and at least that many smaller parts representing the levers. There are a number of extra levers for the control panel, and it’s a good thing. I have big thumbs.

6 casting plugs with 31 resin parts make up the bulk of the cockpit and the machine guns. These are very well cast and come off the plugs easily and with no breakage.

There are 2 pieces of film for the instrument panel, which work well also.

The Kit

The kit comes in a well-constructed box with a glossy photograph of a built model and the decal sheet on the front. Along the sides are more pictures of the built model and a brief description of the one-to-one vehicle. Inside, you will find over 240 parts on eight sprues, seven soft rubber tires, a comprehensive and colorful decal sheet, and a chrome adhesive sheet. Everything, except rubber tires, is individually wrapped in plastic. Parts for the body are molded in a glossy black metallic finish. The other parts are molded in a semi black finish; there are clear parts for the glass and a small chrome tree. The instruction sheet is a sixteen-page booklet. It has well-illustrated and easy-to-follow directions. The last two pages are dedicated to decal and chrome adhesive placement.