Tamiya 1/32 A6M5 Zero Tweak List

By Ryan Toews

Notes on the 1/32nd Tamiya A6M5

24 March 2019
Ryan Toews

The Tamiya A6M5 has rightfully garnered praise for the high degree of quality that it exhibits. Alas, it is not perfect, and so the following is a list of some of the details that could be added or changed in order to improve the kit.

In the following the headings refer to the sub-sections in the Tamiya kit instructions.

Section 1

The cockpit interior should be FS 4098 for a Mitsubishi A6M5 and FS 4255 for a Nakajima built Model 52.
The rivets on the rear cockpit deck should in fact be raised, they were not flush.
The cockpit decking should be black on both the Mitsubishi and the Nakajima built A6M5s.
The cutout for the loop antenna just behind the rollover pylon should be opened up to measure 5.5mm x 2mm (180mm x 60mm).
The ammunition expenditure counter E3 can only be found on the early A6M2 and therefore should be left off. However, the hemispheric lamp should be attached just below E26. It is overall natural aluminum.
The two CO2 (not oxygen) pressure bottles E62 were part of the fire extinguisher system introduced with A6M5 c/n 4275 (built early Dec '43). Prior to that date there was only a single horizontally or vertically mounted CO2 bottle in this location. Unfortunately it is impossible to determine which of these two positions was in use.
The edge of the rear wheel well opening follows the pattern of a Mitsubishi Zero. A Nakajima Zero will need to have this edge modified to a slightly “wavy” configuration.

Section 2

A16 is a rack for the RDF receiver. If the RDF system is present the RDF receiver should be added. It is a dark green colour.

Section 3

The Type 3 Model 1 radio E17 should be a semi-gloss green slightly darker than 4138. The two mounts on the top and the single one on the bottom were rubber bungee cords and should be dark gray or black. The transverse bar on the bottom should be gloss black. This radio was officially in use with A6M5 c/n 4354 (built in the latter half of Dec 43). Prior to that the A6M5 used the same Type 96 Model 1 Radio found on the A6M2 and A6M3.

Section 4

Mitsubishi did not paint the steel parts in the cockpit black as was found in the Nakajima planes. Thus E35 and E36 should be overall black on Nakajima planes and cockpit interior green on those built by Mitsubishi. In both cases the knob at the end should be black. The paint applied to the points where parts E35 and E36 attach should be black only on Nakajima Zeros.
The body of the Type 3 Model 1 controller (E30) should be a semi-gloss green slightly darker than 4138. The knobs should be black. A Zero built prior to late December 1943 would not have such a controller installed and would be using the earlier Type 96 Model 1 radio as found on the Tamiya A6M2 kit.
E29 is the Type 1 model 3 RDF controller. If the RDF system is not installed this rack should be empty. It would also be necessary to remove the raised square on the base of the rack. If E29 is not installed the lamp at the front of the unit should still be present. The lamp is overall aluminum.
Part E81 has no black on its handle in either manufacturer’s case.
The tail hook release handle was not present on the A6M5s built after early October 1943. For a later A6M5 E4 should not be added and the base on which it is mounted should be removed completely and the lightening holes drilled out.
If the RDF system is not installed X-18 should have the top circular section removed and just the base put in place.
The hydraulic pressure gauge on E-37 should be cut off leaving the outer edge of E-37 parallel to the side against the fuselage wall.

Section 5

The buff painted “pencil holder” was not found on all aircraft and should be considered optional.
The fire extinguisher control box sitting on the small shelf at the rear of part E22 should be removed on all Mitsubishi A6M5s built before c/n 4275 (early Dec '43). From early to late December the FE control box was in the position seen on the kit, but after the change to the Type 1 Model 3 radio in later December the FE controller was repositioned against the rear left cockpit bulkhead. Prior to the adoption of the fuel tank fire extinguisher system on A6M5 c/n 4275 the shelf below the kit’s FE controller housed a dynamotor for the Type 96 Model 1 radio. The introduction of the FE system necessitated the relocation of the dynamotor to the rear fuselage.
Note two “boxes” just forward of the large fuselage rib with the lightening holes. They are indicated to be painted black (X-18). This should only apply to the forward “box”, the machine-gun safety lock. The other “box” should be the same colour as the rest of the cockpit.
A “bicycle chain” needs to be attached leading backwards from part E31.
The throttle on E82 should have a dark blue handle instead of black.
The side console E38 should have gauges in all four cut-out holes.
The two small aluminum (XF-16) “cylinders” at the back of E38 are the controls for the pneumatic cannon charging system. Move the outer “cylinder” backwards to the rear edge of the panel and add a pressure gauge forward of the relocated “cylinder”. This gauge can made using the unused Decal 49.

Section 6

On the right floor of the cockpit is a rectangular box with three handles on top of it. This box should have a round lightening hole in each of its four vertical sides.
In front of this box is a fitting that was already deleted during the production of the A6M3. It should be completely removed flush with the cockpit floor.
A U-shaped metal strap, which held the pilot’s feet in place, needs to be added to each of the rudder pedals.

Section 8

As mentioned above, Mitsubishi did not paint the steel fittings in the cockpit black. Thus the painting instructions for parts E5, E6, E12, E13, E72 and the crosspiece to which these attach apply only to Nakajima planes.
Part E23 should be black or the cockpit interior color for Nakajima or Mitsubishi respectively.
A white, gray or black colored bungee cord should be fitted over the two Parts E23 from about one third of the way back from the seat on parts E12 and E13.
Three oxygen bottles (one on the right and two on the left) were already present on the Type 22 Zero and so remained in use on the later A6M5.

Section 9

The magneto switch in the middle of the lower left tier of instruments should be black.
The crank on E25 should have a yellow shaft and a black handle.
The small rectangle inscribed below the compass should be white. This was a paper card with notes on compass deviations.

Section 12

The machine guns were more likely to be a gun-metal gray colour rather than black at this stage in the war.
The oil tank was painted with aluminum paint.

Section 19

On the underside of the wing the small rectangular opening just ahead of the front spar between the wheel wells had a removable cover. It could either be closed off or left open as it is on the kit.

Section 20

The interior side of the small inner wheel well doors should be aotake for a Nakajima Zero and underside olive-gray for a Mitsubishi built plane. In either case the U-shaped arm should be black.
The small folding rear corner of each door should be bent outwards unless one is going with the folding landing gear function.

Section 22

The functioning landing gear unfortunately compromises the detail in the wheel wells. However, the wells should be painted with aotake on a Nakajima Zero and be the same olive-gray as the underside of the aircraft for a Mitsubishi model. If the folding landing gear option is not used these parts could be rebuilt.
Round lightening holes should be drilled between the ribs in both the front and rear of the outer section of the wheel wells.
Each well should have the brake lines added and the left well should also include the two lines running out to the pitot tube.
Detailing the wheel wells could also include the addition of raised rivets throughout.

Section 24

The interior side of the wheel well covers B12, B13 and B14 should be underside olive-gray for both a Mitsubishi and a Nakajima Zero.

Section 27

E74 comprises the cannon charging pressure tank and the Type 3 Model 1 radio dynamotor. The tank should be painted dark brown. If a post-November 1943 A6M5 is being modeled keep the black painted dynamotor in place. If the Zero in question has the earlier Type 96 Model radio the dynamotor should be moved to the small shelf below the kit’s FE control box. (Also refer back to Step 5 above).

Section 30

The use of moveable ailerons means that the aileron actuating rods cannot be included. If this function is forgone add the rods from B10 into the wing.

Section 31

The bomb included in the kit is not accurate for any Japanese bomb and is best left off.

Section 32

Parts H2 and H3 can be painted either gloss black or aluminum paint.
The trapezoidal-shaped piece molded as part of the lower landing gear and to which the lower wheel well cover is attached should not be painted black but is actually finished in the same olive-gray paint as is found on the underside of the plane.
The outer side of the lower landing gear strut should have a vertical weld seam.

Section 33

The upper landing gear covers E51 and E52 should not have a “step” in the lower outer surface. These were actually each a single sheet of aluminum with small “angle iron” strips fitted along the edges.
The interior side of the wheel wide covers should be underside olive-gray for both Mitsubishi and a Nakajima Zeros. This includes both parts E52 and E64 and parts E51 and E65.

Section 34

The wheel well cover weight indication decals (28) supplied in the kit are correct for the Mitsubishi built A6M5. Nakajima used a simpler scheme that used only red over a double-width blue stripe or a single red stripe.
The inside face of the lower landing gear covers should be underside olive-gray for both Mitsubishi and Nakajima Zeros.

Section 36

The small hub of the tail tire should be natural aluminum.
The tail gear should have a canvas covering fitted to it. The canvas seems to have varied from tan to light-green to dark green but would very quickly have become soaked with hydraulic fluid.
Only the attachment fitting and the actual hook of the tail hook should be black. The shaft of the hook should be either the same olive-gray as the plane’s underside paint or, more commonly, aotake in the case of a Mitsubishi built Zero. Nakajima built Zeros would all have had the tail hook shaft painted with the same olive-gray paint as the underside of the plane.
The interior of the tail hook well should also be the same color of olive-gray paint as the rest of the plane’s underside.

Section2 37-42

Several errors exist in the engine. The first of these are the missing baffles that fit between at the end of each cylinder. Eduard includes these baffles in their photo-etch set.
Parts D12 and D13 should be affixed to the engine by small triangular arms instead of the oversized round fittings used on the kit.
Starting with A6M5 s/n 4550 built in mid-February 1944 the lower exhaust pipes were shortened in length 80mm. As this is about the time that Nakajima began production of the A6M5 it can be assumed that any Nakajima Model 52 had the shorter exhaust. Thus for an early model Mitsubishi A6M5 parts C5, C6, C23 and C24 should be lengthened by 2.5mm.
The engine painting instructions could be more detailed. The engine colors described in a TAIC wartime metallurgical report on a captured Sakae 21 are given as follows:
- Cylinder head: black paint
- Cylinder barrel: black paint
- Rocker box cover: black paint
- Push rod housings: black paint with NMF fittings at each end
- Baffles (between cylinders): black paint
- Intake manifold: black pain
- Crankcase: greenish-gray paint (the nose section is held in place by 14 NMF bolts)
- Blower case: gray paint
- Gear case: gray-green paint
- Gear oil pump housing: gray paint
- Fuel pump case: black paint
- Fuel pump support: gray-green paint
- Gun synchronizer housing: gray paint
- Ignition system conduit tubes: gray paint
- Ignition system cables: black leatherette covering
Scott Negron has described the original gray paint on the USAF Museum Zero engine as virtually identical to a sample of RLM 76 or FS 6473.

Section 43

The front cockpit decking A17 should be black for both the Mitsubishi and Nakajima A6M5. The rivets on it should be raised.
The rectangular heat shield panels on the accessory section covers were only found on the Nakajima-built A6M5. On the Mitsubishi A6M5 these panels were square measured from the front of the heat shield panels.

Section 45

The small PE strut insert may have only been found on the Mitsubishi-built A6M5. However, this is not yet been totally confirmed.

Section 46

A “U” shaped handle should be added to the inside lower right front and the vertical latching rod mechanism to the left front of the sliding canopy.

Section 47

The antenna mast C19 should be the same green as the upper camouflage of the plane.
The RDF antenna A11 should be black. The thickness of the loop itself is correct but it should have two vertical reinforcements on either side of the loop as seen on the PE version of this part. The loop antenna should be mounted to a base that is inside the fuselage and allows the antenna to extend through the opening.
The inside of the canopy framing should be painted black.

Section 48

The very early Mitsubishi A6M5 had a NMF prop (with the rear face painted dark red brown) and an aluminum painted spinner. In September/October 1943 this was transitioned to a red-brown prop and spinner. Nakajima, still producing the A6M2, seems to have followed Mitsubishi's lead. However, at least on sub-contractor to Nakajima continued to supply spinners right until the end of the war that were painted with aluminum paint.

Section 49

The landing gear position indicator should have the outer facing side painted red for both the Mitsubishi and Nakajima built A6M5. The inner sides of the Mitsubishi Zero had this face painted black with a small white square at the upper end of the indicator. The inner face was then protected by a layer of clear plastic riveted onto the indicator. Nakajima did not use this protective cover and simply painted the inner face red with a white square patch at the top of the indicator.
The spinner has small depressions (three in total) between each of the propeller blades. These are the openings for the prop de-icer system and should be drilled out.

Section 50

The radio antenna wire should run back to a bungee cord that was looped through a small hole in the rudder post. This cord was twisted to prevent it vibrating in the slipstream and was connected to the antenna wire with a white glass insulator.
The starboard navigation and formation lights (F8, F10) should be clear blue, not green. The yellow light from the incandescent bulb would thus appear green.

Section 52

A round filler cap needs to be added to the top front of the drop tank E67.

Paint

Apart from the references to paint application provided in the text above there are a few additional points to consider.

Mitsubishi built A6M5s had the upper surfaces camouflaged with its variation of a dark green paint given the designation of D-1. This colour was close to FS 4052. Mitsubishi chose to paint this camouflage pattern with a straight demarcation line running along the length of the fuselage from the rear of the wing root to the tail. The undersides of the planes retained the same olive-gray paint (designated J-3) previously used as an overall camouflage scheme. This olive-gray paint had a value of FS 6350.

Nakajima also used a very similar olive-gray paint on the undersides of its A6M5s. However, Nakajima applied its variant of D-1 which was an upper surface camouflage of a dark green with a value closer to FS 4077. Nakajima’s underside colour (J-3) was virtually the same as was used by Mitsubishi.

Some suggested paint matches are:

Mitsubishi Upper Surface D-1 FS 4052
- Model Master Marine Corps Green (enamel - 2025)
- Tamiya IJA Green (XF-13)
- Gunze IJN Green (H-59)
Nakajima Upper Surface D-1 FS 4077
- Model Master Imperial Japanese Navy Green (enamel - 2116)
- Tamiya IJN Green (XF-11)
Underside Surface J-3 FS 6350
- 2 parts Model Master SAC Bomber Tan (1792 - enamel) / 1 part Model Master White (1745 - enamel)
- 3 parts Tamiya XF-76 / 2 parts Tamiya XF-49
- 1 part Gunze / Mr. Hobby RLM 02 (60) / 1 part Gunze / Mr. Hobby Hemp (336)

Decals

The decals that are provided could be supplemented (or replaced) with aftermarket products. The one source for supplemental details is the Tamiya A6M2 kit from which the following decals could be added to the A6M5.

Mitsubishi A6M5
- 52/53: replace A6M5 Decal 20 with this decal with two warning stencils
- 94: lift here (same as A6M5 Decal 40)
- 96: prop spinner marking only for an aluminum painted spinner
- 102: centre of gravity markings
- 105: fuel tank covers replace A6M5 Decal 7
- 107: alignment markings
- 108: alignment markings
- 109: step location arrow
- 111: red step here marking
- 113: sub-assembly placards
- A6M5 Decal 29 should be replaced with a olive-gray patch of the same colour as the rest of the plane’s underside.
Nakajima A6M5
- 52/53: replace A6M5 Decal 20 with this decal with two warning stencils
- 95: lift here (longer than A6M5 Decal 40)
- 96: prop spinner marking only for an aluminum painted spinner
- 104: centre of gravity markings
- 105: fuel tank covers replace A6M5 Decal 7
- 108: alignment markings
- 109: step location arrow
- 111: red step here marking
- 112: sub-assembly placards