Tamiya | 1/32nd A6M2 Zero Type 21
Reviewed by Jay Laverty
Excellent Pedigree
It is hard to imagine that the Tamiya A6M5 Zero is about 7 years old now, as looking in this box brings back some very good memories of what model kits are meant to be like, and with all of the kits that have been released since we received the A6M5, none have quite matched that one. I certainly wondered whether anyone could top it and thus far it seems only Tamiya have been able to do it with this release.
Tamiya’s engineering has always been something special and we have come to take it for granted that everything will fit perfectly, and come to think of it I can’t think of a Tamiya kit I have ever had any problems with. So when I saw the way that Tamiya had re-tooled the spine of this kit, along with a couple of other parts of the fuselage, it didn’t worry me in the least. Where I would be worried about seams and gaps with some other manufacturers, I am very confident here, and pleased as well, as it is plainly obvious that there will be a Rufe made out of this kit. I only hope we don’t have to wait 7 years for that!
So What’s Different About this kit?
There are some obvious changes between the A6M2 and the A6M5, and Tamiya have fortunately not cut any corners and given us an almost completely new kit. In fact there are only three or four sprues replicated from the earlier release, and every subtle change in the earlier variant has been replicated keeping the best elements of this kit intact (Including the incredible instrument panel which is done just how I like it, and this seems to be the only thing Trumpeter have not applied to their own kits inexplicably).
Tamiya have added new wings, Fuselage and a cowling as well as some of the details that distinguish the A6M2 from the A6M5. The retractable landing gear (much more refined and less clumsy than anything Monogram ever did) with it’s excellently rendered metal detail is still a feature on this model, and when I make mine I think I will have to model my kit in the taking off pose that is illustrated on the side of the box. I could rattle on endlessly about each newly represented detail and how well they stand up to scrutinizing against reference material, but that would border on the unbearably boring so I will let the accompanying pictures show you how good the kit really is.
Unfortunately I had read somewhere on the web that there are those of the opinion that this kit is a response to what Trumpeter have been releasing recently. Nothing could be further from the truth. The recessed rivet detail and the various components like the metal flap hinges were a factor in the A6M5 long before Trumpeter’s Wildcat made an appearance. Trumpeter had obviously looked very closely at the 2000 release of the A6M5 and had been impressed. That is not to take away from the accomplishments Trumpeter have made, as they are certainly giving us great quality models of subjects we would most likely not have seen in our lifetime from Tamiya or Hasegawa, but this kit is a perfect example of how far ahead Tamiya is when it comes to engineering injection moulded model kits.
Markings and Details
There are some slight changes to the etched frets layout, with the addition of a couple of details pertinent to the A6M2, with the clear parts remaining almost completely unchanged. Once again though there is an addition of some components unique to the earlier variant.
The decals are in perfect register and provide no less than seven variants, which is well above the normal amount for a 32nd scale kit. All of the representations are for aircraft that took part in Pearl Harbour, so I imagine it will not be long before we see a flurry of releases from the aftermarket decal producers.
I am of two minds with regards to the stickers that are included for the seatbelts, as with the etched detail added to them I imagine they will look quite nice, and they are definitely much more pose-able than any colour photo-etched belts there are, but I think this would much better suit a 48th scale kit rather than 32nd. I personally think that in 32nd a bit more relief is required, and you can get that with photo-etched.
What’s the Verdict?
I’ll stop short of urging everyone to buy this kit regardless of whether they want it or not just to get Tamiya to make more 32nd scale kits, (I couldn’t believe that one!) but I will say that if you wondered about getting this kit for any reason, I would stop wondering and start buying. You will not be disappointed. How could you be? Beautiful and accurately rendered detail, easy to assemble, a kit that will build into a stunner from the box, while being eminently suitable for sinking some aftermarket money into this kit, it has just about everything. Plenty of markings options, Metal and etched parts included, and add to that the fact that the box become a “pre-labelled” storage container and I fail to see what more , if anything, anyone could want from a model kit. Tamiya released the perfect model kit 7 years ago and now have repeated that perfection while giving us a completely new variant of an airframe that played an important role in the Pacific Campaign.
I definitely recommend this kit very highly to anyone and everyone.
this kit is available from any of the LSP sponsors and can most likely be found at your local hobbyshop as well.
I am currently working on a fully detailed build article of this spectacular kit for Model Airplane International and keep your eyes out here at LSP for a build review as well.
© Jay Laverty 2006
This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Wednesday, May 18 2016