Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $35 (estimated) Web Site: www.tamiyausa.com When Tamiya releases a new kit, ears usually perk up and here's their latest. It is newly tooled Mitsubishi A6M5 or 5a Zero. The kits comes molded on three nicely done gray sprues for the plane, a clear sprue for the canopy, gun sight and wingtip lights. There is also a sprue containing four different figures. A set of decals allows you to make three planes- all green over gray. There is also a set of decals for stencils and a masking set for the canopy. To be released separately, there will be a photoetched set of wheel chocks, seat belts, and turned gun barrels which will be about $15. A note on the prices. These are not announced yet here in the states- probably due to transport costs. I estimated the prices from Japan but wouldn't be surprised if they were higher. The cockpit is a gem- closely duplicating their 1/32 scale effort. There are options for open closed engine cooling flaps, raised or dropped flaps and options for each of the M5 and M5a variants. To handle this, Tamiya used separate panels for each top and bottom wing to accommodate the variants. The tail is a separate piece and there are two types of spinners for the propeller. Two different style drop tanks are included. The plastic and engraving is Tamiya and nothing further needs to be said along those lines. Time to dive in- look for a quick build of this kit. Based on the panels and tail breakdown, I am sure other variants are to follow. My thanks to Fred Medel and all of Tamiya for making the kit and giving myself and IPMS/USA the opportunity to review it.

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