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Pedro L. Rocha
39 articles

Eduard Profipack ZeroSaburo Sakai A6M2

April 6, 2022 · in Aviation · · 21 · 1.6K


Those you happened to stumble on my WIP journal over at the Empire of Japan GB pages will know I got this kit Arcturo very end of last year (actually got it home right after Christmas) and plunged right it to it.
Also, as it so frequently happens what was to be a few weeks time to get it done got into 3 months, some 50 hours or so, building it.
Most of that time went into paint experiences and correcting some foolish mistakes made along the journey. The most serious of these was sending the two exhaust pipes to the garbage along with their sprue tree… thank god for 's customer service proficiency!
There are a few fiddle parts, like the UC legs and such but nothing anyone can't cope and get serious results.

I won't get much into the famous ace that flew this plane during 1942 right up to his most famous dogfight and return flight over Guadalcanal, as Saburo Sakai life is easily found online and some iModeler members, especially Tom Cleaver, can provide the extra details to his pilot exploits.

Here are several outdoor and indoor light pics, hope you enjoy… I sure did!



















Reader reactions:
21  Awesome 1 

2 additional images. Click to enlarge.


21 responses

  1. An absolutely gorgeous result, Pedro! And an equally great build thread! Thank you so much for enriching the already successful Empire if Japan Group Build with yet another superb entry!

  2. A true gem, Pedro @holzhamer
    It is if you are looking to a real aircraft, even the close-ups show the quality of this build.
    Detailing, weathering, all is excellent.
    Thanks for sharing your building progress in the group build.
    Well done.

  3. That's a great looking Zero, Pedro. A lot of weathering but still not over done at all. A real eye-catcher.

  4. Beautifully done!

  5. Very nice indeed.

  6. The paint work on this is truly outstanding. This definitely looks like a Zero in the South Pacific. I love it.

  7. Pedro,

    Often, a finished kit is a reflection of how much time, effort and thought when into a build. Having followed your build blog and being prejudiced by the results, it was interesting and informative. The build was organic and evolved into really showing to good effect on how far Eduard has researched and developed the surface detail ,engine details, cockpit and landing gear details in their 1/48 scale Zero kit. Your painting techniques and weathering and photography did a good job of partnering with Eduard to make for a outstanding build.

    Definitely, a teach a man how to fish blog while, being a good reference for future projects.

    Two thumbs up.

  8. Pedro - just an echo really. I don’t think I have seen a zero painted better in this colour - I really like the flat finish and the weathering. It’s exemplary. I think you’ll see a lot of builds follow this style now!

  9. Really super job on this Pedro, the paint and weathering are outstanding. Best build of this kit I've seen!

  10. Excellent work, it just looks beautiful, and you really brought this kit alive. I have in the past had zero interest in the Zero, but after seeing your build and watching some other build blogs on other sites I am thinking I would love to build one. It is a testament to the build quality of builders like you and quality of this kit. It just looks like a fun and entertaining build.

  11. What a great Zero my friend!
    The weathering looks great. A good sample to follow for future proyects.

  12. Echo...yeah you really nailed this. The paint fade looks like I believe a well used A6M would appear after 6-7 months of SoPac operations.

  13. Hi Pedro, for one reason or another, I’m trying to have nothing to do with military models of any kind, at least for a while, but this is so good I couldn’t ignore it. I understand that Eduard’s kit is good but you’ve really lifted the bar with this one.

  14. I am a huge fan of paint and weathering that brings a model to life, especially one with a monochromatic finish. I will save this link as a reference!

  15. Thanks you all for the very encouraging words!
    I do apologise for not replying individually as usual, so my only appeal is if you have any hint of interest on the Zero, do yourself a treat and buy one of these kits. Its a strong candidate for Kit of the Year imo

  16. Ha ha, which year, Pedro?

  17. Love the weathering! Excellent result.

  18. Olá!
    Great work. The painting and weathering look stunning!
    Parabéns!

  19. Wow, looks amazing. Nicely weathered. Thumbs up

  20. Beautiful Zero. Amazing work!

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