Review: Fine Molds 1/48 A6M5 Model 52 – Quick Look
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that a couple of 1/48 A6M5 Type 52 from Fine Molds had popped up for sale at Sprue Brothers for $42. One kit represents an IJN Zero from Nakajima, while the other is an IJA Zero from Mitsubishi. My first thought was "Do we really need another 1/48 Zero". I have always liked Fine Mold kits, so I took a chance and bought one. After opening the box, I can positively say that these kits look amazing. It looks like a version of this kit was released in 2024, but I don't remember seeing it before. I thought it might be worth passing on a few photos of the model. If it builds as good as it looks, then we can expect some great models.
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- 1. Fuselage around the cockpit is one part down to the wings.
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- 1. The rear fuselage is one piece.
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- 1. Canopy frame are separate from the glass and are extremely sharp and thin.
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- 1. Cockpit interior is attached to the forward part of the fuselage.
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- 1. Interior parts are well printed and detailed.
Oh I would love to lay my hands on this kit! Thank you for sharing. The engineering looks very innovative, with unusual parts breakdown, solid cockpit framing and that one-piece rear fuselage (no seams to sand - I'll take it!)
Enjoy the build!
Thanks for stopping by. I have built Fine Molds before, but this is really over the top.
The neat thing about this model is that it echos how the Zero was constructed. With the rear fuselage being split from the cockpit section and the stabs just like the real thing. The wings are in one piece. The engine and fire wall echo the real thing. The canopy framing with the clear plastic inserts is of interest too.
Hi, Stephen (@stephen-w-towle). I didn't know that the model mirrored the actual construction. Very cool. This should be a fun kit to build. And with the canopy frames separate, I won't need to get canopy masks.
G’day @gblair,
One of the limitations of the Zero is that the entire wing (except folding wing tips) and the central fuselage (cockpit area) were manufactured as one part.
That was great for reducing weight, but it meant that you couldn’t replace a damaged wing in the field.
That meant that the Japanese had a lot of minor damaged but non-flyable aircraft.
I’ve seen this kit online for $$$, so haven’t bought one yet.
Hi, Michael (@michaelt). I didn't know that about the Japanese planes. The way the major parts are broken down in this kit you could almost build a construction diorama using the kit parts. When I first looked at the price of this kit it seemed high, but then I compared it to the price of the newer Tamiya kits and discovered its price was less than the those kits.
LOOks very good!
It does look good, doesn't it, Bernard (@lis).
That looks like a really nice kit, George!
Yes, it does, John (j-healy).
Well, just took a look at Sprue Brothers... now they got one less 🙂
Hi, Brian (@wyvern1965). I did a double take when I saw it online. I hadn't heard anything about this kit coming out. And according to Scalemates, this kit was first released in 2024. I suppose it is possible that the kit wasn't released in the states?
Until you had mentioned Sprue Brothers, I had only seen them on ebay from sellers in Japan... for 2-3 times what SB has them for. And they even have two, as you mentioned---I grabbed the Nakajima one. Thought about the Mitsubishi one also but I have 40+ Zeros in the stash now, so I held off. We'll see...
Like just about everywhere else, most of the brick and mortar hobby stores within driving distance have closed, leaving just one small store with limited stock. I try to do as much as I can in my local store, but they carry limited paints, limited kits, and no PE or masks. This pretty much means I get that stuff online, which is where I discovered online stores such as Sprue Brothers and Squadron.
The only one around me is in Renton, WA, about 25 miles away. Must get up there again. Meanwhile, my Zero arrived today... what an interesting way to do it! I'm just getting back into this after 35 years, so this will wait for the skills to build up on the old Hasegawa/Tamiya ones. But it sure looks neat.
I've loved Fine Molds kits since I made a number of their Star Wars kits. I've really fallen in love with their F-4 and F-15 series of kits (despite being 1/72) because they're so easy to build with a minimal amount of seamwork (which is my least favorite part of a build) to do.
I'm really impressed with the Zero parts breakdown. Between Bandai and Fine Molds, both companies can lay claim to being the best model kit designers around.
Hi, Dan (@dbdlee). I'm with you on the Bandai and Fine Molds kits. I have a bunch of the Bandai Star Wars kits, and I am slowly building up my stash of Fine Molds F-4s and F-15s, and I just got their 1/72 F-14A. So many models, so little time. :o)
Thanks for this excellent review, George!
It looks like a fun kit, Spiros (@fiveten).
This looks a really nice kit, George @gblair
Nice to see how they have a different approach on the fuselage parts and also the way they created the framing of the canopy. No more need for masking the transparant parts.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi, John (@johnb). I was thinking that I might still need to mask the canopy. I am one of those modelers who likes to add the glass before painting so that I can smooth the joint, if needed. I know there are some modelers who add the glass after painting. If you add the glass prior to painting like I do, you will still need masks to protect the clear parts. I do like the idea of painting the frames first, adding the glass parts to the fuselage, then just masking the whole thing instead of individual frames.
Looks like a fine well designed kit. Having the canopy frames separate from the glass is nice touch. Guess I’ll have to add this one to the must build pile, George @gblair.
Hi, Eric (@eb801): I am intrigued by having the frames separate from the glass. I remember a long time back there were some kits that did the same thing, but the frames were really clunky looking. The frames in this kit are very thin and finely molded. I think this kit is really a next level sort of engineering.