So, I'm plodding away at this punishment of a kit. I manage to fight back after punch this thing throws at me...until tonight. Having attached the life raft tube and headrest behind the cockpit, and discovering, with absolutely no surprise that the two uprights that are supposed to meet over that assembly don't, and really, why would they, and when I get them to meet, I'm going to have to fill the sinkholes and the ridiculous seam that will no doubt result. It was then that I thought that I should get the canopy and make sure that it would fit over this mess after all this trouble. It was then that I realized...

I can't find the clear parts sprue.

Worse, I can't remember ever having SEEN the clear parts sprue.

I tend to do things in a particular order when opening a kit and I have a special place where the clear parts of my kits go so they don't get damaged. They weren't there. I also don't remember inspecting them and putting them in their place like I always do.

I then proceeded to rip apart my workshop, open every kit that's recently come in, I dumped out the garbage, I pulled everything apart. Nothing.

I'm not proud of what came next.

I carefully removed all of the parts that I had cleaned and placed on fixtures for painting from their perches. I then gently placed the engine, wings and fuselage half/cockpit subassemblies with the other parts, and I proceeded to break every single piece into tiny pieces and throw it in the trash.

What's worse, I'm not even mad. It was cathartic. It felt good to be rid of that kit.

I build for enjoyment. I prefer to build well engineered kits that are designed well and reasonably accurate. If I'm REALLY interested in the subject, I'll muddle my way through the fitting, sanding, filling, filing to get what I want. This was one of those kits. It was within my skills and abilities, but I not only wasn't enjoying it, I was dreading it. I usually am happy to get down to the workshop, put on some music and have hours pass by like minutes. Not this time. I found myself looking for excuses not to go downstairs.

To be honest, rather than the sinking feeling of dread that I would feel on a project I was enjoying upon realizing that I'm missing parts, I actually felt relieved.. It was as if I was let off the hook. I could have looked around for a replacement, but i had no desire to do so. Now I have to think about what I can build for this GB. I have Tamiya's and Hasegawa's A6M2 kits, as well as a Rufe. I'll have a look at them and see if any of them have markings for a Midway combatant.

Wow Frank that's bad news, (I think)...

I have had some kits fight me like that. Sometimes you just do what you have to do. If you're not having fun while building something, then something is wrong. This is supposed to be a hobby. Relaxing and fun.

Another project will come along...

However Bernard has a point. If these parts are still salvageable.

If not, it may not be too hard to convert an older Tamiya Buffalo into a dash 3. As far as I know it's a fairly simple process that involves cutting the nose along a seam and adding a small 7/32 inch (I think) wide strip of plastic, then joining the nose back on. It would probably be easier if the strip you're adding was the same approximate thickness as the original fuselage parts. Then you could add some stiffeners inside to help make it a strong joint.

There is a slight difference on the canopy too, but nothing that can't be done.

I've thought about doing this same thing to one of my older Tamiya Buffalos that I built many years ago. It needs a re build, especially on some of the fuselage seams, and has a lot of incorrect colors on it.

My skill set back then wasn't the greatest...

Who knows, inspiration happens at the weirdest times...

Well, with the apparent end of the "Buffalo", may I suggest either an A6M2, or an Aichi D3Y1, "Val"? Both kits are available from our local hobby store, and Hasegawa makes a really nice kit of either... I did notice one A6M, but it was an Aleutian attacker, not a Midway. I also don't recall seeing a "Val" on the list at all... just my two cents

Wow what lousy luck Frank. Only threw away one kit that I remember, had the same feelings as well. The bright side is the sky's the limit now, keep on modeling my friend and have some fun doing it.

Okie doke. I have decided that I will be building Tamiya's 1/48 A6M2 as D11-105 No.6 Koku Sentai aircraft carrier Junyo as part of the attack on Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island, June 3-4, 1942. In order to replicate the tail codes, I'll have to butcher a pair of decals from the Tamiya Rufe.

Frank, if the letters are red, I have a sheet you can use. I used them on my "Claude"
DII-109. Same set also comes is Black, White and Yellow, available from the sprue crew

Nice choice Frank, I'm sure you'll have a better experience with this kit.

Hey Frank.
Here's a link to another website that specializes in WW2 Japanese aircraft.

http://www.j-aircraft.com/faq/navy_message_board.htm

There are 5 pages here on nothing but the A6M Zero ! There is a whole lot of information there on colors and markings. They are stating that from preserved relics and parts recovered from crashed planes that the colors are very close to FS 16350 or FS 34201. Another close approximation is German RLM 02.

I spent several days looking through this information, taking notes, etc. before I started painting on my "Koga" or "Akutan" Zero here on the Midway Group build.

Here's a link on the build which also has some decent color photos taken from my Federal Standards color book, and various photos of the plane through the building process.

http://imodeler.com/groups/75th-anniversary-battle-of-midway-group-build/forum/topic/tamiya-148-scale-mitsubishi-a6m2-zero-as-flown-by-petty-officer-1st-class-koga/?topic_page=1&num=15

As far as replicating the blue / green "Aotake" protective finish, this is how I do it:

I paint the area in a bright aluminum or silver shade. The brighter the better...

Then I use Tamiya X-23 "Clear Blue" and spray the silver / aluminum area. I go back to various places and spray it again to make the clear blue thicker in these areas. It will give the clear blue a variation in color typically found in "Aotake". Then I randomly use X-24 "Clear Yellow" using the same process. This gives the 'Clear Blue" a little greenish colored tint in the areas where you used the yellow.

This is another link below, that shows how someone else does the same process as I described to you. (But they also have some decent photos of similar relic parts).

http://www.partworkmodels.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=173&t=7559

Here's a photo of the variations found in the "Aotake" finish from several relic pieces.

The first picture shows quite a variation in color and came from the forum at "Large Scale Planes"

The second photo came from Ron Coles website. He features relic parts combined with his art for sale... very cool stuff here too.

Please go to the J Aircraft website and do some reading. Draw your own conclusions, then paint it in the colors you think are correct.

I went with FS 34201 by Model Master on my build. It's a color called SAC Bomber Tan. The bad news is that it supposedly has been discontinued... Get it while you can.

I also used FS 34096 for the cockpit color since it was a Mitsubishi built plane and FS 35042 for the cowling and area under the canopy. This is the same color used by the US Navy during WW2, as "Dark Sea Blue"... believe it or not.

I sincerely hope this helps.