Thanks to Louis for inviting me earlier this year to join this build. Would you believe I have only one IJN aircraft in my collection? Tamiya's A6M5 Zero that was issued back in 2008, a great kit. this group build will get me off my arse to build a second IJN fighter, this time the venerable1/48 Nakajima Frank by Hasegawa. This will give me a chance to brush up on my chipped paint skills. This looks to be a fine kit.
Look! I've already started! And it's only my first post.

Having seen other models from you here on imodeler, I will be tuned in on this build - looking forward to it too Eric! @eb801

You're absolutely welcome Eric, @eb801
I'm happy that you have decided to join in on the madness ! You picked a great kit to start out with. Judging by the picures you have already made some good progress. I'll be looking forward to your next installment...

I have that same kit in the stash, and I will definitely be watching how yours comes along, so I can "borrow" any little pointers you may have about building it. Since it's a Hasegawa kit, chances are you will not run into any problems along the way. Their stuff builds up nicely right out of the box.

and once again, welcome aboard my friend.

Michael, @michaelt
Your Hayate looks fantastic !

Spiros ...Thanks for the encouragement. I’m finishing up another build, or trying to. Now I’ve got two going at once so we’ll see how far I get on the Hayate.

Very nicely detailed cockpit there Eric!

Thanks guys. I cheated and used a Ultracast seat which is a huge improvement over the kit piece. Not sure if the cockpit colors are accurate but I don’t think it matters. Now I have to figure out which way to go with a worn chipped paint job.

Great work on the cockpit, Eric. The throttle quadrant and seat/seat belts look particular nice.

Not making much progress as I am going to be sidetracked for a while with knee surgery this week and it will be a while before I can resume. Meanwhile here's where i am as of Sunday the 12th. I sprayed the entire plane with Alclad light grey primer and then went over it it with aluminum and added the yellow. I pre-shaded it with Tamiya Nato Black acrylic and stuck the almost finished prop on just for yuks. Next up it is to apply some Mig liquid mask over the aluminum where I want chipping to be and then I will start working on the overall paint job. Might be a couple of weeks until the next progress report.