Focke-Zero?

[matrixone]

Just completed my latest ''What-If'', a German A6M5c in JG 54 Reich defense.

This model was built from the Academy 1/72 scale kit, Model Master enamel paints were used and decals from my spares box.





Matrixone  

[Ollie]

Nice model, but why?

It'll ge ripped to shreds by the Stangs, the Bolts and the Spits, not to mention the mighty Tempest!

Go RCAF!

 

[matrixone]

Thanks Ollie!

Why?  Just for the fun of it!



Matrixone  

[cthulhu77]

I really dig it...seems to me that the germans would have been throwing everything possible into the sky at the end...and this is certainly a deathtrap, but a very COOL looking deathtrap !!!!

         greg

[Ollie]

Why? Just for the fun of it!

Good reason!

 

[John Howling Mouse]

Well, you're just getting plain freaky good!

Could you argue that the a/c is upgraded by the Germans to remove prior known faults of the Zero?  Remember, it's your What If world.  Maybe the Japanese and Germans got tighter in 1945-46, German industry was doing just fine and they saw the merit of building an aluminum skinned version c/w better motor, pilot protection, etc.

I still suggest you get new trees as the ones you have now do not do the rest of your fantastic diorama justice.  They look like miniature versions of the too-perfect (fake) artificial Christmas trees that were first available on the market.

In fact, if you cannot make/obtain more realistic miniature trees, may I suggest you get out some small snips and purposely (partially) thin down the ones you have?  Make each one more irregular and less symmetrical.  And you can make them less identical to each other, too.  You could airbrush them a few shades of matte greyish green too as they might be less chromatically distinct if they were in the distance.

As for your aircraft subjects themselves, "I'm not worthy!!!!!!!!!"

[dragon]

I would like to add a request: could you please take a picture of the first JMN that sees this?  The expression on their face ought to be priceless!  

[Allan]

My god Matrix,

Doesn't she just look so natural in German camo and markings?

Love it to bits, mate.

Allan in Canberra

[Tophe]

Apart of buying ready-to-use Zero, perfectly-illustrated here (congratulations ), it would have been (maybe) possible for Focke-Wulf engineers to transform it into a long-nose Zero: in-line engine and exhaust pipes, and a radial cooler in front of a long nose  
What-if... ^_^  

[NARSES2]

Matrix that's stunning !   and the Accademy kit as well !

A very quick glance at view from above makes her look like a two seat FW190 conversion

Chris

[lancer]

Awsome Matrix, with the 801 engine strapped on the front it makes her look so damm purposeful. I would imagine the germans would have put a bit of extra armour on her before throwing her into the fray though? And, as Narses says, it looks so damm right in luftwaffe markings.

[Madoc]

M1,

Nice work!  That Zero in Luftwaffe colors just looks so... wrong!  Yeah, it'd give a JMN jibbering fits - which makes it so right!  Especially if you concoct some reasonable sounding back story to it.  Something like a technical exchange program between Germany and Japan which started up just prior to the war.  Thus, the Germans got a single (i.e. 1) Zero to play with.  Once the war started it was stranded in Germany and, for a modest fee, the Japanese sold it to the Luftwaffe.

After having been put through the full extent of the Luftwaffe's technical evaluation, the plane was assigned to an air defense unit in the Berlin sector.  The Zero's lack of high altitude performance rather handicapped its bomber intercepting abilities and the reluctance of Allied recon pilots to get into any dogfighting whilst flying at low level served to negate the Zero's superior low altitude and low speed manuverability.  Thus, for all its capability, the Zero in German service was not well recieved.  The ultimate disposition of this particular aircraft remains unknown.  Perhaps it will still be found in some abandoned and here to fore forgotten German bunker deep in the Austrian mountains...

Madoc

[Patrick H]

Looks good I'd even say it looks great. and again, great pictures. They make it look like actual old pictures.



Patrick

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Nice model, but why?

It'll ge ripped to shreds by the Stangs, the Bolts and the Spits, not to mention the mighty Tempest!

Go RCAF!

Now there's an unfair fight if ever there was....

I'd give the Zero about the same odds as a Kitten up against a hungry pitbull with a tire iron !  

I H-G

[matrixone]

Thanks very much John, dragon, Allen, Tophe, NARSES2, lancer, Madoc, Patrick, and Ian!

John,
Yes those trees really suck but I will use them for the rest of the year until I can find time to make a new section for my photobase, my next big project will be a large hanger that might include some damage from air raids. I already bought $45.00 worth of plastruct to build it.

It was a poor choice I made marking my Zero as a frontline fighter, it would have been much better if it had markings from a flight training or fighter school.

Some people really dislike my models, I get hate E-mail from time to time, the Zero is really getting lots of negative comments! Much more than my big tailed Fw 190A-9 did.

This may be my last what-if model for a while, my next model will likely be the 1/32 scale Bf 109K-4 in ''real'' markings. Maybe the nasty E-mails will slow or die off.


Matrixone