1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

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pmmaker
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1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by pmmaker »

Since I build primarily for fun these days, my builds take me a bit longer as I work on them only in small one to two hour increments over a period of weeks and sometimes months. This one was something a bit different – a “quick, get it done NOW” weekend build.

I was able to grab this one off the “bargain” table at my local brick and mortar hobby shop for under $10.00 US – an older
release, 72nd scale Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp.

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This clipped wing version of the Zero was also known as the Zeke 32 and flew in the Solomon Islands where it's reduced range (due to a larger engine that resulted in the reduction of the forward fuel tank and thereby the fuel capacity being decreased) caused problems for Japanese pilots patrolling "the Slot". Eventually the Zero 32 was outclassed by newer allied fighters and replaced by the later A6M5.

This kit which is a bit old went together fairly easily. Internal details are sparse, consisting of a cockpit “tub” and a detailed pilot figure. I used a metallic blue just to add some contrast color. These old Hasegawa Zeros have no wheel wells. If I was building to my usual standard, I would have fabricated them using plastic card stock. But since this was a fast project, I just left the model as it was molded. Painting (the fun part of this whole exercise) was done using a brush and watered-down Tamiya Japanese Navy green over a base coat of Model Master SAC bomber tan.

Overall, not a bad model for a quick 6-hour weekend project.

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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by Eric Mc »

Nice.

Did you not build models for fun in the past? If not, why DID you build models?
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by ShaunW »

Nice one, PMM, that weekend project has turned out very well indeed. Modelling, fun?!? whenever one of my builds goes wrong (as has just happened) you could've fooled me :ha:
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by pmmaker »

Eric Mc wrote:Nice.

Did you not build models for fun in the past? If not, why DID you build models?
Great question Eric.

Like so many things in life, I started building as a kid and I had that youthful enthusiasm like we all do. When I got into my late teens and early twenties, I joined a local IPMS club. Here the members were really focused on getting it right, being perfect, adding extra details and parts, and brutally critiquing model kits (and builds) for flaws. There was a lot of pressure to make that perfect model, get those colors exactly right, and be 100% accurate. In fact I knew a guy whose passion was to model the entire interior of a 48th scale Monogram B-17G down to the last historical detail. He had worked on that thing 4 hours a day for 6 months and still wasn't finished when I finally had enough and quit the hobby.

After a few years of this craziness, I one day suddenly found I no longer liked building models. I quit the hobby totally cold turkey. I threw my builds away (some I'd had for years), sold off my stash, and didn't think about kits any more. It took me about 24 years to find my way back. That's why now I just build for relaxation. I'm lazy too. So if I have to do extra work to rig a model correctly, or to get rid of panel lines, or have to bother with an airbrush to get that "perfect" finish that other builders strive for, I simply won't. I build for fun and to please myself now. While some of my builds my not pass muster in other builders' eyes, at least I like what I build and I'm finally enjoying myself again.

I sincerely apologize for the long response, but you did ask. ;-)

pmmaker
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

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ShaunW wrote:Nice one, PMM, that weekend project has turned out very well indeed. Modelling, fun?!? whenever one of my builds goes wrong (as has just happened) you could've fooled me :ha:
When that happens to me Shaun, I take a deep breath, get out of my chair, and walk away for a few hours (sometimes days or weeks) and then come back. No point getting frustrated with something that is supposed to be enjoyable. ;-)

I tend to play it safe and buy more mainstream models, rather than the more obscure subjects made by limited run companies. Still, every so often I come across a kit that just challenges and frustrates me. Then I try to do my best and just hope to have some fun. Some of my real disasters have turned out to be some of my favorite and most satisfying builds.

pmmaker
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by Eric Mc »

pmmaker wrote:
Eric Mc wrote:Nice.

Did you not build models for fun in the past? If not, why DID you build models?
Great question Eric.

Like so many things in life, I started building as a kid and I had that youthful enthusiasm like we all do. When I got into my late teens and early twenties, I joined a local IPMS club. Here the members were really focused on getting it right, being perfect, adding extra details and parts, and brutally critiquing model kits (and builds) for flaws. There was a lot of pressure to make that perfect model, get those colors exactly right, and be 100% accurate. In fact I knew a guy whose passion was to model the entire interior of a 48th scale Monogram B-17G down to the last historical detail. He had worked on that thing 4 hours a day for 6 months and still wasn't finished when I finally had enough and quit the hobby.

After a few years of this craziness, I one day suddenly found I no longer liked building models. I quit the hobby totally cold turkey. I threw my builds away (some I'd had for years), sold off my stash, and didn't think about kits any more. It took me about 24 years to find my way back. That's why now I just build for relaxation. I'm lazy too. So if I have to do extra work to rig a model correctly, or to get rid of panel lines, or have to bother with an airbrush to get that "perfect" finish that other builders strive for, I simply won't. I build for fun and to please myself now. While some of my builds my not pass muster in other builders' eyes, at least I like what I build and I'm finally enjoying myself again.

I sincerely apologize for the long response, but you did ask. ;-)

pmmaker
Don't apologise. I found your reply very interesting. It is a trap that many of us have fallen into from time to time and It's one I am very wary of these days. I look on all my builds these days as "fun" - although some often turn out to be more fun than others.
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by ShaunW »

pmmaker wrote:
ShaunW wrote:Nice one, PMM, that weekend project has turned out very well indeed. Modelling, fun?!? whenever one of my builds goes wrong (as has just happened) you could've fooled me :ha:
When that happens to me Shaun, I take a deep breath, get out of my chair, and walk away for a few hours (sometimes days or weeks) and then come back. No point getting frustrated with something that is supposed to be enjoyable. ;-)

I tend to play it safe and buy more mainstream models, rather than the more obscure subjects made by limited run companies. Still, every so often I come across a kit that just challenges and frustrates me. Then I try to do my best and just hope to have some fun. Some of my real disasters have turned out to be some of my favorite and most satisfying builds.

pmmaker
Me too, I walk away from the build and let it stew for a while! It is rare for me to abandon a build altogether and usually I will see a project through to the end. Occasionally though I do give up and move on - life's too short!
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.

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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by pmmaker »

ShaunW wrote:
pmmaker wrote:
ShaunW wrote:Nice one, PMM, that weekend project has turned out very well indeed. Modelling, fun?!? whenever one of my builds goes wrong (as has just happened) you could've fooled me :ha:
When that happens to me Shaun, I take a deep breath, get out of my chair, and walk away for a few hours (sometimes days or weeks) and then come back. No point getting frustrated with something that is supposed to be enjoyable. ;-)

I tend to play it safe and buy more mainstream models, rather than the more obscure subjects made by limited run companies. Still, every so often I come across a kit that just challenges and frustrates me. Then I try to do my best and just hope to have some fun. Some of my real disasters have turned out to be some of my favorite and most satisfying builds.

pmmaker
Me too, I walk away from the build and let it stew for a while! It is rare for me to abandon a build altogether and usually I will see a project through to the end. Occasionally though I do give up and move on - life's too short!
I 100% agree Shaun. Only once did I actually see how well a plane with no wings can fly straight into the trash bin. Of course I thought better of it a few hours later and fished it out and finally finished it. I'm just happy that I don't have that problem too often.

pmmaker
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Alice: “I’m afraid so. . . you’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. . . All the BEST people are.”
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by rob_van_riel »

pmmaker wrote:When I got into my late teens and early twenties, I joined a local IPMS club. Here the members were really focused on getting it right, being perfect, adding extra details and parts, and brutally critiquing model kits (and builds) for flaws. There was a lot of pressure to make that perfect model, get those colors exactly right, and be 100% accurate.
I think you'll find we have little time here for these Joyless Modelling Nazis (as we call them). Welcome to the safehouse for dogma ignoring modelers, where enjoyment rules, and party lines are cheerfully snapped. :-D
In fact I knew a guy whose passion was to model the entire interior of a 48th scale Monogram B-17G down to the last historical detail. He had worked on that thing 4 hours a day for 6 months and still wasn't finished
Well, that sort of obsessive behaviour I can relate to. I don't see anything wrong with that. That is, as long as you don't try to force this sort of thing onto other people that don't share your obsession..

Impressive zero, by the way, I would have needed weeks to come even close.

If you enjoy high speed build like this on occasion, check out the 'blitzbau' group builds that happen here twice a year. If the zero is any indication, you have a talent for them.
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by Migrant »

rob_van_riel wrote:
pmmaker wrote:
In fact I knew a guy whose passion was to model the entire interior of a 48th scale Monogram B-17G down to the last historical detail. He had worked on that thing 4 hours a day for 6 months and still wasn't finished
Well, that sort of obsessive behaviour I can relate to. I don't see anything wrong with that. That is, as long as you don't try to force this sort of thing onto other people that don't share your obsession..
That's the key, isn't it? Accepting others' modelling approaches/obsessions/viewpoints as being fine, even if they completely contradict our own. I personally think the other key to enjoying the hobby is to accept our own modelling approaches/obsessions/viewpoints as being fine, too. Not building to try and impress others, or feeling pressured to do things a certain way because of a current trend. You seem to have achieved that PMM, and your enjoyment of the hobby comes through in your builds. That's a really nice Zero :)
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by pmmaker »

Thanks Migrant (and everyone else) for all your comments and viewpoints. Great discussion done in a respectful manner that considers all viewpoints. That's refreshing!

I too love looking at builds, whether from a professional model maker or a 10 year-old kid gluing pieces together for the first time. And I agree with the general consensus, "To thy own self be true" and just enjoy yourself and build.

I've always loved the Zero and as a kid, I could never find any kits of this plane at my local pharmacy where I bought the bulk of my kits. When I got older and got my driver's licence, I discovered a nearby hobby store that sold lots of kits, including the Hasegawa, Tamiya, Fujimi, Jo-Hann, and Airfix Zeroes. Now with eBay making these kits readily available, I buy a Zero every once and a while when I get the itch to build one. What I need now is an A6M5 for the shelf,. I'm more inclined to buy a die-cast one as there are quite few out there that aren't all that bad rather than build one, but since money's tight, a cheapie kit might suffice.

pmmaker
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by iggie »

Very nice Hamp indeed, especially so for the brushed camouflage.
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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by Gregers »

That's a great looking Hamp. Very nice work. Thinking about it we have not had a Mitsubishi Zero group build on here. Maybe something to think about.

All the best.

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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by pmmaker »

Gregers wrote:That's a great looking Hamp. Very nice work. Thinking about it we have not had a Mitsubishi Zero group build on here. Maybe something to think about.

All the best.

Greg
I would definitely be in if we did have one! I've participated in group builds on another forum before and they are a lot of fun. Just give the word. :mrgreen:

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Re: 1/72 Hasegawa A6M3 Hamp

Post by skypirate »

ShaunW wrote:Me too, I walk away from the build and let it stew for a while!
Just 'a while'!?
I let one for particularly frustrating model stew for over 10 years. When I finally resumed, it came out much better than I expected!

Great Hamp result after 6 hours!

Cheers,

David
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