Hasegawa A6M2N Rufe
Hasegawa's range of single-engine Second World War aircraft is extensive, and the newer kits can be relied upon for excellent scribed detail, crisp moulding, and minimal cockpit detail. The Rufe fully meets these expectations. Obviously based on their Zero family, the kit includes landing gear parts and a spare set of prop blades, as well as a nice beaching trolley to display the finished model.
Construction was quick and easy. I used the decal instrument panel provided, and through the canopy framing this looks fine. I can't remember the exact colours used for the finish, but I extensively post-shaded the upper surfaces to depict a war-weary example. The float markings and no step areas on the wings came from the kit, while the roundels were from the spares box. For the ATAIU marking on the tail, I used some white US code letters. To obtain the wide A's, I cut down inverted M's.
Since completing the model, I've found some better quality photos of the original aircraft, which lead me to suspect the roundels may have had a very thin yellow (or possibly white) surround.
