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TOO MANY ZEROS?
I THOUGHT at one time that the Spitfire or perhaps the Kittyhawk was the aircraft which all good manufacturers could not resist, but with the latest release from 'LS' the Japanese manufacturer, I'm beginning to wonder, Their latest is yet another A6M5 Zero, which makes one more to add to the impressive list of Revell, Lindberg, Airfix, Monogram and Frog versions of this aircraft.
A.W.H.
Airfix magazine March 1965 Vol.6 No.7
W R MATTHEWS
Facts and Figures
Plastic Aircraft Kits of the Worldf issued recently by the International Plastic Modeller's Society...
We have frequently remarked on the number of kits issued which make up into one or two particularly famous aircraft types. It would seem, from the IPMS publication, that the most astonishing example of such duplication is presented by the Mitsubishi Zero-Sen fighter of which no fewer than 46 kits have been issued in 21 scales, ranging from 1/28th to 1/150th.
RAF Flying Review May, 1967, Vol. 22, No. 9
Trade Notes
The TRIANG Toy Fair included the range of International Model Aircraft and brought many new items to light, most impressive being the two versions of the new Frog 349 diesel, and the new range of World War II fighters to 1/72nd scale in plastic. Retailing at 2s. 9d., the W.W. II series includes the Kittyhawk, Typhoon, Thunderbolt, Focke Wulf 190 (radial version) and Zero. Each is moulded in the underside colour and will, we are sure, more than satisfy those who demand a high standard of accuracy in detail. Among new kits yet to appear under the FROG label is a fine 49s. 6d. Hawker Tempest control-line pre-fab 26*in. span model with plastic moulded pilot, nylon bellcrank, nylon spinner and scale wheels. Included in the projected range of plastics are: Fairey Rotodyne, Spitfire II, Blenheim I, Hampden, Wellington. Dragon Rapide, all to 1/72nd scale and the 1/96th scale Lancaster.
AeroModeller APRIL 1959 VOLUME XXIV No. 279
Model Talks
WHAT'S NEW IN THE SHOPS
• A useful addition to the World War II fighters now available to plastic enthusiasts is made by Frog Kits with a new issue of no fewer than five famous fighters to 1/72nd-scale. They are the Curtiss Kittyhawk, Republic Thunderbolt, Hawker Typhoon, Mitsubishi Zero and Fw 190. Neat mouldings give the beginner a good start to a fine finish. Noteworthy feature is the separate prop-spinner which looks so much more realistic than the usual one-piece moulding for prop and spinner.
(Frog. 2s. 9d. each.)
RAF Flying Review MAY 1959 Vol. XIV, No, 9
The IPMS magazine, February 1969 VOL.6 No.2
NEW AND IN VIEW NEW AIRCRAFT KITS
FROG.
For some little time now rumour has had it that Frog were revising and updating many of their older kits, and at the Brighton Toy Fair rumour became fact with the release of those described below. Retailing at 3/- each in a new clear plastic pack, complete with coloured dramatic art on the front and the now very popular Profile style drawings on the back of the display card, these will certainly catch the eye in any model shop display.
Each kit has had all traces of the original surface detail removed and replaced by fine and accurate new detail. Unfortunately, costs have prevented full corrections, and such refinements as cut-out wheel wells are still omitted. Cockpit canopies have received attention where necessary and are far better than in the original kits, while completely new markings and insignia are given, two alternatives being provided for each type as follows :-
Zero -
Atsugi Kokutai, Japan 1944/
251 Kokutai, Bougainville, 1942.
The very high standard of decals common to all Frog kits of recent months is maintained in these 'packaged' kits. AII are matt or semi-gloss with excellent register, and the minute detailing, such as that on 'kill' markings or the MC 202 insignia, is clearly readable if one uses a magnifying glass.
It is to be hoped that other kits from the Frog range will be upgraded similarly as time goes by, and we look forward to these in due course.
The IPMS magazine, February 1969 VOL.6 No.2
Air Enthusiast 1971-10 vol.01 no.05
MODEL ENTHUSIAST
This month's colour subject
Japan's Mitsubishi Zero-Sen fighter was unique among the warplanes of WW II in that it created a myth — the myth of Japanese invincibility in the air. The allies credited the Zero-Sen with almost mystical powers of manoeuvre, fostering this myth of invincibility, and even the Japanese themselves began to believe it omnipotent, and to them the Zero-Sen was everything that the Spitfire was to the British. Time disproved its invincibility, but it was, nevertheless, the first shipboard fighter capable of besting its land-based opponents and remains one of military aviation's true immortals. To this day, the Zero-Sen — or Reisen if you prefer it — remains the only Japanese aeroplane that will sell really well outside its homeland in model kit form, a fact which has certainly been accepted by model kit manufacturers, virtually all of which have included a Zero-Sen kit in their lists. Indeed, something like 50 kits of this fighter have found their way onto the market, in a fantastic variety of scales and to an equally fantastic variety of standards which range from the superb to the truly atrocious.
It is obviously possible to mention only a small proportion of these kits in this column. The majority hail from Japan, although many of them have been issued by western manufacturers, and, on the grounds of availability, we will therefore concentrate on these. Most of the Zero-Sen kits represent the A6M5, and, of these, the best is undoubtedly the 1/32nd scale offering from Revell. Accurate, finely-detailed and easily assembled — though our review sample was marred by a great deal of flash — it suffers only one real fault: owing to the fact that the cockpit canopy is intended to open its centre portion is much too high. This fault can be rectified but a great deal of careful filing is necessary. Revell's 1/72nd scale A6M5 is also good, although the engine cowling is too narrow and somewhat square. Nevertheless, it is still superior to the elderly Frog and Airfix kits, primarily on the grounds of its excellent surface detail.
Nichimo of Japan offers good 1/70th scale kits of three of the most widely used variants of the Zero-Sen, the A6M2 Model 21, the A6M3 Model 32 and the A6M5 Model 52, and these are fairly easily obtainable in the West, this manufacturer's kits of the Models 21 and 32 being, so far as we can ascertain, the only kits of these variants currently available in anything approaching 1/72nd scale. Nichimo also offers kits of the A6M5 to 1/48th and 1/35th scales, the former being almost identical to the Monogram kit, and the latter — of quite high standard, incidentally — apparently being original. In addition to the Nichimo-Monogram kit, Tamiya offers the A6M5 to 1/48th scale, as well as a slightly modified version of the kit representing the A6M8 Model 64, although this failed to attain service status. There is little to choose between these kits, Tamiya's A6M5 perhaps being slightly more accurate than its competitors, particularly around the gun breech fairing forward of the windscreen, but Monogram scores on ease of assembly, its kit featuring locating pins which are not provided by the Tamiya kit.
In the UK the Tamiya kits are easier to find than those of Monogram, being regularly imported by Richard Kohnstam Limited and sold under the trade name "Riko", but in the USA the situation is reversed.
Lindberg issues what, considering its age, is an astonishingly good kit of the A6M2 Model 21 to 1/48th scale, and Aurora offers the same version to the same scale but to a somewhat lower standard of accuracy. No doubt many readers of this column will have their particular favourites among Zero-Sen kits which have not been included, but those that we have mentioned are sufficient to show that any modeller wishing to add this remarkable warplane to his collection should have no difficulty in obtaining a kit to whatever scale he prefers.
W R MATTHEWS
Air Enthusiast 1971-10 vol.01 no.05
| | 392P | 1959-1964 | D | } (45000) | 1xJapanese Navy |
| * | F392 | 1964-1965 | D | 1xJapanese Navy |
| | F392 | 1965-1968 | F1(K) | 100000 | 1xJapanese Navy |
| | F219F | 1969-1974 | J2(K) | 260000 | 2xJapanese Navy |
| | F392 | 1974-1976 | H(B) | 35000 | 2xJapanese Navy |
| | F219 | 1976-1977 | H(K) | 30000 | 2xJapanese Navy |
The kit is a mix between early and late versions of the Zero. It was scheduled for discontinuation in 1968, but survived. Cleaned up by AMT in 1968 instead.
FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom
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Air Lines
Lines Bros., Inc., 1107 Broadway, New York, NY, USA.
Period: 1964-1966
| | 5903 | Mitsubishi A6M Reisen ("Zero") |
FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom
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Revell (US)
Revell, Inc. 4223 Glencoe Avenue, Venice. CA 90291, USA
Period: 1978-1980
Being the parent company of the Revell group, Revell, Inc. was formally the buyer of the nineteen Axis aircraft Frog moulds sold by Novo in 1977. Of the nineteen, only eleven have since been used to any extent since the remaining eight (Bf109F, FW I90A, He219A, Ju 87G, Me262A, M.C.202 and Zero) already had approximate counterparts in the Revell range. The eventual fate of these moulds is unclear: Revell (US) claiming that they were held by the German branch and Revell (Germany) being sure that they were in California!
FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom
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Tri-ang/Frog (France)
Lines Freres S.A., Route de Dunkerque, Calais, France (to mid-1964);
Meccano - Tri-ang Lines Freres S.A., 70-88 Avenue Henri Barbusse. 93 Bobigny. France (from mid-1964)
Period: 1962?-1972?
The French production was a very large operation, only surpassed by the Soviet activities of recent years. Despite this, very little has been known about it, never mind published.
The origins can be traced back to the founding of EEC in 1958. Since Great Britain was not a member state at the time, the Lines Bros, management wanted to get a foothold on the continent by establishing a branch in France. It needed to be close to the Channel coast in order to make the shipping of moulds back-and-forth as easy as possible. However, no suitable existing factory could be found so in the end a completely new facility was built on the outskirts of Calais.
The general idea was to send moulds over from England and having the actual production taking place in France -an EEC member - thus making the products duty-free when exported to other EEC countries. The production did not only include kits - indeed, this only accounted for some ten per cent of the capacity - but general toys as well.
At first, all kits produced were sold under the Tri-ang label, mainly in order to conform with the other French products. But no doubt the word Frog was also considered less suitable due to certain associations in British-French relations...
No production records have survived, but it seems likely that most contemporary Frog kits were produced in Calais as well. The Tri-ang boxes, decals and instruction sheets were all copied from the British originals and only showed minor changes. Plastic colours could differ from the normal Frog ones however, some startling combinations like red Scimitars being produced.
Kit numbers were the same as those used in Britain. However, many of the kits can be found with a C-prefix to this (e.g. C.334P). This was also used on other Lines products manufactured in France and stood for Calais. It seems to have been used up to mid-1963 or so and then deleted from future boxes printed. Some kits can therefore be found both with and without the C-prefix. When IMA changed from a suffix-P to a F-prefix in 1964 the French followed suit for a short period. Kits already in production were not changed, however.
Early in 1964 Lines Bros, bought the Meccano group and - almost as a bonus - also got control of their French branch. Meccano was already a well-established name in France - much more so than Tri-ang - and the two companies were therefore quickly integrated, the Meccano name being worked into the Tri-ang brand name on most products. The existing Meccano manager became the new managing director for France. He had no objection to the name Frog - indeed, he thought it a good joke! - and their kit range was thus renamed Frog/Tri-ang.
A new box style and new artwork was adapted for new releases. For reasons unknown, these also reverted to the old suffix-P. Kits already in production were not changed, apart from getting a sticker indicating the colour series when appropriate (red for the Attacker etc.). There is no known example of an old kit being given a new box. The fact that the Britannia was released in this style is admittedly confusing, but probably only indicates that it was never issued in the early style for some reason.
It should be pointed out that Tri-ang did by no means handle all sales to the continent. Managers of the continental Lines Bros, selling branches did, of course, buy where the price was lowest and Tri-ang prices were often higher than those of IMA. Lines Bros. (Holland) NV did, for example, mainly buy British-made kits.
By 1966, kit production was becoming uneconomical and was consequently terminated before long. This was partly caused by poor sales and partly due to problems in planning the mould swapping programmes. In early 1967 some 50000 standard Frog boxes were sent over from Britain and most remaining Tri-ang stocks reboxed - in some cases this was done by simply putting a new box over the existing one. But for certain kits, such as the ships, airliners and small-scale WWII bombers, no new boxes were available and old stocks of these were still sold as Tri-ang in the early 1970s.
Although not yet positively proved, it is believed that the moulds for the Rapide, Rotodyne and small-scale Blenheim, Hampden and Wellington were left behind in France and eventually scrapped there.
Some special issues are also worth a mention. In 1968 an ex-Heller Mirage IIIC was released under the Frog/ Meccano-Tri-ang label and this was joined by another three ex-Heller kits in 1971. These are the only kits known to have used the Frog name without ever having been produced by either IMA or Rovex. For some reason, some of these kits were also sold as Meccano-Tri-ang kits as well, without reference to Frog. Possibly this was after the Airfix take-over.
In the early 1970s Meccano was bought by Airfix and it is an ironic fact that from 1982 the former Lines Bros, factory in Calais produced all Airfix kits intended for the European market...
It is possible, but not very likely, that the ex-Renwal AFV and ship kits sold as Frog in England were also sold as Tri-ang. Since they are not really ex-Frog kits, nor used the name Frog in France, they have been excluded from the list.
"Old" Style
| * | 392P | Mitsubishi A6M Reisen ("Zero") |
FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom
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AeroModeller 1963-12
Trade Notes
Revell are proceeding fast with their 1/72nd range of 2s. 11d. World War II Fighters, the very latest being the Curtiss P40E Kittyhank. Me 262 jet fighter and Chance-Vought Corsair, all with moving canopies, pilots and undercarriages which can be made in the up or down position. The Revell range now totals 12 W.W II types, and as a special Christmas offer, a pack of six is arranged as a gift set at 17s. 6d.f including the Spitfire II, Me 109, P-47 Thunderbolt, F.W.190, Hurricane and Zero.
AeroModeller 1963-12
NEW LAMPS FOR OLD
COMMENDABLE venture by Frog is the revision of many of their older kits of 1 :72 scale aircraft models, which have just been ãeissued in a new series in polythene bags. All the moulds have been 're-worked' very deftly to eliminate such features as etched markings positions which marred some of the older items, and add accurate new panel detail and other surface improvements. We reviewed the old Fw 190 which had been so treated a few months back. Now this kit also appears in the 'bagged' series together with all the following: Hurricane, Tempest V, Me 109F, Typhoon. P-47. Zero, Spitfire, Sea Fury, Fokker D21, MS 406, and Macchi MC 202. Big new feature is the provision of completely new, splendidly accurate and imaginative transfer sheets, each of which gives a choice of two sets of markings. We had two samples from the range, the Spitfire and the MC 202. The Spitfire has transfers for either a Mk I of No 19 Sqn in September, 1940, or Bader's Mk Va of 1941, the quality of the new markings being excellent. Fine details include walkway markings and stencilled maintenance instructions and the modest price of the kit, 3s, would not be unreasonable for the transfer sheet alone! Whichever markings the modeller uses, he gets a spare set of value for other models. The MC 202 has a similar choice of two colourful marking schemes, probably the most accurate yet for a model of an Italian aircraft. The only improvement not possible, it seems, on the older Frog kiis is the etching out of the 'solid1 wheel wells, though the average modeller can do this himself, or use solid black transfer sheet which is surprisingly effective.
This improved Frog Spitfire is certainly a 'good buy' (even with the 'solid' wheel wells), which captures the graceful character of the early Spits absolutely perfectly. Added feature of all the kits is a colour plan on the card backing sheet which acts as a painting guide for the model. On our Spitfire, however, the printing was poor and the colour guide would confuse a novice who knew nothing about camouflage of 1940! This 'new lamps for old' policy by Frog is most refreshing and should be welcomed by 1:72 scale aircraft builders. Our samples, at 3s each, came from Jones Bros of Chiswick who can supply the whole range by post.
C.O.E.
Airfix magazine 1969-06
Aviation News Vol 1 Num 18 19 January - 1 February 1973
KIT COMMENT
QUARTET OF ZEROS
Four of the most attractive models to come our way just before Christmas from Japan via Minicraft in America were four Hasegawa Mitsubishi A6M Zeros. These attractive 1:72nd scale miniatures are the answer to most Japanese aircraft fans as each is of a different mark variant of this famous aircraft.
Ranging from the first Zero, the A6M2, to the A6M5c, the other two kits are of the A6M3 and A6M3 Hamp—all the basic variants, and although each kit is marketed separately, all four are worth buying together. When made up they provide a very useful and interesting comparison between the early Zeros which spearheaded the Japanese advance across the Pacific to the last days of the Empire when Japan was outnumbered and out fought in the air.
Each model contains all of the components of the other three apart from wings and fuselages and Hasegawa have ingeniously arranged the main 'tree' to contain all the variants whilst the main differences in fuselage and span have been kept separate. If you only want to make one kit rather than the whole range, you will be left with a large amount of spare engines, cowlings and other small parts that will nevertheless be very useful in the spares box.
There was no problem in construction. We found a certain amount of flash needed removal before the parts could be stuck together but after this had been cleaned off, all parts fitted well. Undercarriage legs appeared to be a little too long and were trimmed, although doing this makes the locating stubs on the wheel covers difficult to align. Cockpit canopies are very clear and fitted exactly without need for modification. Slight gaps appeared at the wing roots but these were quickly filled and the rubbing down necessary was minimal. Panel line detail we felt was slightly overdone but when the models were completed this was not obtrusive.
The four models were made using production line techniques. All were assembled and painted in stages so that whilst one was drying out the others were receiving attention.
Like Frog who market Hasegawa products in this country, Minicraft include their own instruction sheet. This we felt was not as comprehensive as the British product and no indication was made as to the unit the full-size machine belonged to. Only one set of decals was provided for each model and although these adhered to the various locations satisfactorily we thought that a little more ingenuity could have been shown, as the Zero, in a number of cases, was a highly colourful aircraft.
These four models are excellent from all points of view. Our criticisms are of a very minor nature and we think that Hasegawa have scored heavily in marketing all four of the main types of Zero at the same time—even if it does take away the delight of converting and modifying an original. Let us hope that Frog will market the Hasegawa Zeros in this country in due course. " Naturally no prices can be given at this stage but we expect that at least one importer will have the kits available soon.
Aviation News Vol 1 Num 18 19 January - 1 February 1973
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