1:48 A6M2/A6M3 Zero external fuel tank correction set /EDU

The drop tank that gave the Zero its legendary range

At the start of the Pacific war the Mitsubishi A6M was among the most agile fighters in the world, and it earned its legend above all through the distances over which it could operate. Without the drop tank slung under the fuselage that would not have been possible: the extra fuel let Japanese pilots escort bombers to places where the opposition did not expect a single-engined machine at all. The tank was jettisoned before combat, which is why it disappears from one period photograph to the next.

The correction set replaces the injection-molded part from the kit with a casting that has a more accurate section and with details of the sway braces that are usually lost in a plastic mold.

• A replacement drop tank for the A6M2 and A6M3 versions
• 1:48 scale, a casting in easily sanded resin
• According to the name it is designed for Eduard kits
• It keeps the shape of the mounting stirrups as well as the small drain fittings

Cut the casting block off the underside so that the longitudinal axis of the part stays visible; if the cut wanders, the tank will sit crooked on the fuselage and the error shows at once from the side. Join resin with cyanoacrylate or epoxy, because plastic cement will not dissolve it and the joint would not hold. Degrease the part before painting, or the first touch of a finger will wipe the primer off the smooth surface.

In terms of color the tank was usually treated the same as the underside of the aircraft, although on later machines examples turn up left in bare metal or in a different shade, because they came from another delivery. Concentrate the traces of service around the mounting and along the lower edge, where the metal was scuffed the most.