Official Black Horse 2385mm A6M Zero thread

[Alpha]

A5M Zero 2385mm (93.8") Wingspan from Black Horse - Balsa Wood ARF - BHM1002-001

The Mitsubishi A5M was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter to enter service and the direct predecessor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M "Zero". The Allied reporting name was Claude.

The model is scaled to approximately 1:5 and attention was paid to a true to original appearance and best flight characteristics. The model can be operated using an electric power system or with an internal combustion engine about 60cc displacement.

Detailed Cockpit The Zero boasts a detailed cockpit and hand-painted pilot for added realism. A large battery hatch gives easy access to the internal bay for your organized electronics. Dual hatch latches are pre-installed for additional security.

Gas or Electric Power The spacious single piece molded fiberglass cowl can easily accommodate either gas of electric power systems with minimal cowl cutting.

Large Wingspan The Zero boasts an impressive 93.8" wingspan for commanding presence both in the air and on the ground. Note the factory-printed mutli-tonal weathered printing.

Printed Weathering Factory applied multi-weathered layers accentuate the realistically printed rivets and panel lined. Modelers can take it further with additional weathering, or fly the Zero exactly out of the box as shown in all these photos.

Retractable Undercarriage The gear is retractable with oleo struts for added realism, functionality and scale appeal. Most importantly, the Zero includes all metal electric retracts for the mains, in the box! The skeletonized metal frames and powerful slow speed high torque motor is perfectly sized for the Zero and its included metal suspension landing gear struts. This new part makes the Zero even more user-friendly for pilots wanting the convenience and reliability of electric retracts in a large balsa aircraft!

Split Flaps Scale hinged split flaps contribute to quick takeoffs and stable landings.

FEATURES:

• High level of prefabrication right out of the box
• All Metal Electric Retracts included in the box!
• Lightweight, strong, laser cut balsa and plywood construction
• Panel lines and details printed directly onto the pre-applied, high quality covering
• Aerofoiled tail surfaces
• Recessed hinges on all control surfaces
• Pre-drilled hinge mounting holes
• Heavy-duty pin hinges on all control surfaces
• Large easy access fuel tank/battery/servo access hatches with sprung loaded latches
• Painted and detailed cockpit, pilot and interior included
• Fiberglass control horns with ball link connector
• comprehensive control and fitting accessories included
• Two-piece, plug-in wings simplify transportation and assembly
• Fiberglass cowl and glass reinforced landing gear covers/pants
• Mounts for both electric and gas power options included

[Alpha]

Reserved

[Alpha]

I really like the scale dihedral on this bird, and the all new all-metal electric retracts. It is an incredibly stable flyer out of the box with no bad habits!



The silver layers shine in the sun at certain angles. It is a subtle, tasteful effect that gives pilots a pre-weathered Zero out of the box without any fuss. The rivets are thin and muted, instead of being garish. As they should, all the details, lines, and rivets disappear into the model at a reasonable distance. And all without me having to do anything! Some of us will take it a few steps further with even more weathering, including the characteristic flecking paint of later Zeros, but it's nice to see an out-of-the-box finish as well executed as Black Horse's new Zero.

[Aros]

If it flies half as good as the FMS 1400 we have a winner!

[Elbee]

Aros , Just watched the 'new' Midway movie over the weekend and followed up with the Charleston Heston version last evening. These were the 'bad guys' but what a great airframe. Visualizing the Big Corsair and this in the air at the same time. Best, LB

[Alpha]

Unfortunately where we fly in Vietnam we can't put up multiple birds at once so we couldn't get the shots you're describing, but I'm sure someone will make it happen Stateside and get it on camera!

The green Zero appeared later in the war, perfect against a Corsair, or a Hellcat..

[Elbee]

Alpha Thank you Alpha, I understand the distinction. In another life I was a Confederate Airforce member and we had a T-6 modded to resemble the A6M the best that could be done. The discussion was whether to do a gray or green livery at the time and opted for the gray. Without a Hellcat option, I figured the Corsair was relevant though not as historically accurate. It is a beautiful airframe nonetheless IMHO. I have always thought it seemingly well ahead of our aviation tech and expertise at that time Best, LB

[cjordan]

Seriously considering this one. Is there any video of this plane flying electric?

[CF-105]

Nice looking plane!

To the Motion RC guys: I understand the need to get things posted on the website as quickly as possible, but please take the time to review the text first. Preferably with a different pair of eyes for maximum benefit. Quite a few errors are appearing. Most due to copy/paste from other planes, but not exclusively. For example the write up on the Zero refers to it as the A5M, which was its open-cockpit, fixed gear predecessor. In one or two places you do correctly identify it as an A6M.

[OV10]

Nice looking plane!

To the Motion RC guys: I understand the need to get things posted on the website as quickly as possible, but please take the time to review the text first. Preferably with a different pair of eyes for maximum benefit. Quite a few errors are appearing. Most due to copy/paste from other planes, but not exclusively. For example the write up on the Zero refers to it as the A5M, which was its open-cockpit, fixed gear predecessor. In one or two places you do correctly identify it as an A6M.

[Synwpn]

What's the diameter of the cowl? I'm wondering if I can squeeze a radial in there!

[sfmadmax]

What's the diameter of the cowl? I'm wondering if I can squeeze a radial in there!

Synwpn Take a look at my post in the Blackhorse Corsair Thread. You can download the manual for the Zero and it should give you the diameter of the cowl. Assuming that the Corsair is bigger than the Zero, you may be able to get FG 60cc in there

[Synwpn]

Synwpn Take a look at my post in the Blackhorse Corsair Thread. You can download the manual for the Zero and it should give you the diameter of the cowl. Assuming that the Corsair is bigger than the Zero, you may be able to get FG 60cc in there

Thanks!

[James]

Hey guys, filmed an unboxing today of this gorgeous A6M Zero and took a bunch of pictures of the pieces as they come out of the box. I will start posting each group in successive posts. Overall, what an awesome ARF! I am so excited to get this one together. Unlike the P-40, I will be setting this one up for electric as soon as we get our new larger Admiral motor that can fly this baby. But I have servos on the way and can at least get started installing everything up to the point of the motor install.


The box is a large one too. Thats an 8' table the box is sitting on.

[James]

The first thing out of the box is the Fuselage and right away you can just fall in love with the covering on this aircraft. The riveting detail and weathering are truly stunning up close and I hope these pictures can show just how beautiful it is.

Removing the canopy you can see the nice detail in the cockpit from the gauges to the walls and seat, it is decked out beautifully. The hatch itself is over half the length of the fuselage and upon looking inside 2 things really jump out:

1. the size of the space in the hatch. Whether you want to go Gas or Electric, you have plenty of access here to maneuver and fit everything you could ever want.
2. The craftsmanship. I mean WOW! I couldn't imagine building a model myself that could look this good and if I even could, I wouldn't want to think about the time it would take. It's truly a beauty.

At this point, I was amped to get into the rest of the box.

[James]

Once the fuselage is out you will remove 6 total boxes inside which are various shapes and sizes. They are all taped down in the box nice and secure too, no need to worry about damage with these. Also the wing spar and a few control rods are taped to the side of the box as well. Be sure to remove those (3 long threaded rods, 1 thin rod and 1 piece of tubing, 1 wing spar)

Now lets go into each box in the next posts

[James]

The first box I dug into held the cowl and the faux radial. The cowl is beautifully crafted with the flaps and detail. The radial is just plastic but looks like some easy airbrushing and dry brushing and you can really make it look detailed. It looks mean on the front of the fuselage too. I couldn't help of dream of maiden day on this!

[James]

The second box held the 2 different sized motor mounts (gas or electric). The structure of these is solid and well-crafted. I also really love how nicely they are laser cut and slot perfectly into place on the fuselage. 4 nice notches and 6 screw holes will mount either one easily.

[James]

The third box held all the landing gear and hardware to get them installed. The beauty of this kit shines in these awesome electric retracts. They are solid CNC machined oleo struts that should more than carry the 22lb-26lb all-up weight of this bird once completed. You get 2 5 inch tires. The tail wheel (fixed) with the pull-pull wires and bits. Then you also get the Electric Landing Gear Controller too.

I love how each box and baggy basically resemble each step in the manual. There will really be no guessing as to what pieces to use for any section.

[James]

The fourth box held lots of mounting hardware, your control horns, clevises and hinges, the spinner and back plate, the fuel tank and plugs, some firewall mounts, a CG machine (love these) and some accessories like the exhausts for around the cowl. Overall everything looks great here.