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--- en:authors:omachi-masami:a6m_zero:1956-03 [2025/11/08 20:06] – [Landing Gear Construction] admin
+++ en:authors:omachi-masami:a6m_zero:1956-03 [2025/11/16 20:46] (current) – [Propeller Construction] admin
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 ==== Wing Construction ====
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 **Figure 4** illustrates the wing procedure. If your stock allows, it is easier to carve the left and right wings from a single board.
 Choose hinoki free of knots with straight, even grain. In step (A), transfer the template to the wood. For ease of planing, do not round the tips yet. In (B), set the tip shapes and the wing-root thickness. In (C), carve the airfoil section—study the profile carefully before rough shaping.
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 Let us move to the canopy. When plastic sheet is hard to obtain, readily available vinyl sheet is a workable substitute. Note, however, that ordinary adhesives do not bond vinyl well; use an adhesive formulated for vinyl. Also, lacquer paint on vinyl frames can rub off more easily.
 That said, unless you intend the canopy to open and close, it will not be handled much; vinyl is generally suitable when plastic is unavailable.\\
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-See **Figure 6**. First carve a male mold from wood, as you did for the fuselage, beginning from the side profile. Pay close attention to the angle and width of the forward screen. As in (A), file a step in the mold where the sliding hood would sit; these steps reproduce faithfully in the pressed piece, so even multi-step canopies like those of the Tenzan or Saiun can be replicated by shaping the male mold accordingly.
+See **Figure 6**.First, carve a male mold from wood, as you did for the fuselage, beginning from the side profile (a). Pay close attention to the angle and width of the forward screen.
-In (B), the forming process is shown “in real time,” so to speak. The critical caution is do not let the water boil. If vinyl is dipped in boiling water, it turns cloudy like frosted glass. Instead, once the water boils, remove it from the heat and use it as the temperature drops.
+As in (b), file a step in the mold where the sliding hood would sit; these steps reproduce faithfully in the pressed piece, so even multi-step canopies like those of the Tenzan or Saiun can be replicated by shaping the male mold accordingly.
+In (c), The critical caution is not to let the water boil. If vinyl is dipped in boiling water, it turns cloudy like frosted glass. Instead, once the water boils, remove it from the heat and use it as the temperature drops.
 As you stretch the vinyl sheet with pliers, the area under tension will elongate. Pin that point with a thumbtack, then continue drawing the sheet over the mold, tacking down any wrinkles. Repeat on the opposite side. When the usable area is entirely wrinkle-free, stop and remove the part.
-How did yours turn out? Even without a female mold, this method can yield a clean canopy. Whoever devised it deserves a solid-modeler’s Nobel Prize—if such a thing existed!
-Next, in (C), lightly scribe the canopy frame lines with a craft-knife tip. Compared with freehand painting, scribing improves precision; the shallow grooves act as paint dams (see D), reducing bleed and making intricate frames easier to paint.
-Do not forget to cut a small hole for the antenna mast.
-Finally, (E) illustrates the oil cooler. Rather than carving it from wood, press-forming it in vinyl by the same method is easier; the hollow result, though small, looks more convincing.
+Even without a female mold, this method can yield a clean canopy. Whoever devised it deserves a solid-modeler’s Nobel Prize—if such a thing existed!
+Next, in (f), lightly scribe the canopy frame lines with a craft-knife tip. Compared with freehand painting, scribing improves precision; the shallow grooves act as paint dams (see g), reducing bleed and making intricate frames easier to paint. Do not forget to cut a small hole for the antenna mast.
+In (h), the mold for the oil cooler is shown. Finally, (i) illustrates the finished oil cooler itself.
+Rather than carving it from wood, press-forming it in vinyl by the same method is easier; the hollow result, though small, looks more convincing.
+As shown at A and B, the difference in dipping angle determines the molding result—use moderate-temperature water and a steady motion for best effect.
 ==== Landing Gear Construction ====
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-Now comes the notoriously troublesome part—the landing gear. Unless one is a master carver like Jingorō Hidari, it is virtually impossible to carve such complex parts from a single piece of wood. As a result, metal components—and the challenges of soldering—become essential.\\
+Now comes the notoriously troublesome part—the landing gear. Unless one is a master carver like Hidari Jingorō, it is virtually impossible to carve such complex parts from a single piece of wood. As a result, metal components—and the challenges of soldering—become essential.\\
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-[[wp:Hidari Jingorō|Jingorō Hidari]] — a legendary Edo-period sculptor-carpenter famed for works such as the “Sleeping Cat” at Nikkō Tōshō-gū; the comparison underscores how exceptional such carving would have to be.
+[[wp>Hidari_Jingorō|Hidari Jingorō]] — a legendary Edo-period sculptor-carpenter famed for works such as the “Sleeping Cat” at Nikkō Tōshō-gū; the comparison underscores how exceptional such carving would have to be.
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 ==== Propeller Construction ====
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 As shown in **Figure 8**, begin with the spinner. Drill into a clean-grained wood block with a bit just large enough for a sewing pin (about 0.8–0.9 mm).
-Then, as in (B), cut the block 3–4 mm longer than final size. In (C), carve the spinner toward the center hole. If you lack a hand drill, insert a pin and rotate the piece by hand while sanding; it will produce a sufficiently accurate spinner for practical use.
+Then, as in (**B**), cut the block 3–4 mm longer than final size. In (**C**), carve the spinner toward the center hole. If you lack a hand drill, insert a pin and rotate the piece by hand while sanding; it will produce a sufficiently accurate spinner for practical use.
-If you do have a hand drill, follow (D): mount the same bit in the chuck, cut a small triangular piece of tinplate, and wedge it into the chuck gap. Press the tip of the triangle against the back of the spinner; this lets the spinner rotate freely without the drill slipping.
+If you do have a hand drill, follow (**D**): mount the same bit in the chuck, cut a small triangular piece of tinplate, and wedge it into the chuck gap. Press the tip of the triangle against the back of the spinner; this lets the spinner rotate freely without the drill slipping.
-This method yields a well-centered spinner comparable to a lathe-turned part. In (E), drill a hole just large enough for the pinhead. In (F), glue a small wooden plug into the rear, let it dry, and file it flush.
+This method yields a well-centered spinner comparable to a lathe-turned part. In (E), drill a hole just large enough for the pinhead. In (**F**), glue a small wooden plug into the rear, let it dry, and file it flush.
-Once finished, the spinner should rotate smoothly. Some say that rubbing a little pencil graphite into the pinhead seat improves rotation—feel free to try it
+Once finished, the spinner should rotate smoothly. Some say that rubbing a little pencil graphite into the pinhead seat improves rotation—feel free to try it.\\
+----
+<WRAP center small>
+[[en:authors:omachi-masami:a6m_zero:1956-04|1956 April Issue →]] ｜
+[[en:authors:omachi-masami:a6m_zero:start|Back to A6M ZERO Index]]
+</WRAP>