A6M5
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Posts posted by A6M5
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A6M5
in Model Photos
Finished! I would like to dedicate this build to Sophie, who made a years build worthwhile with great customer service. Like all builds it had its challenges, but its worth the effort and builds into a stunning model that everyone gravitates to.
Agora, now make an F6F Hellcat or a Hawker Hurricane or a P-47D Thunderbolt or an F-4 Phantom!
More planes!
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4 hours ago, Ajacobi said:
I found my problem with the tail gear, when I pushed the horn that connects the gear box to the tail gear in place after trying to loosen the tail gear to move without a ton of friction I accidentally pushed the gear down so the horn and gear were not fully attached, i shimmed the gear and forced it forward so i could tighten the 2 parts together so when the gear moved the horn moved. As for the flaps…can you send a screenshot of the fixes you mentioned? I’m aware of where the gears are since I can see them through the 2 slots at the bottom of the plane before I need to attach the add on plate. But I don’t know where to shim it. And lastly (not that important but just curious about this) I noticed my left landing gear indicator is not wanting to work, it’s extremely loose as if the gear is not actually engaged with the part. Easy fix or something i could ignore and not bother with?
Notice at time mark 31:35-31:46 the operation of the flap motor, gear and pinion gear, plus the operation of the flap is clearly visible. Grease the the part of the flap that fits into the oval slot. Also, where the guard goes around the gear and pinion gear, part 057-02 and shim the bottom to insure a secure engagement. (Pack 8). As for the landing gear indicator, use a pair of fine tweezers and gently pull up until it feels like it reengages. The plastic is very playable, so be careful.
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On 10/7/2022 at 6:29 PM, Ajacobi said:
hi, I am having some issues with my tail wheel and flaps, my flaps are stiff and needs some force to move while my tail wheel doesn't want to retract (gear attached to the motor that moves the tail gear is moving but part connecting the tail gear to said gear doesn't and makes clicking noises) but when extending it works perfectly. any advice on how to fix would be amazing
The flaps are designed so they use a friction slide for the flaps to articulate opening and closing, see instructions. I had the same problem. I shimmed the support beneath the gear so the gear teeth really connect to the pinion gear that slides forward and backwards--rasing and lowering the flaps. Also, put a dab of grease in the slots where the flaps insert. That should take care of your flap issue. Mine, only has one flap lowering and retracting. Its a four second feature, that you really can't see. So, I'm not tearing my plane apart. It will just to have to make no flap landings :) As far as the tail wheel, make sure that long steel rod is not binding. It has to snake its way through several plastic protrusions that are designed to keep from catching on something. Grease that wire at those friction spots. The servo is not very powerful, and I find as the battery drains, mine does not lower either. But once the base is fully charged, no problem. Hope this helps
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Looking good so far. Here's the plane we're building, and some history:
This particular Zero, 8-13 was found on Saipan with other intact Japanese A6M5 aircraft. The picture below, was taken August 8, 1944, on the island of Saipan. The aircraft belonged to the 261st Kokutai (Air Group), 8th Hikotai, Aircraft 13. The kanji on top of the tail translates to "Bi." This is believed to be an abbreviation of the pilot's name. The cap (chevron above the kanji) meant he was a more senior pilot. Other planes of the unit had similar kanji that would say "victory," etc. If someone has another interpretation, please chime in, but this is according to the Smithsonian Museum. The 261st was flown from mainland Japan, to Iwo Jima, then on to Saipan, to be used for air defense of the island. It's interesting to note, that despite the plane being a total wreck, the intelligence guys seemed interested in this particular bird, it has even been tagged by the antenna mast. Many Zeros were removed from Saipan, and shipped aboard the USS Copahee, to be taken back to the States for study. Charles Lindberg even test flew one.
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34 minutes ago, Ajacobi said:
it is unfortunate I'll have to cut it...but it's the only option i have due to not owning a soldering kit...plus the led needs to be completely replaced
You can get a soldering set at Hobby Lobby for a few $. By following the above, you can change the LED with out removing anything. What ever is easiest for you.
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10 hours ago, Ajacobi said:
I was asking about how to remove the fuel tank and bulkhead without removing the spacer or brace or whatever we had to put on after the bulkhead with glue, is it possible or am I going to have to cut it off and glue it back on after the switch is done?
That is called the engine mount supports, and yes you will have to nip that off to get at the bulkhead and fuel tank for removal. The good news, its not weigh bearing, its there for looks, the engine is self supporting. you will have to re-glue in place per the instructions when you are done. Use a sharp pair of sprue cutters and cut as flush as you can to the support brace and the bulkhead. Recommend CA glue to reattach.
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I would recommend the following, remove the gun and LED. Put the new LED in the tester you used to check the motor for the propeller to make sure it works. Then, carefully snip the red and black wires that connect to the board, as well as the LED light. Use a sharp knife to scrape away the wire coating and either solder or twist the wires together- red with red, black with black, and cut a small strip of electrician tape and wrap it tightly around where the wires are reconnected. Gently tuck them in so they wont interfere or pinch when you close up the fuselage. I had to do this with the three wire plug for the landing gear switch. It works fine.
Your other choice is to remove the fuel tank and the bulkhead. Refer to assembly instructions from this pack.
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48 minutes ago, Michael said:
I really appreciate your detailed instructions, and I have tried them all, to no avail. Hopefully, the problem will turn out to be a faulty circuit board and I have requested a replacement.
I was thinking that if you are getting no power, after the base on/off switch is in the on position, you DO NOT get the red power light by the IR sensor, you may have a bad battery. So you might ask for one of those too. While charging, if you got a green light that means, as you know, then the battery is fully charged. That does not mean that it held the charge. If you are getting no red power light, by the IR sensor, then you may have a defective battery. Check to see if it is warm. Try to recharge it. If you get a red charging light, I think your battery could be the problem. And you don't want that in your base. Or in your house. When you get a huge problem like that, the fix is usually a simple one. Its just a matter of solving the puzzle like mine. A mismarked board and unclear instructions. You will also notice that the fix for this in the check list is to replace the circuit board AND battery.
Keep me posted.
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16 hours ago, Bfam4t6 said:
Any luck resolving this Eric?
Anyone else having this issue?
Both of my gears droop a bit, but the right gear definitely droops worse.Yes, this another common problem. I had the right one droop. The fix is the middle cog that connects the motor to the landing gear. Here's how to fix: Take a good stiff shot of your favorite bourbon, some aspirin, and do the following:
Make sure the landing gear is tucked up into the gear well, you may need to use your finger of tape it in place. Take that middle cog, and firmly wiggle it in between the gears of the motor and landing gear cog. Make sure it is a snug fit. BE SURE THAT ALL THE GEAR TEETH INTER MESH!!!!!!! Put your finger over the middle gear, holding your finger firmly on the gear, then flip the wing around. If the gear is not drooping, you are almost home. Secure the gear cover with four screws. BUT! make sure the center cog's metal shaft rests completely in its trough!!! If not, it will pop out, and the gear will droop. After securing the cover and four screws are moderately tightened. Turn the wing over and check for droop. If their is none, you are in business! If it droops, start all over again. The left gear went in with no problem. The right gear took me 2 hours until it finally stopped drooping. BUT! sometimes the wheel cover will not fully retract. Mine only partially did. Not to worry, when you get the wing covers on, and you depress the take off button on the remote pad, that gear cover will close with a click after the landing gear fully retracts.
Chuck
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On 9/3/2022 at 10:43 AM, Michael said:
Pack 12 is complete. Everything is connected to the circuit board. But nothing happens. Any ideas?
When nothing happens, do you mean no power is getting to the lifters? Is the plane mounted?
I had a very similar problem. See video below.
1. Check to see if the battery is charged. (seriously) It takes about 5-8 hours to charge the battery pack the first time. If you have a red light shining in your base, you got power, (after you turn the base switch on.)
2. The circuit board is a single point of failure board. Meaning if you have one plug out of place. The whole shebang won't work. I found with my Circuit board it was mismarked, and the instructions are not clear on this. So, try to make sure all the plugs are in the right outlet. If not, try moving Switch Limiters J-1 and put into J-2 and J-2 into J-1 one. I found that if the switch limiters are not installed properly, the circuit board wont recognize them, and nothing happens. See below. The speakers, IR sensor, power charger should be OK. Make sure the battery main power line is plugged in correctly. If you have the cable installed backwards, it may not work. As I said, this circuit board is a single point of failure. If it doesn't recognize the correct plug, nothing will work.
3. If the plane is mounted, remove it, and see if the lifters will work. Go up and down and reset. Then the board is OK. Then the plane maybe the issue. If the motor will not run, nothing on the plane will work! Single point of failure. That means checking the engine with the testing unit. If it works, great, when you insert it into the plane and nothing happens, your problem is in the plane's internal mother board. Then you got to take down the plane. Which fortunately, is not hard. Again make sure the electric motor is connected to the right outlet.
Make sure the slider is shimmed to make full contact with the limiter switches. If they are not depressing the switch fully, nothing will happen. This is a real common problem. I took a bit of plastic, and just used tape. This helped greatly. Do this to all lifters. Make sure the lifter is pressing that switch flat!
Let me know if this works. If worse comes to worse, order a circuit board replacement.
Don't feel bad, lot off people are having issues with Pack 12.
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22 hours ago, Tom said:
Greetings. I recently posted about a problem I was having with my model. I was able to get the base working properly but had no functions in the plane itself. Obviously, a wiring issue. I ended up taking the model back down to the point where I could access the main board in the plane. On the main circuit board there are 2 connections for the power/data wires to the base, T2 and W2. T2 I am calling the 'Data' connection and W2 I am calling the power connection. W2 connects to pins 4 and 5 at the connecting post. T2 connects to pins 1 and 2. You can't go wrong up to this point. The problem in my case comes in pack 11 stage 1. The instructions show that there are 2 different sized connectors for the power post. According to the instructions you can't go wrong. My kit came with 2 connectors the same size making it possible to connect the post incorrectly, which of course I did. I had T2 and W2 connected backwards. W2 and T2 connect to pins 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 all the way through to the base. After following the wiring down to the base and connecting everything the right way, the plane is functioning properly. All I have to do now is put it all back together. Another thing that I found is the base battery takes about 12 hours to charge the first time and it doesn't take long to drain it.
I hope this helps the other builders that are having similar problems.
The batteries normally will take 5+ hours or maybe more to charge, depending on what type of Micro B USB cable used. I get maybe 4-5+ cycles out of it. Cycle = 1 take off and landing plus yanking and banking, firing the guns, and lights on. Glad you got yours straightened out. I found that the main circuit board was mislabeled as to what two plugs go where. J1 and J2. Or the instructions are wrong. Each lifter must have a specific limit switch and cable. Their is no warning in the instructions, that if you get them mixed up, you're going to have trouble down the road.. This is a single point of failure board. If one plug is put in the wrong outlet, the whole enchilada won't work. Also the instructions say to turn your remote control pad on first, then the base. The black and white sheet tells the opposite which is correct.
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Just now, Ajacobi said:
unfortunately, I am unable to view your attachments and I don't know why, please resend them
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On 8/27/2022 at 9:47 AM, Tom said:
Can anyone tell me what the voltage is supposed to be at the power connector and which pin locations I should use to test the voltage. I'm not getting any movement from the plane and intermittent movement from the base. I'm sure that the problem in the base is a result of the failure in the plane. The system has to be able to 'talk' back and forth to complete the program. I want to be able to check the voltage from the base to the plain before I start disassembling the plane. Agora Sam, if you are reading this can you give me some direction? In the mean time I'm going to disassemble the lifting motors to give them a good greasing. Something I should have done during assembly.
Does your problem look like this? If so its a circuit board problem. The fix is easy, if this is your problem. So don't take your plane apart just yet. Let me know ASAP.
Chuck
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On 8/20/2022 at 1:28 PM, Ajacobi said:
Besides, with the notch and key design shouldn’t it be impossible for me to mess up?
Hi!
It isn't about the the way the pins line up, one of the pins is incorrectly soldered. I would take a picture of the connectors and send to Mark, he can tell you by comparison which one is wired correctly. You can either order a replacement, or just take a soldering gun, melt the wrong pin' solder and reconnect to the correct pin. About a two minute job.
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Hi John,
Still haven't received my pack 12 on this side of the Pond. Can you tell me what was wrong with this connector pin? How to fix, and did it require dissasembling the fuselage?
Cheers,
Chuck
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On 6/5/2022 at 3:10 PM, john hunter said:Hi, I have added some pics of the fuselage and vertical stabiliser. The gap is actually green paint as you can see there is no gap further up the fuselage. The stabiliser looks fine and central, in the video the weight of the plane makes it lean to the left so I have balanced it in the picture.
Hi John!
Looks great, especially the vertical stab., as you have the plane balanced out, it looks plumb and 90 degrees to the fuselage.. Unfortunately mine is still bent after following your technique. I see the green line you are talking about much more clearly. I suppose, if you wanted too, you could thin some Tamiya Acrylic Neutral Grey and some Tamiya I J Grey (X-12) and gently dab the green paint and it may disappear altogether. Used it on mine with good results. Just a matter of taste I suppose. I'm watching your video very carefully, thanks.
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31 minutes ago, Mark, The Master Modeller said:
I see that John mentions his gap closed up when he put the screws in the tail. (Time stamp about 6:10)
I'll keep an eye out for this issue when I get to that stage. and let people know what the pitfalls are.
Hi Mark
At 13.15 and 13:22 the seam line is still visible, although John said it was closed up. So I'm not sure. On Wayne's video you can clearly see the same gap @ 8:58. I wrote to the Agora guys who are checking with the engineers in Japan. I think when the die is cut from the steel sheets, they are not changing the cutter blades frequently and as the press lifts up, the cut sheet is sticking to the die cutter and hence bending the frame. If you look at John's Vertical tail, its bent to the left at 14:44. If you have contact with the management at Agora, can you see where they are with this? I was supposed to have a follow up solution, weeks ago. Or if they were going to incorporate my fix as part of the instructions.
Thanks
Chuck
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On 5/17/2022 at 5:05 AM, Mark, The Master Modeller said:
There are limit switches (part 083-01) which should sort out the alignment between the two lifters, so any misalignment will be resolved as soon as the model goes through a landing cycle. At a guess, I'd expect that the lifters are all retracted on power up. However, I will test it carefully when I get to that stage and will post info about any potential problems and solutions on the official build. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Hi Mark, you may want to visit A6M Modelers, WATCH OUT FOR THIS BIG MISTAKE, AND HOW TO FIX!
I have seen several modelers who have had the same problem, both Wayne on Youtube and John also on Youtube
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9 hours ago, john hunter said:
You could power up the motor and set them as you want also. I test both motors before installing them. Very well noticed though with regard to the instructions.
Good thinking! But I tried that and couldn't get them to operate on the electrical test set.
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Hello fellow A6M5 builders,I seemed to have uncovered an issue with Agora's instructions for Pack 11 regarding the Lifting Device Gear Box. Apparently, the camshaft MUST be oriented a certain way in order for you to install it, see pictures below. In order to keep the lifters even before using, they must be of the same height.Picture 1: Camshaft orientation per the instructions. The instructions makes no reference to being oriented per a certain way as later on this will matter a lot.Picture 2 & 3: Both gear boxes with reoriented camshafts.Picture 4: Why it matters: Pack 11, Stage 85, Step 3. The camshaft placed into the groove on slider 065-02. If the cam is oriented any other way, It could result in a crooked flying Zero, one wing higher than the other. If the camshaft is entered into the groove positioned at a different angle that means, the lifter may be higher than the other, i.e. when the plane takes off it will be at an angle, and may also land that way. It may also not be able to achieve level flight. That should have been CLEARLY spelled out in the directions long before you get to Pack 11. Fortunately, the fix is easy at this stage. Carefully open the gearbox, remove the motor, and position the camshaft as shown. Replace the motor and snap the case closed.Cheers,Agora A6M5 Product Engineer and Problem Finder/Solver, and Zero 8-13 Historian (probationary)Charles Schlom
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On 4/20/2022 at 12:40 AM, Ajacobi said:
I actually didn't notice that issue...true I did have some spacing when the ribs were on by themselves but after attaching both halves of the skin (aside from when I accidently pinched the power wire) I didn't have that problem
Unfortunately, I did and so did Wayne on his video. The steel frame has a slight bend to it due to the way it came off the die punch. Agora is checking with their engineers in Japan. So they say.
If you can, can you upload a photo of the fuselage bottom? I would like to see what "right" looks like.
Thanks!
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Ok, so after placing the pre painted rod in that seam, this is what your Zero can look like rather than a big ugly seam. (Also Use Tamiya Neutral grey and mix it with Tamiya I J Grey X-12 till you get a color match) Keep in mind this is not going to win any IPMS contests, as the fuselage halves has one seam taller than the other!
Ughhh! But it's better than nothing. The sides don't look too bad though. But for a $1,600 kit, this is unacceptably bad quality. My biggest worry is if the landing gear will cycle up and down as the switch system that engages it looks quite problematic. Still waiting for a response from Agora on that one after 6 months. Here is the problem: The landing gear "arm" 028-01 that is supposed to press the landing gear limiting switch 033-03, was made too small and fell short of both switches. So I added plastic "extenders" so that it can depress each switch. Be Sure to check this. Sometimes the landing gear "arm" doesn't depress the switch even though its the correct length. Part 041-01 has the same problem, so be sure to check it.
Pic 1. before
Pic 2-4 repaired.
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Ok, so after placing the pre painted rod in that seam, this is what your Zero can look like rather than a big ugly seam. (Also Use Tamiya Neutral grey and mix it with Tamiya I J Grey X-12 till you get a color match) Keep in mind this is not going to win any IPMS contests, as the fuselage halves has one seam taller than the other!
Ughhh! But it's better than nothing. The sides don't look too bad though. But for a $1,600 kit, this is unacceptably bad quality. My biggest worry is if the landing gear will cycle up and down as the switch system that engages it looks quite problematic. Still waiting for a response from Agora on that one after 6 months. Here is the problem: The landing gear "arm" 028-01 that is supposed to press the landing gear limiting switch 033-03, was made too small and fell short of both switches. So I added plastic "extenders" so that it can depress each switch. Be Sure to check this. Sometimes the landing gear "arm" doesn't depress the switch even though its the correct length. Part 041-01 has the same problem, so be sure to check it.
Pic 1. before
Pic 2-4 repaired.
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Hi everyone. I noticed that the steel frame that makes up the spine and attachment points for the electronics has a manufacturer's defect, it's bent! This is Part 055-03 that comes in Stage 55, Pack 7. Unfortunately, its slight, and can't be readily noticed until you are far too into the build to do anything about it. However the results are an ugly seam down the bottom of the fuselage. I came up with a solution that should work. Take some Evergreen Scale Model Plastic Rod, sand ONE side until its flat, and paint using a mix of Tamiya Neutral Grey and some Tamiya I J Grey (X-12). When dry, using Super Glue or White glue, gently place in between the seam. Let dry, and your unsightly seem will be gone.
Picture 1: Bent part 055-03. Picture 2: Due to the bent frame, the result will prevent the fuselage halves from meeting and causing an unsightly seam. Picture 3: Placing Sprue rod after sanding and fitting into the seam. (Mine isn't glued in yet, so I can remove it and paint tomorrow.) Picture 4: What to get at most Hobby Stores.
This is a nasty surprise, and at this stage, there is absolutely nothing you can do, but try my fix if this happens to you. Drop me note at CMSCHLOM@hotmail.com or here on the forum if you have any problems.
V/r,
Chuck
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I need help with the display base
in Zero Chat
Posted
I had the exact same problem. Here is the fix. The instructions earlier were incorrect in matching limiter switches to the lifters. Place each limiter switch plug into each slot of the circuit board until it works. Then test. The problem is the receptacles J1, J2 and J3 If you plug Lifter 2 into receptacle J2, and its the wrong lifter switch, nothing will work, and one will continue to cycle forever. Single point of failure board. So try each limit switch plug to each receptacle for all three lifters until all three are correct. Trial and failure . Turn power on. Then use the remote. If all three move, then reset, you are in business! Remember, as you are trying to insert each plug, the other two have to be plugged in too. So you will be moving each plug about until you get the right combination. It took me a total of 3 minutes to get it right! Feel free to email me at cmschlom@hotmail.com if you have any issues.
-Chuck