Duel Over The Pacific

This 1:72 diorama depicts a dogfight over the Pacific between an Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero and a United States Marine Corps Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat. On this occasion, the Wildcat has come out on top as the Zero attempts to ditch in the ocean, while on fire.

Painted LEDs wrapped in smoky cotton wool provide the catastrophic engine fire, with the ocean base made from the effective method of toilet paper (yes, toilet paper!) and PVA glue, painted in acrylics and finished with a few coats of high gloss varnish.

Both models are by Airfix but this is not the Dogfight Double edition. The keen-eyed amongst you will notice a chronological error. The Zero's markings show a plane that took part in the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, flown by Lt. Saburo Shindo (based on the carrier Akagi, which was later scuttled after suffering severe damage during the Battle of Midway in September 1942). While the Wildcat markings are for a Marine Air Group 12 plane flown by First Lt. James E. Swett based at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in 1943. They would never have met (unless they went through the same magnetic storm from The Final Countdown!).