Here is a small update on the A6M and D3A.
Firstly the nicely detailed Tamiya landing gear for the Zero after painting. These parts are MUCH superior to the old pieces that came with the -5.

Group Build> Japan
After working on the cowlings and exhausts for the Zero I finished the camouflage painting on the Val and applied the clearcoat. The old kit decals that came with the Testors kit looked beautiful on the sheet but are rather translucent when applied to the airplane. I applied one decal to the underside of the wing and it turned from vivid red to maroon. To fix the problem I'm using circles of white decal paper under each hinomaru.

Group Build> Japan
That's the lower wing of the Zero with its star-and-bar applied.