Small Scale Military Headquarters

"The other problem with the Zero is the very limited schemes. It was a naval aircraft, so it never really wore the spotted camouflages. Unlike some other Japanese fighters, there weren’t lots and lots of big swatches of color or lightning bolts and flashes and things. Most of them were either overall light grey with a black cowl or dark green with a black cowl. So that makes it a little bit harder to sell. I think it will sell reasonably well, but won’t set the world on fire as far as sales are concerned."

this quote is interesting. it certainly explains why the red 190 came out first, as well as the air america huey. but it bothers me to think that they are basing some paint schemes solely on how flashy they are or how eye catching they are. seems i'd rather have a flashy box or picture on the box that draws you to the plane, rather than the plane itself. i like my planes to have the most common paint schemes, which usually means minimal nose art and the potential for easy customisation. that's why the donnie boy p-47 is my favourite. as long as they offer one generic paint scheme, and it's common enough that we can find them in our area, i don't care how many other repaints they do. but they should mix them up so they don't run into that CIA huey disaster again...

I agree with you! There are some flasy schemes that I do like - the new 109G and the "Blond Angel" P-47 among others, but some are simply too much, as with the case of the Red 3 Fw-190. I agree that simple paint schemes are needed as well as flashy ones and I also prefer the simple, basic paint jobs.

I can see where the Zero would be limited as far as repaints are concerned, but say they made an M5 variant (the most common Zero type). It could sport the standard green paint job and they could do a lightly weathered or a heavily weathered variant. Aircraft with different numbering squadron markings can also be made, and wont differ any more greatly than say the NKK and DWK Spitfires. They could also paint it the white/light gray color for use as a "Pearl Harbor" Zero, that would be inaccurate to us collectors, but to the common layman that make up the bulk of 21c sales, it would be hardly noticable. There's 3-4 versions right there, and that is more than they currently have for the ME-109G.

Also, if common people make up the bulk of 21c sales, whats the point of producing, say and ME-109 E and then an ME-109G? Yes, those are practically different planes, but is the average person with little knowelege of WWII aircraft types going to get the Gustav over the Emil for the sake of the modle type, especially when the aircraft basically look the same at first glance? No they're just going to what ever one cause its a plane and their kid wants a plane.

Essentially what I'm trying to argue here is that if a variant of an existing 21c aircraft will sell, a Zero will also sell!

Well then they should make a KI-43,
Everyone but us will call it a Zero anyway.
We need PTO adversaries.

Damn, I about to paint up an Emil in Japanese markings.

I agree with all of the above. Give me a "Ferrari" without the pin-stripes.

Do two schemes instead of four and sell twice as many