Mitsubishi A6M Zero 1/72 Scale Models

Japanese A6M2 Model 21 Type 0 Navy Carrier Fighter - This is a model of a fighter from the carrier Soryu that participated in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Zero was the Japanese name for the plane, and was always its most popular name. But the Allied codename for the plane was "Zeke." The Zero first saw combat against the Chinese in 1940, and immediately gained air supremacy, replacing the A5M "Claude" as the Japanese navy's primary carrier fighter. This, however, was ignored by the Allies and they paid for their arrogance in late 1941 and early 1942 when Zeros achieved air superiority over the Pacific and Southeast Asia. In order to increase Zero production, the Nakajima company was instructed to build Zeros too. They began with the Model 21 in November, 1941, and also helped to build subsequent models. This helped make the Zero was the most numerous Japanese fighter of WWII, with production for all models reaching about 10,000 by the end of war. But this number was dwarfed by Allied fighter production. More than 12,000 Hellcats, for example, were built by the USA.

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Japanese A6M3 Model 32 Type 0 Navy Carrier Fighter - This is a model of a fighter that flew against American forces in the Solomon Islands from the Japanese base at Rabaul in 1943. The Model 32 was an attempt to improve the Zero's performance at high altitudes. It had a more powerful engine, the Sakae 21, fitted with a supercharger. To compensate for the increased weight of the bigger engine, and to try and improve high-speed maneuverability, the plane's folding wing tips were removed, creating the squared wing tips that were the Model 32's signature feature. These changes, however, resulted in little improvement in the plane's overall performance, and made it worse in some ways, including a higher fuel consumption rate. This fact, coupled with a lower fuel capacity, meant the plane's range was significantly reduced. The Model 32 proved unpopular with Japanese pilots and its production was soon terminated and the existing planes relegated to training duties. Introduced in the spring of 1942, the Model 32 was originally given the Allied code name of "Hamp," but that was later changed to "Zeke 32."

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Japanese A6M5b Model 52 Type 0 Navy Carrier Fighter - This is a model of a fighter that flew against American Hellcats and Corsairs in the Pacific in late 1944. The Model 52, introduced in the summer of 1943, was based on the Model 32. It still had the shorter wings, although they were rounded off, but its fuel capacity was increased and the exhaust system was redesigned to improve engine performance. Furthermore, the wings were reinforced to increase the plane's maximum dive speed. An experienced pilot flying a Model 52 could hold his own against the new U.S. Navy fighters, but experienced Japanese pilots became scarce as the war progressed. At the request of the Japanese Navy, more heavily armed versions of the Model 52 were developed in 1944. The most numerous of these was the A6M5b "Otsu," fitted with a bigger machine gun on its starboard cowling. It also had armored glass added to the windscreen and an automatic fire extinguishing system, the first time these safety features had been fitted to a Zero. Over 6,000 Model 52s were produced, more than any other Zero variant or Japanese combat plane, and they were used until the end of the war.

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