三菱 海軍零式艦上戰鬥機 二一型

The A6M2 ZERO fighter, a well known and well respected fighter model during WWII. Made by Mitsubishi (三菱), and was put into action during the early Pacific War. The plane was first flown in April 1st, 1939, and was introduced into military in July, 1940. The name "A6M", "A" means it is carrier base, which means it is capable of taking off and landing on the aircraft carrier. "6" for the sixth such model built for the Imperial Navy, and "M", the manufacturer, Mitsubishi. The A6M fighter was most commonly known as "ZERO", it also had other nicknames such as "ZEKE", "HAP", and "Hamp."

When it was introduced early in WWII, the Zero was the best carrier-based fighter in the world combining excellent maneuverability and very long range. In early combat operations, the Zero gained a legendary reputation as a "dogfighter," but by 1942, new tactics and techniques enabled Allied pilots to engage the Zero on more equal terms. The IJNAS also frequently used the type as a land-based fighter. By 1943, inherent design weaknesses and the increasing scarcity of more powerful aircraft engines meant that the Zero became less effective against newer enemy fighters that possessed greater firepower, armor, and speed, and approached the Zero's maneuverability. Although the Mitsubishi A6M was outdated by 1944, it remained in production. During the final years of the war in the Pacific, the Zero was utilized in Kamikaze operations (神風特攻隊).

On June 4, 1942, after the attck on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, flight petty officer Tadayoshi Koga was losing oil and attempted an emergency landing but the Zero flipped over in soft ground and the pilot died of head wounds. The relatively undamaged fighter was recovered by the American on July 11, 1942, and was shipped to North Air Station, North Island, San Diego for repair. Subsequent testing of the repaired A6M revealed not only its strengths but also deficiencies in design and performance. The American then began developing aircrafts that can defeat Zero's capabilities.
American pilot test flying the captured Zero, which has already painted with American fighter color and star.

What I am gonna share today is the Tamiya (田宮) 1/32 scale Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero (三菱 海軍零式艦上戰鬥機 二一型). Compare with the 1/48 scale Zero I built before, the 1/32 scale Zero is really big; and bigger the size of the model, the more detail it is. The most complicated part is the cockpit and all the interior section. Tamiya made each parts as detail as they can possibly make them. It was a long and hard work on the cockpit, but it turned out really awesome! I've never built such detailed instrument panel before.

This is the completed A6M2 Zero and it's pilot, Saburo Shindo (進藤三郎), on the custom built
A/C AKAGI (空母赤城) deck.

This is a figure of the pilot of this particular Zero with tail code AI-102, Saburo Shindo (進藤三郎), a well experienced pilot who was the leader of 2nd Wave of 1st, 2nd, and 5th Air Squadron; Thus, Yellow Stripes on the tail! Shindo still lives today, in Hiroshima City (廣島市)

I saw this data plate of the A6M2 Zero on http://www.hlj.com/ where I usually shop for models and supplies. This plate gives a complete information of the plane. It's made out of metal, and has double-sided tape on the back, so you can just peel the film and put onto anywhere. The text is in Japanese, that sort of made the whole thing looks a bit high class. lol.

As I've mentioned before, Tamiya made the instrument panel looks so detail. the glass of the gauge are clear plastic, and the images of the gauge ar decals.

Here's another view of the cockpit. All the switches and levers on the side of the seat are clearly visible. Notice the seat belt is not mold-on. It is actually made with thin plastic film, and the buckels are made of metal. The seat belts are not after market PE parts. They are originally included in the box.

This is my favorite shot. I think the A6M Zero looks the best from this angle. I made the plane and the pilot sit on the carrier deck to make this diorama look like the plane is prepareing for launch for Pearl Harbor (珍珠灣).

View from the other side. Notice that I've weathered the plane a bit. the black soot from the engine and the dirt on the wing (pilot had to get onto the wing before he can get into the plane).
I've also made scratched-off-paint effect, but you can't really see in this photo, probably the ligth was too bright, but look close at other pictures. Maybe you can see it.

The wooden base was aquired at Micheals, an art supply store, and the wood pieces were bought from Carpe Diem, where I buy most of the supply for my architecture class. They came in 4 pieces in one bag, and each piece is measured 3 ft. in length. I bought 7 bags to cover the whole wooden base. I cut each bass wood into 4 inches. put white glue onto the surface of the base, and put the bass wood pieces on one by one, then use a sharp razor the cut away the extended pieces on the side. As I was putting on the bass wood pieces, white glue was squeezed out from the gaps. I left it alone and use a sand paper to sand the glue off when it's dry.

The top view of the A6M2 Zero. made by Tamiya in 1/32 scale.