1:48 A6M2 Type 21 Zero Fighter Kit
Item# 61016

Description
Birth of the ZERO FIGHTER

In the summer of 1937 Japan started action against China and
threw into the front a great number of the newest planes which
Japan had created with their original ideas and technique.
Concerning fighters in particular, Japan had abandoned biplane
type which was counted as the common sense of the then world and
already employed the Type 96 Carrier Fighter (96 Kansen) that
Japan had produced on the basis of many pieces of new technique
and ideas such as all-metal, internally braced low wing monoplane

design and the engine cowling designed to reduce air resistance.
96 Kansens always successfully engaed with I-15 and I-16
fighters and SB-2 bombers of Russian make as well as Gladiator
fighters of British make. The 96 Kansen appeared as a fighter
having a speed as high as 450 km/h and superior maneuverability
at the time when conventional fighters of Japan and other nations

of the world had a maximum speed of 350 km/h, winning admiration
in Japan and abroad. This overthrew the deepfooted view that
foreign planes were superior to those of Japan. After the
appearance of the 96 Kansen, the modernization of Japan's
aircraft industry was rapidly promoted and original planes came
to be born.

The battle with China became fierer with years and China
transferred her capital from Nanking to Chungkin in the Chinese
hinterland to ward off the attacks of the Japanese. The Japanese
in pursuit the enemy, particularly the Japanese Naval Air Force,
could not escort the bombers as far as to enemy bases in the
hinterland because of the 96 Kansen's limited cruising range, and

was forced to fly bombers without fighter escort. The Japanese
bombers were intercepted by Chinese fighters and easily suffered
great losses. The fighting over China taught the Japanese Navy
what air fights should be in future and how great would be the
loss inflicted on bombers attacking without the command of the
air before the air force of other countries became aware of them.

The Japanese Navy came to know that fighters should be used not
only in conventional interception and air defense missions around

their bases but also to escort bombers and other planes as far
as to the sky over the target by beating enemy fighters and to
secure the command of the air, and realized the importance of
fighters capable of doing so.

In October 1937 the Naval Aeronautical Establishment formed a
plan for the 12-Shi Experimental Fighter (later called Zero-Sen),

a new fighter to succeed the 96 Kansen which was expected to
have a maximum speed of more than 500 km/h and apeed well over
that of the 96 Kansen. Heavy armament consisting of two 20mm
machine guns; maneuverability not inferior to that of the 96
Kansens; and a longcrusing range corresponding to over 6-8 hours;

flight at a cruising speed which was based on combat experience
in China. The Naval Aeronautical Establishment made a request to
Nakajima Aircraft and Mitsubishi Aircraft for competitive trial
manufacture. Mitsubishi's deign staff led by engineer
Jiro-Horikoshi, who had previously designed the masterpiece plane

96 Kansesn, set to work. Increased cruising range and speed
naturally required large horsepower, engine and fuel capacity and

therefore large fuselage. In the basic design, the 12-Shi Kansen
was two times as heavy as the 96 Kansen. Pilots who attached the
greatest importance to maneuverability made complaints and
requested that the new fighter should be made smaller. On the
other hand, some people took a stand against them saying that
maneuverability could be made up for by training and skill and
that greater importance should be attached to speed and cruising
range which could not be compensated for by training or skill. No

definite conclusion could be reached on this matter and
Mitsubishi designers continued to be troubled with the severe
figures prescribed. Horikoshi and his designers firmly believed
that they could save weight by using Extra Super-Duralumin which
Sumitomo then developed through increasing conventional duralumin

in strenght and by taking other drastic measures for lightening
the fuselage. They proposed the view to the Naval Aeronautical
Establishment and gained the approval.

Design work and trial manufacture went on smoothly after that,
and the first flight was successfully made on 1sr April, 1939. A
number of experiments and improvements were repeated: The engine
was later changed from the Mitsubishi Zuisei to the Nakajima
Sakae and a constant speed 3-bladed propeller was employed in
place of the 2-blader. At the request of field units which were
unable to put up with losses successively inflicted on their
bombing squads, fifteen 12-Shi Kansens under the command of
Lieutenants yokoyama and Shindo were sent to the Chinese
Continent in July 1940 just before the new fighter was officially

accepted for production. At the end of July, the 12-Shi Kansen
was named the Type O Carrier Fighter Model 11 after the last
figure "O" of the 2,600th year of the Imperial reign and
officially accepted for production. Zero-Sens which were sent tot

he Chinese Continent joined the 12th Air Fleet and played the
role of escorting bombers to the hinterland that was impossible
for the 96 Kansen. They made an extended shuttle flight of more
than 1,300 km, proving that they were able to escort bombers
satisfactorily. On 13th September, thirteen Zero-Sens staged an
air battle with twenty-seven I-15 and I-16 fighters over Chungkin

and shot down all the enemy fighters in an instant with no loss
to the Zero-Sens. This was the first and victorious campaign of
the Zero-Sen. The appearance of the Zero-Sen gave Japan the
complete command of the air over the Chinese continent.

Outbreak of the Pacific War

On 8th December, 1941, "Type 97 Carrier Torpedo Bomber" from the
aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku
themselves over Hawaii under the escort of Zero-Sen fighters.
While the Zero-Sens commanded the air, the attacking units
delivered attacks agains the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor
and air bases of Hawaii. The success of the surprise attack was
wired to the whole world in a code "Tra, Tra, Tra." This sparked
the Pacific War. The Japanese made a brilliant drive as far as to

the Aleutian Islands in the north and the Indian Ocean. The
Zero-Sen fought in the van of advancing Japanese forces, gained
mastery over the two oceans and raged about freely. The Allied
Powers including the United States and Britain that had not been
informed of the existence of the Zero-Sen were surprised at its
high performance and the "Terrible Zero Fighter" made officers
and men's blood run cold.

In air battles around the Phillipines, Zero-Sens left the Takao
base of Formosa together with "Type 1 Attak Bomber" to make an
extended shuttle flight of more than 1,600 km over the ocean and
had aerial flights with British Buffalos and Hurricanes as well
as American P-36s and P-40s which tried to intercept the Japanese

planes. The fights resulted in a signal victory for the
Zero-Sens. While the number of Zero-Sens lost was only a few,
about 300 Allied planes in the Phillipines including B-17
bombers, which were then called impregnable air fortresses and
the Americans were proud of, were shot down in only a few days.
The Allies responded to the Zero-Sen with the new Ship-Based
Fighter F4F Wildcat of the United States Navy and the Spitfire of

the Royal Air Force. Particularly the FrF produced
contemporaneously with the Zero-Sen was much expected a sthe same

ship based figher having almost the same engine horsepower. The
F4F was no match for the Zero-Sen in fighting maneuverability. In

the attack of Port Darwin, Australia, from the Rabaul base, the
Zero-Sen showed superior circling ability and overwhelmed the
Britain's proud spitfire in dogfights. The spitfire was a fighter

which had beaten the Messerschmitt Bf-109 of the German Air
Force in dogfights by making the most of its proud circling
ability. Thus the Japanese fighter was requted to be "Invincible
Zero-Sen". The Zero-Sens which achieved these victories in the
initial stage of the Pacific War were called Model 21, an
improved version of the early Model 11 that showed activity over
the Chinese continent. The wings of the Model 21 were designed to

permit 50cm of each tip to fold upwards to facilitate carrier
stowage. Zero-Sens of the Models 11 and 21 manufactured and
prepared before the beginning of the Pacific War totaled only
about 400.

After the middle stage of the war, the Americans came to use
against the Zero-Sen a great number of new planes such as the
Ship-Based fighter F6F Hellcat mounting and engine of 2,000 hp
class nad the P-38, P-47 and P-51 fighters, and gradually
regained their power. Meanwhile, a number of improved versions of

the Zero-Sen were also produced, but the Zero-Sen was almost the
only one Japanese fighter type that fought through the war. The
production continued to the end of the war and totalled to more
than 10,425 which was an all time record production in the
Japanese aircraft history. More than half of them- 6,545 -were
manufactured by Nakajima Aircraft between January 1941 and the
end of the war. The Nakajima production included 327 Zero-Sens
with float named the Type 2 Seaplane Fighter.

Zero-Sen at the World's Highest Level

Some of the distinguished features of the Zero-Sen which achieved

the brillian war results mentioned before are as follows: 1.
Long cruising range. This owes much to the low fuel consumption
of the reliable Nakajima Sakae engine. 2. Good maneuverability
and circling ability obtained through drastic weight reduction
plus speed and acceleration well matching with them. Strong in
dogfights. 3. Powerful 20mm machine guns.

The Zero-Sen was well balanced in all these features and the
performance was above the world level. The fact that Zero-Sen
pilots gained battle experience in China and were very skilled
also contributed to the "Invincible Zero-Sen".