The Mitsubishi A6M2 was the first major production version of the famous Japanese ‘Zero’ fighter. In took part in the attack on Pearl Harbour and dominated the skies during the early stages of the Pacific War.

Development of the Mitsubishi A6M began in 1937 and the first one flew on 1 April 1939.

(It was commonly called the ‘Zero’ after its designation as the ‘Type 0 carrier fighter’.)

They began entering service in July 1940 and where, at that time, the best carrier based fighter in the world with extraordinary range and manoeuverability.

In the period after the beginning of the Pacific War at the end of 1941 they achieved a kill ratio of 12 to 1 but began to be outclassed by mid 1942.

Even so, versions of the A6M remained in production until the end of the war by which time almost 11,000 had been manufactured.

This model represents an A6M2 flown by Shigeru Iraya from the IJN carrier Akagi for the attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941.

Airfix 1/72 kit with Techmod decals completed by Leigh Edmonds in April 2017.