Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>Zero>HA8801

General Background

The A6M entered service in 1940 and became known as the Zero because of the Japanese designation of Type 0 Carrier Fighter. The Zero technology was years ahead of any other fighter and had no problem clearing the skies of opposing aircraft. There were numerous variants of the Zero including the folding wing A6M2 Model 21 designed for carrier operations. The A6M2 was the most produced Japanese aircraft of WWII. As the war went on the Model 21 would be the Zero variant that most Allied pilots would encounter.

The Aircraft

On December 7, 1941 the overall flight leader (Hikotaicho) of the first wave of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was LCDR Shigeru Itaya. His aircraft was a A6M2 Model 21 Type 0 “AI- 155” launched from the carrier Akagi along with 8 other Zeros to act as escorts for Vals from the carrier Shokaku. At 07:57 Itaya’s unit strafed John Rodgers Field and 3 minutes later strafed Hickam Field with each aircraft making 3 passes. Itaya managed to shoot an arriving B-17 and was credited with an aerial victory.

Specifications :

Role:	Fighter
Production Of All Zero Types:	Almost 10, 500
Crew:	1 Pilot
Power plant:	1 X Nakajima Sakae 12 Producing 925 HP
Performance:	Speed - 331 mph (533 km/h)
	Ceiling - 33,792.5 ft (10,300 m)
	Range – 1,044 miles (1,680 km)
Weight:	3,703.7 lb (1,680 kg) Empty
Dimensions:	Wingspan – 39 ft 4.4 in (12 m)
	Length – 29.72 ft (9.06 m)
	Height – 10 ft (3.05 m)
Armament	2 X 7.7 mm Type 97 Machine Guns On Upper Fuselage Firing Through A Synchronized Propeller
	2 X 20 mm Type 99 Cannon Wing-Mounted
	2 X External 132 lb (60 kg) Bombs