1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero

The range nobody believed in

The Mitsubishi A6M2 surprised its opponents with a combination of agility and an unusually long range. Its designers paid for it with a lightened structure with no armor and no self-sealing tanks, which took a cruel revenge in the later years of the war. In December 1941, though, this fighter was the best thing appearing over the Pacific, and it was the only one able to escort a strike wave over a long distance.

The machines on the sheet

The best known of the three is the aircraft with the code AI-101 from the aircraft carrier Akagi, which on 7 December 1941 led the fighter element of the first strike. The second machine with the designation V-103 belonged to the Tainan Kokutai group and is captured on Bali in February 1942, when one of the most successful Japanese pilots was flying it. The third option comes from the training unit Konoike Kokutai and is dated February 1944, that is, a time when the type was no longer good enough in the front line.

Recommendations on application

The water should be lukewarm, not hot. Hot water releases the adhesive too quickly and the marking slides off the paper before you manage to place it. Let the finished decals dry untouched for several hours and only then go over them with a protective coat.

• Three options with completely different backgrounds, from a carrier unit to training
• The codes AI-101, V-103 and JJ-170 in crisp artwork
• Suitable for models of the Model 21 version in 1:48 scale
• Once dry, the film is thin enough to be lost in the surface of the paint
• The artwork of the national insignia has even coverage with no base showing through