Aside from the early-morning raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, perhaps the biggest shock for American forces in the Pacific was the outstanding performance of the Imperial Navy's main carrier fighter, the beautifully proportioned Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero-Sen. Some 10,500 Zeros were built by Mitsubishi in no fewer than eight different sub-types, and although outclassed by more powerful US fighters from late 1943 onwards, the Zero retained a modicum of 'combatibility' due to its weight.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of an Imperial Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter that was piloted by Petty Officer 1st Class Takashi Hirano, who was embarked upon the IJN Aircraft Carrier Akagi, during its attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/2-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: September 2016

Historical Account: "Akagi" - As the Zero fighters from Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft Carrier Akagi took off on the morning of December 7th, 1941, their mission instructions were clear - protect the strike aircraft from enemy fighters and destroy as many American aircraft on the ground as possible. As the Pearl Harbor attack was taking place in advance of any formal declaration of war, the US fighter units based at Hawaii were not expecting an attack and many aircraft were parked in neat rows on their home airfields. As Takashi Hirano approached Hickam Field in Mitsubishi Zero AI-I54, the lines of American aircraft made for easy targets and he raked them with machine gun bullets. Appearing to become disorientated at this extremely low altitude, Hirano's Zero struck the ground, ripping the belly tank from beneath the fuselage and causing the tips of the propeller to become damaged - struggling to gain height his damaged aircraft began to vibrate violently.

Unable to regain control, Hirano's Zero struck a coconut tree and cartwheeled into buildings at Fort Kamehameha, killing him instantly, along with a group of men on the ground, who were unable to escape the impact. Hirano's aircraft was the first Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter to be brought down during the Pearl Harbor raid, even though it was by his own hand.