Hasegawa 19142 1/48 MITSUBISHI A6M2a ZERO FIGHTER TYPE 11 [JT42]

The A6M Zero was a fighter plane that served as the Imperial Japanese Navy's main fighter.
It had outstanding maneuverability, and its firepower and speed exceeded the standards of carrier-based fighters at the time, even surpassing land-based fighters.
On October 5, 1937, Mitsubishi and Nakajima
received the plan requirements for the 12-Shi Carrier Fighter, a main carrier-based fighter following the 96-Shi Carrier Fighter . Mitsubishi began the design with engineer Jiro Horikoshi as the chief designer. Based on the technology he had developed with the 96-Shi Carrier Fighter, Horikoshi went further in the design, reducing weight and resistance. In addition, new attempts were made, such as the adoption of a constant-speed propeller, retractable landing gear, a split structure, a water-drop type sealed windshield , a streamlined drop tank, a Crusey radio return direction finder, the use of ESD (super duralumin), and the installation of a 20mm machine gun in the wing . The first 12-Shi Carrier Fighter (A6M1) was completed with the Zuisei 13 type (takeoff power 780 horsepower).