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Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Type 21 ‘Rabaul’ 1:48 Hasegawa History The first A6M1 prototype was completed in March 1939, powered by the 580 kW (780 hp) Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine with a two-blade propeller. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing in a remarkably short period of time. By September, it had already been accepted for navy testing as the A6M1 Type 0 Carrier Fighter, with the only notable change being a switch to a three-bladed propeller to cure a vibration problem. After the delivery of only 65 aircraft by November 1940, a further change was worked into the production lines, which introduced folding wingtips to allow them to fit on aircraft carriers. The resulting Model 21 would become one of the most produced versions early in the war. A feature was the improved range with 520lt wing tank and 320lt drop tank. When the lines switched to updated models, 740 Model 21s had been completed by Mitsubishi, and another 800 by Nakajima. The Model The first Hasegawa A6M2b Type 21 was released in 1996 and has been released at least six times before this one, so they are really getting their monies worth out of the moulds. That said, the medium grey styrene is still well moulded with no flash and only a few moulding pips on the three main sprues, whilst the parts on the clear sprues are still remarkably transparent. There appears to be no sign of any imperfections on the review sample and it looks to be another well designed Hasegawa kit. The details are cleanly moulded and still well defined both internally and externally. Unlike most of the other kits of Japanese aircraft from Hasegawa reviewed recently, this one doesn’t come with a pilot, so the build goes straight to the cockpit. The floor pan is fitted with the joystick, rudder pedals, rear bulkhead and instrument panel. The seat is fitted to a block on the floor and the seat adjustment handle is attached to the rear bulkhead on the starboard side. To the instrument panel the two upper machine gun breeches are attached along with the gunsight. To finish off the cockpit the two side walls are attached with the port side having a separate instrument shelf fitted, thus making an enclosed tub. The completed cockpit tub is then fitted to one half of the fuselage, which is then closed up. The foreward upper fuselage panel is then attached and fitted with the two machine gun barrels. The Sakae engine consists of engine mount, the two cylinder banks and the crankcase with connecting rods. When assembled it is fitted the fuselage and covered with the single piece cowling. The engine exhausts are then attached as are the horizontal tailplanes. The two upper wing sections are glued to the lower single piece item before the aileron trim tab panel lines are filled and sanded as per the instructions. A number of location holes in the lower wing also need filling and the trim tab actuating rods need to be removed. The completed wing is then fitted to the fuselage, followed by the lower engine fairing, with oil cooler, the pilots’ headrest. The separate navigation light lenses are also fitted at this point, as are the aileron control horns. The main undercarriage consists of single piece wheels/tyres, oleo and outer bay doors, which can be left off as these were often removed to save weight. The undercarriage is then fitted into position and the outer doors attached. The single centreline drop tank is made up of two halves, and includes the mounting pylon, which, when joined together can be fitted between the main wheel wells. With the model now standing on its undercarriage the three piece canopy arrangement attached. It is possible to pose the cockpits canopy open and the aerial mast is fitted to the fixed aft section. Lastly, the three individual propeller blades are assembled to the back plate, the spinner is then added and the completed propeller is fitted to the aircraft. The build is now complete. Decals The decals are as well printed as those I’ve seen in previous reviews. Although there seems to be quite a bit more carrier film visible on this sheet, but nothing that a good gloss coat of paint and some Kleer/Future/Aqua Gloss won’t be able to sort out. Opacity is good as is the register. The sheet provides markings for three aircraft, all based in Rabaul the first two are painted in Mitsubishi Green, (more like white, or at least light grey to my eyes), and the last one in Nakajima, (IJN) Green, which at least looks green. They aircraft are:- Tainan Naval Flying Group, Lt. Hideki Shingho, 1942 advanced party Tainan Naval Flying Group, 1942 201st Naval Flying Group, 1943 Conclusion Hasegawa are really on a re-release trip at the moment, but then the kits are still very nice, not only to look at, but also to build. A more cynical mind would like them to actually produce some new moulds, but whilst these ones keep producing nice, easy to build kits, I can see why they keep knocking them out with just a change of decals. The included detail is nice, but there are always areas which can be improved if the modeller so wishes. But for a nice, easy weekend build you might content yourself with just the addition of some seat belts, job done. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for