1/72 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero Type 21

I've always wanted to build a set of 1941-42 IJN carrier airplanes, and picked up a complete set of Hasegawa kits last summer. This is the first to make it to the workbench, a A6M2b that appears to be a 1993 issue. It is finished as Lt. Cdr Shigeru Itaya's AI-101 from the Akagi as it appeared when it led the flagship's fighters on the raid on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. There is a dispute over what number Itaya flew - the kit has decals for AI-155, but I went with the aftermarket set's AI-101.

I finished it in Scalecolors 1940-42 Ame-iro, which came out decidedly different from the online color chip, which appears khaki. The actual paint is a perfect grey-green. Aotake for the wheel wells was Tamiya X-13 Metallic Blue brushed over aluminum. I am particularly proud of the cowling, which is not black but the same FS 15042 Glossy Sea Blue by Vallejo that I use for 1944-45 U.S.N. aircraft. Airbrushed over black primer it appears black - but isn't.

Decals are Techmod 72041, which went on particularly well.