YHD32014 A6M2 Zero Type 21s:

 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

AI-154, PO1c Takashi Hirano, Akagi, Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941; AII-105, Lt Yoshio Shiga, Kaga fighter leader, Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941; 53-102, PO1c Tetsuzo Iwamoto, 253rd Air Group, Rabaul, late 1943; DI-108, PO1c Tadayoshi Koga, Ryujo, Dutch Harbor on 4 June 1942; USN A6M2, formerly Koga's aircraft, with a standard USN two-tone camouflage scheme (stencils only); AI-155, LCDR Shigeru Itaya, first wave fighter leader, Akagi, Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941; V-103, PO1c Saburo Sakai, Tainan Air Group, Dutch East Indies, February 1942.INCLUDES BlackMagic(tm) precut painting masks!

USD$14.99

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YHD32015 A6M2 Zero Type 21s:

 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

V-128, PO1c Saburo Sakai, Tainan Air Group, Rabaul, New Britain Islands, 7 August 1942. Purportedly the aircraft he was flying when he was badly wounded at Guadalcanal, Sakai claimed three kills during this mission; BII-124, Sea1c Hajime Toyoshima, Hiryu, Darwin, Australia, 19 Feb 42; X-183, PO2c Yoshiro Hashiguchi, 3rd Air Group, Bali, Dutch East Indies, February 1942; V-141, PO2c Yoshisuke Arita, Tainan Air Group, Bali, Dutch East Indies, February 1942; EI-111, Lt Hideki Shingo, squadron leader, Shokaku fighter squadron, battle of Santa Cruz, 26 October 1942; BII-120, PO1c Shigenori Nishikaichi, Hiryu, Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. 

USD$12.99

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BII-124

 

On 19 Feb 42, a bit more than two months after Pearl Harbor, Sea1c Hajime Toyoshima, flying from Hiryu, was shot down in his A6M2 Zero 21 during a raid on Darwin, Australia.  He crash-landed the nearby Melville Island, and was eventually captured by Australian aborigines who turned him over to an Australian Army sergeant.

 

To prevent the Aussies from recovering his relatively intact aircraft, Toyoshima claimed upon capture to be a Japanese army sergeant who had been shot down while flying a bomber out of Ambon.  He used the alias Tadao Minami, and that was the name under which he was recorded as the first Japanese prisoner of war captured by the Australians. 

 

On the night of 4/5 Aug 44, Toyoshima was killed leading the breakout of over 1100 Japanese POWs from the Cowra POW Camp in NSW, Australia.  Blowing a bugle to signal the breakout, Toyoshima was killed along with 240 other POWs, some of whom committed suicide.  Four Australian soldiers and one Australian civilian were also killed that night.  This was the largest prison break in history.  The bugle is now in the Australian War Museum collection, and the Zero's center section was recovered in the late 1960s and is a part of the Australian Aviation Heritage Center collection in Winnellie, NT.  
 

Note the unusual position of the aft fuselage band as related to the Mitsubishi data block on the rear fuselage.  This is well documented in contemporary photos.  
 

This and all the subjects of these two 1/32 decal sheets for the new Tamiya A6M2 Zero 21 can be seen here: http://meteorprod.com/zero1.html.

Dave

DAVID H. KLAUS

President

Meteor Productions, Inc.

P.O. Box 3956

Merrifield, VA  22116

USA

Tel: 703/440-8720

Fax: 703/440-8724

http://meteorprod.com

M50 1209!