1/72 Hasegawa Mitsubishi A6M Zero Type 52 – 0452

The A6M Zero Type 52 was a Japanese Navy fighter plane that was used during World War II and the Pacific War. The Type 21 Zero Fighter, feared by the enemy as a high-performance aircraft, began to lose speed and weapons to the new enemy fighters in the 18th year of the Showa Period. The Type 52 was developed following the Type 32 and Type 22. To improve speed, the width of the main wing was shortened to 11m, the cowling (the cover that covered the engine) was redesigned, and a single thrust exhaust pipe (an exhaust pipe that uses the engine exhaust to obtain some thrust) was installed. This allowed the Zero Fighter Type 22 to reach a maximum speed of 590km/h, 25km faster than the 565km/h of the Zero Fighter Type 22. A total of about 6,000 Zero Fighter Type 52 series aircraft were produced and were used until Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War.

• Crew: 1
• pilot Overall width (wing span): 11m
• Overall length (to tip of propeller spinner): 9.12m
• Overall height (from ground to tip of vertical tail): 3.51m
• Engine: Sakae 21 air-cooled radial engine
• Engine power: 1,100 horsepower at an altitude of 2,850m
• Maximum speed: 590km/h
• Armament: 2 x 20mm cannons on the nose, 2 x 7.7mm machine guns on the wing tips
• (Engine power was measured at the altitude where the Zero Fighter Model 52 was most efficient in flight with the most efficient air pressure and temperature. This altitude will vary depending on the aircraft.)