History Brief

Following the Zero Model 21 (A6M2), the Model 32 (A6M3) Zero was introduced and entered service in the summer of 1942. It was powered by a Sakae 21 engine which featured superior high-altitude performance and an increased top speed. However, the Model 32’s reduced fuel capacity, heavier airframe design, and shorter clipped wings reduced the flight range. In order to fix this problem the Model 22 (A6M3) aircraft was introduced in early 1943. It came with an improved 12m wingspan to correct performance shortcomings and increase maneuverability, additional inner-wing fuel tanks to regain a longer flight range and reintroduced folding wing tips. Deployed mainly to the Solomon Islands from early 1943, The Mitsubishi A6M3/3a Zero fighter was considered by many to be the most well balanced Zero aircraft.

Thanks very much to MRC for providing us this little gem, and thanks to Italeri for producing it! (and the usual appreciation to Dave and Dick for sending it my way to review...)

This model requires a bit of skill, only in that it has many miniature parts which require care in installation. We'll address that more later, but the basic model is excellent in presentation and delivery.

This kit was first “out the chute”, as our rodeo friends say, on the market for a decent, accurate F-35 production-representative model. I gave up on another company's 1/48 build, as I did not care for the tail plane inaccuracy (serious dihedral out of the box) and other issues. Italeri's kit is much better overall... now they need to pantograph it out of Braille-scale for us old guys. It would even make a great 1/32 kit, as it's relatively compact as fighters go. Box art is well done, and the now familiar license logo from Lockheed Martin is prominently displayed on the box.

Military Miniatures in Review (MMIR) is one of only about a half-dozen high-end armor-based magazines, and my favorite go-to source for finishing and weathering armor models and figures. Regular publication has been spotty in the past; otherwise I would have sprung for a subscription long ago. That said, I try to pick up every new issue, and those that I miss I can purchase (at a discount) from their website.

As of right now, Ampersand does not offer MMIR in digital format, but even if it did I’m not sure I’d switch from the hardcopy version. The quality of the materials used and the sheer number of crystal-sharp images included in each issue makes these magazines stand out among their peers.