Now I am not going to go into great detail here because I do not think that it is too hard to find Zero info if you really want it. Lets just say that it was the main fighter used in both land and carrier roles during World War II.

This kit is basically the standard Hasegawa Zero with some very noticeable differences. As you can see, the Fuselage, cowling, wings, and other parts on these sprues are molded in clear plastic so as to allow the interior of the aircraft to be viewed in several areas. The other sprues are the same as the stock Hasegawa Zero molded in gray. Due to clear cowling area, the engine parts have been molded in white metal so a complete engine can be viewed. These white metal parts are exceptionally cast, as we all would expect from an industry leader such as Hasegawa. Also included in the Skeleton Version Zero is the interior ribbing for the clear fuselage and the left cockpit interior. These also look wonderful and they should, as they will be the main focus of the finished model. Also on the etched fret are the seat belts (a nice touch there). As you probably know, Hasegawa’s Zero is very well engineered and it has adequate detail, both interior and surface, and has finely engraved panel lines and rivet detail. Also molded in white metal is the spinner interior as the kit spinner is also molded in clear plastic. Overall the kit looks very well done indeed, but I am sure all of you Zero builders out there already know that the Hasegawa offering is top notch.

There are 2 decal options in this kit and they consist of the 302^nd Naval Flying Group craft piloted by Ensign Sadaaki Akamatsu, and the 653^rd Flying Group craft based on the Aircraft Carrier Zuiho. They appear to be a bit thick, but if you wish to replace them you will have no trouble finding after-market decals for the Zero in 1/48 scale.

The reason that I picked up this kit was because it was so interesting and different than any other kit on the hobby shop shelves. This kit will most likely present a challenge due to all of the thin and fragile photo etched ribbing and thin white metal accessories but the end result will be distinctly different than any other model on my shelf. I give props to Hasegawa for taking an aircraft we have all seen modeled thousands of times, and add something to give it some "pop" and make us want to build it. I can recommend this kit to all people who are Zero fans or just like interesting modeling ideas and want to stretch their skills.

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