This is Part 3 of Shigeru Itaya Leads the Zeros at Pearl Harbor. It is a review of the Forces of Valor 85032 1/72 scale model of Itaya’s Zero at Pearl Harbor. For a brief biographical note on Shigeru Itaya and a review of the Dragon Wings model of the same aircraft, please refer to the previous two posts. Relevant information on Itaya’s aircraft from those posts is repeated below to make this review self-contained. The reader may want to skip directly to the review of the FOV model. 

Itaya’s A6M2 Zero, Tail No. AI-155

As discussed in Part 1, Itaya led the 43 Zeros from all carriers in the first wave of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In each wave the Zero planes were the first airborne, both because they needed the least runway to take off and in order to protect the slower, less maneuverable torpedo and dive bombers that followed. As the leader of the first wave of Zeros, Itaya was the first Japanese pilot airborne during the attack.

As noted previously, there is precious little information available on Itaya. This dearth of information extends to Itaya’s plane at Pearl Harbor, a Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero, tail no. AI-155. Although there are some references on the internet that Itaya’s Zero’s tail no. may have been something other than AI-155, the books I consulted consistently use that number. To my knowledge, there are no existing photos of the AI-155, though there are enough photos of other planes from the Akagi aircraft carrier to give us a reasonably accurate understanding of its colors and markings.

Below is a color profile from what is probably the most comprehensive source of information on the colors and markings of WWII Japanese aircraft, Eduardo Cea’s eight-volume treatise entitled Japanese Military Aircraft. I scanned this particular profile from Volume 2, The Air Force of the Japanese Imperial Navy: Carrier-Based Aircraft, 1922-1945 (I). While I’m aware that there are a number of errors in the English translation of the Spanish text that are somewhat distracting, the series is beautifully illustrated, incredibly informative, and inarguably comprehensive, and, being fluent in Spanish, I blithely overlooked the errors. 🙂 The profile is reproduced here for discussion purposes under the fair use exception to the copyright laws.Itaya’s Zero at Pearl Harbor has been released in 1/72 scale by three different manufacturers: Dragon Wings 50017; Forces of Valor 85032; and Witty Wings 72-012-001. This post concerns the Forces of Valor (FOV) model. The Dragon Wings model was reviewed in the previous post. A review of the Witty Wings model will follow shortly in a separate post, with equivalent photos to the other two for ease of comparison.

The Forces of Valor 85032 Zero

Below is a portside view of the FOV model. Unlike the Dragon model, the FOV model does not have the caramel “ameiro” finish. Its tone is not gray, either; instead, it’s more of a light ivory.In the photo below, note the somewhat deep panel lines throughout the model. Though they are clearly overscaled — about as pronounced as Dragon’s — they do not necessarily detract from the model because, unlike Dragon, FOV did not highlight them with a black wash.The photo below provides an excellent view of the tail no. “AI-155.” As mentioned in the Dragon review, the “AI” code was the designation for the Akagi aircraft carrier. In the three-digit number after “AI”, the first digit (“1”) indicates that it is a fighter plane. The last two digits (“55”) are simply the aircraft number within the unit. The tail numbers on Japanese carrier aircraft were usually red.

Note also the three horizontal yellow stripes on the tail that indicated command: three stripes for the group leader; two stripes for a squadron leader (9 aircraft); and one stripe for a flight leader (3 aircraft). Note also the “no step” rectangular area outlined in red at the rear of each wing next to the wing root.The photo below provides an excellent view of the Hinomaru, which was carried on both sides of the fuselage aft of the wing and on both the upper surface and underside of each wing — six “circles of the sun” in total. The vertical red stripe is the identification mark for the aircraft carrier Akagi.

Note also the manufacturing plate stenciled just aft of the red stripe. The inset shows that the plate bears the number 1575, meaning it was the 1,575th Zero built. The “2-2-9” means it was built in the Japanese year 2602, second month, ninth day = February 9, 1942. (Yes, two months after Pearl Harbor. 🙂 Forces of Valor “borrowed” this particular stencil from a Zero recovered at Port Moresby in April 1942.) Incidentally, the A6M is called the “Zero” because it first entered service in the Japanese year 2600 (1940), the zero year of the new Japanese century. Please bear in mind that the entire plate is just 4mm wide (just over 1/8 inch). Though the manufacturing plate is not as crisp as Dragon’s, FOV should still be commended for the effort.Below is a shot of the starboard side. Note the absence of the manufacturing plate, which was only stenciled on the port side.In the photo below, note that FOV incorrectly painted the propeller white. The propeller should have been polished natural metal, like the Dragon’s. Note also the two red warning stripes on the tips of the blades that created two neat red circles when the propeller was spinning. As is the case with the vast majority of 1/72 scale prebuilt models, the propeller spins freely.

Note the outlets for the 20mm cannons on the leading edges of the wings just above the landing struts. Also on the leading edge of the portside wing, note the pitot tube, which cannot be taken for granted. The Corgi Zeros, for example, do not have one.The photo below shows that the landing strut covers on the FOV model, like the Dragon’s, also have the “55” that matches the last two digits of the tail number. The FOV also has the correct A6M2 cowling, which had four oval-shaped fasteners on each side of the matte black cowling, one on the front part of the cowling and three on the sides. Note also the metal drop tank that gave the Zero an extra 73 imperial gallons of fuel (87 US gallons), significantly increasing its range. Later drop tanks were made of wood and had a slightly different shape.The Feature

It was a welcome surprise that the cowling on the FOV Zero is a separate, removable piece that reveals a Sakae two-row 14-cylinder radial engine. The basic motor is unlikely to make any collector salivate, as it lacks detail, but it looks the part, particularly without magnification. As I’ve pointed out in the past, special features often come at the expense of accuracy, as with the opening canopy on the Dragon model. However, the removable cowling on the FOV is a simple feature accomplished without loss of accuracy that opens up diorama possibilities. The one quibble would be the white wash to highlight the fasteners, which can be easily remedied with a simple black wash. Note also that, unlike Dragon, FOV included a pilot.The Rub

Some collectors were critical of the unsightly screw holes on the underside of the wings and fuselage, as can be seen in the lagniappe photo below, used to secure the model to the packaging. While they’re noticeable and unattractive when you flip the model on its back, it is somewhat of a consolation that they’re on the underside of the model and, at least for me, were not a deal-breaker. Still, it may be a consideration for more serious collectors.The Upshot

The Forces of Valor 85032 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero is an attractive model that resembles the original fairly well.  The excellent casting shows no perceptible problems in its proportions. The cowling, propeller, and undercarriage are all well executed, with no apparent accuracy issues. The markings are accurate, though not as crisp as those on the Dragon. The removable cowling is a welcome feature for those who build dioramas. The FOV 85032 Zero, released under the enthusiast series, was also released as a 95032 regular issue. The only difference between the two releases is that the 85032 has both wheels up and wheels down options, while the less expensive 95032 only has a wheels down option. I have both versions and there appears to be no difference in the finish or weathering. In my opinion, the FOV Zero is a great little model that compares favorably with Zero models of most other manufacturers. 

Again, thank you for your indulgence and I hope you enjoyed the post. If something looks amiss, please let me know. I would be delighted to correct inaccurate information so that this may be useful for other 1/72 scale collectors and wargamers. As always, comments, questions, corrections, and observations are welcome. Stay tuned for a review of the Witty Wings model of the very same aircraft in the next post.