Mitsubishi A6M5 'Zero' Army/Navy--Japanese plane with standing pilot figure
$399.00

King & Country

Item Number: JN079

Mitsubishi A6M5 'Zero' Army/Navy--Japanese plane with standing pilot figure

Although many young pilots did take off on 'One-Way Missions' thanks to the 'Kamikaze' movement, not all were willing to sacrifice themselves at this late stage of the war... Some wanted to survive, difficult though that might be.

This second Mitsubishi A6M5 also reflects the dire reality of aircraft production in Japan in late 1944 going into the middle of 1945.

Aircraft factories and airfields throughout Japan were being constantly bombed and strafed by Allied aircraft on an almost daily basis. All kinds of aircraft were being produced and repaired, as well as being 'cannibalized' for spare parts. This particular A6M5 has combined parts and elements from both Army Air Force and Imperial Navy Zeroes to provide one of the more unique aircraft colour schemes defending the skies over Japan at this late stage of the Pacific War. In addition to its two 20mm cannons and 7.7mm machine guns, this model also has two small bombs attached (one under each wing).

A standing Japanese fighter pilot figure is also included.

...TO THE BITTER END

By the autumn of 1944, disaster loomed for Imperial Japan. The war in the Pacific had taken a decidedly negative turn for the Japanese Empire, with the US Navy steadily growing in strength and already poised to strike at the heart of the Home Islands.

In October 1944, American forces had landed on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, and Japan's commanders there concluded that only a dramatic and radical force of action could stem the tide of the American advance... aerial suicide attacks against high-value enemy targets, particularly U.S. Navy aircraft carriers!

By this late stage of the war in the Pacific, many Japanese pilots of both the Army Air Force and the Imperial Japanese Navy already knew that "their days were numbered" both in the air and on the ground. They were outnumbered and outflown by many more numerous enemy pilots and the superior quality of the aircraft they flew.

"Why not", many thousands of Japanese pilots thought, "die a meaningful death crashing your whole aircraft into or onto an enemy warship". This unique form of Japanese self-sacrifice was known as 'Kamikaze' or 'Divine Wind', a reference to a great storm that destroyed an enemy Mongolian fleet off the coast of Japan in 1281.

Now, K&C are introducing two unique all-new versions of the classic Mitsubishi A6M5 'ZERO' fighter. These two 'Zeroes' are typical of the late-war versions of this classic WW2 Japanese fighter aircraft.

APRIL 2026