1/48 A6M2-N Type 2 Seaplane Aleutian

Description

This is an injection-plastic aircraft model kit.

Limited reissue of the Hasegawa 1/48 scale A6M2-N kit with decals to mark it as any of four Rufe on the Aleutian Front: the purple (!?!) O-105 of the Toko Naval Flying Group, the purple (!?! again!) R-106 of the 5th Flying Group, the green over gray R-102 of the 5th Flying Group and the green over gray M1-112 of the 452nd Naval Flying Group. And here we thought the “purple Rufe” myth had been thoroughly debunked… See box photo or art for marking details.

Note about painting: All Rufe were delivered in the overall greenish-gray paint as seen on early Zeros such as the A6M2. While the is still discussion as to the exact shade of this paint, it is distinct from the light gray applied to the lower surfaces of aircraft like the A6M5 that were delivered from the factory in green over gray schemes. The “purple” Rufes would have been originally greenish-gray, although this would have doubtless weathered badly in the harsh environment of the Aleutian Islands (although almost certainly not turning purple). The latter two aircraft covered would have had the green paint applied over the original greenish-gray paint and almost certainly did not have their lower surfaces repainted in the later light gray used in factory-delivered schemes.