1/72 Mitsubishi A5M4 Type 96 (Claude) "Pre-war Carrier

Pre-war variant of Fujimi's crisp new Type 96 Carrier Fighter kit. The "Claude" was the mainstay fighter of the IJN during the early fighting in China. Designed by Jiro Horikoshi -- Japan's foremost aircraft designer of the period -- the Type 96, though a fixed-gear, open cockpit design, was an excellent plane for its day, literally flying circles around anything the Chinese or Russians could throw at it. Replaced by the Zero in 1940.

This variant includes markings for planes of three pre-war (pre-Pearl Harbor) squadrons based on the Akagi, Ryujo and Hosho.