1/32 Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Model 52

The long-promised 1/32 A6M5 Zero Model 52 in all its glory, and what an awesome kit this is. All the control surfaces actually move. Yes, all of them -- ailerons, flaps, rudder elevator. What's more, and here's the clincher, the landing gear really work! You can fold them up into the bays and close the bay doors manually to change your model into "flight" mode (kit comes with display stand for in-flight display). Even the oleos work, too, with little springs providing the bounce! Getting the gear back out is another story, however. Since they close perfectly flush with the underside of the wings, you need to open a small panel on the leading edge of the wings and use a supplied crank to rotate them back down. This is a bit of a chore, so you're not going to want to be playing with those landing gear constantly, but it's really an incredible display of engineering on Tamiya's part. The rest of the kit is what we have to come to expect from Tamiya with flexible brake lines, photo-etch detail parts for the engine and cockpit. The cockpit and engine are kits by themselves with unbelievable detail. Yet another masterpiece from the engineering staff at Tamiya.