Description
The Mitsubishi A6M3 “Hamp” was a variant of the famous Japanese A6M Zero fighter, a long-range, carrier-capable aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II.
The A6M3, also known as the Model 32, was introduced in mid-1942 as an improvement on the earlier A6M2. It featured a more powerful Nakajima Sakae 21 engine and an enhanced armament of two 20mm cannons and two 7.7mm machine guns. However, what most distinguished the A6M3 “Hamp” from other Zero models was its clipped, squared-off wingtips, which were a departure from the rounded, folding wingtips of its predecessor. This design change, intended to improve production and increase roll rate and diving speed, was not popular with pilots who valued the A6M2’s exceptional maneuverability.
Allied intelligence initially mistook the A6M3 for a new type of aircraft due to its distinct wing shape and gave it the codename “Hap,” later changed to “Hamp.” When it was discovered to be a Zero variant, the name was largely dropped in favor of “Zeke 32.” Only 343 “Hamp” models were built by Mitsubishi, making it one of the rarest production variants of the Zero. The A6M3 was later superseded by the Model 22, which restored the rounded wingtips and added fuel tanks to address the A6M3’s reduced range.
Set consists of 8 fine metal models.
Producer: ‘Oddział Ósmy’ sc Marcin Kaźmierczak i Tomasz Kołuda, ul. Piotrkowska 107, 90-425 Łódź, Poland
