Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero

Lane Crabtree, Springtown, Texas

Lane built this Model 22 Zero from a Meister Scale and he powers it with a Desert Aircraft DA100 engine spinning a Xoar 26x10 Sword prop. The 118-inch-span, 50.5-pound model has Sierra main retracts and a Robart tail retract along with Robart 5.5-inch aluminum hub wheels. To recreate the scheme of Japanese ace, Lt. Hiroyoshi Nashizawa’s “UI-105” Zero, which he flew for 102 kills, Lane used Behr latex house paint and painted the markings using Callie Graphics masks. A polyacrylic clear coat protects the finish. The finishing touch is an Aces of Iron “Bill” pilot figure. Lane says, “The model flew almost textbook perfect on maiden flight with only a few clicks of nose up trim.”