IJN A5M2b (Type 96 Claude)

This is the first masterpiece of Jiro Horikoshi. Mitsubishi A5M, (Japanese Navy Type 96) was the world’s first monoplane fighter capable of operating from an aircraft carrier to enter service. Type A6M2b was an evolution of Claude fitted with new Nakajima Kotobuki 4 engine, full metal 3 blade propeller and a fully covered canopy (including fuselage modifications to fit the engine and the covered canopy). Surprisingly the covered canopy was not appreciated by pilots and removed in version A5M4.