• located on lower left wing inspection access panel for pitot tube
• hinomaru - red FS1302

• Mitsubishi A6M3 32 s/n 3285, manufactured November 42
• interior - aotake
• s/n in black letters, 1 1/4" H x 7" W. This is typical of interior painted Mitsubishi s/n’s

• exterior of 8.2 - FS6350

• Nakajima A6M2 s/n 5459, manufactured December 42
• s/n located on side of cannon shell chute in gray letters
• upper and lower wing - FS4201
• it is unlikely this aircraft saw any action. When it was manufactured a cutout in wheel well rib was not removed, making it impossible to retract the landing gear. In all likelihood this plane was pushed to the perimeter of the airfield and used for parts
• the use of two ammunition bay access panels argue against the use of 100 round ammunition drums on Nakajima built A6M2’s as stated by Robert Mikesh, Zero: Japan’s Legendary WWII Fighter, p. 123, Appendix E

• Nakajima A6M2 s/n 6345, manufactured October 42
• interior (sidewall of tailwheel well) - aotake with painted s/n in gray letters
• FS0277 except where panel was covered, this unexposed paint (A) is FS6160

• Mitsubishi A6M3 22 s/n 3753, manufactured June 43
• interior - aotake with painted s/n in black letters
• exterior FS6350

• heavy oil residue on the inside wheel well surface of this skinning suggest that this part came from A6M3 32 s/n 3285 (see 4.4 and 5.2). The wheel well was only inches back from the oil cooler and when the landing gear was lowered oil streaming out of the cooler would have easily found its way into the wheel wells interiors.
• wheel well interior - aotake.
• painting/construction sequence suggested by this piece: wing constructed and primed red except for cockpit floor. Cockpit floor painted with green FS4098 (Mitsubishi), the red primer was only slightly overlapped by the cockpit floor paint. The upper fuselage assembly interior was painted before it was attached. The aircraft was then painted with FS4201 over the red primer after the wing fillets were in place. The yellow FS3655 IFF marking was applied over the FS4201, note overspray (A). The width of the yellow marking is 20 inches from B to C.

• interior - aotake, "left" and "right" in black letters 3/4" H x 3/4" W. These covers are given a Mitsubishi provenance since all other interior lettering done in black has a similar origin. Nakajima interior lettering was done in a silver-gray paint
• exterior - FS0277, "left" and "right" in black letters 3/4" H x 3/4" W. An alignment mark is on the front of each plate; on the left plate it is 7/8" long, on the right plate it is 1 1/8" in length
• location of this cover is seen in 6.1

8.9 Latch Release.

• found on the four small oval mid-fuselage access panels (two per side, see 9.2) and folding wingtip latch access panel.
• small black dot, 1/2" in diameter, on front half of latch on the fuselage panels and outer facing half of latch on the latter panels.

Photo Coming Soon!!

• Rear section of spinner, finished with aluminum colored paint over red primer. The presence of a primer argues that this was a factory finish.