Japanese Zero A6M3-32 Keychain

Japanese Zero A6M3-32 Keychain

This Zero, #3148, was delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in 1942 and was assigned to the 252nd Kokutai (Naval Air Group) in the Marshall Islands airfield Taroa. History puts 3148 right in the middle of a storied battle for the Japanese-held island of Nauru in 1943, when USAAF Lt. Louis Zamperini’s B-24D was shot at and badly damaged by a group of Zeros. 3148 was, by his own recollection, almost certainly flown by Miyazaki Isamu, an IJNAF ace pilot who fought in most of the South Pacific theaters. However, it was damaged beyond repair, not by combat but by bomb splinters after Taroa was bombed by F6F Hellcats.

3148, along with several other Zeros, was intended for restoration by the man who found them on Taroa, John Sterling. After passing through several hands, 3148 ended up with Legend Flyers, who have carefully researched and restored her in authentic colors and back up on her own legs for the first time in over 70 years. The MotoArt team was honored when Legend Flyers asked them to tag the unusable material from the restoration.

Please note: each plane tag is unique, so there may be minor differences from the product image displayed.