Rank 23 centres the Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Model 52 — the refined carrier fighter that carried IJN air superiority from Pearl Harbor through the Solomons before American F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair types reversed the exchange ratio in 1943–44. Powered by the Nakajima Sakae 21 engine with individual exhaust stacks for modest thrust gains, the A6M5 reinforced wing structure and shortened wingspan traded some range for roll rate and dive recovery compared with earlier A6M2 variants. The 252nd Kokutai insignia on the plate honours IJN units that flew Zeroes from Rabaul and the Marianas. Split-view blueprint art renders the hinomaru exterior and Sakae wireframe lattice exactly as the master PNG dictates.