A little history....
Jeff, it's in the Warbirds files here. You want mz-a6m2b.zip, a6m2b-t.zip is the same plane only painted for the Tainan Kokutai. This is the A6M2 you get with the first file I named...
Hi Jeff,
let me add my two cents, by specifying that the two models created by Akemi differ in the fact that the A6M2b is the navalised Zeke version, while the A6M2b
-t (t=terrestrial) model does not include the radio equipment, identifiable by the lack of radio antenna mast on the rear cockpit canopy.
Akemi reproduced two rigorously exact historical versions with these two models. Ace Saburo Sakai in his book 'Samurai!' wrote that the ground-based Tainan Airgroup, operating from Rabaul, routinely removed the heavy radio equipment from their A6M2b's in order to save weight and extend their already considerable range capabilities. In fact, the skin included in Akemi's A6M2b-t pack depicts Sakai's mount during the Guadalcanal campaign. The repaint posted above depicts Major Itaya's A6M2b AI-155, during the Pearl Harbour attack.
The Allied invasion of Guadalacanal imposed this extra measure to allow fighter cover for the Japanese bomber units sent to attack the invasion beachhead. The great distance between Rabaul and Guadalcanal stretched the Zero range to its very limits. IJNAF had to face the similar problem Luftwaffe met during the BoB, caused by the very short range of the Bf109E.
Carrier ops arrestor hook and its mechanism was field removed also from the Tainan Zeros to save weight, while the practice of the Tainan Kokkutai pilots to leave their chutes back, depended on the fact that the IJNAF issue had a very cumbersome harness, which limited severely the pilot's movements during dogfights.
Sakai and his squadron mates preferred having their movements completely free inside their cockpits, in spite of the strict IJNAF regulation imposing the wearing of a parachute to all of its pilots with no exceptions, in addition to saving even more weight and extending their Zeros range further.
Cheers!
KH 