Hello, I`ve just bought IJN Batttelship Kongo. And they use the color Gunze Sangyo, but I would rather use White Ensign Models Colourcoats, so my question is…The real ship is build in England and it is changed in Japan at the IJN YOKOSUKA ship yard. But they grey on paper seems lighter then the colors on the color sheed. So can anyone tell me if I should use the color: Sasebo or Yokosuka or Kure or Maizura grey in White Ensign Models Colourcoats.
One question more: Does anyone know if I can use Humbel 113 instead of cocoa brown H17 Gunze Sangyo. Or can anyone recommend a color from White Ensign Models Colourcoats.
Right! It is important to remember that MOST Japanese capital ships tended to have most of their overhaul, repair and refitting work done at Kure, and so to the best of my knowledge, the Kure color is best for ships like ‘Kongo’ for WW2 (though I would be very interested to learn if otherwise is the case!). Sasebo was mostly for smaller ships (many destroyers and the like), while Yokusuka was primarily a builders yard, so new ships ‘just off the ways’ might be in Sasebo, as well as others…Second, I presume you are looking for a brown to simulate the linoleum decking in certain parts of the upper decks? If so, I can recommend the Tamiya ‘Linoleum’ in acryllic (they even make it in a spray can if you like!)…
There is a thread, over at the ModelWarship.com forum, that answers the colour question. Apparently; Kongo changed its colour during the war Switching ftom Sasebo grey to Kure and back again and back to Kure grey at the end.
Interesting! I based my color choice based on a ‘Maru Special’ on the Kongo’s and some repair/refitting history, but as the Maru Special only shows color drawings of Kongo and Haruna in 1944, I would have thought all the Kongo’s were in Kure gray, at least sometime in their careers…