Here are some photographs of a recently completed restoration of a Japanese 105mm. To answer the first question, Yes, the colors ARE correct.
While the colors are certainly odd, the camo does work well to break up the shape of the 105. Speaking visually, that bright green really pops to the foreground and the dark brown recedes backwards making the eye work hard to reconcile the colors while ignoring the shape lying underneath it all.
And it’s really cool that people are still interested in restoring these old weapons, particularly the odd-ball stuff.
That is wild.Where are these pics taken?Is that a halftrack I see in the background?
Also, keep in mind that this is from a very tropical climate, where the colors on the edge of the jungle really are this bright and varied. This one was originally a IJN coastal defense gun, recovered from Midway, i believe.
These were taken at my second job (in Maryland), shortly aftrer the paint cured enough to roll it outside, but before the finishing touches were put on (wooden grab handles, white paint in the lettering, etc…).
The halftrack in the background is the same as the one in my Avatar. It is a 1943 White M2 halftrack, that had had some M2A1 conversions added to it during the war. This one saw action on Guadalcanal, as is evident by the Japanese small arms fire pock-marks on the radiator slats.
And with Gretchen on Guard!
I looked at the camo and my 1st instinct was ‘That has to be wrong’ but looking at in again, your right. This sucker would have been practically invisible in the jungle. You wouldnt have seen it till it put a huge shell in your earhole.
Thx for posting. Great pics of the Halftrack and the Doog.
…Guy
I wasn’t working the day that they did the hand painting of the camo. When i walked in the next day, all I could say was “WOW!”, and I laughed a whole lot. It was done from pictures from the Imperial war museum, though, and the owner got paint chips and color codes from Japanese Museum Curators, as well as through military channels in Japan. It may look like a childrens toy, but it was apparently VERY effective in the setting it was in.
HEY DOOG!
I have to say that the paint is certainly eye-catching! I could see it in somebody’s front yard with some begonia’s and marigolds planted around it! LOL! [(-D]
Very cool—and Gretchen is sweet! [:)]