Hey gang,
I just picked up a hasegawa 1/32 Mistubishi A6m5c Zero. I want to make it a Type 52. From what I can tell, most of the telltale differences are the demarcation in the change from top color to bottom color and color of the cowling (the actual differences, i.e. extra pilot armor and self-sealing gas tanks can’t be seen).
Anyway, I can’t find definitive paint colors for the interior. The instructions say the inside wall is Aoke (sp?) and the rest is IJN interior green. Online stuff says the interior is all green. But I think that the 'pit cage and office are green but the walls might be aoke, or is everything one or the other. Jaircraft.com doesn’t have any specific information.
Thanks,
Fred
Gigatron;
Well White Ensign has a series of paints that are correct for the interiors of all the WWII Imperial Japanese aircraft, you might want to go to their site and take a peek to see which is the correct shade and also try J.Aircraft website,
http://www.j-aircraft.com/walk/dave_pluth/blayd/blayd.htm
this site I gave you is a complete restoration of an A6M “Zero” and this should give you an idea on how they looked back in the day
My references show the pit to be overall IJN Interior Green. If you can buy, borrow or steal a copy of the Mushroom Model Magazine reference book on the Zero, No. 6103, it has some great color pics of the pit.
Regards, Rick
Aoke must mean Aotake, a transparent metallic blue over the bare aluminum. I seem to remember that Mitsubishi-built Zeros used this color, and Nakajima-built Zeros used the interior green, Nakajima interior green.
that’s the one [(-D]
The instruction sheet is all over the place. the sidewalls are aotake, the office doesn’t have any color listed and pictures show both.
I got the Modeling the Zero book, but that really doesn’t help for historical accuracy. It gives great building tips, but doesn’t show real planes.
I’ve never seen that page on the j-aircraft sight. looks like it might help some. But I want to see if I can find that mushroom book.
Why is reference material so scarce for these things?
-Fred
One historical reason for the Zero in particular is thet it is said General Douglas MacArthur ordered the destruction of all the documentation relating to the Zero destroyed when he commanded the occupation of Japan. It is also said that the only engineering drawings that survived were ones secreted out by some Mitsubishi employees. Interesting stories, if nothing more, but may be true.
Don’t know if this will help but here is a picture of the remains of a Zero that was on display at the local museum. The paint on the lower fuseluge was also inside the pit.
How long’s a piece of string? My limited research so far, has uncovered that the cockpit was a sort of Interior Green/Brown (different whether Mitsu or Naka built), whilst the wheel wells were aotake.
In any case this is my colour mix for the 'pit: 50% green, 30% yellow, 20% brown - taken from Joern’s chart