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Zero color confusion still

I am still failing to find consensus regarding the grey shade for the A6M2.

I just "learned" that zeros were primed in a darkish brown color overcoated with the IJN light grey with only a slight hardly noticible greenish tint.

What then occurs is that slightly weathered abm2's started taking on a brown tint due to the underlying dark brown? I have also heard this is the result of a sealer put over light gray paint.

At what point is there consensus by the experts?

Could it be argued that the A6M2-N's used in the aleutians had a significant and noticible 'browner' shade (once misidentified as purple--supposedly to match Aleutian tundra)which may have to do with heavily weathered IJN "gray" paint with the brown showing through? This would make them appear different than conventional light grey painted and weathered A6M2's due to the N's constant exposure to salt water spray and driven rain.

The question then becomes, was the later IJN grey used on A6M5's actually brown tinted when showing a lot of service or was it actually a lighter gray finish? Or were A6m5's knocked off so fast that they rarely showed heavy weathering?

Right when I think this riddle is solved, someone else comes up with something new.

Right now a light cream seems right for A6M2's while a light gray still seems right for A6M5 underbelly's. A question would be if the underside of the A6M2 ought to be a lighter shade than the topsides.

Reply to
old hoodoo
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Stop me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Japanese do away with the primer coat on their aircraft which lead to all the peeling paint on later green schemes? If the brown (some say red) primer was done away with, the gray would weather to a lighter gray, no tan (ame-iro?) tone.

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

Off hand I'd say the primer was red-brown?can't give you the specifics right now?but if you really want good information check out the J-aircraft site.

MB

Reply to
Milton Bell

That would definitely keep any brown shades off the A6M5, but maybe not the A6M2 and A6M2-N. What caught me was that a fairly experienced modeler brought up the brown primer under the grey coats on the A6M2 and A6M2-N. I actually built a Rufe in the early seventies in the purple scheme based on a Finescale modeler article, but of course it was later debunked. Still looks pretty cool, never have changed it, but I suspected that if the Aleutian Rufes were overall grey, that there might have been at least some basis for the claim, maybe after we sifted through the Rufe wreckage after occupying Kiska were there was a lot of Rufe wreckage maybe with a lot of brown primer showing through. This also explains the reddish brown on the old wrecked Val in Fredericksburg. I haven't seen it for 15 or so years but then I wondered what that brow was doing on the wings. Saw a lot of the blue primer inside the fuselage, a very metallic looking blue but if i remember not in the cockpit area, where I think I saw green chromate looking paint which surprized me.

Reply to
old hoodoo

Humbrol went so far as to make that Japanese purple. BTW, if it was the '70s it wasn't FSM. Sounds more like Scale Modeler. They were about as accurate as the National Enquirer. ;)

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

It was indeed Scale Modeler now that you mention it. I am thinking circa

1971 but it may be that I bought and built the kit significantly later after purchasing the mag and it is quite possible that the purple was already debunked but I just used that old reference.

Modeling was a bit different then as compared to now. Not sure if all these modelers today appreciate the difference.

Reply to
old hoodoo

I built the same model about the same time. My first 1/32nd aircraft. I remember it had two tone green wings a one tone gray fuselage but I still liked it, looked odd, very crude, at least too me. Bought a p-40E, then a P-51B which to me turned out to be a big disappointment, it never looked right...so I switched to 1/48 and was much happier.

They survived for a long time in my closet. Slowly were ground to bits by little kid relatives that played with them...they were my throwaways, I kept my 1/48's hung in the air.

Reply to
old hoodoo

I know what you mean. Around 1969 I built the old Revell 1/32nd Bf 109G and painted it up to look like the 109E featured in the 'Combat'(?) paints advertisement. Perhaps no 109G ever looked like that but I thought it looked cool. BTW, that's the only 1/32nd kit I ever finished.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

Little kid relatives!! Oh Boy! There is a subject that could probably start a crying thread longer than the antics of cats on work benches!

:-) Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

Still have mine, at least until it sells on the Bay as of Sunday next. Of course E-bay could kick it off like they did once before.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

No doubt but think of the kids who've been exposed to models that way. When my son was little I showed him my collection and told him that he could look all he wanted but touch them and I'd break his fingers. I was kidding but he never got very interested in models except for spaceships. I often wonder if I ruined his interest.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

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