David_Aiken

Send me an e-mail and I can send you the THREE versions of the same color as applied to a Zero... flash...gray tungsten light: brown daylight: gray-GREEN Metamerism ... Cheers, David Aiken PearlHarborHistory AT Hotmail DOT com

NOW take it outside in the sunshine to see how the metamerism reacts...

Masuyama vs Toyoshima?: The question was raised: "Is that possible that BII-124 piloted by Matsuyama over Pearl Harbor and BII-124 crashed by Toyoshima are two different aircraft?" Matsuyama was training Toyoshima to be a Shotaicho...and lost his own aircraft that day. Of interest, HIRYU Zeros had ROYAL BLUE (BLUE ANGEL BLUE) stripes...and in preparation for the Indian Ocean action, SORYU received new Zeros which were painted with MEDIUM BLUE stripes. Check the differences at: Ceylon Raid HTH, David Aiken

Aloha All, That I3 khaki color on D3As for "Pearl Harbor" should be limited to the Fifth CV Division (Shokaku and Zuikaku). The D3As in the first and second CV Division (Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu) were gray-green. HTH, David Aiken

Aloha All, The many sensei have repeatedly stated that the Hairyokushoku (gray-green) is the Zero color. These men are those who worked with the various Japanese paint releases of that color...thus I only repeat my teachers. Read carefully the NEW data on the recently found IJN color swatches at: My link Having seen J3 (made of black and white) on the lower surface of the N1K1 in 1975, I was seeing what I expected to see on the Zero (with my meager 1975 era knowledge). When I viewed the samples of the Zero and RUFE...I was taken aback by the gray-GREEN of the rubbed samples (to get rid of a

Aloha TimC, One of my sensei, Kenji Miyazaki, sent the nice detail photo of the Imperial War Museum Nakajima A6M5 showing the GRAY lower surface. This is posted at: http://japaneseaircraft.multiply.com/photos/album/2/Color-samples#photo=60 Sensei K Miyazaki and H. Fujii have teamed up in a Zero detail study that continues to open eyes in M*A*R*U magazine. One item, with which I helped, was to confirm that the RUFE continued to have the Zero 21 wingfold... Oh, no aircraft company "owned" a color. Read more about IJN color at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/subw117-1.htm http://www5d.

Literally "Hairyokushoku" means "gray-green". Note where this color is cited in the IJN "family" of colors: The Japanese Navy color terms used in WWII are: A - Kasshoku (browns) B - Aka iro (reds) C - Ki iro (yellows) D - Midori iro (greens) E - Ao iro (blues) F - Ai iro (indigos) G - Sumire iro (violets) H - Cha iro (browns) I - Tsuchi iro (earth, mud) J - Hai iro (grays) K - Kaiseishoku(gray-blues) L - Nezumi iro (grays, "Rats-color") M - Hairyokushoku (gray-green) N - Azuki iro (browns, refers to a brown bean) O - Shiro iro (whites) P - Gin iro (silvers) Q - Kuro iro (bl

Yes, Gato San, More gray rather than orange....my eyes have rested and am in peace! Thank you! Cheers, David

Ahhh, so! Gato san, Perhaps a photo under natural light would help in the understanding. Send me a scan... Thank you so much! Cheers, David Aiken PearlHarborHistory AT Hotmail dot com

Aloha All, For the color confused: Send an e-mail address to PearlHarborHistory AT Hotmail DOT Com for a scan of a Mitsubishi and a Nakajima sample. Cheers, David Aiken

Hi John, Mitsubishi had a "flight restricted" serial block with the dangled aileron balance...not Nakajima...and that external balance block was replaced on the production line just before Pearl Harbor, BEFORE Nakajima started production. The Zuikaku Zeros began getting non-dangles in Feb 1942; Soryu got some new Zeros in late March 1942. The Nakajima spinner is LOOOONGER that the Mitsubishi spinner. HTH, David

Hi John, The R. Watanabe photo is a belly landed plane...the rear is somewhat higher, thus the "overall green". The drop tank *may* be artistic license? Cheers, David Aiken

Hi John, The 261st Kokutai (Ku) had several garishly-marked target tow A6M2bs. One of these had an over all dark green scheme. SWEET issued a 1/144 kit in that paint scheme: http://japaneseaircraft.multiply.com/photos/album/46/Sweet_Zero_144_scale_model#photo=7 See what is "out there" in 1/48th...I am unsure. Cheers, David Aiken

Aloha Gato, What color of orange did you use for the overall scheme? Curious... Cheers, David

Ohayo gozaimasu Gato San, The Zero 21 "V-107" was noted in the log of Saburo Sakai for early combat in the Philippines. At that time he flew with the TAINAN KOKUTAI Headquarters Buntai, thus the blue diagonal stripe. From Dec 1941 to Late March 1942 the tail codes were white with red piping. The diagonal stripe colors were like the Luftwaffe Staffel colors: White = First Buntai Red = Second Buntai Yellow = Third Buntai Blue = HQ Oh, with the move by ship to Rabaul in late March, the newer Zeros acquired had the same diagonal stripe system, but the tail codes were black. Uniquely the co