RKic Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I'm confused about the green on silver mottle camo in hasegawa's 1/48 Oscar. The mottling gets sparse around the cockpit area, and I'm curious if this is because it was painted in such a pattern or because it wore off from the crew and pilot walking around in that region. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-4Silverfox Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Probably from the pilot and mechs working that area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
achook-achook Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 (edited) I'm confused about the green on silver mottle camo in hasegawa's 1/48 Oscar. The mottling gets sparse around the cockpit area, and I'm curious if this is because it was painted in such a pattern or because it wore off from the crew and pilot walking around in that region. Mottling of Ki-43 has no real distinct pattern as most of them have been field applied. Generally, the aircraft left the assembly lines in its base natural metal form and recieved it camo colors when it arrived or when delivered to its units. This was common to the Ki-43s You will notice in some photos that mottling would sometimes be restricted to certain area and sometimes thin or even not present in walkways or even canopy frames. The pattern can vary from blotches to wiggles, lines or a variety. Some aircraft even have oversprays on the IFF leading edges and I there are even some camo patterns that even go below the cowling and the lower fuselage. Weathering also plays a part since they did not use a primer during field application of the camo so paint chipping and peeling are very common. Also take note that the fabric covered control surfaces are in light grey green color. HTH, Tony Edited January 16, 2009 by achook-achook Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WymanV Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 If it was field applied, there's also the possibility that the painter(s) didn't mask off the canopy and just stayed away from it while painting. Just a thought. Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
achook-achook Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 If it was field applied, there's also the possibility that the painter(s) didn't mask off the canopy and just stayed away from it while painting. Just a thought. Ken Yup, it was simple as that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dahut Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 ....Also take note that the fabric covered control surfaces are in light grey green color.HTH, Tony SO what are you saying - the a/c left the factory with control surfaces painted in the green/grey color, as opposed to aluminum dope? Or this was done along with the mottling application? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Looks like I'd better find photos of the real thing then Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GVoakes Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 SO what are you saying - the a/c left the factory with control surfaces painted in the green/grey color, as opposed to aluminum dope?Or this was done along with the mottling application? Any of the references I've seen were that the control services were in the gray green colour, and that this was done at the factory. PLanes were similarly fully painted, or NMF. Once in the field, they were either camouflaged or painted, depending on the need for concealment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dahut Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Any of the references I've seen were that the control services were in the gray green colour, and that this was done at the factory. PLanes were similarly fully painted, or NMF. Once in the field, they were either camouflaged or painted, depending on the need for concealment. Well now, see. If anybody doubted the value of these forums as "time wasters," that right there proves them wrong. I never would have know THAT if I hadn't been here. Thank you guys soooo much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GVoakes Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Glad to be of help... Now the important stuff - post pics! Enquiring minds want to see the build! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 I'd love to, but I'm still not sure how to paint the thing. I'm confused if this should be a soft edged mottle where each "spot" blends in with its neighbors, or more of a hard edged job. I still can't find photos of the real thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GVoakes Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) Not to confuse things, but it could be either... Most of the mottling was field applied - meaning that they slapped it in with a brush or whatever was at hand. Most of the pics seem to show a harder edged mottle, some with a soft edge (which may be field or factory applied - I don't know if the IJAAF supplied airbrushes to their units). I don`t want to hijack your thread, but here is a shot of an Oscar I did a few years back. Perhaps a picture would help to clarify some of the above discussion. I applied the highly thinned green with an airbrush. In the picture, the center of the mottle (where there is more paint) appears darker and then fades out towards the edge; while the mottle actually appears very hard edged in person. This later model Oscar gives a good idea how it actually looked. Hope this clarifies things somewhat, but if not just let me know! EDIT: spelling. Edited January 25, 2009 by GVoakes Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 I'd say. I'm building an aircraft from the same unit Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaiidanTomcat Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 It could get even more confusing if you think about how Japanese paint was known for flaking, so the mottles could get smaller over time right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dahut Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 The cool thing about this is that it doesn't matter! The mottling was normally applied in the field with brushes or paint guns. So do what suits you, in terms of application. The Japanese paint weathered badly in it's harsh operational enviroments and seemingly just fell off. So go ahead and do that if you want. Paint colors themselves varied as well and were dependent on available stocks, age, the vagaries of wartime manufacturing capacity and so on. In the end, it's what looks right to you after applying a bit of basic logic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.