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WW2Japanese propellers


ju52junk

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I am currently building the Hasegawa 1/48 scale Ki 100 tony.  Pretty simple build.  There is a question I have and I just want to make that I am correct in my thinking.  The instructions say to paint the prop black.  Maybe I am wrong but I think black is the wrong color.  The color I normally use for Japanese props  is White Ensign Models red primer which is a mahogany color.  Also, the instructions say to paint the prop tips in yellow.  I may be mistaken again but only USAAF and RAF prop tips were painted yellow.

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The dark red/primer color is most common on painted Japanese props, but I've also seen them painted very dark green and also black; especially later in the war on the later models. As for the tips, starting in 44-45 they could be/were painted at the tip in yellow just like their American counterparts, though they could also simply have the normal yellow stripe near the tip as used earlier in the war. Remember, Japanese aircraft production was in flux and quality control was rushed and or poor as the war dragged on, so all of these variations became the "norm".

By the way, this all matches the info in the "bible" on Japanese markings, the Thorpe Japanese camo books. Hope this helps!

 

GIL :cool:

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Thanks Gil,

Seeing that the Ki 100 is a late war fighter the prop could be black with a yellow tip.  But I will go with the red primer and yellow strip.  To me this looks better than black with a yellow tip.

 

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It's not exactly a red primer.  It's a brown paint.  Please see https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o237043354.  If you scroll one image to the right, you will see a very tired example.  This derelict is badly weathered, so you will want to darken the brown a bit and not take the camouflage color literally.  Yellow tips.  The model manufacturer may have relied on the RAF Cosford museum example, which I believe was restored with black prop blades.

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