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Zero colors


Glynyrd

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I have a Tamiya A6M2 Zero kit. Question is, what color do you use for the cockpit interior and the landing gear bays? The bays look blue/green, but does anyone sell the color?

 

Thanks

Glenn

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Wow, you're opening a real can of worms......the blue-green you mention is called Aeotake. It was a translucent colored primer applied over the aluminum and varied in color and hue according to amount applied and the mix used. It could be anywhere from a bright green to a bright blue, with mixes in between. It was applied in areas were "crew" normally wouldn't be. I don't know of anyone who sells it on its own. However, you can use any transparent green and blue, mix them together about 50-50 and be close enough that no one can fault you. It's best to airbrush it on, but do so sparingly as it likes to build up in corners and then they end up darker. Try to get as even a finish as you can when you apply it.

 

The cockpits were a light grey-green. I don't know of a name or match for the color. That color was used wherever people would be. You might try the light SAC green by Model Master, as I think it's relatively close in hue.

 

By the way, don't even ask about the exterior color........I'm sure more knowledgale people will be here to help soon! Best of luck!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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If you can find it, Gunze Acrylic #63, metallic blue-green does a good job of replicating it. Or as Gil said, mixing your own is probably just as easy.

 

Here's a Zero being restored at Planes of Fame in Chino, to give you an idea of the color:

 

PoF_zero1.jpg

 

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Model Master has it as "Interior Metallic Blue" MM 2119 and looks the part. Hope this helps.

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For Aotake, I usually paint the area silver, then use a thinned-out 50-50 mix of Tamiya Clear Blue and Clear Green, applied either as a brush-on wash, or a light airbrush coat. As mentioned above, Aotake was an anti-corrosive coating, and like American Zinc Chromate, it really didn't have a specific shade. The blue-green color was added just so workers would know what areas had been primed, and could be lighter or darker depending on how heavily or how many coats had been applied.

 

As for the cockpit, it was a light green..but Mitsubishi and Nakajima used different shades (even though the Zero was a Mitsubishi design, most were actually built by Nakajima.) For specifics, I recommend visiting j-aircraft.com. That's the "one stop shop" for WWII Japanese aircraft info.

 

As for the exterior color, that's still a bone of contention. The current general consensus seems to be something like a light tannish-grayish-green. I used Gunze RLM 02 on my 1/72 Hasegawa A6M2, and like the result.

 

Cheers!

 

Steve Nelson

IPMS#30925

 

Zero01.jpg

 

Zero03.jpg

Edited by snelson
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Thank you very much for your help, ya'll! I'll make a run at it when I'm done with my AC-47 and Super Bug. It's next on the list, but the colors were putting things off. I want one to go with my Grumman 'cats.

 

Glenn

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Glenn,

Sorry I missed this thread until now.

I will second a visit to J-Aircraft.com.

There you will find several pages of information on the Zero, and some good color matches.

If you're not picky you can do what you like - if you want to be a little more accurate you'll need to decide if you want a Nakajimia or a Mitsubishi aircraft as the colors were slightly different & the wheel well colors varied. I can never remember off the top of my head which ones were which, however... :smiley23:

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Glenn,

 

I am building a Tamiya A6M2 type 21 also, and the colors are very confusing. I went straight to the experts for the answer. HERE is a thread I started over on LSP on this very topic. On page 2 are the mixes by Greg Springer for both the Mitsubishi as well as Nakajima built Zeros (and yes there was a difference). I used Tamiya XF-71 for my interior color and I think it turned out fine. I will use the "Springer Mix" for my exterior colors.

 

HTH,

David

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another way to achieve the tinted lacquer look is to paint the area with silver and then overcoat it with Future floor wax tinted with food coloring. You can mix whatever shade you want and put it on as heavy or light as you want. It will tend to puddle or gather in the little nooks and crannies and provide some shading and depth.

 

My $0.01 worth. Future and food coloring are as cheap as I am.

 

Happy modeling.

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The probable reason you have such difficulty finding the proper color is that there is no "right" answer. In his book on Japanese Aircraft Interiors Robert Mikesh basically says if it looks right, it is right. What I do is to first paint the area an aluminum color using Alclad II. Then I mix Tamiya clear green and clear blue until I get what looks right to me. Next I thin it and spray in on light coats to build up the color. The Alclad shows through and I have the interior I want.

 

Now the exterior is another story. I was just the USAFM and tried to photograph their A6M2. In Pearl Harbor colors it is some shade of a tan or maybe an amber color. It's not the light grey we see in so many instruction sheets.

 

Duane

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Hi, Duane,

 

This is a very helpful first post. Welcome to the Forum. Your contributions are always welcome.

 

Ed

 

The probable reason you have such difficulty finding the proper color is that there is no "right" answer. In his book on Japanese Aircraft Interiors Robert Mikesh basically says if it looks right, it is right. What I do is to first paint the area an aluminum color using Alclad II. Then I mix Tamiya clear green and clear blue until I get what looks right to me. Next I thin it and spray in on light coats to build up the color. The Alclad shows through and I have the interior I want.

 

Now the exterior is another story. I was just the USAFM and tried to photograph their A6M2. In Pearl Harbor colors it is some shade of a tan or maybe an amber color. It's not the light grey we see in so many instruction sheets.

 

Duane

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Duane buddy! Good to see ya here with the rest of us maniacs! Stay warm up there!

 

GIL :smiley16:

 

Hey Gil, it's in the upper 60's low 70's sunny and calm. A great Ohio fall day. You should try it! Tomorrow will probably be a blizzard.

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