Plastic Modeling

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Still struggling with interior colours.
This is a newer version (and a restore) that shows the green on main components and yellow on secondary.


An enhanced picture of the damaged section does show what appears to be a darker colour on the main with lighter colours (arrows) on secondary.

Does the modeling forum have any consensus? It's really hard to see in the pictures because most of the structure is in shadow. Idk why they would paint one type of structural member in one color and others in another color, lowest bidder and all that.

[Spuds]

Also, maybe this helps. Not really great for telling you what colors but line drawings might help with structure reconstruction. Hell you might already have this book lol...

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Does the modeling forum have any consensus? It's really hard to see in the pictures because most of the structure is in shadow. Idk why they would paint one type of structural member in one color and others in another color, lowest bidder and all that.

Nope. Like here for every person that says green there is one that says yellow. Hell they can't even agree if the wing panels were puttied and get into vehement arguments over them even though you can easily see the reality in even black and white pictures. https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/i...point-of-view/
The manufacturing of these aircraft during wartime wasn't a lowest bidder, import cheap if you can situation like today. It was more of a "who has capacity to make this part right now, cost be damned" situation. Add to this that many were built in different facilities by different companies with different suppliers and it gets even more messy.
If this was a machinegun bay, cockpit or engine mounts the colour callout are easy to find but since this is a relatively empty and usually never seen after manufacture location it gets tricky. The only reason I am even worried about it (I would normally paint it green and be done) is that it will be the focal point of the whole project.
I think I am just going to do it in green with some yellow elements and anybody that says I am wrong will be welcome to prove it.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Also, maybe this helps. Not really great for telling you what colors but line drawings might help with structure reconstruction. Hell you might already have this book lol...

LOL That is currently my desktop background at home. There are scads of drawings of the structure but none give the bloody colour. The one drawing that does call out colour has the "experts" saying no way.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Nope. Like here for every person that says green there is one that says yellow..

Only thing I saw in the relatively small amount of research I did was that the back of the pilot seat was green and came from a different factory so sometimes varied from other parts of the plane.

[JD001]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Does the modeling forum have any consensus? It's really hard to see in the pictures because most of the structure is in shadow. Idk why they would paint one type of structural member in one color and others in another color, lowest bidder and all that.

Hakone, it just blends with whatevers around it.. "can't go wrong with a Hakone!"

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Only thing I saw in the relatively small amount of research I did was that the back of the pilot seat was green and came from a different factory so sometimes varied from other parts of the plane.

The engine supports certainly look like they are yellow in this picture. I would have to think that extends back through the rest.
Of course they could also be bare metal which just messes up everything.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JD001

Hakone, it just blends with whatevers around it.. "can't go wrong with a Hakone!"

Apparently Mitsubishi agrees since in natural light and without the weathering effects the Zero camo colour is almost exactly the same as the Hakone.

[Tcoat]

Rear ready for skin and damage. Rudder and stabilizers not glued on yet though.

[Tcoat]

Cockpit and wheel wells base coated but not fully weathered yet.
Seems that this time period they weren't priming much so there is lots of bare metal on the insides.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

C
Seems that this time period they weren't priming much so there is lots of bare metal on the insides.

Given the U.S. averaged a loss of 170 aircraft per day during WW2 I'm surprised the bothered at all.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Given the U.S. averaged a loss of 170 aircraft per day during WW2 I'm surprised the bothered at all.

The startling fact there is:
43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat.
14,000 lost in the continental U.S.

60% of the losses were not combat!

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The startling fact there is:
43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat.
14,000 lost in the continental U.S.

60% of the losses were not combat!

Primarily due to lack of training I suspect.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Primarily due to lack of training I suspect.

And loads and loads of equipment failures. The north, inaccessible mountain ranges and dessert areas throughout the USA and Canada are still littered with wrecks from back then. Even just plain bad weather (i.e. Glacier Girls flight) was a much larger hazard than now.