Aloha nui loa All,
Some have sought basics...now get the better responces from the real experts...the Japanese: Note that they cite the color of the Zero 21 as Hairyokushoku (Gray-Green).

To gain some insight into Japanese aviation check into Japan's TOP WWII aviation URL and their BBS is English friendly, too:

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/index2.htm basic index

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub202.htm aircraft illustrations in color (look carefully at the D3A1 tiny markings!)

http://www.plays.jp/bbs/zero22/index.html message board (English friendly)

check out the Zero data at:

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/index2.htm

Note all the A6M2 varients at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub47.htm

Note the markings at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub202.htm

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub108.htm

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ku3n-kym/heiki6/eisen/eisen.html

http://rwebs.net/avhistory/history/Zeke32.htm#Cockpit

http://www10.ocn.ne.jp/~a6m232/index.html

http://www.zero-fighter.com/bilingual/index.htm

http://www.hubuki.jp/museum/kawaguti2004/a6m2004.html

http://goinkyox.web.infoseek.co.jp/Gunji/Warplane/TypeZero4.htm

http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~yamato/zeke.htm

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~la3k-kmt/

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~la3k-kmt/kanoya/kanoya.html


Now for my own interest...on Japanese aviation [in English] check out:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42226a89b0b6ffff;act=SF;f=11 BE SURE to click on the underlined items to view supportive photos and illustrations.

PEARL HARBOR:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw and artwork at: http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/pearlharboraircraft.msnw

COLOR CHIP INFO:
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/subw117-2.htm
COLOR CHIPS and FS595 equivilants

http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/colorsamples.msnw COLOR CHIPS and relics of Japanese aircraft

MITSUO FUCHIDA's B5N AI-301:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42310c263c72ffff;act=ST;f=11;t=310

Command stripe data:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=46

under wing numbers:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=60

Zero and Kate cowling stencil:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42310c263c72ffff;act=ST;f=11;t=308

red tail patterns:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?Page=4

lower fuselage color:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42310c263c72ffff;act=ST;f=11;t=342

The new 1/32 Tamiya Zero was shown at the 45th Shizuoka Hobby Show 2006. See Tamiya's released information:

MITSUBISHI A6M2b ZERO FIGHTER MODEL 21 (ZEKE) 1/32 Scale
source URL:
http://tamiya.com/japan/news/news0606/news2.htm#60317

It is about 80 dollars in Japan.
It is a sale on June 24, 2006.

Hairyokushoku (Gray-Green) color (IJN)
Source URL:
http://tamiya.com/japan/news/news0606/news2.htm#86529

It is about 5 dollars in Japan.
It is a sale on June 24, 2006.

Cheers,
David Aiken, a Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc http://www.pearlharbor-history.org/ (largest WWII URL on the blue marble)

Wow. I was stationed at pearl harbor and didn't have this much info. Thanks a bunch

Hi David!

Wow! What a great list of links! I don't know how I could missed them!
Anyway, I know some members here who will be very happy to see them again!

Jean-Luc

A recent tome from Lela Presse which pulls together all the latest research from Japanese sources and elsewhere ..
this is a 400+ page A4 hardback devoted to the entire history of the Carrier Air Groups ..over 500 photos and pages of profile artwork , all with extensive captions in English

Hi Neil!

I have this book but didn't found the time to read it yet... it's quite intimidating by it's size and the volume of information!

Jean-Luc

Aloha All,
For 40 years I have sought to locate, identify and hopefully recover the missing US and Japanese airmen from Pearl Harbor.

I see by some recent posts at J-aircraft.com that my former student has posted some of my research gleaned from a ten day trek to Oahu. I left a broad trail of marks in Hawaii. In his efforts since 1991, he has tried to pawn his version of history before he has the facts. Sorry about this.

Be aware that the photos showing BROWN relics were taken under tungsten lights...which causes a color shift. My former student has not learned about "metamerism" and has influenced museums to paint their A6Ms in a BROWN color, when the Japanese continue to teach the basic colors applied to Zeros and SOME others at Pearl Harbor were gray-green. The tungsten lighting has changed the gray-green relics to a BROWN...yet the daylight photos show the gray-green.

Here are some URLs UPDATED FROM MY EARLIER POST which MAY help:

Japan's TOP WWII aviation URL and their BBS is English friendly, too:
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/index2.htm basic index

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub202.htm aircraft illustrations in color..see the D3A for tiny marks applied to that aircraft.

http://www.plays.jp/bbs/zero22/index.html message board (English friendly)

Zero data: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/index2.htm

Note all the A6M2 varients at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub47.htm

Note the markings at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub202.htm

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub108.htm

More Zero URLs:

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ku3n-kym/heiki6/eisen/eisen.html

http://www10.ocn.ne.jp/~a6m232/index.html

http://www.zero-fighter.com/bilingual/index.htm

http://www.hubuki.jp/museum/kawaguti2004/a6m2004.html

http://goinkyox.web.infoseek.co.jp/Gunji/Warplane/TypeZero4.htm

http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~yamato/zeke.htm

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~la3k-kmt/

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~la3k-kmt/kanoya/kanoya.html


PEARL HARBOR (Japanese side) BBS: http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?s=e96c1c2bb278b6d3129ce1f3ee1a8204;act=SF;f=11

Pearl Harbor Japanese aircraft research source: http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw

Japanese aircraft markings artwork in color: http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/pearlharboraircraft.msnw

COLOR CHIP INFO:
Japanese COLOR CHIPS and FS595 equivilants by a Japanese researcher (English translation): http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/subw117-2.htm

COLOR CHIPS and relics of Japanese aircraft: http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/colorsamples.msnw

MITSUO FUCHIDA's B5N AI-301:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?s=f716d383bdc9b2bef9284ab1a8e67c6a;act=ST;f=11;t=310

Command stripe data:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=46

under wing numbers:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=60

cowling stencil:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?s=f716d383bdc9b2bef9284ab1a8e67c6a;act=ST;f=11;t=308

red tail patterns:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?Page=4

lower fuselage color:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?s=f716d383bdc9b2bef9284ab1a8e67c6a;act=ST;f=11;t=342


Cheers,
David Aiken, a Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc. http://www.pearlharbor-history.org/ [largest URL on WWII on internet]

Hi David,
Wish I'd seen all this when you first posted.

Unfortunately I can't seem to be able to load the Japanese language URLs properly. I use Mozilla and Opera as my main browsers - will I have to use (ugh!) Explorer to pick up these pages properly?

Aside from that, my thanks for the great information. The Pearl Harbor Associates url is being added to Dunedin IPMS Yahoo Groups pages links.

Cheer

Aloha Jeff,
Sorry that I am not a geek to know what browser to recommend for the Japanese URLs.
Best wishes on your works...based on the Japanese sensei teachings. I have learned a lot from them.
Cheers,
David