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Zero Wheel Well colour?


Adam Poultney

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I'm going to build Airfix's  1/72 scale A6M2 Zero (https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/mitsubishi-a6m2b-zero-1-72-1.html) in this scheme:

a01005a.jpg

I've seen wheel wells painted in various colours, what would be the correct colour, and what paint would that be in Vallejo Model Air?

 

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The A6M2 was manufactured by both the parent company Mitsubishi, and under license by Nakajima. They painted the wheel wells differently. According to Nick Millman’s excellent PDF publication “Painting the Early Zero-Sen” (available through his “Aviation of Japan” blog):

 

Mitsubishi

Entire wheel well, and inner faces of all four gear doors, the same gray as the airframe.

Main gear struts and inner door retraction yokes black.

Torque links and wheel hubs silver (painted).

Tailwheel assembly airframe gray with black or green leather cover over the opening.

Tailhook and its front attachment black, with shaft aotake or airframe gray 

 

Nakajima

Wheel well, and inner faces of small inboard gear doors, aotake.

Inner faces of main gear doors airframe gray.

Other details similar to Mitsubishi.

 

Edited by MDriskill
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Yes - sorry I neglected to point that out - as dragonlance noted, "Painting the Early Zero-Sen" is an individually-licensed, paid publication.

 

Really worth it though: color chips, photos of original artifacts, notes on original documentation, commercial model paint equivalents, color notes on every interior and exterior area, differences between manufacturers, study of weathering and ageing effects, and even a fascinating history of how modelers' perception of the elusive main airframe gray has evolved over time!

 

It is also now bundled with his separate PDF on the orange-yellow color used for trainers and prototypes (which, as you might guess from my avatar, I also have, LOL).

Edited by MDriskill
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