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A6M2: correct color of "stuff" under the spinner cover


luftmodels

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Hello everyone! I'm new here. 🙂 Excited to be a part of this community!

 

I'm working on A6M2 1/32 from Tamiya and the direction #51 states that all "guts" and the middle of the prop under the spinner should be painted in semi-gloss black. I don't feel confident in that. I also found some evidence of silver color, though it is A6M3 (or M5). Extremely hard (next to impossible) to find the picture of zero without the spinner.

Can anyone confirm or deny? I'm totally aware of the correct color for spinner and prop (lots of info on that topic).

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That photo probably isn't a good reference. For one, the propeller blades during that period, at least for 1941-1942, were brown only on their rear faces. The spinner and front of each blade were silver (polished aluminum in the case of the blades). Museum aircraft aren't always a good source. Personally, I'd go with Tamiya's suggestion.

Edited by Rolls-Royce
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1 minute ago, Rolls-Royce said:

That photo probably isn't a good reference, anyway. For one, the propeller blades during that period, at least for 1941-1942, were brown only on their rear faces. The spinner and front of each blade were silver. Museum aircraft aren't always a good source. Personally, I'd go with Tamiya's suggestion.

This particular picture is from late zero, they had propellers/spinners in all brown since September/October 1943 and one of the suppliers for Nakajima had supplied spinners painted with aluminium paint.

Quote

Personally, I'd go with Tamiya's suggestion.

I wish I could. Tamiya made lots of mistakes in the painting guide, I don't trust them.

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When the spinner is aluminium colour the interior face plate would also be aluminium, as well as the pitch mechanism. The back plate front (behind the prop mechanism) looks like either black, primer brown or Aotake (dark in any case).

Sources: IJ Army & Navy Airplanes Illustrated No.1; Model Art Profile 12 (photo p.129)

 

Cheers, Michael

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5 minutes ago, Toryu said:

When the spinner is aluminium colour the interior face plate would also be aluminium, as well as the pitch mechanism. The back plate front (behind the prop mechanism) looks like either black, primer brown or Aotake (dark in any case).

Sources: IJ Army & Navy Airplanes Illustrated No.1; Model Art Profile 12 (photo p.129)

 

Cheers, Michael

Could you specify the part # you are referring to?

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1 hour ago, Toryu said:

The part between prop and cowling Is the one with the dark front, maybe black.

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. I guess picture got uploaded in wrong way. So here it is: Link

Q25? Or Q23?

 

Edited by luftmodels
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I can‘t open the link without password. From left to right, there are: spinner, prop, spinner back plate (that‘s the part I mean), cowling.

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For early typ21 ZERO :

 

Spinner is painted silver, propeller blades rear tea brown, polished aluminum front with red tip two warning lines.

 

I recently painted mine in 1/72 like that.

 

A6M2 typ 21 ZERO

 

zero-kowling-21.jpg

 

 

A6M3 typ 22&32/ 52  ZERO

 

zero-kowling-21-desno-tea.jpg

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4 hours ago, politicni komisar said:

For early typ21 ZERO :

 

Spinner is painted silver, propeller blades rear tea brown, polished aluminum front with red tip two warning lines.

 

I recently painted mine in 1/72 like that.

 

A6M2 typ 21 ZERO

 

zero-kowling-21.jpg

 

 

A6M3 typ 22&32/ 52  ZERO

 

zero-kowling-21-desno-tea.jpg

Beautiful work! Thank you. But like I've said in my pilot post, this topic is widely covered unlike the stuff under the spinner. Particularly middle part of the prop, balancing gear and other mist parts.

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7 hours ago, Toryu said:

I can‘t open the link without password. From left to right, there are: spinner, prop, spinner back plate (that‘s the part I mean), cowling.


Sorry, I'm still trying to figure out image hosting options, nothing works right now. 🥴 But now I [think] do understand what you are talking about. Any ideas/thoughts on counterweights and end cap? Michael, would it be possible for you to post that picture from your reference? You know, a picture is worth a thousand words 😉

 

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