Mitsubishi Zero and the "Ameiro" color ...

[Vicente Vazquez]

Let me try to post an aviation-related message among this
rec.aviation.political.ihateyou.military messages that have taken over
the board. :-)

There's always a discussion among scale modellers regarding the
correct colors for IJN Mitsubishi Zeros. One of them is about the
existance or not of a color called "Ameiro". Some say it was the
actual color used on some Zeros, while others say it was not a color,
but actually a varnish applied over the original IJN Gray (or white)
that became yellowish with time.

Does anyone have any info on that?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

(Vicente Vazquez) writes:

> Let me try to post an aviation-related message among this
> rec.aviation.political.ihateyou.military messages that have taken over
> the board. :-)
>
> There's always a discussion among scale modellers regarding the
> correct colors for IJN Mitsubishi Zeros. One of them is about the
> existance or not of a color called "Ameiro". Some say it was the
> actual color used on some Zeros, while others say it was not a color,
> but actually a varnish applied over the original IJN Gray (or white)
> that became yellowish with time.
>
> Does anyone have any info on that?

I applaud your efforts, my killfile grows every day thanks to the load
of idiots posting in this group.

Ameiro was a varnish, and the name was coined by I think a post-war
writer. A reasonable discussion on this is found on the Japanese
Airplanes discussion board run by Jim Lansdale. Personally I have not
seen any carrier-aircraft of WW2 with this type of varnish, but plenty
of China war photos of early A6Ms and the preceding A5Ms show a kind
of tinge of yellow. Maybe the protectice coating was abandoned
early-war?


--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan

[Dudley Henriques]

"Gernot Hassenpflug" > wrote in message
...
> (Vicente Vazquez) writes:
>
> > Let me try to post an aviation-related message among this
> > rec.aviation.political.ihateyou.military messages that have taken over
> > the board. :-)
> >
> > There's always a discussion among scale modellers regarding the
> > correct colors for IJN Mitsubishi Zeros. One of them is about the
> > existance or not of a color called "Ameiro". Some say it was the
> > actual color used on some Zeros, while others say it was not a color,
> > but actually a varnish applied over the original IJN Gray (or white)
> > that became yellowish with time.
> >
> > Does anyone have any info on that?
>
> I applaud your efforts, my killfile grows every day thanks to the load
> of idiots posting in this group.
>
> Ameiro was a varnish, and the name was coined by I think a post-war
> writer. A reasonable discussion on this is found on the Japanese
> Airplanes discussion board run by Jim Lansdale. Personally I have not
> seen any carrier-aircraft of WW2 with this type of varnish, but plenty
> of China war photos of early A6Ms and the preceding A5Ms show a kind
> of tinge of yellow. Maybe the protectice coating was abandoned
> early-war?
>
>
> --
> G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan

Just guessing here, but it sounds like this would be something connected to
the Japanese experimenting during the period with ways to avoid corrosion on
their Naval aircraft. Using a varnish would produce a lighter mill
thickness in the dry finish than a paint film and afford protection with
this weight saving factored in.
Just a thought. I'm not a historian. :-))
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

[GuiltyBystander9]

If it helps, ame-iro is the Japanese word for amber, ni-su is the Japanese word
for varnish.

[Cub Driver]

>There's always a discussion among scale modellers regarding the
>correct colors for IJN Mitsubishi Zeros. One of them is about the
>existance or not of a color called "Ameiro". Some say it was the
>actual color used on some Zeros, while others say it was not a color,
>but actually a varnish applied over the original IJN Gray (or white)
>that became yellowish with time.

Have you looked at the Aero Detail 7 book about the Zero?

The standard color is given as gray, IJN Official Paint No. J3, an
equivalent of FS No. 36251. "Varnish for surface protection was
applied over this gray, giving [a] somewhat brownish gloss tone. From
this impression, this coloring was unofficially called [actualy, the b
book says "inofficially"] Ame-iro (color of caramel)." Page 37.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

[Cub Driver]

On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 00:31:38 +0900, Gernot Hassenpflug >
wrote:

> Maybe the protectice coating was abandoned
>early-war?

Evidently so. Aero Detail says that camo came in in spring 1943, when
dark green paint was applied A6M3.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

[Vicente Vazquez]

Hi Everybody,

Thanks for your comments. It seems we all got to a consense of the
"Amei-ro" being the result of the varnish apllied over the J3 gray.

But I just found this article and would like to hear your comments...

http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/amerio/out_of_ameiro.htm

Vicente

P.S.: Gernot, what's Jim Lansdale's forum address?? Couldn't find it.
Tks.

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

(Vicente Vazquez) writes:

> http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/amerio/out_of_ameiro.htm
>
> Vicente
>
> P.S.: Gernot, what's Jim Lansdale's forum address?? Couldn't find it.
> Tks.

Looks like you found it without knowing it :-) Look at the 'staff'
link at the bottom of the main page, and see who is the maintainer of
this webpage. (Dave Pluth handed over to Jim last year).

--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan