VEHICLES
 
Topics:
References
Vehicle Camouflage 
Japanese Ground Vehicles
Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40
 
References
Posted By: Dan Salamone <heroncreek@qwest.net>
Date: Sunday, 21 January 2001, at 10:47 p.m.
 
Hello all,
The thread the past week on vehicle colors got me to thinking about references for the vehicles themselves. I just spent about an hour going through various Koku Fan, Model Art and FAOW volumes with almost no luck in seeing a clear photo of an airfield vehicle close up- especially the cab area or wheels. Is anyone aware of any book, even if it deals with army (non-armored) vehicles such as trucks? TIA for any input,
Dan 
 
Posted By: Karoly Kele <kele@okk.szamalk.hu>
Date: Tuesday, 23 January 2001, at 12:38 a.m.
 
Hi Gang,
Check this link. There are Japanese trucks listed here. Contact Mr. Taki, the owner of the site, he may help.
Bye
Karoly
 
http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/car.htm 
 
Posted By: Dan Salamone <heroncreek@qwest.net>
Date: Wednesday, 24 January 2001, at 9:27 p.m.
 
Hi Karoly,
Thanks for the link! Is there an e-mail address to contact Mr. Taki? Thanks again,
Dan 
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Thursday, 25 January 2001, at 5:58 a.m.
 
Dan:
His e-mail address is taki@yellow.plala.or.jp. His HOME page is: http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/ 
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Tuesday, 23 January 2001, at 5:42 p.m.
 
Charlie:
This is a NEAT site! I see some similarities to some other vehicles, but most look unique enough that I don't think they were built under license from US manufacturers. The Type 93 4-wheeled passenger car (I'd have to call it a staff car) was close to the 1934 Ford and might be a fairly easy modification, eh?
Thanks SO much for sharing!
--Rob 
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Monday, 22 January 2001, at 9:05 p.m.
 
Dan:
I've been trying to list the books and pics so I can refer to them later, and I see several types that look reminiscent to 1934 Ford trucks (NOT cars) and the Opel Blitz, not to mention some other vehicles. The wheel patterns are different and there's some variety out there. I have considered the Russian truck kits in 1/35 as a starting point, but it's still not quite right.
If there are 10 "AYEs" to the subject, I'll post up a list this weekend of what photos I see in my references.
--Rob 
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <Hall023038@aol.com>
Date: Monday, 22 January 2001, at 9:06 a.m.
 
Dear Dan,
To the best of my knowledge, there is no sinkhole filled with data or photos of these vehicles. What little I know comes from tidbits here and there, for example, books, which I have never seen in the US, on antique Japanese cars and trucks. One of the better photos of the army's starter truck is towards the back of Japanese Cockpit Interiors, Part 2 by Mikesh. It is of a version slightly older than the Hasegawa model. This sort of front fender went out of style in the US around 1933. The wheels have six holes near the rims. There are eight lug nuts. The steering wheel is on the right. There are also some photos in Koku Fan 79 and/or 80, especially of the army's Isuzu fuel truck.
Posted By: JC Carbonel <jean-christophe.carbonel@laposte.fr>
Date: Tuesday, 23 January 2001, at 1:00 a.m.
 
Hello all of you!
As a Luftwaffe enthusiast "going East" I can confirm that even for Luftwaffe support vehicle it is difficult (but not impossible) to get info. The main trouble I found with ground vehicles is that it is very difficult to get dimensional data while the photographs are speckled along many books.
Not along ago I was asked by GASO-LINE to find some material about Japanese support truck because they wanted to "enlarge" one of the Hasegawa models for their 1/48 range and I can confirm that the best reference I found (and the most help) was from Mr. Taki at: http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/car.htm 
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Thursday, 25 January 2001, at 6:08 a.m.
 
Hey, all:
I have also seen at Taki's HP that he has a "Raise the Type 4 Tank" petition. I am including the direct link to it so you may download and print it out. I will be printing it and getting some signatures and sending it, as I see this as a valuable piece of history that might be lost forever. But I don't live in your area, so you may wish to do the same in your neck o' the woods!
--Rob
 
http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/syomei.pdf 
 
Vehicle Camouflage 
 
Posted By: Stephen Fedor <sfedor@iopener.net>
Date: Saturday, 13 January 2001, at 3:58 p.m.
 
Can anyone give guidance on camo colors for the Hasegawa 1/72 Fuel and Starter Trucks? I'm interested whether in JAAF or JNAF service, in any theatre or phase of WWII.
Any reply would be welcome as this ranks among the subjects I don't know zip about. Tips on painting ground crew figures would be helpful, too. 
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <Hall023038@aol.com>
Date: Sunday, 14 January 2001, at 1:29 p.m.
 
The directions for the fuel truck say to paint the metalwork FS 0257, which is a yellowish brown, between ochre and caramel. (Yes, it's snack time again.) The box art is a bit dark. Both kits are army vehicles. 
 
Posted By: Dan Salamone <heroncreek@qwest.net>
Date: Saturday, 13 January 2001, at 9:21 p.m.
 
Hi Stephen,
I'll take a stab at helping with the camo color... Katsushi Owaki posted (in early 2000) Japanese color standards. He stated that late war Oscars were painted in a green (similar to U.S. Olive Drab), and that this color was also used on other Army equipment such as helmets, field artillery, tanks, etc. This color is close to FS 34088.
Model Art #329 on IJA Fighters has a color drawing section showing both field equipment such as trucks as well as uniforms for pilots and ground crew.
The trucks are shown with this "olive drab" shade all over except canvas roofs, which are a lighter green or somewhat "khaki" color. Excuse the term khaki as it means many things to many people!
As for uniforms, approximate color shades include:
Grey FS *6405
Various brown shades, *0115, *0091, 0117, etc.
The other night I was looking through various FAOW and Koku Fan issues (all black and white photos) and there is really a wide range of colors seen in Japanese uniforms. I am unsure if this is due to the age of the individual garments, or different sources, etc. I hope this helps, and by no means is this conclusive so hopefully somebody else will be able to add to or correct the above. 
 
Posted By: JC Carbonel <jean-christophe.carbonel@laposte.fr>
Date: Thursday, 18 January 2001, at 5:08 a.m.
 
This is a very interesting (and rarely debated) topic. The most usual depiction is a darkish/greenish yellow-brown. But I seem to remember in one of the FAOW books (Toryu?) a picture of a starter truck rendered very dark in b/w photo. So what could it be? I would be tempted to paint it using aircraft paint but the Army Green is not very dark. So what then? Blue? In addition this vehicle had a unit marking on the door if I remember well. Maybe someone has some color pics somewhere? 
 
Posted By: John Dillon <john.dillon@wachovia.com>
Date: Friday, 19 January 2001, at 6:01 a.m.
 
Jean-Christophe,
There is a photo in Scott's "Emblems of the Rising Sun" which shows a starter truck with a Nick. Both sport the insignia of the 21st Sentai. I wouldn't want to speculate on the truck's colors since the shot is black and white taken on an overcast day. It's color does appear to be a dark tone, but because of the variables (lighting, how the print was developed) I wouldn't stake my reputation on it. 
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Thursday, 18 January 2001, at 8:44 p.m.
 
Jean-Christophe:
I have seen a lot of variation in the photos as well. I have seen some Imperial Japanese Navy trucks that sort of resembled '41 Chevy's and were very glossy and quite dark. I have often wondered if they were blue or dark gray or dark green or other color. I've also wondered if the truck was a license built version of something else, and would we be able to find a British or other truck to start with to get a Navy fuel truck. 
 
Posted By: JC Carbonel <jean-christophe.carbonel@laposte.fr>
Date: Friday, 19 January 2001, at 12:46 a.m.
 
Rob,
I am completely ignorant in vehicle types. After 20 years or so at looking at photos of Luftwaffe airfield I am now familiar with Opel Blitz and the big Büssing truck but that's about all. My knowledge of Japanese vehicles is next to nil I would be quite at loss to distinguish an imported/captured vehicle from a locally produced vehicle (on the European front: between Ford and Opel cars for example). My "reference" for those Japanese vehicles is the Hasegawa boxes. Either the photo looks like the kits or not. Basically most of the starter trucks I have seen look like the kit except there may be variation in regard to doors some having canvas door and other metal doors… Actually for every nation I find MOST difficult to find good reference (you know with dimensional data and "how to differentiate Mk II from Mk I" à la Squadron "In Action") on soft-skin and ex-civilian vehicles... 
 
Kurogane 4WD vehicle *PIC*
Posted By: Uchida, Katsuhiro <katsuhiro.uchida@honeywell.com>
Date: Thursday, 25 January 2001, at 10:38 p.m.
 
Hi all!
This is Kurogane 4WD of IJA exhibited at the Japan Automobile Museum in Ishikawa, Japan. The sign in front of the car says that this car is 6 years older than Jeep.
To the Japanese people,
Is there anyone who knows the specification of this vehicle?
Regards,
Katsuhiro Uchida
Special thanks to Mr. Takesa who provided the pictures of Kurogane 4WD.
 
Posted By: Uchida, Katsuhiro <katsuhiro.uchida@honeywell.com>
Date: Thursday, 25 January 2001, at 9:23 p.m.
 
Special thanks to Mr. Takesa who provided the pictures of Kurogane 4WD.
 
Posted By: Deniz Karacay <dkaracay@umr.edu>
Date: Friday, 26 January 2001, at 12:12 p.m.
 
In Response To: Kurogane 4WD vehicle *PIC* (Uchida, Katsuhiro)
 
Is the color authentic? I don't think they all shine like this in service. Is there a known 1/72-1/70 kit of this vehicle? 
 
Posted By: Uchida, Katsuhiro <katsuhiro.uchida@honeywell.com>
Date: Saturday, 27 January 2001, at 6:55 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Kurogane 4WD vehicle (Deniz Karacay)
 
Well, I cannot believe it is really "authentic". And I do not think the precise information is available now. Because Kurogane Mortor Co. was very small company and merged to a big company (Nissan?) in late 1950's or early 1960's. Toyota AA/AB limousine and Datsun small sedan in 1930's are much more famous and its model car is available in Japan, but scale model of the Kurogane 4WD is not available. (Actually, many Japanese motor journalists were surprised when this car was found.)
Regards,
K.Uchida 
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <Hall023038@aol.com>
Date: Saturday, 27 January 2001, at 10:35 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Kurogane 4WD vehicle (Uchida, Katsuhiro)
 
Dear Mr. Uchida,
Specifications for Kyuu Go Shiki Jouyousha  are at http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/car95.htm. They are also in a book called Rikugun Kikaika Heiki:
Two-cylinder air-cooled gasoline engine of 1272 cc, 32 horsepower (bariki). Length of 3.6 meters, width of 1.5 meters. If I understand correctly,
the frame used pipes; it was tubular. A model of this car is resin in 1/35th scale by Arima. It is a "garage kit". "Mada tsukutte inai desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."  
 
Posted By: Uchida, Katsuhiro <katsuhiro.uchida@honeywell.com>
Date: Saturday, 27 January 2001, at 10:44 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Kurogane 4WD vehicle (Tom Hall)
 
Doumo arigatou, Tom-san!!
Kyuu Go Shiki? Oh, 95-shiki (Type 95)!! So, this car's debut was in 1935, right!? ("95" means Japan's 2595th year.) I did not know about the scale kit of this car until you let me know!! Anyway, thank you very much!!
Katsuhiro Uchida 
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Sunday, 28 January 2001, at 6:14 p.m.
 
Here's a neat site...
It has some other pics that Taki doesn't have on his page, though many of the pics seem to come from a military book.
http://www.logicnet.ru/~len/ab/pothers.htm
Japanese Ground Vehicles
 
Posted By: Deniz Karacay <dkaracay@umr.edu>
Date: Tuesday, 10 October 2000, at 6:49 p.m.
 
Well, did they only used Japanese vehicles? How about captured or imported items? I bet they also used Ford trucks, everybody did why not Japanese?
 
Posted By: Hiroyuki Takeuchi
Date: Thursday, 12 October 2000, at 7:12 p.m.
 
In Response To: Japanese Ground vehicles (Deniz Karacay)
 
IJA captured a lot of allied military and civilian vehicles from passenger cars to M3 tanks since the IJA was severely lacking in vehicles. Some M3s are known to have been used in combat (and were very popular among the Japanese tank crews too).
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <Hall41@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wednesday, 11 October 2000, at 11:45 a.m.
 
In Response To: Japanese Ground vehicles (Deniz Karacay)
 
Deniz,
You are certainly right about their using the Allied trucks. There is a photo of Japanese driving down a recently captured street in a Chevrolet (the sort that was in North Africa and is molded in 1/35th). If I recall correctly, it's Singapore.
I haven't seen such a truck on an airfield.
 
Posted By: Deniz Karacay <dkaracay@umr.edu>
Date: Thursday, 12 October 2000, at 10:03 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Japanese Ground Vehicles (Tom Hall)
 
Can you give me your opinion about the color of the truck?
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <Hall41@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Thursday, 12 October 2000, at 2:21 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Japanese Ground Vehicles (Deniz Karacay)
 
Sorry, but I cannot easily locate the b&w photo again. Even if I could, it does not show the vehicle close-up, and I have no frame of reference about the colors that such trucks were painted, other than a sort of cream-to-pink on the staff
cars in the desert. Perhaps a British armor expert could give some clues about the Chevrolet contract.
 
Posted By: Deniz Karacay <denizkaracay@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, 12 October 2000, at 5:04 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Japanese Ground Vehicles (Tom Hall)
 
I think Matchbox has 1/76 of those cars and may be old ESCI has 1/72. I better look at Ebay.
 
Posted By: JC CARBONEL <jean-christophe.carbonel@laposte.fr>
Date: Friday, 13 October 2000, at 10:50 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Japanese Ground Vehicles (Deniz Karacay)
 
Hart in UK can provide a 1/48 model for your LRDG truck. I am not sure the ESCI model was ever produced.
JCC
 
Posted By: Elephtheriou George <elgeorge@otenet.gr>
Date: Friday, 13 October 2000, at 1:11 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Japanese Ground Vehicles (Deniz Karacay)
 
Konichi wa,
do you have any idea what is the track in the photo of the In Action page 23?
Domo
George
 
Posted By: Deniz Karacay <denizkaracat@yahoo.com>
Date: Saturday, 14 October 2000, at 2:03 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Japanese Ground Vehicles (Elephtheriou George)
 
I have my Squadron Books back in Turkey together with the rest :-(
If you scan it and send me may be I could help.
 
Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40
 
Posted By: Milan Vins <sales.west@prokop.cz>
Date: Monday, 9 October 2000, at 5:17 a.m.
 
Hello Colleges,
I look for some information about Japanese fuel truck ISUZU TX-40. My plan is to realize fuel truck and “Rufe” as my next diorama. I look especially for some photos /or drawings/ of pump, refueling hose of procedure of refueling. Can anybody advise?
Cheers,
Milan
 
Posted By: Milan Vins <sales.west@prokop.cz>
Date: Tuesday, 10 October 2000, at 4:54 a.m.
 
In Response To: Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40 (Milan Vins)
 
Hello Friends,
I am very glad for so many answers.
Be informed that I am absolute secular concerning planes. My hobby is dioramas mainly with armour. In case you are interested in you can see some of them on http://www.burleehost.net/ontheway/default.htm or on http://miniaturezone.multimania.com/index.htm.
Nevertheless I have already finished Rufe 1/72 from Hasegawa in gray camouflage from box. I plan to realize diorama where this Rufe is refueled. My image is to place all on coast of some pacific island. Can anybody advise some locations where the Rufe in mentioned was based and or other information , some photos etc.
Cheers,
Milan
 
Posted By: Elephtheriou George <elgeorge@otenet.gr>
Date: Monday, 9 October 2000, at 8:53 a.m.
 
In Response To: Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40 (Milan Vins)
 
Konichi wa,
you will find a few interesting photos and color drawings on the subject in the Model Art 329 book (Army fighters). Very useful on your project.
The only thing is.....an Isuzu fuel truck with a Rufe??? Depends on where you will place the Rufe. If it's a remote pacific island, Tulagi for example, then the fuel truck will look odd. If it's in lake Biwa....not bad. I'm not sure if the Isuzu was used by both services (army and navy). Anyone with more info?
George
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <reishikisenguy@aol.com>
Date: Monday, 9 October 2000, at 8:46 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40 (Elephtheriou George)
 
I think the IJN used other trucks. I don't know for sure, but think you will find a '41 Chevy is fairly close for cab shape.
--Rob
 
Posted By: Elephtheriou George <elgeorge@otenet.gr>
Date: Tuesday, 10 October 2000, at 12:53 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40 (Rob Graham)
 
Rob,
I guess you are referring to the photo in the Zero In Action page 23. Another interesting idea might be to use captured British fuel trucks and place the diorama in Burma using army planes. The problem is, I have no idea what fuel trucks the British used at that time.
Or navy planes positioned in the Philippines using captured American fuel tracks. Again, no idea what the Americans used.
Domo, George 
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