-
Yokosuka MxY
"Ohka"
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- Topics:
- Japanese Navy Aircraft
Ohka Markings
- Another
Oka, What is Japanese Designation? *PIC*
- Ohka
Drawings
- Ohka colors?
(New)
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- Posted By: Peter Starkings >
Date: Saturday, 17 February 2001, at 3:01 a.m.
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- Photos of Ohka aircraft captured on Okinawa show most of them with markings like (for example) I-10 on the forward fuselage. My queries are:
- 1 - Is the prefix a letter I or a Roman I?
2 - What unit (or maybe just what!)does this prefix signify?
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- Thanks in anticipation of answers.
- Peter
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- Re: Ohka Markings
*PIC*
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- Posted By: James F. Lansdale <mailto:LRAJIM@aol.com?subject=Re: Ohka Markings *PIC*>
Date: Saturday, 17 February 2001, at 6:06 a.m.
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- In Response To: Ohka Markings (Peter
Starkings)
-
- Hi Peter
- See below for photo of Yokosuka MxY Ohka s/n 1022 [I-18] captured on Okinama. The Romanji [I-] code very likely represented the No.1 Koku Kantai, however, there has been speculation that it represented one of the units equipped with Betty carriers, the No.761 Kaigun Kokutai.
- My reading is that the Romanji [I-] represented the First Air Fleet.
-
- FWIW
- Jim Lansdale
Posted By: David_Aiken <David_Aiken@hotmail.com>
Date: Monday, 14 August 2000, at 8:43 a.m.
Aloha All,
Here is a sample of fabric from the Oka which was at the Victory Air Museum years ago. The museum had over painted the Japanese light green color with gray. Fortunately, I was able to examine this fabric in direct sunlight. The museum's gray was peeling off, while the light blueish green had a firm grasp of the primer.
The FS 595 numbers are meant for current US military, so we know that nothing may match direct -but it makes for an economical guide. The sample was slightly
bluer than FS*4410 and about FS*5414 but not as dark.
Upon obtaining those results, I accessed Robert Mikesh's letter from 1997 which told of the NASM restoration color with the same FS595 comparison. I still seek the Japanese designation of this color which seems different than the Owaki reference and 0266 document which I accessed.
I use the "three watch research" program: If you have one watch you KNOW what time it is. If you have TWO watches, you don't. If you have THREE, well, two out of three is a step toward consensus. This Oka fabric is the #2 "watch" for this color. Is there are third?
Cheers,
David Aiken
Re: I-18 in color video capture *PIC*
Posted By: David_Aiken <David_Aiken@hotmail.com>
Date: Tuesday, 3 October 2000, at 11:18 a.m.
Aloha All,
Tis nice to see that the closeup of the modern Oka relic [scan of 14 Aug 8:43AM] shows more green, but when backing away (as in this video capture of Oka I-18, kindly supplied by Claus Kruger) we get the old, tried and true gray we came to know and love.
Same phenomina showed up in the close scan of J3 [13 Sep 4:17PM] then back away some ten-twenty feet [13 Sep 8:14PM] to get a gray paint.
In 1/72 scale what color phenomina should we portray?
Cheers,
David
Re: Another Oka, What is Japanese Designation?
*PIC*
Posted By: James F. Lansdale <LRAJIM@aol.com>
Date: Saturday, 30 September 2000, at 3:27 p.m.
In Response To: Another Oka, What is Japanese Designation?
*PIC* (David_Aiken)
Aloha David!
A preliminary analysis of the relic sample, allegedly from Ohka [I-13] s/n 1081 captured on Okinawa, has been completed. The sample was provided by
M.W. KASNER. With the sample came a photograph of the derelict Baka from which it came taken by Earl REINERT of Arlington Heights, IL in 1966 which you showed in your posting.
A contemporary photo of Ohka [I-13] taken in 1945 on Okinawa appears below with the sample analyzed. (Ed. Note: photo could not be downloaded)
The fabric is a fine weave material which is UNLIKE the more coarse material used on the control surfaces of Japanese aircraft. The curvature and texture of the material is more like the fabric used by the Japanese to wrap around the wooden drop tanks of the Zero. This has led to a preliminary conclusion that the sample may be from the surface of the wooden wings or tail surfaces.
The upper surfaces have been painted with two coats of paint in different colors. You wrote that, "The sample was slightly bluer than FS*4410 and about FS*5414 but not as dark."
My analysis is that the first coat of paint is very similar to a "duck egg green" and is a close match to a semi-gloss FS-14516
(Munsell match 5G 8/2). No colored base primer is evident. The outer or top coat is a close match to FS-16314/16307 (a standard undersurface color found on many late-war IJN aircraft). No exact visual match was made on the Munsell color chart, however it was close to Munsell 10 BG 6/1.
The outer color of paint had weathered to a flat light gray which matched FS-26493. Is it possible both, one, or neither of these paint layers is/are original to this bird?
Katsushi will soon get a sample for his analysis.
I hope this helps with your quest for true Ohka colors.
Jim Lansdale
Posted By: Charles Metz
<c-metz@uchicago.edu>
Date: Wednesday, 1 August 2001, at 1:30 p.m.
In Response To: Ohka 11 drawings ?
(Gary Uhl)
Gary,
Multi-view drawings of various
versions of the Ohka can be found in:
Nohara: 'The Xplanes of Imperial
Japanese Army & Navy 1924-45' (Illustrated Warplane History series,
No. 8; Green Arrow [Japan], 2000; in Japanese) -- pages 285, 288-290 and
292-295 (plus cutaway drawings on pages 288-291, 294 and 295)
and in:
------: 'Imperial Japanese Army
and Navy Jet and Rocket Fighters' (Model Art Special Issue series, No.
525; Model Art [Japan], 1998; in Japanese) -- pages 135, 140, 146, 147,
152, 153 and 162 (plus cutaway drawings on pages 144, 145, 150, 151, 158
and 161).
HobbyLink Japan lists the book by
Nohara in the section of their on-line catalog at the link below.
Unfortunately, Model Art Special No. 525 seems to be out of print.
Hoping this helps,
Charles Metz
Posted By: Rob Graham <mailto:reishikisenguy@aol.com?subject=Ohka colors?>
Date: Tuesday, 31 July 2001, at 11:27 a.m.
Hey, all:
I asked Jim Lansdale, and he's on vacation right now, but it seems there was a color on the Ohka that was a bluish-green. Does anyone else recall the posts of some months back and if there was any resolution to the discussion of this color?
Also, what about interior colors? I'd think the Aichi / Yokosuka green interior, but a lot of old B&W photos appear similar to exterior color.
Ohka 22s may have been different from 11s, but I can't be sure. Any ideas?
Any responses would be greatly appreciated, and I'll post anything I find along the way.
Take care,
--Rob
Re: Ohka colors?
Posted By: Bill Sanborn <mailto:bsanborn@psemc.com?subject=Re: Ohka colors?>
Date: Thursday, 2 August 2001, at 10:51 a.m.
In Response To: Ohka colors? (Rob Graham)
Rob,
DaviD Aiken had a lot to say on the subject if I remember.
I have a piece of material (Either original or from the masking/painting) of the NASM Ohka 22 I "picked" up at Garber when they were doing the restoration. I can try to get a match. Jim has already nmatched it, but I don't recall off the top of my head what it was.
Bill
Re: Ohka colors?
Posted By: Rob Graham <mailto:reishikisenguy@aol.com?subject=Re: Ohka colors?>
Date: Thursday, 2 August 2001, at 11:30 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Ohka colors? (Bill Sanborn)
Howdy, Bill:
I saw David's post, and he had some FS-similar colors, but I'd still like to see the Munsell match, as I am not a fan of FS for accuracy. It's not bad, but nowhere near as subtle as Munsell's system.
When Jim's off vacation, I'll ask him if he has notes on it.
Thanks,
--Rob
Re: Ohka Color Analysis *PIC*
Posted By: James F. Lansdale <mailto:LRAJIM@aol.com?subject=Re: Ohka Color Analysis *PIC*>
Date: Friday, 3 August 2001, at 6:48 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Ohka colors? (Rob Graham)
Hi Rob
I have just completed a hurried color analysis of a piece of fabric allegedly (previously owned by Earl REINERT) from Ohka [I-13] s/n 1081 (see below), captured on Okinawa in 1945, and put on display at the, now defunct, Victory Air Museum, Ivanhoe, IL. (Also see related story of this display in Koku Fan Magazine: 12/73, p.203+)
There appears to be no primer (perhaps a clear coat of dope) with two distinct color layers of paint.
The lower (earlier coat) is very close to Munsell 2.5 G 8/1 or somewhat like FS-34516.
The outer layer of paint, perhaps applied after capture, is more of a blue/gray, close to Munsell 2.5 PB 7/1 or a bit lighter than FS-36307.
I have not yet had a forensic analysis of the paint done at NASM (CAL), but when their work load is a little less I will attemp to have one made. The fabric, under magnification, is unlike other linen fabric samples (in texture and weave) which I have examined and may or may not be peculiar to the Ohka. At this point the provenance of this relic is somewhat questionable.
FWIW
Re: Ohka Color Analysis
Posted By: Mike Gawell <mailto:rockavenger@hotmail.com?subject=Re: Ohka Color Analysis>
Date: Friday, 3 August 2001, at 11:54 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Ohka Color Analysis
*PIC* (James F. Lansdale)
Jim
Maybe a bit nit picky and a dumb question, but, when you do your color analysis, what do you use? I didn't too much of it until Dana Bell pointed out to me last week the fact the FS 595A, and FS 595B had some differences that are important to US aicraft. I want to ensure that when I rush home to look at this stuff I am using the same platform.
Cheers
Mike Gawell
Re: Ohka Color Analysis
Posted By: James F. Lansdale <mailto:LRAJIM@aol.com?subject=Re: Ohka Color Analysis>
Date: Friday, 3 August 2001, at 12:01 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Ohka Color Analysis (Mike
Gawell)
Hi Mike
The color references (numbers) are the same in both sources, but I have been using FS-595B (Revised 1989) for the Federal Standards comparisons.
IHTH
Jim Lansdale
Re: Ohka Color Analysis
Posted By: Rob Graham <mailto:reishikisenguy@aol.com?subject=Re: Ohka Color Analysis>
Date: Friday, 3 August 2001, at 11:24 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Ohka Color Analysis
*PIC* (James F. Lansdale)
Thanks, Jim, I appreciate it.
I was unaware the Ohka had fabric on it. Was it a control surface? I *thought* (could be mainly from models and photos of restored Ohkas) the skin was all metal and/or wood due to the high speed. If it's control surface material, make that ANOTHER detail I'll need to add.
Take care,
--Rob
Re: Ohka Fabric: Revised
Posted By: James F. Lansdale <mailto:LRAJIM@aol.com?subject=Re: Ohka Fabric: Revised>
Date: Friday, 3 August 2001, at 11:34 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Ohka Color Analysis (Rob Graham)
Rob
The fabric may have come from a control surface OR the wooden wing skinning material which was also covered with a fabric outer surface before painting.
The fuselage was constructed of metal with metal skinning.
Jim Lansdale
P.S. I called Bob MIKESH and he said the original color of the Ohka restored by NASM was a color unlike any other color he has encountered on a Japanese aircraft exterior and was, he felt, unique to the OHKA and the Naval Arsenal which constructed it!
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