19th Sentai

[Greebo]

Thanks to Lyric1 for finding the photos for this skin. These are shown and this aircraft is discussed in his Japanese Profiles thread.

This 19th Sentai Ki-61 was captured by US forces in the Philippines and later restored to flying condition for combat testing.  It was inherited by the 19th from another fighter group whose tail markings were over-painted with the 19th's symbol. At some point in its service history the upper surfaces of the factory bare metal finish had been over-painted in green.

My interpretation of the photos is that this was likely to have been the group CO's personal aircraft. Partly this is based on the unusual number "0" on the tail and the two differently coloured rank bands on the fuselage. Even more more unusual is that the 19th group ID symbol appears to be a lighter shade on the right side than the left and that the spinner appears to have a multi-coloured design that I have assumed represents the three squadron ID colours of red, blue and yellow. Note the multi-coloured spinner appears static in these screenshots but animates realistically when viewed in the game.

[Devil 505]

That is gorgeous!

[Nefarious]

Very nice!

[oboe]

Beautiful, Greebo!

[Krusty]

I'm curious why you colored the spinner as such. There doesn't much precedent for such colorations even on a squadron leader's personal ride.

[lyric1]

 

[USCH]

 

[BuckShot]

Nice! That's slick.

Do you know why they have the tail marking in red outlined in white on one side and all yellow on the other?

[Devil 505]

Nice! That's slick.

Do you know why they have the tail marking in red outlined in white on one side and all yellow on the other?

One of the reference pictures has the tail marking in a similar color to the "meatball" on the left side. All pictures of the right side show the tail marking matching the darker stripe while being lighter than the "meatball"

That said, only one pic has the tail marking as matching the red - The other pictures have it a shade closer to the yellow stripe to my eyes.

See here: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,296356.225.html

Regarding the spinner, The more I look at the reference photos, the less I see any intricate pattern. every shot except one shows a regular paint job.

[Greebo]

Looking at the photos again I agree yellow on both sides for the fin flash is more likely to be the correct arrangement, so I'll change the red flash to yellow.

The one photo that shows the multi-colour scheme for the spinner is the only one that is lit in bright sunlight and from behind the cameraman. The other photos are all shot in poorer light with the angle of the sun putting spinner largely in shadow from the POV of the cameraman. If the spinner was painted just one colour then that does not explain the photo that shows it with a split scheme.

[lyric1]

Looking at the photos again I agree yellow on both sides for the fin flash is more likely to be the correct arrangement, so I'll change the red flash to yellow.

You know why in some photos the left side tail emblem looks to be very light in colour yellow like & in some it doesn't it appears red like?
Because the left side horizontal stabilizer on the upper surface is bare metal. When the sun hits it right it gives it a lighter appearance.

Notice the fillet on the left side of the horizontal stabilizer parts of it are painted & some of it is bare metal. Where the fillet ends & the horizontal stabilizer begins it is all bare metal.

So here are two images on a slightly overcast moment the tail emblem matches the red meatball on the fuselage.





Slightly brighter in this image tail badge loosing its red red look.



Now these two the sun is bright & directly overhead.
Now they look yellow like because of the mirror effect of the bare metal.





Now the right side fillet & horizontal stabilizer is clearly painted in full.



No mirror effect on the logo & this side is clearly not a match to the red fuselage meatball.

Leave the left side red Greebo it is correct.

[Devil 505]

Sorry Lyric, but that horizontal stab is not bare metal. There is extensive paint wear on the fillet but what you are seeing is paint with a semi-gloss finish.





These pics clearly show the painted surface and the chips on the fillet are distinctly different.

[lyric1]

They painted one surface area gloss and every other upper surface not?

[Devil 505]

No the whole plane is painted with the same finish, but the highlights are only apparent at certain angles. Look at the fuselage in the bottom pic in my post - sunlight is reflected over a large area from that angle, just like the it is on the horizontal stab in the other pics you posted. Catching a reflection on film requires the correct angles of sun position to surface and surface to camera, otherwise you wont see it.

The paint chips are much brighter and the reflected light much more intense than the painted areas reflecting light into the camera.

[Greebo]

I don't think the top of the horizontal tail is NMF either, in the photo of the plane taken from the LH rear it is a similar shade to the top of the wing. Also there is too much of a difference between the lighter paint chips on the fillet.