These splendid photographs of the Imperial War Museum's surviving A6M5 Zero centre section were taken by Ken Francella in the 1980's and come from him via Ken Glass. They need very little commentary, other than to note the difference between the bright, glossy appearance of the Aotake where it was protected from the elements on the original airframe and the areas of exposure and much use, like the wheel wells, where it has deteriorated.
Other paint colours and details on this airframe will be explored in due course - with a few surprises along the way.
By the way, if you are a lurker and plan to take these images to post on another website - with whatever points you wish to make there - the very least you might do, on the grounds of simple courtesy, (and if you cannot bring yourself to ask first for permission for whatever reason) is to mention where they came from and to provide a link. That way we won't have to jump to harsh conclusions about your character which might be quite unjustified. However, even better would be to comment and contribute something here, at the source. One doesn't remove a painting from the walls of an art gallery without permission (at least I hope not) and take it off to the nearest pub for a very public discussion about it with your mates. Imagine how the artist would feel, let alone the gallery owners? But then I suppose, in the wonderful 21st Century, consideration for the feelings of others is not as high on the personal agenda as it once was.
Image credits: ©2010 Ken Francella via Ken Glass
2 comments:
What is interesting about the color is that it is not applied generally but only on specific panels. What does that indicate? I would have thought that all the metal would require the coating, the other areas like the cockpit being treated with a different, heavier paint to resist wear.
Very interesting pictures. I agree with "No Parachute" - why are some surfaces left uncoated? Well...who knows? Makes me wonder: What documents are to be found within the Mitsubishi Company as of today?
Best regards/Stefan Sjöberg
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