Urban's Colour Reference Charts

Japan

 by Martin Waligorski & Urban Fredriksson

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Japanese Army and Navy Aircraft Colours

World War II period.

A letter prefix in front of the Colour name means:

 A - Army aircraft
 N - Navy aircraft

A number following the letter is believed to be an arbitrary classification system originated by

D.Thorpe. Helpful info about some more intricate colours was extracted from Camouflage and
Markings of Nakajima Oscar by Mark Wlodarczyk, previously published at this site.

This chart has been last revised in September 2006

Imperial Japanese Army aircraft

Model
Colour Tamiy Xtracolo Gunze
Comment FS Humbrol Polly S Maste
name a r Sangyo
r
Upper
FS:3409
A.1 Dark camouflage,
4 Hu:149
Green together
(34092)
with A.2
Upper
camouflage
1*Hu:155
A.2 Olive overall FS:3408 T:XF- GS:H6
+ X:X351 P:PCJ91
Green colour, or 8 13/51? 0
1*Hu:159
together
with A.1
Upper & 5*Hu:34 +
A.5 Light FS:3541 T:XF- P:PCJ90 GS:H6
lower 3*Hu:115 X:X352
Grey Green 4 14 ? 2
surfaces + 3*Hu:65
A.6 Dark Upper FS:3615 4*Hu:156
 +
3*Hu:106
Grey surfaces 2 +
1*Hu:112
+ 1*Hu:34
7*Hu:28 +
A.7 Medium Upper FS:3629
2*Hu:156
Grey surfaces 3
+ 1*Hu:34
16*Hu:34
A.9 Light Upper FS:3772
+ 3*Hu:72
Grey surfaces 2
+ 1*Hu:28
FS:3005
A.11 Dark Upper 8*Hu:107
9
Brown surfaces + 1*Hu:33
(34049)
6*Hu:178
A.12 Upper FS:3010 + 4*Hu:70
Medium surfaces, 9 + 3*Hu:34
Brown spinners (30111) +
2*Hu:107
3*Hu:63 +
3*Hu:118
A.14 Light Upper FS:3040
+ 3*Hu:34
Earth surfaces 0
+
2*Hu:121
A.15 Ivory Upper FS:3037
Hu:93
Yellow surfaces 1
A.22 Deep Upper FS:3505
Hu:190
Blue surfaces 0
T:XF-
Army Silver Hu:11
16
Used
togehter
with A.1 FS:3417
Light Green
and A.2 in 2
three-tone
schemes
Light Factory FS:3635
Green-Grey undersurfac 7
e finish of
Ki-43 Mod.
 III onwards
One of
factory Top
Dark
surface FS:3011
Brown-
finishes of 8
Green
Ki-43 Mod.
III onwards
Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft
Model
Colour Tamiy Xtracolo Gunze
Comment FS Humbrol Polly S Maste
name a r Sangyo
r
N.1 Black Upper FS:3409
Hu:149
Green surfaces 2
5*Hu:91 +
N.2 Dark Upper FS:3407 T:XF- GS:H5
1*Hu:116 X:X353 P:PCJ92
Green surfaces 7 11 9 (N1?)
+ 1*Hu:3
N.3 Dark Upper FS:3409 2*Hu:80 +
Grey Green surfaces 5 1*Hu:117
6*Hu:78 +
N.4 Light Interior FS:3422
3*Hu:34 +
Grey Green colour 6
1*Hu:72
12*Hu:15
0+
Cockpit FS:3409
N.5 Bamboo 1*Hu:155
interiors 8
+
1*Hu:154
Used as
N.8 Dark upper- and FS:3608
Hu:32
Grey overall 1
colour
8*Hu:64 +
Used as
N.9 Medium FS:3625 2*Hu:156
upper- and
Grey 1 +
overall colo
1*Hu:106
Used as 8*Hu:34 +
N.10 Light FS:3649 T:XF- P:PCJ90 GS:H6
upper- and 1*Hu:156 X:X354
Grey 2 12 ? 1
overall colo + 1*Hu:28
N.17 Brown Upper FS:3014 4*Hu:110 T:XF- GS:H3
surfaces 5 + 1*Hu:62 10 7
 (Hu:110)
Trainer
N.18 Red aircraft FS:3140 8*Hu:178 GS:H6
T:X-13 X:X355
Orange overall 0 + 1*Hu:60 3
colour
Doubtful 6*Hu:34 +
whether 4*Hu:25 + P:PCJ89
Mauve
actually 2*Hu:153 Violet
existed + 2*Hu:64
Miscellaneous colours
Model
Colour Tamiy Xtracolo Gunze
Comment FS Humbrol Polly S Maste
name a r Sangyo
r
Interior
colour.
Actually a
Aodake Iro
transparent
(Interior 1*Hu:52 + GS:H6
blue-green T:X-13 X:X355
metallic 1*Hu:50 3
lacquer on
blue)
natural
metal
background
Cockpit FS:3425
Green-Olive 5
Cockpit FS:3422
Grey-Green 6
Cockpit
FS:3344
Khaki-
8
Brown
Initially
bright red,
faded in
Hinomaru time to FS:3108
Red rusty- 6
pinkish
brown
(FS:31328)
Identificatio Used from FS:3353
n yellow 1943 for 8
quick-
 recognition
bands on
leading
edges of
fighter a/c
Light
Green-Grey FS:3631
fabric 4
primer
Army/Navy
T:XF-
Lt. Olive (A./N.21?) P:PCJ94
22?
(greyish)