Mr. Color - barva krytu motoru

The Shade of Japanese Aircraft Engine Cowlings

A dark blue-gray, almost black tone used to paint the engine cowlings of Japanese Second World War aircraft. The contrast against the lighter rest of the airframe is one of the most distinctive features of these aircraft, and without the correct cowling color, a model never looks authentic.

Paint properties

The paint is a lacquer, solvent-based product from the Mr. Color line, not an acrylic. It is thinned with thinner from the same brand, roughly at a ratio of one to two parts thinner per part of paint. The bottle holds 10 ml. The surface stays smooth and hard once dry.

Tips for working with it

• Spray the engine cowling separately before joining it to the fuselage — masking is then easier
• The dark shade only takes very subtle shading; a heavy one would look faded
• Follow the actual panel divisions for the border against the lighter airframe color
• Mix the paint well, as the pigment of dark shades settles noticeably

On a model, the shade looks darker than on a color chart, because a small area always appears more intense. Anyone building for a display case can lighten the tone slightly.

Where the color is used

• The engine cowlings of Japanese fighters and bombers alike
• Panels in front of the cockpit meant to reduce glare
• The inner sides of the cowlings, if they carried the same coating

With dark colors, a small area always looks deeper than on a reference chart. For a model destined for a well-lit display case, adding a drop of gray raises the tone by a shade.