Half-and-half China Zeros, The "Third Way"

In a small number of early production Zeros that operated on the China front, the front half appears darker when compared with the rest of the fuselage. This can also be observed on about half of the wing top surfaces.

A case of a half-and-half Zero, where the contrast between the front and back sections of the fuselage is more apparent. In the majority of the other pictures, the difference is more subtle. According to the caption, the aircraft belonged to the 2nd Kokutai and the tail number was “3-I 82”.

An illustration by Nohara Shigeru featured in FAOW #55, shows the Zero flown by many pilots including Lt. Suzuki Minoru having this half-and-half effect.

Reasons that have been put forward at various times include experiments with colors and the application of primer on the front section only. Asano Yuichiro in Issue #5 of our Arawasi Magazine, offered a different explanation. After having seen photos of Zeros covered by protective tarpaulins, he proposed that the repeated shielding of the aircraft's most delicate areas, such as the cockpit and the engine, led to an uneven fading of the color across the other top surfaces.

A 3rd Kokutai Zero with some areas of the fuselage covered with tarpaulins. Koepang Airfield, Timor, March 1942.

A couple years ago, I had the privilege of having a casual discussion with an elderly Japanese aviation researcher. He spoke in a formal and somewhat technical manner in Japanese, but my proficiency in the language allowed me to grasp most of what he said.

During our conversation about this and that, he explained that after he saw Asano-san's article on a Japanese blog, he conducted a "Mitsubishi guy" (a part I couldn't understand, likely someone connected to the manufacturing or painting of the Zero) he knew and asked for his thoughts on the subject. The "Mitsubishi guy" clearly stated that none of these explanations were accurate (the original Japanese word he used was a lot more "colorful" and dismissive) and clarified that on a limited number of Zeros, a paint element or a top layer (another part I didn't get) with anti-slip characteristics was used in areas that were more frequently accessed by ground crews. These Zeros were dispatched to frontline units for evaluation, and given the positive outcomes, this anti-slippery..."thing" was officially applied on all surfaces of every Zero; hence, no more half-and-half Zeros can be seen afterward.

I asked the Japanese researcher if he would be willing to detail all this for our magazine in an article, in Japanese... even just a single page, but he responded, "I'll think about it" (which typically in Japanese means "no"). Now that I think about it, perhaps he was reluctant to reveal the name of his source.

So, there you have it. Another explanation, quite official I would say. I know it's rough information, not properly documented and substantiated, but I would just like to put it out there, hoping someone might provide additional insights.