"Japanese Landing Craft Colours?" Topic

I have just received in the mail some brilliant Daihatsu (Daihatsu, That's Who) Landing craft and barges in 15mm from Gaming Models. I know there are some cluey folks out there who will know what colour to paint these models.

Gaming Models doesn't have a website (AFAIK), but most of his vehicles are US$4.00 with the Medium Daihatsu Landing Craft at US$10.00 and a Light Landing Craft at US$6.00 and a Landing Barge at US$4.00. If anyone wants his email address to send for a catalog/pricelist just PM or reply to this post. I have found him a very nice bloke and the gear gets from the US to Australia in just over a week.

Cheers,

Pro…

I did a "boat load" (pun intended)research on this.

I looked through many photos of Japanese landing craft (all black and white, no help).

Read many sections in books and magazine articles.

I talked with my brother in law's father, who served on PT boats in the Pacific. He didn't see landing craft, but shot up a bunch of supply barges. He said the Japanese painted them green to blend in with the coast line. He said he never saw a landing craft, just barges and tow boats.

Found info on different landing craft, how much they carried, where different types were used, but nothing on the colors.

So, I went with the IJN green and painted up my 15mm landing craft. Then I went to the USMC museum in VA. They had a display of the Japanese attack on Wake Island. The Japanese landing craft were pained a light/med brown.

So, that's what info I found on them. I never repainted mine.

Light/med brown eh? Funny colour for a vessel. Thanks for your input Oddball. BTW, didn't you serve on McHale's PT boat, or was that Eightball?

Cheers, and thanks again.

Pro…

I'd like his e-mail address.

I had purchased two Japanese landing craft, but can't recall the manufacturer, but feel it may have been QRF.

A friend who is a great painter painted them and he had queried the colour on TMP and decided on the browniosh colour. It has a weathered look and looks pretty good.
But have not figured what decals or numbers to paint on them.

Pro,

Most of the photos I have seen ( B&W) appear to show a medium to light colour, which could be anything from grey to green but more likely grey. As Oddball points out the photographic evidence is a little contradictory, based as it is on B&W photos, for the record the photos of Buna beach in the aftermath show a rather darkisk looking Daihatsu, but that just may be the light or some other photographic effect

Having said that Japanese army engineering equipment was almost invariably painted an olive green colour. The photos of the Type E landing boats in my copy of the US Handbook on the Japanese military show them in a dark tone, clearly the mid olive base colour for most army kit. Comparing this with photos of the various models of Daihatsu the Daihatsu's look a lot lighter.

My own musings are that they are grey, prbably to match the launching craft. Later in the war when the primamry use wasn't amphibious assault but transport and supply then camouflaging them to match coastal vegetation seems logical.

This chap's site has a useful selection of photos so you can decide yourself.

link

You could always try dropping him a line, he might have better info.

Errata: Should have said Model F aka Type 95 collapsible boat.

Tip: If you want some cheap generic landing barges, not especially accurate but suitable for a variety of nations and handy becuase they fit a goodly number of figures, try the pontoons in the Airfix Bailey Bridge set. You get 5 to a pack as well as the Bridge itself as a bonus.

Thanks for that Carlos. I have a box with an Airfix Bailey Bridge set somewhere, I'll have to hunt it out.

Cheers,

Pro…

Frankss

===I'd like his e-mail address.===

G'day Frank, his email address is gamodls (at) raex (dot) com and his name is Craig. Nice chap, quick and very well priced. I've put three orders in with hin now and completely satisfied.

Cheers,

Pro…

Thank You !