[David_Aiken]

Aloha All,
When it comes time to write the Japanese airmen's ranks...please check the Japanese rank title...and the British or US equivalents. Here is some help:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=11;t=288

NAP or Naval Aviation Pilot is NOT the Japanese rank...and NAP has been applied by misled translators to gunners, radiomen, bombardiers, and more...and they are not "pilots".

Oh, yes, here are some sources which may help your appetite on IJN topics:

To gain some insight into Japanese aviation check into Japan's TOP WWII aviation URL and their BBS is English friendly, too: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/index2.htm basic index

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub202.htm aircraft illustrations in color (look carefully at the D3A1 tiny markings!)

http://www.plays.jp/bbs/zero22/index.html message board (English friendly)

check out the Zero data at:

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/index2.htm

Note all the A6M2 varients at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub47.htm

Note the markings at: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub202.htm

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/sub108.htm

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ku3n-kym/heiki6/eisen/eisen.html

http://rwebs.net/avhistory/history/Zeke32.htm#Cockpit

http://www10.ocn.ne.jp/~a6m232/index.html

http://www.zero-fighter.com/bilingual/index.htm

http://www.hubuki.jp/museum/kawaguti2004/a6m2004.html

http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~yamato/zeke.htm

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~la3k-kmt/

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~la3k-kmt/kanoya/kanoya.html


Now for my own interest...on Japanese aviation [in English] check out:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42226a89b0b6ffff;act=SF;f=11 BE SURE to click on the underlined items to view supportive photos and illustrations.

Japanese PEARL HARBOR aircraft markings:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/pearlharboraircraft.msnw

COLOR CHIP INFO:
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cocoro/subw117-2.htm
COLOR CHIPS and FS595 equivilants

http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/colorsamples.msnw COLOR CHIPS and relics of Japanese aircraft

MITSUO FUCHIDA's B5N AI-301:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42310c263c72ffff;act=ST;f=11;t=310

Command stripe data:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=46

under wing numbers:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=60

Zero and Kate cowling stencil:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42310c263c72ffff;act=ST;f=11;t=308

red tail patterns:
http://groups.msn.com/japanesemodelaircraft/replicajan1990.msnw?Page=4

lower fuselage color:
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard4/ikonboard.cgi?s=42310c263c72ffff;act=ST;f=11;t=342

The new 1/32 Tamiya Zero is to be shown at the four day 45th Shizuoka Hobby Show 2006 opening May 18. See Tamiya's released information:


MITSUBISHI A6M2b ZERO FIGHTER MODEL 21 (ZEKE) 1/32 Scale
source URL:
http://tamiya.com/japan/news/news0606/news2.htm#60317

It is about 80 dollars in Japan.
It is a sale on June 24.

Hairyokushoku Gray-Green color (IJN)
Source URL:
http://tamiya.com/japan/news/news0606/news2.htm#86529

It is about 5 dollars in Japan.
It is a sale on June 24.

Hope that these URLs guide you to a deeper study.
Cheers,
David Aiken, a Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc http://www.pearlharbor-history.org/ [largest WWII URL on the blue marble]