I had understood that they were the 'standard' IJN interior green color.  Tamiya makes paint specficially of that color.

Yhat's what I would have guessed.  Thank you so very much!!!!!!

I'd be surprised if the interior was painted at all...I'd go with natural metal and wood...

I tend to agree with manny, why waste paint on something disposable?

Scorpiomikey

I tend to agree with manny, why waste paint on something disposable?

I think there are a few surviving Ohka`s...maybe you could google up some info....

Robert Mikesh stated in his book Japanese Aircraft Interiors 1940-1945:

"Of the three Ohka 11 (cockpit interiors) examined in the UK, all were basically the same in paint detailing. Each had a thin final coating of green/yellow, most likely aotake because of it's transparent quality that did not mask hand-painted numbers or the four-letter sheet metal indentifiers. The thin coating varied in thickness throughout the interior. Cockpit fittings were different colors depending on suppliers. The seats were black, as were the steel fittings such as the seat mount, canopy latch fittings, brace handholds, and parts of the trimming mechanism on the port side of the cockpit. Original, unmodified instrument panels were not located, yet from black and white photography, they appear to have a thin coat of aotake with white lettering."

The latter Okha 22 appears to have been slightly different, based on examination of the National Air & Space Museums example:

"The original cockpit color was found on the floor after removing the seat-mounting brackets, a departure from evidence that Okha 11's had unpainted interiors (note that aotake isn't paint, but rather a protective coating- coogrfan). The color is mid-point between N1 and N2 (looking at the photos it appears to be a dark blueish green-coogrfan). The instrument panel is flat black."

U had set on painting my cockpit based on the fact they went through the trouble of painting and marking the exterior, even though I know that almost all planes Kamakazi or not looked in pretty bad shape, but the Baka pilots were the cream of the crop.

fred jack

...but the Baka pilots were the cream of the crop.

Manstein's revenge

fred jack:

...but the Baka pilots were the cream of the crop.

 

Can you cite references?  What do you mean?

By the time Japan used them, there was not much of a "crop" left.

There was a 'Military Channel' show on the Baka,  Former pilots who did not go because of the destruction of the modified Betty Bombers, talked about it.

fred jack

There was a 'Military Channel' show on the Baka,  Former pilots who did not go because of the destruction of the modified Betty Bombers, talked about it.

Why not?  I have 40 year old memories of Viet Nam kept alive by my nightmares that make it seem as though it was yesterday.  Only those who have ever been in combat would understand this.

Scorpiomikey

 why waste paint on something disposable?

I`m not trying to be a smart a$$ but, in the grand scheme of things, why do anything the Japanese did? When you think about it, all the men and equipment that the Japanese threw away AFTER realizing they couldn`t win the war, a little cockpit paint in an Ohka seems perfectly practicle...lol. I work for a major phone company where we take good customer service and common sense, flip it 180* and that`s what we run with! It`s all quite self-destructive and very,very wasteful..(especially if my job goes the way of the Kamikaze!)

I remember reading somewhere ( I read alot about the PTO) that the Japanese used their best pilots (of their remaining stock) to man the Ohka program. Maybe they were calling these rookie pilots their"cream of the crop" because they were the best trained of all their remaining, under-trained pilots, I`m not sure. I will look for the book where I believe I read this and will post it. Naturally, the true "cream" had been used up by the time the Ohka was operational. Well, that`s my , for what it`s worth..lol.

Take care guys!

Len

As a military historian and scholar I have noted and written about over the years that as vets get older they are more likely to want to speak about their war experiences and also more likely to remember them in a more glamorous and sentimental light...this isn't much different than how most of us remmber things from the past, war or not...just the way it is...

fred jack

Why not?  I have 40 year old memories of Viet Nam kept alive by my nightmares that make it seem as though it was yesterday.  Only those who have ever been in combat would understand this.

You wouldn't go by Harrison at times, would you?

hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!! cherry blossum

i shot on down on playstation (heroes of the pacific)

fred jack

There was a 'Military Channel' show on the Baka,  Former pilots who did not go because of the destruction of the modified Betty Bombers, talked about it.

 I would not place too much stock on any shows on the Military Channel produce on their own for solid reference material. Their shows have tended to be longer on "flash" and less on good solid fact.

From all I have read about the Kamikazes, the best surviving combat veteran pilots flew escort to Kamikaze atacks or were assigned to the few elite Home Defense units. The ones selected for Okha may have been tops among Kamikaze recruit pilots but would not be pilots of the caliber of say Genda's 343rd Air Group.

Brings to mind the line from "The Right Stuff"

Who's the best pilot you've ever seen?

You're looking at him!

Ken

I find nothing glamorous about the experience.  I am carrying too many wounds.  Someone who has not been in battle and lost all their friends in that battle could never understand.  Can you document your opinion?  The VA has documented mine.  I am through with this conversation.  I got my answer about the Baka and that's all I wanted.  It is too painful to go on with my glamorous experience.  Sp5 Miles,  1st Special Forces Group, Viet Nam 1968.

No.  I only go by fred jack and I only joined about a month ago.  I like the photo of you and your family.  I have a wonderful girlfriend and a wonderful daughter.

I may be muddying the waters here even more than what they are but I'm wondering if we're running into some confusion on the definition of 'elite'. Considering the Imperial Japanese code of Bushido the kamikaze pilots were greatly honoured for their sacrifice- in this way one could term them 'elite'. On the other hand most if not all were rookies with very little real training so I wouldn't call them 'elite' in terms of flying skill. So my two cents - I'd say 'elite' or not depends on how you're using the term.

I remember in 'Genda's Blade' IJN ace Genda was disgusted by an order from high command for his pilots to be assigned to suicide missions which he considered an insane waste of Japan's few remaining expert pilots. This idea ended when Genda made some smart@#$ remarks about rigging an extra seat in the kamikaze a/c to take officers from high command along as 'observers' so they so they could share in the honour of the suicide attacks.

 Fred Jack: Thank you for your service to this country sir.

My

Not taking sides in the argument, in reading the biographic work "Samurai" the story of Japan's premier ace who lived to tell after WWII, Saburi Sakai(sp?), neither he nor any of his fellow veteren pilots would think of throwing thier lives away in the "Devine Wind", or the Kamakazi movement.

So basically this left only raw, inexperienced recruits who were told that by joining  this movement they were a special elite group. And in fact, for instance, all the Baka bomb drivers knew was how to drive a Baka Bomb, not how to skillfully handle a conventional fighter aircraft in a dogfight.

The same was true for the one-man subs with their mother ships, where as the men on board the motehr sub heard the midgets explode in the water, they blinded by their foolish zeal assumed that each time an allied ship was taken out, when in fact the midget subs were simply being easily sunk by U.S. Navy escort vessels.

Tom T

Went to high school with a Harrison Jack, Fred, who was also over there then.  Welcome to the forum.

Sakai did say he went on a suicide mission to Okanawa but got lost in a hurricane and fortunately survived.  As far as trainees flying a Baka, it was a high speed rocket plane with small wings.  Like the German 'People's Fighter Jet' designed to be easy to fly, could only be flown by a very experienced pilot.  True there weren't many, but it turns out there were even less converted 'Mother' Betty Bombers and only a very few Bakas were ever launched toward the enemy. 

Gamera, you are very welcome, but you don't have to call me sir.  My girlfriend hasn't knighted me yet, nor has my daughter and I am not going to hold my breath.  I thank all of you folks for contributing to my question, I just didn't want to go off on a negative note.  I love my hobby. It is very theraputic.  I wish you all happy modeling.