The Mitsubishi Zero Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

"This book sets out to inform the facts and [to] unravel the colour conundrums."

Those objectives drive author Nicholas Millman's excellent and informative The Mitsubishi Zero – ninth installment in Scale Aircraft Modelling's "Combat Colours" series.

Billed as an "illustrated guide to the colour schemes and markings" of the "Type 0 Carrier Fighter (A6M) 'Zeke' in World War Two", Millman's convenient compilation distills decades of global Imperial Japanese warpaint research into just 40 pithy pages.

Admirably annotated, contents commence with early A6M protective coatings – development, variants, weathering effects and application. National insignia, fuselage data block, stenciling, unit markings and other details – complete with sizes and, where possible, US Federal Standard matches or approximates – follow.

Camouflage trials, recognition devices and operational schemes by Zero variant come next. Too bad no photos survive of experimental, German-style Yo-107 warpaint – a hard-edge, wing "splinter" pattern with "han" ("mottled") fuselage. Can you say, "RLM70/02"?

Coverage concludes with 17 pages of Mark Rolfe's clear color plates, notes on "Rufe" floatplane fighters and remarks on 2-seat Zero trainers. Photos, extended captions and two appendices augment the account.

Nicholas Millman has forged brilliant repute for pioneering studies of Imperial Japanese warplanes. Make his cool, compact compilation your handy handbook on the immortal Zero's camouflage and markings. I certainly have.

Robustly recommended!

My sincere thanks to Guideline Publications for this review sample!