Model Fleet: Update 1/5/08: Genzan Air Fleet markings

Update 1/5/08: Genzan Air Fleet markings

Posted by Matty on December 27, 2008, 21:57:13, in reply to "NELL: Nemesis of Force "Z""
4.235.207.144

-- Originally posted 1/6/08 --

A while back Don gave me the entire "Victory at Sea" early 1950's newsreel series - 26 episodes - on DVD, and by now I have watched the entire set, end-to-end - some episodes several times - with an eye casually open for rare or quality footage useful for modeling.

But it is only lately - since identifying markings and deciding my Nell will depict a unit from the Genzan Air Fleet - that I've started to notice just how many brief clips of Nells are embedded, flashing by for just a second or two each, in these newsreels. Including the following, leading off Episode 4: "Midway is East":

Click on Image to EnlargeDefinitely Genzan Air Fleet; the twin-diagonal tail stripes, plus the "G" before the tail designation (341) both being positive IDs.

In case you can't see it clearly, here is an enlargement of the tail area, subjected to some computer-graphics magic:

The above plane, Genzan-341 is the older Model 21 Nell than my Model 22/23 build.

However take a look at the following clips, which followed the one above in quick succession:

Click on Image to EnlargeAt left, tail IDs are not distinguishable, but the great similarity in film quality to that of the above clip of Genzan-341 lead me strongly to suspect these are also Genzan Air Fleet planes - and note the two down ahead have the large dorsal and side blisters of the later Model 22/23. As also do the main subjects of the next two clips (center and right) - and now these do recognizeably display the twin tail stripes and twin fuselage bands of the Genzan Air Fleet!

What does this prove? Well it almost certainly means that Genzan Air Fleet operated many of the newer Model 22/23s right alongside their Model 21s, so that at least some of the camo on their Model 22/23s must have resembled, if not matched exactly, that which we can see clearly on Genzan-341, above.

But the pickings from the Victory at Sea episodes go on to get even better:

Click on Image to EnlargeIn Episode 7: "Rings Around Rabaul", we run into a slew of additional Nell clips, including this one of a Model 22/23 with Genzan Air Fleet markings and clearly discernible camo! (Not to worry that these pics of an IndoChina unit are shown in the Rabaul episode; these "documentaries" are just chock full of incorrect footage used to depict their storyline - which is, in most instances equally incorrect. )

In scrutinizing this plane's tail code, I realized the image had been reversed:

Flipping the tail area enlargement horizontally and again applyling some CG "washing" clearly reveals that this clip - depicting aircraft Genzan-343 - was indeed reversed (a very common occurrence in direct-duplication from prints; when the original negatives were unavailable) - and, incredibly, this aircraft is just two designation numbers away from Genzan-341, above!

These two planes both operated at the same time - I'm sure of it - and were probably painted at near or exactly the same time, by exactly the same people!

This now makes three pics of confirmed Genzan Air Fleet Nells whose camo we can compare more or less side-by-side:

Click on Image to Enlarge At left of course is Genzan-343, now displayed correctly; at center is Genzan-341 and at right is the picture showing another later-model Nell - Genzan-336 - which I had found earlier at the Polish website.

I could now start into a detailed comparison - note, for example, that both Genzan-341 and -343 have the same distinctive, light stripe across the left wing (only) - but that Genzan-336 does not. However today I ran across yet another clip showing a Genazan Air Fleet Nell (did these guys do nothing after sinking POW but film themselves flying around for the rest of the war? ) - its camo appears different still; I found it in Episode 13: "Melanesian Nightmare" - and I still have another entire half of the series to go through in detail!

So, the rest of this analysis - and everything else that I can find - will have to go in yet another post...

Meantime, I hope you Nell enthusiasts - and the rest of you who are interested in the assailants of Repulse and Prince of Wales - can already find something(s) to chew on, in the above.

Cheers,

-Matty