I just received the new Tamiya P38J, and am a bit confised. Tamiya would have you painting the tanks olive drab, I have been modeling since the 60’s and have seen tanks in neutral gray, natural aluminum, and yellow when filled with napalm, but never olive drab. Can any one clear this up for me? Thanks in advance, Joel.
During the Korean War, F-86 drop tanks made in Japan were painted OD due to their different separation characteristics compared to US made F-86 drop tanks. That way the two types would not be mixed accidentally on an aircraft during a flight. But that’s a later war and different aircraft type. Otherwise, yeah I’m with you on not having seen or remembering USAAF WWII drop tanks in OD. At least not on a P-38.
Well, I did find this photo of a WWII P-51 that looks to have OD drop tanks.
At the very least I’d suggest doing some image searches for the particular P-38J and see if photos of the actual wartime aircraft turn up.
