This is a great build and I have been enjoying reading about it.
What is often misunderstood is the Japanese paint was actually quite good. It held up well when it was properly applied with a good primer as a base. The main reason why we often see photos of these planes with the paint chipped so badly is actually quite simple.
The paint was field applied on the planes that were so badly chipped. These planes often were painted without the luxury of using a primer paint. The primer acted as a bonding agent and helped to keep the paint intact.
Another thing that caused the paint to chip off was improper cleaning of the surface. Most of the Japanese aircraft were powered by radial engines. Radial engines leak oil and that’s just the nature of the beast. This oil managed to get blown over most of the airframe when prop wash hits it.
If the aircraft’s surfaces were not properly cleaned and primed, the paint would then chip. Plus you have to consider that it takes time for a good quality paint job to be done correctly. Time that the ground crews didn’t have too much in excess I’m sure. These plane’s paint jobs were often hurried and done under the pressure of just getting it done.
The aircraft you often see so badly chipped were most likely delivered in a bare metal finish, and painted in a hurry while in the field. The factory painted planes looked much better.
Please keep up with the great work.
