[Epapazian]

It seems to depend on which manufacturer made the plane as well as other factors---weather conditions, the practice of slicking down the planes with a slightly brownish glossy covering to allow for greater speed at low altitudes, etc. If you look at the paints offered by Testors, Tamiya, Aeromaster, etc. they all vary as to the Zero's coloring in what is referred to as Japanese Navy Gray. Tamiya seems to have the most green in it, but then you are supposed to dilute the paint with about 15% white to duplicate the "scale effect" when painting 1:72 models. The consensus appears to hold that a light gray/green is the intended color----with Mitsubishi-built planes having a bit more green, while the more numerous Nakajima-built versions were slightly more tan in color and a bit lighter, overall. There are hints of these distinctions in some of Dragon's Zeros, but this may just be a coincidence.