Low-Viz in WW II

sequoiaranger · March 10, 2009, 11:21:56 AM

OK, there really wasn't such a beast way back then. But....

Sometime I am going to do a whif of a Yokosuka "Judy"-based reece plane (they actually started out that way, by the way, at Midway aboard Soryu) that first scouted Pearl Harbor ahead of the pack of attack aircraft. Because it would be the ONLY Japanese plane in the Hawaiian sky, and the Japanese did not want to tip off American observers, I am going to have the Hinomaru markings "misted" gray to create a low-viz appearance. I tried it last night, with highly-thinned gray paint. I like the effect! Below is a mock-up (an old LS Judy used as a concept model and painting dummy):

PS--mine will be a single-seat version D6Y1 Yamagumo (Mountain clouds), and the Japanese-characteristic full black cowl will be more than "misted" gray--I will (over) paint it gray except for an anti-glare patch on the very top of the forward fuselage. The "Profile" below shows off the single-seat arrangement, but not the low-viz gray scheme that will eventually go on it.

PR19_Kit · March 10, 2009, 11:49:20 AM

What's Japanese for 'Stealth' then?

Talos · March 10, 2009, 02:33:36 PM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on March 10, 2009, 11:49:20 AM
What's Japanese for 'Stealth' then?

ステルス (suterusu).

sequoiaranger · March 10, 2009, 04:21:28 PM

>What's Japanese for 'Stealth' then? ステルス (suterusu).<

Thanks, Talos.

I am curious in what sense "suterusu" is "stealth". That is, even in English the word "stealth" can mean sneaky, undetectable, "looking to steal", etc. If you have a better definition, or connotation of "suterusu" I would be appreciative.

I am looking for the "stealth" word in Japanese that would connote "sneaking up on without being noticed", or "spying upon without being noticed".

Talos · March 10, 2009, 07:47:30 PM

No, it's literally the English word "stealth" translated into katakana, kana used for foreign words. "Suterusu" would still be pronounced (almost) like "stealth", since the u's are kinda dropped and the R sounds basically like an L. That's what they use when talking about stealth, since they use a lot of foreign loan words. I'd have to look in one of my dictionaries to find an adequate kanji word, if any exists.

jcf · March 11, 2009, 10:53:52 AM

Quote from: sequoiaranger on March 10, 2009, 04:21:28 PM

I am looking for the "stealth" word in Japanese that would connote "sneaking up on without being noticed", or "spying upon without being noticed".

Ninja

sequoiaranger · March 11, 2009, 02:36:10 PM

Yeah, I had thought of that word. The "sneaking up on without notice" part is a trademark of the ninja, but the word connotes BLACK attire (my plane will be hazy gray) and heavily armed (my plane will have just the cowl "peashooters").

Still looking for the magic word to use in the backstory!

pyro-manic · March 11, 2009, 02:48:06 PM

What about "ghost" or something similar? I'm afraid I can't give you a translation, but there must be a word that translates as something pretty close to that...

jcf · March 11, 2009, 02:54:39 PM

Quote from: sequoiaranger on March 11, 2009, 02:36:10 PM
Yeah, I had thought of that word. The "sneaking up on without notice" part is a trademark of the ninja, but the word connotes BLACK attire (my plane will be hazy gray) and heavily armed (my plane will have just the cowl "peashooters").

Still looking for the magic word to use in the backstory!

In the popular conception (or misconception as the case may be

), but, not in the historical.

Himitsu is secret

Gensou is illusion

Kage is shadow

Yuurei is ghost

Twelve lists here:
http://japanese.about.com/library/bl50kanji.htm

Jon