I had a very poor quality reference photo so had to spend literally hours researching IJN gear. In fact I read a book about it and noted individual garments, also managing to find seperate detailed wartime photos of the life-vest, one-piece summer flight suit, boots, belt, early flying helmet, cat's eye goggles and the badge on Hiroyoshi's left upper sleeve. There's a still a lot to do........
A rather poor photo, but it's just a quick snap-shot to give you a glimpse of my progress. The size is A3.I'm currently aiming to complete a figure drawing of IJN Ace, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa.
He is thought to of been Japan's top WWII ace, although his claims seem to vary some what. This might be due to Japan's Naval Air Service accounting for a unit's victories and not an individual's. It seems generally accepted that at least 80 enemy aircraft were downed Hiroyoshi (he himself claimed the number was 87). In combat he flew the Mitsubishi A5M (with fixed landing gear) and later the infamous A6M, more commonly known in the West as the 'Zero'.
What is certain is that he was an exceptional pilot. Sadly he was killed aged 24, not at the controls of a fighter, but as a passenger on a Nakajima Ki-49 shot down by F6F Hellcats.
Hiroyoshi fought in New Guinea and both the Solomon Islands and Philippine's campaign of 1944.
Below is a WWII photo of him.
(Photo source: Wiki)
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