Drawing on A3 acid-free paper.'Demon of Rabaul' - Petty Officer 1st Class, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa. My figure study shows Japanese Imperial Navy Ace with over 80 kills to his name. I studied a number of original WWII photos before beginning this drawing. One photo in particular showed Hiroyoshi in flight gear, but like many photos from Japan taken during this period, the quality was very poor. I therefore spent many hours researching flight gear, collecting photos of original examples and then 're-clothing' my ace pilot with early-war attire.
As I spent so much time with the research, I'd like to share some of the clothing details with you:
1) The leather flying helmet is a Model Type 30. In my drawing you may be able to make out a small peak. It is folded up in my depiction and there was a 'popper' that held it in place. In many period photos this is shown, 'un-popped', as it were.
2) The goggles are the 'Cat's Eye' type with aluminium frames that could be dark brown, light brown or even maroon. They were padded with dark brown velveteen sewn to the frames.
3) For an IJN pilot, as it was for aviators the world over, the white silk scarf (most probably from parachute material) was very much a status symbol.
4) The flying suit is a one-piece example, chocolate brown in colour (winter examples were fur-lined). There are pleated knee pockets that could be used for maps, charts, etc, and a gabardine belt with a black steel buckle.
5) The float vest was very interesting to draw. The cloth chambers were filled with 'Rapok'. It was a dark chocolate brown in colour (although some had a green tinge when wet). There was a small pocket on the right hand side of the second chamber (just above the vest's main securing (middle) straps. This could be used for pencils, a pocket-watch, etc.
6) The groin cloth is attached to the bottom of the front/rear of the float vest so it can't break free of the body in the water.
7) The early flight boots were brown (although I admit they look black in my drawing)with a rounded toe cap seam. The heels and soles were made from black rubber. Later in the war black boots were also worn, so it's possible my pilot might have worn them......
Not in the drawing are: a parachute harness; some pilots also carried a pistol which was meant to finish oneself off in an extreme case; ceremonial swords were perhaps carried in bigger aircraft. The cockpit of an A6M fighter was very cramped.
Close-up of figure study. Original drawing available, email me for details: Email Me
3 comments:
Fabulous job Alexandre, and interesting subject. Can I ask, where did you find your research material? I am always looking for good sources for research material, especially on the more obscure subjects such as Japanese flight gear and the like.
Thanks very much, Palette! I've collected references on-line, from ebay, from my own book collection, etc. Basically years of collecting. Next time you need something in particular give me a shout and I'll see if I can help you out. A good resource for original uniforms are militaria dealers on-line, as they usually describe their items very well, where they came from, and show a wealth of photos. If it's a veteran souvenir, you know it's authentic.
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