Takahashi
Focuser and Accessory Colours
Three
Takahashi colours – grey, classic green and blue - in one setup, for
comparison.
Here I
describe the range of Takahashi focuser and accessory (rings, finder mounts
etc) paint colours (the ones I’m aware of – there may be more) roughly
in chronological order, with examples where possible at the end.
(Got a
Takahashi with a different colour? Send me a pic!)
Black
Traditional
smooth black graced the earliest Taks, like the TS-65 and some FC-65s, for both
focuser and (in gloss) the lens ring. Black, with a textured surface like other
later colours, has re-surfaced in recent special editions like the 1st
edition FC-100DL (second-run FC-100DL have standard lime green or pale blue
focusers). Special livery FS-60s issued for Tak’s 80th
anniversary have black focusers too.
Blue-grey
Seen in 1980s
models, including triplets like the FCT-76 and doublets like the FC-65 and
early FC-50s. Also found on other 1980s era Tak’s, including the larger
models (FC-76, FC-100, FC-125). This finish is glossier than later colours and may
be a traditional enamel vs powder coat.
I now
believe that the FC-60 was never produced in this colour because it was
introduced later than the other FC models.
Metallic (‘Hammerite’)
blue
A mid
metallic blue that reminds of ‘Hammerite’ is sometimes found on
larger early FCs, like the FC-125. It seems to have been used for accessories
too, but must be pretty rare as I’ve never encountered this colour
personally.
Lime Green
For many
years this was the Takahashi colour and is the most common, found on
a wide range of scopes including the later original FC-series FS-series and
mounts too. Interestingly, some scopes including the FC-50, FC-76 and FC-100
can be found in both this colour scheme and the earlier blue-grey because they
were produced for a long time.
Gloss Royal
Blue
Later FS
series scopes have gloss blue lens rings (earlier examples had green to match
the focuser like the FC-series). This colour is never found on focusers and
accessories, as far as I know.
Pale Blue
This is
Takahashi’s current colour at the time of writing (late 2022).
In around
2016 Tak’ switched to a bluer shade, in a move that meant my PM-SP mount
has an annoying combination of the two (see above). Classic Taks (FCs, FSs)
never came in this colour.
Silver
Some recent Tak’s
have silver lens rings and caps and sometimes the focuser ring (see FC-100DZ
below) too.
Tube Colours
Regular
production tubes are off-white, except the Epsilon series, which have orange
tubes and the old MT series Newtonians which have tubes enamelled in a fetching
duck-egg turquoise. Some 80th anniversary FS-60s are to be found
with silver or dark metallic blue as a tube finish.
Examples
‘Hammerite’ metallic blue
– 1980s?
Blue-grey on
a 1980s FC-50.
Classic
Tak’ lime green on a c. 2007 TSA-102.
New light
blue with silver ring on a 2020 FC-100DZ.
New black on a c. 2012 FC-100DL (stock Tak’ image).
Takahashi MT-130 showing the turquoise tube finish
characteristic of the MT Newtonians from the MT-100 to MT-200mm.
The Epsilon series of hyperbolic imaging reflectors all
feature orange tubes, here on an older Epsilon 160.