David E Brown

HLJ is having a sale on 1/32 scale Hasegawa Bf 109s. What does Scott know that we don’t? Tamiya G-6 anyone? D.

Gents, Sounds like Roy, Radu, Crandall or other aftermarket firm should consider releasing a replacement cowling and beltless seat for the Cyber-Hobby Emil. I’d buy both in a heartbeat. Cheers, David

Hi John, Thanks for sharing your work-arounds and tweaks for the resin upgrades. Hi Dashotgun, There are couple of scrappy views of fragments of its upper surfaces taken from various positions around the aircraft standing on other machines, including from the back of the adjacent Ju 290. In all, no splinter pattern on the wings is observed. Cheers, David

Hi Thunnus, I am looking forward to your interpretation of this most fascinating aircraft. My colleague Dave Wadman and I first reported on "Yellow 3+I" way back in 1997 in one of our Experten Decals books. I offer below a few comments for your consideration. Based on continuing research by Dan O'Connell, this Me 262 was probably WNr.170305, a machine originally assigned to I.KG(J) 54 in the autumn of 1944. Sometime in mid February 1945 it was transferred to III./KG(J) 54, specifically its 9. Staffel. Last year a new photo of it turned up on Ebay that revealed its full code "B3+AT", with the missing third character "A" visible,. The unit code "B3" was in small characters and not visible with just a small square patch of fresh paint visible. This was the full Verbandkennzeichen it wore until late March 1945 when all KG(J) units dispensed with their alpha-numeric bomber style codes and used the numeric fighter style. The machine was now coded "Yellow 3" with the III. Gruppe vertical bar, and both markings in yellow outlined in black. The yellow III. Gruppe diagonal sash worn by the unit during the February-March period was overpainted but the Totenkopfwappen was retained. And of course, the unit's newly assigned blue and white tail band was also applied at this time. Note that III. Gruppe was unique with its Me 262 aircraft being documented via photographs wearing three styles of this marking. These new markings were thus relatively clean and fresh and contrasted with the worn and faded camouflage colours of this old aircraft. Yellow 3's main camouflage was the dark green version of RLM 81 applied to all uppersurfaces and RLM 76 on the undersides. That the machine was heavily weathered is attested to the observation of the puttied seams bleeding through the surface paint. The tail and rudder were painted in RLM 76 and hard-edged mottles of RLM 70 Schwarzgrün as confirmed by colour photos of a related machine "V303", WNr.170303. This component was an experimental wooden tail manufactured by a subcontractor. It was well-painted and had a slight sheen. And being an early production aircraft had the fared-in rear light as opposed to the bulb style supplied with the kite. Best of luck with the build. Cheers, David PS: Drop me a line and I can forward the images to assist with your build. D.

Gents , I studied this machine some time ago, and think it possible that the outline of the numbers and gruppebalkan could be red instead of yellow. As a rule - though there were obvious departures - aircraft from a gruppe's second staffel had their numbers painted black or red, or a combination of these colours: red with black outline and vice versa. As well, they could be outlined in white. Up to early 1944 Jagdgeschadern gruppen had three staffeln: 2., 5., 8., 11., etc. When the fourth staffeln were added, the number of the staffeln within the II., III. and IV. gruppe changed but generally not the colour (with exceptions of course: JG 26!). Note that markings colours RLM 23 red, 25 green and 04 yellow, and, camouflage colour RLM 82, all have a similar grey tone value in panchromatic photographs. Hence it can be difficult to determine exactly what the colour is without a reference point. A good example of this was the determination of the colour of KG(J) 6 karobands. It was thought that they were blue and green since the lighter shade was virtually the same as the RLM 82 seen on the Me 262 A-1a "Yellow 5" (WNr.501232). Other photos and documents eventually confirmed the red/black colour combination. In this case, the known yellow of the fuel triangle is visible, so it is a reference point against which other portions of aircraft can be compared. Certainly Black 12's undercowling was yellow, as was its tail. And logic would suggest that number and bar outlines would be the same. Yet in high resolution images of several of the photos there is (to me) a slight difference in the grey shade. This could be the difference between spray painting (cowling and rudder) and brush painting (outlines) using the same paint colour. Or perhaps not... Anyway, I am coming into this discussion rather late, and offer these thoughts for consideration. I look forward to seeing the completed kit! BTW Jennings, do you still a sheet left over? And also, I hope you are re-building your life after that terrible fire. I just can't imagine... All the best, Dave

Outstanding work per usual, Tony, especially given the constraints on your time from family and career… Regarding its camouflage, I would suggest that the machine's colours were confirmed by an eye-witness account of the aircraft at the Hyde Park display. From Rob de Bie's excellent website http://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/me163/ye11.htm : A rather unique 1945 report about the camouflage of this particular Komet was found in an article titled 'German Aircraft at Farnborough October-November 1945' by Michael Young. It was published in the 25 January - 7 February 1985 issue of Aviation News, and focused on the public display of captured German aircraft at Farnborough. According to the article: 'Although not relating to aircraft displayed at Farnborough, there also exist excellent contemporaneous colour descriptions of two other late war Luftwaffe fighters, namely the Me 163 and He 162. The Me 163 was described as being painted in two shades of green on the upper surface, the greens being mottled in application, and light grey (76) on the lower surface. The nose tip and code '11' were yellow, with the number outlined in dark grey while the nose cone was black. The werk nummer also appeared in black on the left side of the fin only. The He 162 ... ' From the above report it appears that 191454's colours were much like the Australian Komet (before its repaint), and that the red-brownish version of RLM 81 was not used on this Komet. Regardless, an amazing build of this machine. Cheers, David

Hi Boris, I strongly suspect that the spray guns were manufactured by Krautzberger, who are still in business after 110 years. You should be able to find examples on ebay.de. Cheers, David

Try here: http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/index.php/digitalizacja/katalog/1090 There are also editions from 1939 and 1944 out there for sale from time to time, and presumably the intervening years. David

Very nice build - beautifully weathered. I might add a few comments about this aircraft: 1. The rudder and tail assembly were experimental wooden versions and were painted in RLM 76 and 70 (Schwarzgrün). There are colour photos of other related aircarft that confirm the colours. As they were build by a subcontractor, they tended to be better finished and so were less affected by weathering, and, had a slightly glossier appearance. 2. The painted-out fuslage strip was originally a yellow stripe that was worn by aircraft from III./KG(J) 54 (the III. gruppe colour). A white sash was applied to aircraft from the unit's I. gruppe. These were painted out as aircraft were transferred between staffeln and gruppen during the last months / weeks of the war when fewer replacement aircraft were available. More information on this aircraft can be found in a book I wrote on this specific aircraft some time ago here. My most recent research on Me 262s from KG, KG(J) and NAG units can be found here and here. Cheers, David

Hi Vaughan, Fabulous subject! When you get to thinking about the kite's camouflage and markings, give me a call. We can have fun with this. BTW, will you be going to the meeting on the 19th? Cheers, Dave

Hi Austin, Excellent work on the cockpit. I'm looking forward to seeing the completed aircraft. For your subject - Red 7 (WNr.5012??) - you might wish to get the book on the Me 262s of KG(J) and KG units that I co-authored with my colleagues at JaPo: http://www.japo.eu/products.php?prod=15 This aircraft is covered in detail, and like the others in the book includes a colour profile and colour four-views along with all known photographs and detailed discussion on its camouflage, markings and history. Regarding the latter, we believe that this aircraft was the aircraft of Fw. Franz Gapp of 8./KG(J) 6 as noted in his flightbook. Indeed, this aircraft was flown on the last day of the war and was most likely the aircraft that Lt. Heinrich Haeffner (2./KG 51) planned to fly from Prague to Munich later that day but didn't due to mechanical issues. Instead, he flew Yellow 5 (WNr.501232) and this aircraft now resides in the USAF Museum in Dayton. Cheers, David

Vaughn, Great to see you last night at the meeting, and see this fabulous build 'in the flesh'. Quite an amazing piece of work - truly inspiring! I certainly look forward to helping you with the next 1/32 Geheim Projekt ... Cheers, David

Hi Christian, Regarding your questions: 1. How do you know 82 was sprayed over 81 on the nose? What rules out the idea that the entire engine was replaced and the new cowlings were 82? If you study photographs of Doras from the 5005xx-5006xx series, you will notice one of the diagnostic features is the position and style of the upper surface demarcation line on the fuselage. This is a slightly wavy boundary that sweeps up and over the fuselage balkenkreuz and continues uninterrupted on the engine cowling. On the Kodachrome slide, the application of RLM 82 over the RLM 81 is clearly seen, and creates the impression of a narrow wavy line of 81 separating the 82 from the fuselage RLM 76 (grünblau variety) This causes the 82 to appear darker, but its higher chroma confirms that it is indeed Hellgrün. I have sent you a PM with a colour image of a Dora D-13 'power-egg' that reveals that it was finished in overall 76 and later given a mottle of 81. 2. May I see the photo showing the 213? Until I see it, I would argue based on the photo below that the marking is actually a stencil specifying coolant volumes. The photo is from the second JaPo book. Restudying the pictures of the port side, I am near convinced this is what was painted rather than the number of the engine or some arbitrary 'E9.' I have sent you a copy of the image in question. Not the best to be sure, though it was all I received from the JaPo authors some time ago. It does not show any detailed script as per your example and I believe that image shows a 213. A better quality print is required and I shall endeavour to obtain one. 3. JaPo suggests RLM 76 sprayed over 81 as the uppersurface color. What are your reasons for omitting 76 as a possible uppersurface color in place of "84?" I agree that the lighter colour was sprayed on top of the darker colour as shown in the photo on page 274 (from my personal collection). I will concede that it could easily be standard RLM 76. Regardless of the colour, it does appear darker that the 76 or variety thereof sprayed on the fuselage side. This overspraying of a lighter colour over a darker one makes sense. Most of the large components were subcontracted to facilities in dispersed locations, and assembled at specific sites. As such, they needed to be transported by truck, rail or barge, and given the increasing Allied air dominance over Germany needed to be finished in a dark colour for camouflage purposes. Once received and assembled, then the lighter contrasting colour(s) could be applied as we see in the example of White 16. 4. RLM 75 was discontinued right around the time Doras entered production. What are your reasons for suggesting 75 was used? I ask because I myself think I see RLM 75 at the base of the fin in the most popular color photograph. I disagree with JaPo that the color there is 76. I believe you are confusing RLM 75 Grauviolett / Mittelgrau with RLM 74 Dunkelgrau (grünlich), which Sammelmitteilung Nr.2 of 15 August 1944 decreed that: "As a result of the new revision, the following colours will not be used in the future: 65, 70, 71 and 74. Colour 70 however, is still prescribed for (metal) propellers." RLM 75 could and was still used was an uppersurface colour right to the end of the war and was observed on many Bf 109s and Fw 190s in combination with other contrasting colours such as 76 and 77 (lighter), and 83 and 81 (darker). For Doras in the middle of the 500xxx series, there are but a few good images of the wing uppersurfaces. What is visible are wings with a two-tone pattern of a medium and very light shade. The example of "Weiss 16" WNr.500636 of 1./JG 6 is a good example. Images of it appear on pages 274-275 of the JaPo book (Volume 2). I differ with their RLM 81/76 interpretation and believe that the darker tone is lighter than the known 81 on the fuselage, and it is also darker that the 82 seen on the rear fuselage / base of the fin. Hope this clarifies things. Cheers, David

Gents, I thought that I might add a few thoughts to the colour discussion of this aircraft. By way of introduction, Dave Wadman and I did a detailed analysis of this aircraft (amongst others) for our first Experten Decals book (1993). This was based on a number of available photographs from Jim Crow and Tom Hitchcock's collections, and others, and of course, our knowledge of Luftwaffe camouflage and markings at the time. Since then, we have learned more about the subject and we shared our knowledge with fellow researchers Larger, Deboeck, and Poruba for their JaPo series. With respect to "Blue 12", Werknummer 500570, of 8./II./JG 6 there are numerous photos of this aircraft, and most importantly, one in colour ( a Kodachrome slide from which I received a copy from the original). These 500000-series aircraft appear in a number of "hodgepodge" camouflage schemes, likely reflecting their manufacturing process of assembling various components built by widely dispersed subcontractors. The aircraft generally follows the Braunviolett 81 / Hellgrün 82 scheme. On the fuselage, following a coat of green-blue (grünblau) shade of RLM 76 on the sides, Braunviolett 81 was along the fuselage spine up to and including the gun cowling cover. This was followed by Hellgrün 82 over-sprayed on the gun cowling on top of the 81, and forward of the rear fuselage insert up to the canopy. RLM 82 was applied to the spine over the RLM 81 from the base of the fine forward to the jacking point. The Jumo engine "power-egg" was delivered as a complete component to the final assembly facility that completed this aircraft. It was most likely given a single coat of RLM 76. When attached to the aircraft, it too was given a coat of RLM 81 on its uppersurface, followed by a second coat of RLM 82, which appears darker given the darker underlying colour. In addition, a new photo of the port side of the cowling shows that the making "(E3)" is incorrect and is actually (and more appropriately) "(213)". Our original interpretation was that Blue 12's upperwing colours were Grauviolett 75 and one of the primer grey colours, or Hellgrau 77. Re-interpretation of extant and new photos of Blue 12 and other aircraft permit a re-assessment. This is particularly based on photos of an Fw 190 D-9, White 16, WNr.500636 of 1./JG 6, that clearly reveals its upperwing camouflage scheme as a combination of Braunviolett 81 and the fuselage side and undersurface colour: the green-blue (grünblau) shade of RLM 76. Again, the best references for this are the photos of White 6. The aircraft's underside colour is a combination of RLM on the forward half, and the remainer left in natural metal. The control surfaces were completed by a subcontractor and finished in RLM 76.The fuselage underside is in natural metal only from the wheel wells back to the tail. The rudder was another subcontracted part and was painted in RLM 75 with a mottle of RLM 76 applied. The fin was another subcontracted component given an overall coat of RLM 76 upon which was applied a dense fogging of RLM 81. Hope this helps. Cheers, David

Hi Ralph, Interesting conundrum. This colour, and several variations of it has evoked a lot of discussion since the late 1970s when they were first recognized. Arguments can be made for it to have been an official RLM colour, variations in batches of RLM 76, local factory mixes, poorly applied RLM 76, etc. There has yet to be discovered any official documentation defining these shades that were given the tentative name of RLM 84 back in 1977. This label has been used off and on by many though is not valid nor correct as there are several shades of these unique colours that have been described as bluish greys and greyish blues, bluish greens and greenish blues, greenish greys and greyish greens, etc. Regarding the particular shade you are interested in that appeared on late-war Fw 190 Ds (and your model subject), interpretations of this colour has been replicated in a number of well researched books and colour paint charts. The respective authors have given the shade a descriptive name and acknowledge that this is not an official one. In chronological order: Hitchcock and Merrick (1980) - Grünblau (grey-blue) Eagle Editions (199?) - Blaugrün (blue-green) Ullmann (2002) - RLM 76a variation Graugrün (grey-green) Merrick (2005) - RLM ? / hellgrünblau (light green-blue) Comparing the respective colour paint samples to an accepted standard reveals some variations. In the FS 595B Federal Color Standards fan deck (1989), there are two shades that approximate the colour in the Hitchcock and Merrick book, with FS 24672 being not a bad match (though a little light) as is FS 34672. For the colour sample in the Eagle Edtions colour chart, FS 14516 is an excellent match. In Ullmann's colour chart, FS 24373 is not a bad match though is a little warm. FS 34558 is a reasonable match to the Merrick chart though is a little cooler and slightly darker. By the way, Merrick's colour sample is by far the one with the highest chroma (intensity) and has a warm greenish hue. Comparing the charts against the German stardard RAL Farbregister RAL 840-HR Farbenfächer RAL-K5 (1995) revealed no comperable matches. Since there is no official RLM standard and its genesis is unknown, the variations in this colour are understandable as are the interpretations So, when it comes right down to it, paint the model the way you want using the information available and the helpful suggestions of fellow modellers. Cheers, David