Bf 109 E-4 - Trumpeter - 1/32 - Stab II./JG54

[scvrobeson]

Now that's a cool camo scheme. Looking forward to your build of this 

 

 

 

Matt 

[chaos07]

I’ll second the cool camo scheme - one of the most unique I’ve seen on that airframe.   

[MikeMaben]

Where do you guys see 71 ?  I see 70/02/65.  70/71 on the wing tops.

I'd mix the yellow with some clear so you can adjust the opacity over

the nose.

Quite the challenge there Denis.

[Sturmbock]

Yes Mike, you're right! Not 71 it's of course the darker shade 70 shown in the profile.

In some sources you can read that it could be an even darker shade, perhaps of an unknown shade from captured paints from Russian production. In any case, it is difficult to deduce this from the color profile.

 

Lutz

Edited May 20 by Sturmbock

[Furie]

Already during the Polish campaign, 70/71/65 camouflage began to disappear, as it was too visible in flight.

The 70/71/65 splinter camouflage came to an end around the end of 1939, and after the French campaign the 71/02/65 camouflage had become standard.
On this “<I 5” the available photos of the JG54 and JG77 (which replaced the JG54 in the Balkans, taking over the JG54's aircraft!) are very telling.
We're dealing with an 02/71/65 scheme with lots of yellow (engine cowl, rudder, ailerons, wing tip).
As a general rule, a 70/71/65 camouflage appears very dark and low-contrast on photos.
However, in-flight and ground photos (as well as those of its companions) show a great deal of contrast between shades, and the dark fillets on the fuselage sides are the same shade as the darkest shade on the fuselage top: RLM 71.

Although on some photos, doubt is allowed: dark fillets can also be interpreted as RLM 70. (See “10 yellow” below, but “11 yellow” appears 70/02/65).
What's more, RLM 70 appears on the B&Y photos as a shade close to black, which is not the case on these photos, where there are 2 contrasting shades, but the darker one doesn't seem to be RLM 70 to me.
So for me it's RLM 71/02/65, until proven otherwise.
If you have reliable sources proving me wrong, then I'd be happy to agree with your opinion on these camouflage colors.

 

I don't hold the truth, but I trust the photos of this plane.

I have an open mind, but I think we're dealing with reasonable doubt.

 

Is it reasonable to assume that these vertical lines were painted in the field?
Is it reasonable to think that if this is the case, then we can have variations in the application of special camouflage?
Is it reasonable to say that Denis is faced with a choice that is not an easy one?

 

My answer to these 3 questions is “yes”!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by Furie

[Furie]

3 hours ago, Sturmbock said:

Yes Mike, you're right! Not 71 it's of course the darker shade 70 shown in the profile.

In some sources you can read that it could be an even darker shade, perhaps of an unknown shade from captured paints from Russian production. In any case, it is difficult to deduce this from the color profile.

 

Lutz

 

As for the captured Russian paintings, we're talking about BF 109 G2s from JG 54 with 3-color splinter camouflage.
Here, it's neither the place nor the time: we're in 1941 over the Balkans.

[Furie]

As I said, I didn't buy an AM kit for this Bf109.

So we're going to do everything the old-fashioned way, like the IP:
-MRP Dark aluminium
-AK worn effects: replaces hair spray and works exactly like it, brushing off the last coat of paint with a brush and water to reveal the first coat of paint.
-MRP black primer 50% + MRP Tyre rubber 50% to obtain a deep but not “pure” black.

-hard brush + water to reveal the dark aluminum at the bottom of the IP (you'll have to insist a lot for the aluminum to appear, as I think this product works better with AK paints. MRP paints cling a lot to plastic).
-MRP semimatt varnish (matt varnish is much too matt).
-drybrush for relief with a light gray pencil
-and to finish off and simulate the instruments glass, a micro-drop of AK crystal magic glue.

 

That's a lot of work for a simple piece of plastic!

 

 

Edited May 21 by Furie

[Antonio Argudo]

what colors do you see here? 

[Furie]

I see faded colors/colorized photo/Agfa color photo film from 1941, so not really a usable reference.

But I'm thinking more of colorized photos.

 

The proof:
The photo, all the way down on the right originally in B&Y and the same one colorized...
Magic!!!  

 

 

Edited May 21 by Furie

[Antonio Argudo]

1 hour ago, Furie said:

I see faded colors/colorized photo/Agfa color photo film from 1941, so not really a usable reference.

But I'm thinking more of colorized photos.

picture of Lilo 10 faded, colorized? NO WAY!  it is one of the best pictures of an Emil exists and of course no colorized at all, the one you posted someone has put a filter but not colorized, I have these pictures long before the colorization trend  beguin!

what you are dealing there is a infield camo using the transition colors of 74/75, also infield mixes with 66, see canopy area

this is the same picture without that filter and original color

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 21 by Antonio Argudo

[Furie]

I really think that the photos of JG 77 have been colorized. 
But never mind, look at the 2 photos taken in 1940 and 1941.
We agree that the contrasts are identical, with a high probability that the colors are the same: I don't think for a moment that they were taken in 74/75, but in 02/71.

 

 

[Furie]

And then I just realized that Lilo doesn't have the same camouflage pattern as my <I 5.
You can see in the photos significant variations in camouflage (I'm not talking about the colors, but the position and shape of the welts).

JG77's Lilo is very similar to JG54's camouflage scheme, but the differences are significant.

Even the “11” is different from the camouflage scheme of the JG 54.
Is it possible that they were repainted when JG 54 gave its planes to JG 77? 

Edited May 21 by Furie

[jimvit]

Ah here you are here dear Denis, I'm taking a seat of course to follow you of course.

 What beautiful period photos and this colorful livery is attractive.

 This isn't going to be easy 

[Biggles87]

This is all very interesting, I don’t think I’ve seen so many coloured ( colorized? ) photos of ‘109s before.

I will also sit and watch further developments.

 

John

[MikeMaben]

Here's a couplel of bomb arming panels for future reference ...

 

 

 

hth