Fw 190 D-9 "white12" II./JG301 color question

[Ralph-D]

Dear gents,

 

To gain skills in airbrushing current I'm repairing&repainting my old 1/32 Revell Dora.

I have in stock the EagleCals EC61 that I like to use.

I'm struggle to identify ONE color indicating on the EC instruction sheet.

It's the "Undersurface: Blaugrün" (bluegreen) without any RLM indication and not existing in the RLM color list/code available in the internet.

Does anyone of you experts know if this color exists (as a RLM) or is it a mistake from EC!

See:

LSP EC61

 

I got entire confused after I discovered this, see page 11:

Eduard instruction

 

If one of you have this book:

Focke-Wulf Fw 190D camouflage & markings Part II

book review

Then the color could be indicated there or precise information are available.

 

But now the major question is. Who is right EagleCals or Eduard refer to Eagle Editions????

Because I do not have this books current I'm blind&helpless

Thx in advance.

Ralph

[Mikester]

Ralph,

 

Late war Luftwaffe colors are a difficult area, and the blue-green can be the most difficult.

 

The blue-green does not have an RLM designation, although some model paint manufacturers have assigned it a fictitious designation, RLM 84 or RLM 99. I believe the most popular theory is that this color was simply RLM 76 that was off color due to material shortages or poor quality control. A similar "straw" tinted RLM 76 has been identified as well.

 

As far as who I would trust more, Eagle Editions aka Jerry Crandall or Eduard? Jerry for sure, I don't think you'll run into anyone who knows more about the Dora than he does. As with anything else though much of this is subject to interpretaion, would you be wrong if you went with regular RLM 76? No. Would you be wrong if you went with blue-green? No.

 

HTH, an interesting subject but it does get confusing!

[BradG]

What I can tell you for sure is that there was a greenish shade of undersurface colour seen late in the war, but no one really knows what it was. People can guess, but that's about it.

 

For me, RAF Sky or Duck Egg Green are pretty good. Tamiya XF-21 Sky or Gunze H74 Duck Egg Green. Here is my 190D using Tamiya XF-21 on the rear fuselage with Gunze RLM 76 on the forward part.

 

[Ralph-D]

Konichiwa Mikester, Hello BradG,

thanks for the big help. You saved me days of research in the web.

The painting of the Dora is gorgeous, I will follow your color suggestion.

again many thanks and happy new year.

Ralph

[David E Brown]

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

Edited January 1, 2012 by David E Brown