ZM Bf109G-14 Late War Paint Schemes

[Juggernut]

Hey all,

 

For those of us who plan to build the new ZM G-14 kit as a G-14 but not in the Hartmann markings, it seems there are a very limited supply of readily available decals.  Since I've recently discovered the "art" of mask making and I love those blue-green orlon seat belts by HGW, the lack of readily available decals is not a problem for me.  I'm interested if anyone can tell me how a "late-war" Bf109G-14 would've looked/been painted.  I don't have a lot of reference materials on this aircraft and with the mud-hole of new, rebuilt, and modified airframe possibilities, it seems that almost any Luftwaffe camouflage scheme would be appropriate for lets say, a JG11 assigned bird (I like the yellow nose and RVG bands).  There exists a photo of White 9 (I believe it's also posted in someone's thread here) but if I were to plan a fictitious "representative" machine (i.e., White 4), am I closer to being accurate if I use 74, 75, 76 or can I just about go wild with the late war Luftwaffe colors (81, 82, 83...and possibly the yellow-green version of 76) or go even wilder and mix them together on the same airframe?  I'm thinking the G-14 will be a U4 (I love that 30mm cannon) and if I remember what I read in a thread here, there was just one factory that made the /U4 version (oh, and we MUST have the tall tail).  I'm not super concerned about the authenticity of the scheme but I'd like to be "in the ballpark" so, any input is welcome

 

Not sure if this belongs in LSP Discussion or in the Aviation Discussion and Research forum... I have a 50/50 shot

Thanks!

 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Juggernut

[Mark P]

Did you look at Eagle Editions? They have G-14 markings.

 

Mark Proulx

[chrish]

I just ordered my ZM 109 I’m thinking by the time I get into it there’ll be color and markings options galore…possibly even more versions from ZM as well. Hoping anyway.

[Juggernut]

6 minutes ago, Mark P said:

Did you look at Eagle Editions? They have G-14 markings.

 

Mark Proulx

 

Yes, I did and EagleCals is usually my "go-to" source for Luftwaffe markings.  I was going to select the G-14 sheet until one of the guys doing a build here is doing the exact same set of markings I wanted to do.  I'm a little "funny" in that if someone's doing an aircraft with the same set of markings as I would do, I shift to another set of markings so not to create a "comparison" build with someone else.  With my choice of markings already being used and since I've gotten into masks, I got the wild hair to do a "representative" aircraft rather than a specific aircraft.  That's why I posed the question above fully knowing that it could be a mine-field of opinions and conjecture.  Hopefully, it won't devolve into an flame war.

[ade rowlands]

Going for an Italian scheme with mine using Eurodecals purchased from Fantasy Printshop. The sheet offers a multitude of options from G-6 through G-10 to G-14. 

[D.B. Andrus]

How about painting the kit with the same unit markings, but with a different tactical number. You can then do what you want with the camouflage without contradiction.

 

HTH,

Damian

[Juggernut]

12 minutes ago, D.B. Andrus said:

How about painting the kit with the same unit markings, but with a different tactical number. You can then do what you want with the camouflage without contradiction.

 

HTH,

Damian

 

That's sort of what I was thinking but the only issue I face is whether said camouflage scheme would be similar for a different aircraft or not.  I just don't have enough references to definitively state what's possible and what's not.  Having said that and knowing the haphazard times in Germany toward the end, I think almost anything is possible.  I'm probably ovethinking the issue but that's one of my more aggravating faults I just can't get past.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Juggernut

[CRAZY IVAN5]

10 hours ago, Juggernut said:

Hey all,

 

For those of us who plan to build the new ZM G-14 kit as a G-14 but not in the Hartmann markings, it seems there are a very limited supply of readily available decals.  Since I've recently discovered the "art" of mask making and I love those blue-green orlon seat belts by HGW, the lack of readily available decals is not a problem for me.  I'm interested if anyone can tell me how a "late-war" Bf109G-14 would've looked/been painted.  I don't have a lot of reference materials on this aircraft and with the mud-hole of new, rebuilt, and modified airframe possibilities, it seems that almost any Luftwaffe camouflage scheme would be appropriate for lets say, a JG11 assigned bird (I like the yellow nose and RVG bands).  There exists a photo of White 9 (I believe it's also posted in someone's thread here) but if I were to plan a fictitious "representative" machine (i.e., White 4), am I closer to being accurate if I use 74, 75, 76 or can I just about go wild with the late war Luftwaffe colors (81, 82, 83...and possibly the yellow-green version of 76) or go even wilder and mix them together on the same airframe?  I'm thinking the G-14 will be a U4 (I love that 30mm cannon) and if I remember what I read in a thread here, there was just one factory that made the /U4 version (oh, and we MUST have the tall tail).  I'm not super concerned about the authenticity of the scheme but I'd like to be "in the ballpark" so, any input is welcome

 

Not sure if this belongs in LSP Discussion or in the Aviation Discussion and Research forum... I have a 50/50 shot

Thanks!

 

 

I understand your dilemma, I'm going thru the same thing . I've settled on a Jg5 Erla built , thankfully the required parts are included, As I'm finding out even the camo patterns are different from factory to factory . Man but this is educational!

[CRAZY IVAN5]

10 hours ago, Juggernut said:

Hey all,

 

For those of us who plan to build the new ZM G-14 kit as a G-14 but not in the Hartmann markings, it seems there are a very limited supply of readily available decals.  Since I've recently discovered the "art" of mask making and I love those blue-green orlon seat belts by HGW, the lack of readily available decals is not a problem for me.  I'm interested if anyone can tell me how a "late-war" Bf109G-14 would've looked/been painted.  I don't have a lot of reference materials on this aircraft and with the mud-hole of new, rebuilt, and modified airframe possibilities, it seems that almost any Luftwaffe camouflage scheme would be appropriate for lets say, a JG11 assigned bird (I like the yellow nose and RVG bands).  There exists a photo of White 9 (I believe it's also posted in someone's thread here) but if I were to plan a fictitious "representative" machine (i.e., White 4), am I closer to being accurate if I use 74, 75, 76 or can I just about go wild with the late war Luftwaffe colors (81, 82, 83...and possibly the yellow-green version of 76) or go even wilder and mix them together on the same airframe?  I'm thinking the G-14 will be a U4 (I love that 30mm cannon) and if I remember what I read in a thread here, there was just one factory that made the /U4 version (oh, and we MUST have the tall tail).  I'm not super concerned about the authenticity of the scheme but I'd like to be "in the ballpark" so, any input is welcome

 

Not sure if this belongs in LSP Discussion or in the Aviation Discussion and Research forum... I have a 50/50 shot

Thanks!

 

 

From what I can gather [ I'm certainly no expert, far from it] the WNF builds didn't have the tall tail [G-14], Please don't quote me on this , more knowledgeable people can confirm this , Ain't 109s fun? Yes , they are!

[John1]

Here's one of my favorites.    Mainly because I built her a few years back.   Labeled a G-6 but later info I found said she was actually a -14.

 

A few more profiles of G-14's here:

The Profile Paintshop: Bf109G-14

[fastterry]

Juggernut, I know this might sound like heresy but there is an interesting current topic on Britmodeller - Fw190D-9 wing upper surface colours- which  goes into some detail about the various colours used on late war German fighters. I know it's not about 109's per se but the same colours apply along with various theories as to the reasons why there was so much variation of late war colours. Good luck with your model as there are a million variations and a photo of the subject is a good start remembering that you should never trust a profile without a photo (or two).

 

TRF

[CRAZY IVAN5]

3 hours ago, John1 said:

Here's one of my favorites.    Mainly because I built her a few years back.   Labeled a G-6 but later info I found said she was actually a -14.

 

A few more profiles of G-14's here:

The Profile Paintshop: Bf109G-14

Nice! It's hard to tell who the players are without a programme. Late G-6? Or early G-14? and I thought B-24 production was complicated!

[John1]

5 hours ago, CRAZY IVAN5 said:

Nice! It's hard to tell who the players are without a programme. Late G-6? Or early G-14? and I thought B-24 production was complicated!

There is a small subset of 109G-6/14's that went through a rebuild process (probably due to combat / landing damage) late in the war and came out of these mom-and-pop refurb shops with some truly wonderful paint schemes.   Yellow 5 is but one of them.   Here's another example.  If we ever get a G-14A/S, I'm going all in on this baby.

 

BTW - the Profile Paintshop I linked above has a very large collection of very well done, well researched profiles (mostly 109's).   Very much worth grabbing a cup of java and spending an hour or two checking it out. 

[Juggernut]

10 hours ago, John1 said:

Here's one of my favorites.    Mainly because I built her a few years back.   Labeled a G-6 but later info I found said she was actually a -14.

 

A few more profiles of G-14's here:

The Profile Paintshop: Bf109G-14

 

Thanks for the link.  I saw the first three profiles there but haven't really delved into the site just yet. 

 

Quote

...and a photo of the subject is a good start remembering that you should never trust a profile without a photo (or two).

 

Thanks for the 190 discussion information, i agree it would apply to late war 109's as well.  I'm aware that photos are better references than profiles but since I'm creating a ficticious "representative" aircraft, there likely won't be a photograph to refer to.  I'm looking for more of a set of general possibilities than a specific color scheme.  The model will be a blank canvas for me to create on.  The profile above of Yellow 5 is a prime example of what I'm looking for.  It has a lot of variation in the paint showing it was most likely remanufactured or assembled from parts provided by the well known but highly diversified construction network during 1944/1945.

 

Having said all that, if in the near future, there are a series of decal sheets that become available and one strikes my fancy, I may alter my plans accordingly but for now, I am going to stick with a "possible" aircraft rather than trying to recreate a specific aircraft. It frees me up from being bound to a given profile or color scheme. 

Edited September 24, 2022 by Juggernut

[LSP_K2]

MMP does a particularly cool book on late war '109's.