Every year I keep an eagle on announcements coming out of the Shizuoka Hobby Show. Whilst the headlines belong to large scale Lancasters and F-14s, there are a few Luftwaffe related new release. Perhaps the most significant announcement was AK interactive's Real Colors Air Series. It would appear that World War Two Luftwaffe colours are to feature in the launch range. I'd be interested to see if they release a colours book alongside their range of paints. There are plenty of picots from the traders section of the show on The Modelling News. As far as kits, there are releases from Wingnut Wings (Halberstadt Cl.II), Hong Kong Models and figures from Tamiya (ICM rebox).
The past month has seen a bounty of new releases for fans of the Luftwaffe. From the Czech Republic, Profimodeller has released two sets for the 1/72 diorama builder. Hannants sold out immediately so there is clearly demand out there even at ~£12 and ~£19. Miniart and AMP have released helicopters, Revell and Dragon have released a Fw190. AZ have release a lift '46 Me1106. Wingnut Wings have release a very well received Junkers D.1. KP'2 MiG-23 in 1/72 includes a GDR option, as does Eduard's MiG-21. Special Hobby have release a Fokker D.II in 1/32 and a D0-27 in 1/72. ICM released their latest version of the He-111 (a H-6). LF have released number of decals for the 109G-10 in 1/144 and some Zirkus Rosarius also in 1/144. Eduard alone keeps the Luftwaffe enthusiast busy with an Avia B.534 an Albatross D.V and a dual combo 109. AIMS has new decals in 1/48 for the Do-17 and Ju-88. KORA has a captured Lancaster, B-17 and Gloster Gladiator in 1/144 (a couple are also in 1/48). Aviatic have several decals for WW1 camouflage across the three major scales. Avalon desert 109's are in 1/72. HGW has release a useful set of stencils for a 109F in 1/48 scale and three sets for the Fw-190a, also in 1/48.
This weekend marks the death of Richthofen who was shot down and killed near Vaux-sur-Somme on 21 April 1918.
End of the Luftwaffe. A collection of images from the IWM archive.
Along side my research into colour paint matches, I'll also be looking to gather materials that look at the camouflage patterns used by the Luftwaffe. I've started with a look at early Bf 109s as I currently have one of Airfix's offering on my bench. I began my research with a look through the Bundesarchiv, so hopefully even the seasoned Luftwaffe modeller will find some images that are interest. Here is a small sample of what I have unearthed thus far. My starting point for the Bf 109 is looking at the changes to the camouflage made through the campaigns in the Battles of Poland, France and Britain. The significant change in the images above from later schemes is the demarcation between the upper and lower colours. In the image below you can see a soft edged demarcation about an inch of so above the bottom of the canopy. This second image, again from 1940 shows the demarcation slightly lower, this time in line with the bottom of the canopy. To finish this post, here is a final picture of an aircraft from 1939 with an attractive Edelwiess motif. This image shows a narrow soft demarcation between green upper camouflage colours that is difficult to spot in the images at the start of this post. I hope you've enjoyed what I've found and it serves as an inspiration for building your own model of an early Bf 109.
In my second post on Luftwaffe colours, I will be looking at a recent purchase. Aeromaster are well known for the decal range, but what may have been forgotten is that they once producted a range of paints. Colour samples from their paints range is included here. What this booklet does is highlight some of the issues that are encountered when trying to be accurate with regards to colour. The bulk of the booklet is colour side profiles, many taken from Aeromaster's decal range. The last three pages of the booklet are pertinent to the point in hand. There is a series of hand painted samples included.
The RLM 04 paint chip is worthy of notes. The brush marks where the paint has been applied both thinly and thickly show a definiate shift in tone. This is a point alluded to a number of references - the surface upon which a paint applied and how it is applied can have an impact on how a colour appears. This document is not perhaps the definitive reference, in fact it points towards the conclusion that I had already arrived at: the definitive colour reference does not exist and the modeller is going to have to make do with something that is close to what was applied to the real aircraft. An important point about scale effect is raised in the second paragraph of the booklet. The warbirds paint range is lightened to take account of scale effect, which presumably means that the twenty paint chips included are also lighter than actual RLM paints. The booklet mentions that the paint has been lightened for ease of use but they recommend a further adjustment of 15%, 10% and 5% white for scales 1/72 1/48 and 1/32 respectively. So another variable has been introduced into the mix, if you'll pardon the pun. As it is International Women's Day today, here is a small post to recognise the role women are playing on the front line of the modern Luftwaffe. Major Ulrike Fitzer was the first female fighter pilot in the German Air Force. She is the first German female Tornado pilot, having completed training in 2007 at Holloman Air Force Base. Major Nicola Baumann became second female fighter pilot in the history of the German Air Force in 2007 flying both Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon in Luftwaffe. Video via: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Baumann
A new venue for the SIG members who displayed at the show, I would like to say we were suitably impressed. To top off a perfect day, Rob Bedford won a gold medal with his 109.
With a bit more space we were able to represent a more complete chronology of the German Air Force in it's various form. We have spotted some significant omissions though and we'll be working to plug these gaps over the coming months. In no particular order, here are a collection of photographs from our display. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the display. One of the most common questions that we get asked at shows is with regards to colour and paint matches. This is a very broad question and falls into three distinct camps. Post war colours present few problems and will be dealt with separately. World War One sees the modeller able to access fabric samples and they are well served by decal manufacturers. Again World War One will be treated to a separate article. The real issue and subject of this article is with regards to World War Two paint matches. The head quarters of Reichsluftfahrt Ministerium (RLM) have survived the war and are very much intact but it is impossible to walk into the building and access the once extensive archives of paperwork. The building is now used by the Federal Ministry of Finance. Because a time capsule of perfectly preserved paints does not exist we are left with one of the most persistent conundrums in the scale modelling community. I often think back to conversations with my friend Steve Hague, now sadly not with us. When handed a set of paint samples from various World Was Two aircraft, Steve was instantly able to pick holes in what was intended to be a definitive reference. The samples had been in the ground for, at that time, six decades and had almost certainly altered over time. Sadly Steve was not able to offer a solution. However, equally as important, he was able to query the research behind what was presented.
There is a great deal on conventional wisdom with regards to Luftwaffe colours. Having said that there are a number of well researched works available to the modeller and I shall attempt to summarise my what I find on this website. Since many of the articles have been written, a myriad of paint manufacturers have joined the market, but for now I would like to direct you towards once of the most extensive paint cross reference guide on the IPMS Stockholm site. In an ideal world, I would like to arrive at a conclusion that one paint manufacturer has got it right and we can go to one place to get all our colours. Manufacturers like Hataka seem to be offering us an ideal solution with a collection of paint sets. However, just as my friend Steve did, I am mindful to question everything that is presented to us in the pursuit of colour accuracy. I am also waiting to see what AK Interactive offer when they expand their Real Colors range. As a starting point I have found this website very informative. It approaches the subject from a different angle: computer gaming. However, the bibliography is very useful and the website provides a good starting point in how to best approach this academic exercise. I suspect my research will not leave us with a perfect ending, but I hope you enjoy my trawl through books and online sources of information. If it doesn't give us a definitive list of paint matches atleast I will have provided something to ponder when you take a Messerschmitt of Folke Wulf out of the stash. I will be writing from the ground up. By that, I intend to write an article for the complete novice who might be building there first Luftwaffe aircraft. You will find the results of my research here. As I'm sure many of you appreciate, this.is going to take some time, so please do bear with me, |
The German Military Aviation
Special Interest Group The Luftwaffe SIG Newsletter online edition written by SIG Leader Nathan Robinson.
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