Señores:

Por favor revise las imágenes que se adjuntan a continuación. ¿Alguien tiene una foto que confirma el color gris claro en las superficies superiores de los Bf-109B en arte de la caja de Heller, un Bf-109B con 6o26 matricule? Las únicas fotos que conozco de este plano se muestran con camuflaje de color verde oscuro y sin la insignia 1.J/88 en su disco del fuselaje negro. Las instrucciones del kit de Heller también piden el modelo para estar pintado de un color gris claro en sus superficies superiores. O tal vez estoy malinterpretar la obra de arte Heller. ¿Es este un primer intento para mostrar un metal natural o pintado de plata Bf-109 en el J/88 servicio?

Gracias por su tiempo,
Ken Glass

Gentlemen:

Please review the images attached below. Does anyone have a photo that confirms the light gray color on the upper surfaces of the Bf-109B in Heller's box art, a Bf-109B with matricule 6o26? The only photos I know of this plane show it with dark green camouflage and without the 1.J/88 insignia on its fuselage black disk. Heller's kit instructions also call for the model to be painted a light gray on its upper surfaces. Or perhaps I am mis-interpreting the Heller art work. Is this an early attempt to show a natural metal or silver painted Bf-109 in J/88 service?

Thank you for your time,
Ken Glass

Hi Ken,
Obviously the artbox can't be considered a reliable source. 6-26 never sported an overall metal/grey paint; surelly was lost before she could be homogeneized as the others. Also never wore the crossed bars of the 1./J88

Regards

Hello Paco,

The box art image posted above was scanned from a re-issue of the kit that is in good condition for the purpose. I located an older, original but more shelf worn issue of the same box art today. That earlier printing shows it signed, in very small letters, by one Francis Berqes. My apologies for not noticing this detail earlier. Perhaps someone has contact with Mr. Berqes and can ask him as to references used for the work?

Without seeing a photo of 6-26 similarly adorned per the Heller art work, it is difficult to avoid a conclusion the image was made using bright, more attractive colors with interesting markings for a more dynamic image, to help promote Heller's product. But there is always a chance Mr. Berqes worked from a photo. In the absence of data supporting Heller's box art, I agree with your points regarding 6-26.

Regards and thanks for your reply,
Ken Glass

Os contesto en castellano para no hacer el ridículo. Ambos lleváis razón en lo del "messer" 6-26. Este avión pertenece al primer lote de B-2 con hélice metálica llegado a España y todos iban en verdes astillados (splinter) 71/72 con azul celeste grisáceo 65 por debajo como se ve perfectamente en la foto adjuntada por Ken, junto con el 6-27. Paco acierta doblemente al afirmar textualmente: "6-26 never sported an overall metal/grey paint". Primero porque la librea de metal natural recubierta por un barniz translucido/mate que viraba casi imperceptiblemente a verdoso, solo la portaron los tres o cuatro primeros prototipos y todos los primigenios B-1 con hélice de madera. Su segundo acierto radica en que los Berta, como queda dicho, llegaron en los dos verdes usados ya en las unidades de la Luftwaffe pero, al juzgarse dicho esquema poco adecuado a nustra orografía, fue cambiado rápidamente en las primeras revisiones por otro consistente en el gris verdoso 63 conservando el 65 de las zonas inferiores. Pero nunca retrotrayendose al metalizado. Los B-1, por su parte, al pasar sus correspondientes revisiones fueron re-equipados con las hélices Schwarz de los B-2 y provistos de las nuevas numeraciones a ambos lados del dico, en vez de las primitivas a un solo lado y de menor tamaño. También se aprovechó la ocasión para normalizarlos al tono "standard" 63/65. Pero, ojo, no todos. Hay fotos que muestran claramente que algunos, pese a recibir la nueva disposición de dígitos y hélice, siguieron en el metalizado mate. Probablemente, estos "escaqueados" mantuvieron esta guisa por poco tiempo. Hasta la siguiente revisión. En cuanto a lo que dice Ken del dibujo de la caja Heller, creo que medio acertaron,en su día, por casualidad. El art-box quiere plasmar al 6-26 DESPUES de ser repintado en 63/65. Lo que ocurre es que en la fecha de la aparición de la maqueta casi todo el mundo creía que el RLM 63 era un gris muy claro blanquecino. Luego se ha divulgado que, en realidad, era un gris verdoso CASI igual al RLM 02. Ya hableremos de eso en otro momento, si os parece bien, aunque ya se ha comentado prolijamente en este foro. Salu2.

Hello Rod,

Thank you for the reply to my question and your comments. I agree with you about the Heller box art painting. Not knowing what was intended by artist F. Berqes, it seems most likely he chose to illustrate Bf-109B 6-26 in brighter, and to some perhaps more attractive colors and markings, than was in fact the case for 6-26. I would like to hear his comments on the matter.

I wish to discuss your comments about the repainting of Bf-109Bs in RLM 63/65 after they were delivered to J/88. Do you have any written evidence or a relic supporting the use of RLM 63 on the upper surfaces of Jumo powered Bf-109s? I have not seen evidence that proves the use of any particular color or its source. I have seen photos that show many Jumo powered Bf-109Bs survived long enough to be repainted over their original, and darker delivery colors.

The scan below was posted at website Axis History Forum on June 17, 2012 by Akira Takiguchi. The URL is http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=97665
Akira reports his image is from an original Agfacolor slide he purchased. Its color had mostly faded out and the current appearance of it required work using computer image manipulating software.



In my opinion this image serves to discredit the usage of a dark green like RLM 62 for camouflage on the upper surfaces of Bf-109s. I have seen that reported in some older references. I am not sure this color slide would have been clear or close enough to allow us to determine what paint color was used for repainting the Bf-109s, were this slide's inks still fresh and new. Note the washed out yellow color of the flags and the dark spot of color on the He-112 fuselage.

Regards,
Ken Glass