Jeff Groves 72nd scale Experten series Fine Molds Bf 109s- Major Kurt Bühligen's Fw 190 A-8 - Planes of the Luftwaffe Aces

Max-Hellmuth Ostermann's Bf 109F-2, 7. / JG54, Dno, Russia, September 1941

I've just discovered the superlative work of US modeler Jeff Groves on the 72nd Aircraft Forum and present here a small selection of his work. Thanks Jeff for allowing me to post your fantastic models here..Amazing! 

Here's Jeff on his latest project; the aircraft of the 100+ Experten

" It's always fun to start a new build! The imagination sees nothing but perfection - fresh, unspoiled kits, full of potential. The reality of bad fit, rescribing lost seams, and sacrifices to the carpet monster are as yet unrealized. Modeling Nirvana!Half the fun is the planning, and this build has been long in the planning stage. I've had the kits and decals gathered for this one for quite awhile. Many times it has been "the next build", but has always managed to get bumped just one spot down the list when the time comes. Actually, there are a few "next builds", but this year I resolved to move several of these long-delayed projects from the stash to the bench.So here we are - a batch of Fine Molds Bf 109s. They will be part of a larger effort to model the mounts of the Luftwaffe Experten. Not all of them of course, only the few credited with one hundred or more victories. This is the collectors' scale, right? "   Jeff Groves

Erich Leie's Bf 109 F-4, Stab / JG2, France 1941:

Wolf-Deitrich Wilcke's Bf 109F-2, III / JG53, Berck-sur-Mer, March 1941

Anton Hackl's Bf 109 F-4, 5. / JG77, Oktoberfeld, Crimea, Jun 1942

Walter Schuck's Bf 109 F-4, 9. / JG5, Petsamo, Finland, Winter 1942-43:

Erich Rudorffer's Bf 109F-4, 6. / JG2, France, September 1941:

It goes without saying that Jeff's Fw 190s are equally as stunning. Here is his take on the A-8 of Major Kurt Bühligen, Kommodore of JG 2. Bühligen survived the war with 112 victories. 

"...The picture below appears in several publications including More Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft in Profile, and shows his aircraft wearing a non-standard camouflage. There are various interpretations of this scheme with most profiles showing the upper surfaces in 02 / 75, and several miss the darker tail color entirely. However, there is little contrast between 02 and 75 when photographed in black & white. After studying the aircraft in the background and the aft end of the droptank, I decided that the lighter color could be 76, and painted the model using 74 / 75 / 76... "  Jeff Groves

See much more of Jeff's superlative modelling on Robert Rensch's 72nd Scale Aircraft forum

Fw 190s of JG 26, JG 1, JG 2 & JG 54

Above;  FW 190 "schwarze 16" of 8./JG 26 with Spatzwappen (sparrow emblem) seen at Wevelgem during 1943. In the cockpit is Wart Gödecker and on the right of the shot is Lt. Gerd Wiegand.
From Michael Meyer's current Ebay sales 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111072537209&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

Below; Fw 190 A-5 assigned to Gruppe TO II./ JG 1 summer 1943. Note red Tatzelwurm on the cowl and FuG 16 antenna mast under the port wing

more Luftwaffe Seaplanes - Dornier Do 24 of 6. Seenotstaffel, Dornier Do 18 and Bv 138

Do 24 of 6. Seenotstaffel in Syracus 1942. On the left of the shot is Oblt. Wölke Staffelkapitän der 6 Seenotstaffel, KIA on 13.11.1942 and Ernst Wargant along with Staffel Hund Helo....

Do 24 of  6. Seenotstaffel in the harbour at Patras following a collision with a fishing boat. Note the damaged nose. Picture is dated 1942.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-Flugzeug-Airplane-Dornier-Do-18-Pilot-Mechaniker-9017-/370811518092?pt=Militaria&hash=item565616bc8c

more Bf 109 Emils and a Friedrich of JG 27 and JG 26 - Ebay Luftwaffe photo find

 Me 109 E of the Stab I./JG 27 Major Eduard "Edu" Neuman preparing for a sortie 1941  (am Start zum Feindflug )

Below; Bf 109 F-4 trop. of 5./JG 27 seen in April 1942 after a sortie flown by the Staffelkapitän Hptm Ernst Düllberg, fourth from the left.  Düllberg was awarded the RK on 27.4.1944 and achieved around 45 victories.

Me 109 E "gelbe 6" of 6./JG 27 being put back on its undercarriage following a landing accident during the campaign in the Balkans, spring 1941

Me 109 E "schwarze 12 or 13" of 5./JG 27, pilot Uffz Hans Niederrhöfer seen in Bitolj, Yugoslavia mid-April 1941

Me 109 E of 8./JG 26 featuring the Adamsonstaffel Wappen late 1939. The 1 +2 Wart Hans... und Emil Jachowski pictured alongside "Red 6 ".

Michael Meyer's current Ebay sales are here

Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 from Zvezda in 1:72nd scale (2) - JG 1 Gruppe emblem

This is my (virtually) complete Zvezda Fw 190 A-4 in 1:72^nd scale in the markings of a I./JG 1 machine. The build was trouble-free and although some of the detail might be a bit soft the overall impression of the finished model is very nice. I have been amazed at the engineering of the kit, the usual areas of concern for me are of course the rake of the gear legs and the areas around the top engine cowling and the gun bays on the Hasegawa and Tamiya kits. None of this was a problem with this kit. The only real issue for me was the lack of detail on the lower cowling/exhaust area. The way the inner gear doors simply plug in is ingenious. Nicely patterned too. Issues of dihedral and gaps at the wing root are cunningly avoided by having the fuselage rest on top of the wings, which makes for an slightly unsightly join where there was no panel line on the real aircraft. The cockpit head armour needs some additional scratch-built parts and I’ve replaced the solid-hub wheels with some True Details early-type treaded wheels with the correct hub detail. I used a combination of kit decals and the Sky Fw 190 sheet. The Zvezda decals performed more than adequately and there’s some neat stencil detail too. I even used the nicely detailed pilot figure, which must be a first for me. Will I buy another one though? If Airfix are releasing their new Fw 190 A-8 at £6 then this Zvesda kit is a little on the pricey side in comparision, especially as it really needs those replacement wheels  ..but then it is an A-4 of course. Much cheaper and easier to build than an AZ early Fw 190 no doubt. That said, the price differential with the Tamiya kit probably does not really warrant more purchases, it being a simple enough matter to add the A-4’s pointed antenna mast to the A-3 from card (he says). I may though do one more; in a winter camo JG 54 scheme

Below; starboard side view of "weiße 8" a Fw 190 A-4 Y  WNr. 0611 (equipped with FuG 16 ZE) of I./ JG 1 seen at Deelen following the re-designation of IV. Gruppe in April 1943. Note the over-painted IV Gruppe disc aft of the fuselage Balkenkreuz and the FuG 16 antenna mast under the port wing. which I have attempted to represent on my model. The purpose of the overall white engine cowl was to aid unit reformation in the air after the first pass through the bomber boxes (cf. Peter Rodeike, p114 of Focke Wulf Jagdflugzeug). Note though the over-sprayed rudder and the mottled speckled finish of 76 Hellblau dots over the fuselage grey, a feature unfortunately over-looked by Tullis in his artwork in the Classic "Defenders..JG 1..." part-work (Vol II). The airframe or at least the wings appear to have been highly polished - either that or the aircraft has been photographed after a rain shower.....

2

Incidentally Peter Rodeike presented evidence in Jet & Prop 1/12 that the JG 1 Gruppenabzeichen featured a red devil on a yellow sky background

Zvezda construction photos below are from Duncan Black’s build on britmodeller.com along with a view of his completed model at bottom. That's some very neat airbrush work as usual Duncan!

Painted in the markings for Oblt Erich Rudorffer of 6/JG2, North Africa early 1943 from a profile in Kagero's Fw 190 Vol 1 Monograph. Decals from the spares box.

A round up of 72nd scale Fw 190 models on my modelling blog
http://falkeeinsmodel.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/round-up-of-172-scale-fw-190s.html