Hasegawa Friedrich 32nd scale "Yellow 14" Marseille - latest from Jean Barby

Hasegawa 32nd scale Friedrich "Yellow 14" Marseille - latest stunning work from Jean Barby - Radu Brinzan RB Productions cockpit and seatbelts

new from Jean Barby - Günther Rall's G-2 III./ JG 52 "Black 13"

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This is the old Hasegawa kit, with an MDC cockpit finished in Mr Color acrylics, decals from Hasegawa and Aeromaster. Figures are from the now defunct Japanese after-market company Atelier Noix. Jean goes into hospital for an operation in mid-April - we wish Jean all the best for a prompt return to action ! Click on the 'label' link below for more of Jean Barby's fantastic Luftwaffe models...

more on Rall on this blog

http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/jg-52-calais-battle-of-britain-gunther.html

http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gunther-ralls-messerschmitt-bf-109-f-4.html

Jean Barby's Luftwaffe models - Luftwaffe blog 500th post !

A special feature for the 500th post of the Luftwaffe blog courtesy of the superlative modelling of Jean Barby. Regular visitors to the Luftwaffe blog will be familiar with this name as a couple of Jean's wonderful 1:48 scale Bf 109s appear elsewhere on this blog - for this post Jean has put together a fine 'gallery' featuring some more of his Luftwaffe models. Jean's work has been published in most major French aviation and modelling publications including 'Wingmasters' and 'Avions' and he is a regular on French modelling site master194.com. Jean lives in the Oise region just north of Paris to where he retired after a long career in the airline industry serving with UTA and Air France. Aged 61 years old, Jean has been building aircraft models since he was seven and is known as a specialist on Italian colours and the French Aéronavale as well as the war in the Pacific. And his interest in all things Luftwaffe; well the consummate skill on evidence in this special photo gallery speaks for itself...do click on the images  to get in close.

 "Langnasen" - this model represents one of the first Dora- 9s constructed by Focke-Wulf Sorau, initially assigned to III/JG 54 and then ceded to JG 2. The base kit is from Tamiya with the resin correction set from MDC, the small main wheels replaced with Eduard items. The airframe has been 'riveted' and all markings are painted with masks.


Next, this is the venerable Dragon Ta 152 as depicted with the Stab JG 301 and flown by Willi Reschke. The WNr. and the 'Green 9' only are decals, the other markings were masked and painted..

Below, this Bf 110 G-4 in the markings of Wilhelm Johnen is the very nice Eduard kit, radar antenna are after-market items from Master except for the scratch-built FuG 202. The crew boarding ladder is also a scratch item.  All markings were masked and painted.

Below, this superlative Me 262 night fighter is the Tamiya 48th scale kit converted to a two seater with the CMK set. Radar antenna are again from Master while all markings are masked and painted! 

St.G 2 Ju 87 B as flown by  Major Walter Enneccerus for the raid on the British carrier "HMS Illustrious" en route for Malta; this precision strike even drew the grudging admiration of Admiral Cunningham! This is the Hasegawa kit with numerous detail additions. 

Georg Hamon's Bf 109 G6 of 8./JG 53, the so-called "cartoon Staffel" based at Scaccia, in mid July  1943

Günther Specht Bf 109 G-5/AS WerkNr. 110 064 (JG 11 Gruppenkommandeur) in defence of the Reich, Reichsverteidigung

Subject of a four-page article in Avions magazine issue No. 140 and a two-page spread (p842-843) in Teil 2 of the Prien/Rodeike JG 1/11 history ('Einsatz in der Reichsverteidigung') is Günther Specht's Bf 109 G-5/AS as 'decorated' and photographed for his award of the Ritterkreuz on 8 April 1944 - note the RK representation over the cowl in the photo below..

Specht was Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 11 and his 29th and 30th victories had been achieved over Detmold on 22 Februay 1944 (a P-51 and a B-17). With 15 heavy bombers destroyed he was one of the leading 'bomber killers' in the Defence of the Reich, despite having lost his left eye in December 1939 when flying Bf 110 Zerstörer with ZG 26. See rudder close-up below. Interestingly in his photo caption for Specht's G-5, Prien suggests that the aircraft may have received a mottle of dark green or brown blotches although this variant was essentially designed for high-altitude interception and may even have been finished in overall RLM 76 from the factory, before receiving a rough 75 overspray. Note the 'cigar' shaped auxiliary fuel tank and the Geschwader emblem of JG 11 under the cockpit - the so-called Der Wächter from sculptor - and regime favourite - Arno Breker, which was first seen on the front page of German magazines after the fall of Stalingrad, usually under the title 'Revenge!'

 Seen in the cockpit of Specht's machine being shown over the controls is Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 52 who had returned to Germany for the award of the Swords to his RK during March 1944. Note the extremely light colour of the Stabswinkel chevrons. The presence of the visible air scoop in front of the windscreen has led some to conclude that this machine was not a pressurized "G-5/AS", but more probably a G-6/AS, which would cast some doubt on the WNr. Lynn Ritger in The Messerschmitt Bf 109 Part 2 states that a number of Bf 109 G-6/U2 fighters were converted to AS types (95 by Erla, 98 by Mimetall and 80 by Blohm und Voss) but interestingly no Bf 109 G-6/U3/AS are listed nor indeed any G-5/AS for that matter. On 15 May 1944 Specht was made up to Kommodore of JG 11 but was injured in a crash-landing during July. He led a Gefechtsverband or battle formation (an ad-hoc grouping of fighter Gruppen) during the Arnhem campaign claiming two RAF Typhoons and achieved his 34th and final victory on 5 December 1944.

 The model build courtesy Jean Barby is the Hasegawa G-10 mated to an MDC conversion set which included a new 'nose' with enlarged prop blades, a new air intake and a deeper radiator bath. Decals are from Superscale.