Part II Philippe Rico's "French aircraft in German colours"

new and forthcoming from our friends at Lela Presse, the second part of Philippe Rico's "French aircraft in German colours" published on 25 March 2016. Order here.

Website text by this blog author

Following on directly from the first part of Philippe Ricco's photographic study of French aircraft in German colours (Avions HS 40 covering the aircraft produced by Amiot, Arsenal, Bloch, Breguet, CAMS, Caudron, and Delanne ), this second installment features aircraft manufactured by French firms from Dewoitine to Starck. Once again we expect readers will be surprised and delighted by the remarkable range of images presented - some in colour - and the quality of their reproduction here. Detailed French-language image captions are complemented with lists of known codes and units for individual aircraft types while Pierre Tilley has produced a large number of well-rendered colour artworks. We are confident that the superb photographic content will render any potential language barrier irrelevant. This series is a 'must' for enthusiasts of both the Luftwaffe and French WWII aircraft. 

and an 'independent' review of Part 1 on Tom G. Fischer's blog here

refuelling and bombing up KG 77 Dornier Do 17 - daily Ebay photo find #161

Bombenbeladung einer Dornier Do 17. Click to view large. Markus Paul Ebay sales here

Also on this blog;

building the Airfix new-tool Dornier Do 17 Z in 1:72nd scale

Dornier 17 handbook illustrations, detail views, interiors, walkaround - reference for the new-tool Airfix Do 17 in  72nd scale 

more Russian Front Luftwaffe aces, Uffz Alfred Döllefeld "Gelbe 7", 9./JG 54, 9./ JG 3 ace Lt. Rolf Diergardt

 Bf 109 F-2 WNr.8086 Uffz Alfred Döllefeld "Gelbe 7", 9./JG 54, Notlandung 28.January 1942 at Gr. Machim due to engine damage (damage reported as 30%).Eastern Front, Winter 1941-1942

below; currently on offer via Manuel Rauh here

Zvezda 1:48th kit built by Brettas

Aces of 9./ JG 3, one of the most successful Staffeln in JG 3, from a well-known sequence (cf. Prien/Stemmer Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der III./ JG 3 pages 215-224 ). Below, Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 ‘Yellow 8’ of 9./JG 3, May 1942. Ofw. Georg Schentke on the wing. III./JG 3 emblem on the cowl and the inscription 'Peterle' under the cockpit. Schentke's nickname.

III./JG 3 ace Georg Schentke had some 43 victories - the same total as his Staffel comrade Ofw. Eberhard von Boremski, as per the rudder scoreboard - when the Staffel left the Russian Front to collect new Friedrich F-4s in Straubing during May 1942. Schentke was later that year one of the leading aces in the Platzschutzstaffel Pitomnik but was shot down (KIA) in the vicinity of Stalingrad on Christmas Day 1942. Currently on offer here

Below; Staffelkapitän 9./JG 3 Oblt. Viktor Bauer in the cockpit of his 'Yellow 7', 'Ellen' was Bauer's wife..

 Below; photo print in my shoebox of another 9./ JG 3 ace Lt. Rolf Diergardt in the cockpit of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 ‘Yellow 10’ ‘Li - Li - Li’ (WNr. 13324), Straubing, May 1942.  On 21 May, just two days after returning to the front - note the 'luggage' stowed behind his head - Diergardt returned his seventh victory in this machine. On 13 June ‘Yellow 10’‘Li - Li - Li’ was hit by another aircraft on the ground and sustained damages assessed at 20%. Diergardt was KIA on 11 August 1942 in the vicinity of Stalingrad in another Friedrich 'Yellow 10'. He had at least ten victories. The day before Staffelkapitän Bauer himself had been shot down and seriously wounded...

Jan Pavlik AZ Model Bf 109 G-6 Lt. Dr. Peter Werfft, Staffelkapitän 9./ JG 27

Jan Pavlik AZ Model Bf 109 G-6 Staffelkapitän 9./ JG 27 Lt. Dr. Peter Werfft

Werfft pictured on 12 April 1944 alongside his rudder scoreboard displaying 16 Abschüsse. Note the elaborate victory markings -  the Balken are decorated with RAF roundels for British and white star markings for American victims- single-engine opponents are indicated by  a white dot, twins with two dots and Viermots with three white stars..image via Dr. Jochen Prien and credited to 'Archive of Modern Conflict' (JfV 13/I), profile via Revi magazine (Bobek)

A further selection of 9./JG 27 images from Börgönd during the spring of 1944, source expired Ebay auction

Zvezda Junkers Ju 88 G-6 1/72 - AIMS resin Jumos and Ju 88 fighters decal sheet

Having looked at the Hasegawa Junkers Ju 88 G-6 elsewhere on this blog, I've picked up the Zvezda Junkers Ju 88 G-6 again. Great looking kit, for less than half the cost of the Hasegawa model. One or two issues apparent straight out of the box, and while I am no rivet-counter I will be replacing the tail fin with the Quickboost resin replacement and something will have to be done with the Jumo charger intakes which are very poor representations in the kit  - perhaps copied from the equally poor Hasegawa intakes.

John McIllmurray from AIMS (the Ju 88 modelling site) was in touch about this kit and commented ;

"...the tail is too small, the wings too thin (the side fuselage ducts are not needed on the G-6 ) and the engines are completely wrong and the nacelles immediately behind them too short! My engines not only have the right detail but include the missing cowling length so you can add them straight onto the kits cowling and blend in. Basically as with AMT before, Zvezda have done a compromise kit that can also become an A-4 but the Jumo 211 J and Jumo 213 are just too different both in power egg and rear cowling to allow this. If you already have the Quickboost fin/rudder all you need from me are the engines....."

Well my new engines have been waiting for me to get the razor saw out and this how they look thus far......

Elsewhere John has a very impressive new decal sheet arriving soon from the printers, " Junkers Ju 88 fighters " which I hope to look at in more detail soon

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 RS Models DFS 230 1:72 video review by Viktor Mullin

Click to watch Viktor Mullin's video review of the new RS Models DFS 230 glider. This new-tool RS Models DFS 230 features three markings options, nicely molded wing rib detail, some internal sidewall detail and an etch interior..

Also on this blog ;

RS Models Caudron C445 and a selection of reference images here