SPA Modeler

Oh wow! Most interesting indeed! And in service in 1942 at that! It looks like only the right wing was replaced and the left wing was in the sand color. Considering that the wing root filet is deep in shadow, it's your choice to decide upon RLM 79 or RLM 02/71. I suppose that the choice then would be determined by where the damage happened on the original wing... closer to the root or farther outboard. Decisions decisions...

I found a few more photos of that aircraft...









Nothing definitive on the wing root filet... but more details to be seen.

Oh man, thank for those photos, Carlos! That is really interesting. I've always been cautious about any "color profiles" and prefer good pics of the actual airframe. I'm going with a desert tan fillet (and that's that! ); I've been messing with those two RLM 71 triangles all damned day. First thing this AM, some ModelMaster enamel had a terrible reaction to some thinner. I had topped off my bottle of ModelMaster thinner, used for airbrushing, with some odor-less mineral spirits from Hobby Lobby. The enamel paint refused to dilute at all and was a total waste of time (and CO2). I changed to some Humbrol Dark Green 117 and then lightened that for some fading effects. After it was dry, it looked way to subtle, especially compared to the heavy fading seen on the 71 areas of that SB wing.

I then noticed a discrepancy between the actual photo's demarcation of 71 and 02 and that on the decal sheet. So, I remasked the area for the new shape and when I got the RLM 02 covered in the "new" places, I had left a distinct paint edge. I waited a couple hours and wet-sanded that away. I may hit it with the dark green before bed, but it will still need fading. I'm going to try straight RLM 02 through the splatter stencil and see if it resembles that crash pic. Crazy how much time such a small thing consumes!

I learned the following info from a member over at BritModeler, one GM Morrison, where I had asked the same question:

Bf 109E-7B WNr.4964 of the 7./ZG 1, "S9+DR"

(Uffz. Hans Sennholz, PoW 31.Aug. 1942 near El Alamein after being hit by Flak

Carlos, what do you make of those white "scratches" on that SB fuselage 'cross in the last pic? Think those are after the wreck effects?

I wonder if those white marks are some mud thrown up during the belly landing or sometimes shortly afterwards such as when the canopy was removed. They look to have been splashed then dripped down.

It almost looks like birdsh*t to me. Standing (roosting?) on the fuselage...doing their business...seems sort of like a statement by the birds!

Got a small update on this project; here's the painting progress thus far. I see a few touch-ups, but otherwise feel fairly good about it. The wing fillet still needs repainting in desert tan and of course the white areas need masking and paint. Finally, the yellow under the nose!

Gary Brantley wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 8:29 am

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 10:44 pm I wonder if those white marks are some mud thrown up during the belly landing or sometimes shortly afterwards such as when the canopy was removed. They look to have been splashed then dripped down.

It almost looks like birdsh*t to me. Standing (roosting?) on the fuselage...doing their business...seems sort of like a statement by the birds!

I kinda thought that too… except for the angled nature of the marks… if there were birds up there doing their deeds, gravity would make them vertical….

Looking real good so far on the build.

Good point! We would need to know more about their diet though. Could've had the squirts...

Thanks also for the encouragement, Carlos!

Well, Gary….. you’ll just have to wing it.

Yeah….you knew this was coming.

Interesting to see two different topside colors. Looking forward to seeing more.