German WW11 camo colours

[Guest]

Hello all. My first post!

A while ago I built a 1/72 Bf-109G and used the RLM 74/75/76 colours. I was happy with how it turned out and liked the colours. They looked very prototypical to my eye!

Lately I built a Revell 1/72 He-177 and so taken was I with the Bf109 colours I used them again along with a mottled sky effect on the lower fuselage, tail and underwing surfaces.

Of course I rushed into buidling the He-177 without doing all of the pre-requisite homework and have since established that it would have been more accurate to use RLM 70 and 71 rather than 74 and 75.

I quite like the 74/75 scheme on the He-177 (it looks very German) and am wondering whether anyone would know whether any He-177's or any Luftwaffe bombers for that matter may have worn 74/75 at any stage? I'm trying to find a reason for not re-painting the upper surfaces!

Thanks

Steve

[stona]

Hi Steve

The most likely factory applied scheme would probably have been70/71 over 65. The Luftwaffe were forever modifying their camouflage in the field. I remember a B+W photo of (I think) a captured 177. The upper surfaces are interpreted as a 70/71 mottle but the lower surfaces are clearly not one colour. They are usually interpreted as a 65/76 mottle.

Some may have had a maritime scheme. I am not at home at the moment but from memory those upper surfaces were two greens,maybe72/73, over 65.

Wartime Luftwaffe camouflage and colours is a proper minefield through which I have tip- toed on various occasions! The later in the war the less certainty there is. Good colour photographs are few and far between. I'd say if you are happy with your model leave it as it is. It's your model after all!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply Steve. Yes, I'll leave it as it is. (It will give me an excuse to build another one in the more standard colours!)

Steve