Info EDUARD
-
{"cz":"Info EDUARD"}
{"cz":"Měsíčník o historii a plastikovém modelářství.","en":"Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling."}
02/2024
Good day, Dear Friends After a year, I am writing today's editorial once again from Nuremberg. This year's Spielenwarenmesse started on Tuesday, and today, we are exactly at the halfway point, as the fair ends on Saturday. With German tenacity, the organizers are sticking with the five-day duration of the event, which gets on the nerves of most participants.
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INFO Eduarde-magazine FREE Vol 23 February 2024# 168Page 2
INFO Eduarde-magazine FREE Vol 23 February 2024# 168© Eduard - Model Accessories, 2024FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the textor graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other mediaform or otherwise distributed without the prior writtenpermission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.Page 3
eduardeduardFEBRUARY 2024CONTENTSEDITORIALKITSBRASSINPHOTO-ETCHED SETSSPACEHOW TO APPLY EDUARD DECALSBUILTON APPROACH–March 2024TAIL END CHARLIEHISTORYBOXART STORYSPARVIERO Limited 1/48L-39C Albatros ProfiPACK 1/72Fokker D.VIIF Weekend 1/48Spitfire Mk.Vb early Weekend 1/48Bf 109G-10 WNF ProfiPACK 1/48 Re-releaseI-16 Type 10 ProfiPACK 1/48 Re-releaseP-400 1/48P-38J left engine PRINT 1/48Gustav pt.1 1/72Bf 109F-4 1/72Fw 190A-8/R2 1/48P-39N Airacobra 1/48GUSTAV VI. -Messerschimt Bf 109G-6 part II.SAVOIA MARCHETTI SM.79ALBATROS -TIPS AND TRICKSLetecká vojna nad Ukrajinou-Wish for something,the red stars are falling!A face on the tailThe second youngestThe Non-Stop OffensiveThe end of the war at the Danube46364064768488104114129Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21support@eduard.com www.eduard.comPage 4
Good day, Dear FriendsAfter a year, I am writing today's editorialonce again from Nuremberg. This year'sSpielenwarenmesse started on Tuesday, and today,we are exactly at the halfway point, as the fair endson Saturday. With German tenacity, the organizersare sticking with the five-day duration of the event,which gets on the nerves of most participants.It's better than the six days they tried on us before,but it's still at least a day more than we want andneed to be here. From the point of view of theparticipation of companies, the fair is certainlybetter this year than last, but when it comes tovisitors, traders and journalists, the situation ismore or less still on the weak side. There is peacehere. Calm is usually nice, but at a trade fair, calmis probably the last thing an exhibitor wants toexperience. Maybe it will change tomorrow or theday after and the fair will come to life, but we haveno indication of that as yet. So we have begunthinking about a backup plan. I will tell you how itturned out in the next editorial.As far as February new releases are concerned,I have to tell you first and foremost about theSparviero and the Eduard Heavy Retro edition line.I feel that this is necessary, because the reactionsto this kit show a certain misunderstanding onthe part of modelers of what this edition andthe kits released in it actually are and will be.The Sparviero is a reminder of the old days, whenwe still had a long way to go to today's quality of ourkits. It is also an answer to the wishes of modelerswho would like to see some kits from that timeback in the range. I'll admit I resisted it long andhard, but last fall I capitulated and decided to giveit a go with these old pieces. I think that either itwill be a successful move and those who long forthe old kits will be satisfied, or it will be a flop andeveryone will be convinced that it is all nonsense.Since I don't think it's really possible to releasethese old pieces in our current lines, we've createda new line to release them, called ‘Eduard HeavyRetro’. There won't be any super modern perfectlyfitting kits in this line, but rather those older itemsthat lent themselves well to discussions andcriticisms pertaining to the execution of detailsand even on how to go about it. Or you may needto putty a hole with a diameter of 0.1 mm and drillanother one with the same diameter 1.2 mm tothe left….or right. Such horrors will be the priceyou pay with the kits in the EHR line. Part of theircharm will be that there will be no shortage oftopics to discuss. You’ll need to get out the putty,and some of you may have not seen a tube of thestuff in a long time indeed. You will have neitherthe time nor the mood to drill any holes. You canthen with confidence say that Eduard released thisto increase sales of GSI brand surface treatmentproducts. There won't be much detail on themoldings. This deficiency will be compensatedfor by the details on the PE frets and resin, whichare really a lot in this kit. Of course, there arealso masks, and I also guarantee you nice, high-quality decals, a great selection of markings anda beautiful boxart. We'll also add some goodreading for you here within the pages of ournewsletter. Today's article on the Sparvierowas written by the renowned expert onItalian aircraft, Mauricio di Terlici, and in myopinion, in addition to his admirable historicalknowledge, he projects the Italians' view of thissymbol of the Italian Regia Aeronautica into it.To sum it up, these are kits for the tough guys, formodelers who can do something with the canvasthey are given. But just because we've dustedoff and offered up old plastic doesn't mean we'llslack off on the rest. What is being created withthese kits today is what we do today….the higheststandard possible with them. And for those withthe skill and interest level in the subject matter,you will be considered among the elite.So, by reading this far, you know what it's allabout. If you are thinking of buying, consider yourabilities first. If you embark on this adventure,don't moan and whine. Show that you've got whatit takes or just stay away from these kits. They aredesigned with a specific segment of the modelingcommunity in mind. As they say, if you can’t standthe heat, get out of the kitchen. On the otherhand, if you have the urge to get into somethinglike this, or at least add it to your collection, don'tEDITORIALINFO Eduard4February 2024Page 5
hesitate too long. For reasons I don't understand,the Sparviero is the best selling February release,and since we only made 2000, we don't have manyleft. As of today, there are just over 400 available.With this sales so dynamic, an item like thisusually doesn't make it past the end of the firstmonth of sales. The good old slogan of ‘take it orleave it’ still applies. This is no joke, heavy retrois heavy retro.Another February new release, the L-39CAlbatros in 1:72, is a bit of a lighter retro.The molds for this kit are actually almost as oldas the Sparviero molds. The Albatros L-39 wasmade by us, the Sparviero comes from SpecialHobby. The Sparviero is a more difficult test, buteven the Albatros will benefit from modelingskills nicely. In this issue, you will see the creationof a near perfect model (assuming there is noperfection) , despite the age of the kit in our articleby Karel Pádár about his build of the 72nd L-39 inHungarian markings.If you don't have the stomach for these oldpieces, we also have current standard qualityitems for you. This is in the shape of the FokkerD.VIIF and Spitfire Mk.Vb in the Weekend range,in addition to re-releases the Bf 109 G-10 (WNF) andI-16 Type 10, both of these items being Profipackreleases and all four kits mentioned are in 1:48th.For all of them, in today's newsletter issue wehave the popular corresponding Boxart Story,with the exception of I-16 type 10, which is writtenby Jan Bobek in his Tail End Charlie contribution.This article is also worth reading. You will learna lot about the background of the creation ofour boxarts, their historical development andthe meaning of our striving for realistic andhistorically accurate boxarts.I won't go into any great detail about theadditions to our range coming from the Februarylineup of new releases. You can find everythingimportant about them throughout this issue of ournewsletter. I will mention just one item which isthe 1:48th scale P-38J Lightning engine for use inthe Tamiya P-38J kit. We have been working ourway through many difficulties for a long time inreleasing this Brassin set, or rather kit, to be moreprecise. It is probably the most complicated andcomplex project undertaken in the Brassin seriesso far. You can see what the result looks like notonly on the product page of this item, but also inJan Baranc's article about building his model ofthis engine.We keep coming across various criticismsregarding our decals. The latter, in our opinion,is associated with the fear of a new thing,shrouded in the fog of new ideas and associatedprejudices and rumors that digital decals and theirproperties specifically precipitate. This situationreminds me a bit of the distrust and skepticismthat once existed about digital photography. Today,Jakub Nademlejnský will try to dispel your fearsand mistrust with his article about working withdigital decals from our production. By the way,the aforementioned L-39C model by Karel Pádáralso uses these decals, as well as all the othermodels that we have presented both in this issueand in previous ones of the newsletter for at leastthe last four years.In the historical articles, in addition to thealready mentioned Sparviero bit by MaurizioDi Terlizzi, we have another installment ofthe Air War over Ukraine series by Mira Baričand the second part of Gustav VI., that is, thedevelopmental history of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 and its variants. I thought this would be thelast part, but it looks like I have a few facts leftthat didn't fit into the two previous, so there will bea Part Three. It follows that I am an undisciplinedauthor, not adhering to the set scope of mywork. In order not to make this situation worse,I am quitting for today and going to attend tomy duties as an exhibitor at the fair. I wish youa pleasant evening and a good read!Happy Modelling!Vladimir SulcINFO Eduard5February 2024GUSTAV Part Two
In the second part of our Gustav VI article, we will focus on armament and equipment upgrade and conversion sets, take a gander at the reconnaissance versions of the Bf 109 G-6 including the recce specific Bf 109 G-8, we’ll describe the high-altitude Bf 109 G-5 and finally, we will take a look at the Bf 109 G-14, a de facto summary of all modifications and improvements continuously introduced into production during the long development of the Bf 109 G-6 series and its variants.
Equipment and weapons sets / Rüstsätze RFor the Bf 109 G-6, as for other versions of the Bf 109 G, modification kitswere available, installed in unit level workshops or service centers duringoverhauls. Available weapon sets were as follows:Rüstsatz R1: bomb rack (Abwurfwaffenanlage) ETC 500 IX b for one 250 kg(550 lb) bomb.Rüstsatz R2: bomb rack (Abwurfwaffenanlage) 4 x ETC 50 VII d for four50 kg (110 lb) bombs.Rüstsatz R4: bomb rack/dispenser for twenty-four SD 2 bomblets (Abwurf-waffenanlage für 24 SD 2).Rüstsatz R6: Underwing pods each holding an MG 151/20 20mm cannon(Flügelgondel – bewaffnung zwei MG 151/20 mm).Title photo: Luutn. Kyösti Karhila of 3/HLeLv 24 in the cockpit of MT-461 at Lappeenranta base in July 1944. This aircraft with WNr. 165342 and Stammkennzeichen SZ+PGwas received by the unit at the end of June 1944. Finnish pilots achieved a total of 18 victories with this plane, of which Karhila achieved eight successes. [Photo: SA-Kuva]In the second part of our Gustav VI article, we will focus on armament and equipment upgrade and conversion sets, take a gander atthe reconnaissance versions of the Bf 109 G-6 including the recce specific Bf 109 G-8, we’ll describe the high-altitude Bf 109 G-5 andfinally, we will take a look at the Bf 109 G-14, a de facto summary of all modifications and improvements continuously introduced intoproduction during the long development of the Bf 109 G-6 series and its variants.Rüstsatz R2Rüstsatz R6INFO Eduard6February 2024Page 7
Equipment and weapons sets / Rüstsätze RFor the Bf 109 G-6, as for other versions of the Bf 109 G, modification kitswere available, installed in unit level workshops or service centers duringoverhauls. Available weapon sets were as follows:Rüstsatz R1: bomb rack (Abwurfwaffenanlage) ETC 500 IX b for one 250 kg(550 lb) bomb.Rüstsatz R2: bomb rack (Abwurfwaffenanlage) 4 x ETC 50 VII d for four50 kg (110 lb) bombs.Rüstsatz R4: bomb rack/dispenser for twenty-four SD 2 bomblets (Abwurf-waffenanlage für 24 SD 2).Rüstsatz R6: Underwing pods each holding an MG 151/20 20mm cannon(Flügelgondel – bewaffnung zwei MG 151/20 mm).Title photo: Luutn. Kyösti Karhila of 3/HLeLv 24 in the cockpit of MT-461 at Lappeenranta base in July 1944. This aircraft with WNr. 165342 and Stammkennzeichen SZ+PGwas received by the unit at the end of June 1944. Finnish pilots achieved a total of 18 victories with this plane, of which Karhila achieved eight successes. [Photo: SA-Kuva]In the second part of our Gustav VI article, we will focus on armament and equipment upgrade and conversion sets, take a gander atthe reconnaissance versions of the Bf 109 G-6 including the recce specific Bf 109 G-8, we’ll describe the high-altitude Bf 109 G-5 andfinally, we will take a look at the Bf 109 G-14, a de facto summary of all modifications and improvements continuously introduced intoproduction during the long development of the Bf 109 G-6 series and its variants.Rüstsatz R2Rüstsatz R6Rüstsatz R3Rüstsatz W: Bordrakete BR 21 cmBR 21 21cm rockets, also known as W. Gr. 21 orWfr. Gr. 21, unofficially dubbed ‘Dödel’ (‘fool’, butcarried a number of other understood meanings)were a new and exclusive piece of armament forthe Bf 109 G-6, with other version use having notbeen documented. In addition to the Bf 109 G-6,they were deployed on the Fw 190 A of variousversions and the twin-engined Bf 110 G-2, andMe 210/410. Bf 109 G-6s armed with a pair of rock-ets may have been designated Bf 109 G-6/w.Equipment upgrades:Rüstsatz R3: 300 liter auxiliary drop tank (300 Liter Kraftstoffzusatztank)Various types of drop tank were used:BR 21 rocket launchers instalationThe BR 21 aerial rocket launchers were cre-ated by adapting the Nebelwerfer 42 six-bar-reled ground based 21cm rocket launcher byhanging the launch tube under the wing ofthe aircraft. In the case of the Bf 109 G-6 andFw 190 A-8, one rocket launcher was sus-pended under each wing at an angle of 15o tothe airfoil centreline. The weight of the rocketwas 112. 6kg (250lb), it was powered by solidfuel propellant weighing 18. 4kg (40lb), andthe warhead contained 40. 8kg (90lb) of ex-plosives. The muzzle velocity of the projec-tile was 320 m/s (1,050 ft/s), effective range1,200m (4,000ft), and the rocket was rotationstabilized. Since rocket launchers signifi-cantly worsened the flight characteristicsand speed of the aircraft, it was possible tojettison them as necessary.The use of BR 21 rockets was tested andfine tuned by fighter groups JG 1 and JG 11.They also used them for the first time incombat on July 29th, 1943, during a USAAFraid on Kiel and Warnemünde. During August,combat tactics were further developed, andBR 21s gradually reached other units.On August 17th, 1943, they were deployed inthe famous American raid on Schweinfurtand Regensburg, in which the USAAF lostsixty bombers and another 95 were damagedto varying degrees. A large part of them werewritten off after their return. This was espe-and cannon armament. In the case of unitswith Bf 109 G-6s, these were often Bf 109G-6/R6s with underwing gun pods mountingMG 151/20 cannon.It was an effective combat tactic, suc-cessful especially against groups of heavyfour-engine bombers operating deep in Ger-man airspace without fighter escort, as wasthe case with the raid on Schweinfurt andRegensburg. In the second half of 1943, Ger-man tactics against American heavy four-en-gine bombers were so effective and inflictedsuch heavy losses on the Americans thatafter the second raid on Regensburg in Oc-tober, 1943, the USAAF Eighth Air Force halt-ed major raids on Germany for five months.It resumed these only in February 1944, afterit had enough escort fighters with sufficientrange to provide protection over the entirebomber route at its disposal.BR 21s were also used to attack formationsof medium bombers both on the WesternFront and in the Mediterranean. A total of402,600 210 mm Wfr rockets were producedduring the war (Wurframmen Granate 21),including both ground and air launchers.cially the case with the 3rd BombardmentWing of the 8th Air Force under the commandof Colonel Curtis LeMay, which attacked Re-gensburg and continued south after the raidand landed at American bases in North Africa.However, it should be noted that the deploy-ment of BR 21 was only one of the many rea-sons for such heavy losses.In the Defense of the Reich (Reichsvertei-digung) units, one Staffel, equipped with theBf 109 G-6/w, was usually allocated withinthe Gruppe, called the Werferstaffel. The de-ployment tactic was to attack with the fullstrength of the entire Gruppe, of which oneStaffel (usually twelve aircraft) was armedwith BR 21 rockets. The latter began the at-tack by firing their rockets from a distance of600 to 1000m (650 to 1100 yards) at a box for-mation of bombers. Timed fuses were mainlyused, although impact fuses could be as well.Timed fuses detonated rockets inside the boxformation, with the aim of breaking up theformation and separating any damaged ma-chines from it, which were then attacked byother Staffel birds from the Assault Gruppe,equipped with fighters armed only with gunHISTORYINFO Eduard7February 2024Page 8
Rüstsatz R7: ZVG 16ZVG 16 direction finder system with PR 16 (Peilrahmen) loop antenna at thetop of the spine. (Peilrufanlage ZVG 16 mit PR 16 Peilrahmen)Armament sets R1, R2 and R6 were already used on the Bf 109 F and es-pecially on the G-2 and G-4. On the Bf 109 G-6, as on the G-2 and G-4, theR6 set consisting of the underwing cannon pods were popular. They signifi-cantly increased the firepower of the aircraft armed with them, and thanksto the more powerful DB 605 A engine, they did not reduce the performanceof the machine as much as was the case with both versions of the Bf 109 F,in which these nacelles were not used much due to the lower power offeredby their engines. Their use on the Bf 109 G-6 was even more extensive thanon the G-2 and G-4.Bf 109 G-5The Bf 109 G-6 also had a high-altitude variant with a pressurized cockpitin the form of the Bf 109 G-5, the distinguishing feature of which, like theother high-altitude versions of the Bf 109 F and G, was an airtight armoredbulkhead with two triangular windows in the upper corners, mounted in themiddle of the hinged canopy section so that it formed a wall behind the pi-lot. On this bulkhead, there were two cockpit pressurization system valves,one was a safety valve, preventing the maximum cabin pressure from be-ing exceeded, and the other was an equalizing pressure valve. Contrary topopular belief that the G-5 version did not have standard armor, this wassurprisingly not the case. Much of the G-5 run with the standard canopy hadboth an airtight bulkhead and standard slanted armor mounted beneath thehinged canopy cover. There were silica gel capsules in the corners of thecockpit canopy windows to absorb moisture between the panes. Handlesbehind the cockpit were on both sides of the fuselage.The Bf 109 G-5 also had, as part of the cockpit pressurization system,blanked off vents under the cockpit windscreen on the side of the fuselagebelow the cockpit. Those on the cowl were either not there at all, or theywere also decommissioned and fared over.The G-5 version also featured a small bulge covering the cockpit pres-surization air compressor, added to the larger fairing over the machine gunon the right side of the forward fuselage. But it is not a clear identifier bywhich to gage the Bf 109 G-5. As already mentioned, it was also used onsome of the Bf 109 G-6 fighters produced by all three manufacturers turn-ing out Bf 109 Gs. The compressor was the new Knorr-Luftpresser 300/10type. It was an oil-free item with two pistons rotating against each other ina figure eight. This compressor (blower) had certain disadvantages, main-ly pulses of compressed air being blown back into the compressor cham-ber. This was because the pistons do not touch the chamber walls, but thatfeature allowed for operation without lubricating oil. However, this is of nopractical importance for pressurizing the small space of the cockpit. Addi-tionally, the pulses were dampened by the relief valve situated on the rearair-tight bulkhead of the cockpit. The advantage of the Roots blower wasthe achievement of a stable output pressure and a high flow rate of com-pressed air at low revolutions, along with the already mentioned absenceof oil. This was an advantage precisely for pressurizing the cockpit, whichwas not polluted by oil and the compressed air did not need to be filtered.The reason for moving the compressor to the side of the engine from its top,where the MAG III air compressor was located on the Bf 109 G-1 and G-3,is not entirely clear. M. Baumgarl states that it did not fit between the largerMG 131 machine guns. This may be true, but it is probably not due to the sizeof the machine guns, but rather to the different shape of the Knorr 300/10compressor as compared to the MAG III unit.None of the authors state that the DB 605 A-1 engine in the Bf 109 G-5had modified high altitude characteristics. A special high altitude distributor(Zünder) with modified plug firing was considered for the Bf 109 G-5/U2, butin the end, the standard Bosch ZM 12 CR 8 distributor, only with a modifiedignition advance for the spark plugs, was retained.During 1943 and early 1944, production of the Bf 109 G-5 took place at theErla AG works in Leipzig. The first five airframes were produced as partof production block 15 000 by March and April of 1943. H. H. Vogt lists theproduction numbers as 15 338 to 15 344, which does not quite fit the fiveunits he claims. The reason for this may lie in that the Bf 109 G-5 was onthe production line together with the G-6, so the serial numbers did notCockpit ventilation for Bf 109 G-6and Bf 109 G-5Bf 109 G-6Bf 109 G-5Bf 109 G-5Exploring the frequency of the R6 kitusage on the Bf 109 G-6According to some researchers, the can-non pod use on the Bf 109 G-6 decreasedas compared to the Bf 109 G-4. In this case,it would have been because the introductionof the MG 131 fuselage mounted machineguns increased the firepower of the Bf 109G-6, reducing the need for additional arma-ment. It makes sense if the advantage ofa lighter and therefore more powerful andmaneuverable fighter outweighed the advan-tage of more firepower, and in some cases it,this may have certainly held true.But I have my doubts about this claim.For one thing, I don’t think that the needwould decrease for fighter firepower on ei-ther the Eastern or Western fronts, or in theMediterranean for that matter. Targets thatrequired concentrated firepower over a shortBf 109G-6 ratio of aircraft with the pods to thosewithout: 1. 16:1From this it would follow that the ratio ofaircraft equipped with cannon pods betweensubsequent models increased, and while theG-2 and G-4 have more airframes without thepods in the photos, those with them dominatein the G-6. With this in mind, it is important tonote that there are aircraft with BR 21 rock-ets launchers in a significant number of theavailable images. This too would indicate anever-increasing demand for firepower ratherthan the other way around.Granted that this is not a scientific analysisof the subject matter using proper data sam-pling or methodology, but the result hinted atcan be taken as a solid base for a hypothesisthat would be worth a more thorough exam-ination.firing bursts was not only ever present on allbattlefields, but increased in number. In theWest and the Mediterranean, they were sore-ly needed against allied medium and heavybombers, and in the East, against the Sovi-et Il-2 armored beasts of various versions.All these adversaries over the fronts were in-creasing in number, firepower and improvedtactical use and the quality of their pilotswas growing. It makes no sense to me thatthe Luftwaffe would go about decreasing thefirepower of its fighters.The second reason for my doubts is in theanalysis of the available photos. In those thatare at my disposal, the ratio of photos of air-craft that can be identified as having cannonpods under the wing to those that do not isas follows:Bf 109 G-2 ratio of aircraft with the pods to thosewithout: 1:2. 4Bf 109 G-4 ratio of aircraft with the pods to thosewithout: 1:1. 1HISTORYINFO Eduard8February 2024Page 9
Rüstsatz R7: ZVG 16ZVG 16 direction finder system with PR 16 (Peilrahmen) loop antenna at thetop of the spine. (Peilrufanlage ZVG 16 mit PR 16 Peilrahmen)Armament sets R1, R2 and R6 were already used on the Bf 109 F and es-pecially on the G-2 and G-4. On the Bf 109 G-6, as on the G-2 and G-4, theR6 set consisting of the underwing cannon pods were popular. They signifi-cantly increased the firepower of the aircraft armed with them, and thanksto the more powerful DB 605 A engine, they did not reduce the performanceof the machine as much as was the case with both versions of the Bf 109 F,in which these nacelles were not used much due to the lower power offeredby their engines. Their use on the Bf 109 G-6 was even more extensive thanon the G-2 and G-4.Bf 109 G-5The Bf 109 G-6 also had a high-altitude variant with a pressurized cockpitin the form of the Bf 109 G-5, the distinguishing feature of which, like theother high-altitude versions of the Bf 109 F and G, was an airtight armoredbulkhead with two triangular windows in the upper corners, mounted in themiddle of the hinged canopy section so that it formed a wall behind the pi-lot. On this bulkhead, there were two cockpit pressurization system valves,one was a safety valve, preventing the maximum cabin pressure from be-ing exceeded, and the other was an equalizing pressure valve. Contrary topopular belief that the G-5 version did not have standard armor, this wassurprisingly not the case. Much of the G-5 run with the standard canopy hadboth an airtight bulkhead and standard slanted armor mounted beneath thehinged canopy cover. There were silica gel capsules in the corners of thecockpit canopy windows to absorb moisture between the panes. Handlesbehind the cockpit were on both sides of the fuselage.The Bf 109 G-5 also had, as part of the cockpit pressurization system,blanked off vents under the cockpit windscreen on the side of the fuselagebelow the cockpit. Those on the cowl were either not there at all, or theywere also decommissioned and fared over.The G-5 version also featured a small bulge covering the cockpit pres-surization air compressor, added to the larger fairing over the machine gunon the right side of the forward fuselage. But it is not a clear identifier bywhich to gage the Bf 109 G-5. As already mentioned, it was also used onsome of the Bf 109 G-6 fighters produced by all three manufacturers turn-ing out Bf 109 Gs. The compressor was the new Knorr-Luftpresser 300/10type. It was an oil-free item with two pistons rotating against each other ina figure eight. This compressor (blower) had certain disadvantages, main-ly pulses of compressed air being blown back into the compressor cham-ber. This was because the pistons do not touch the chamber walls, but thatfeature allowed for operation without lubricating oil. However, this is of nopractical importance for pressurizing the small space of the cockpit. Addi-tionally, the pulses were dampened by the relief valve situated on the rearair-tight bulkhead of the cockpit. The advantage of the Roots blower wasthe achievement of a stable output pressure and a high flow rate of com-pressed air at low revolutions, along with the already mentioned absenceof oil. This was an advantage precisely for pressurizing the cockpit, whichwas not polluted by oil and the compressed air did not need to be filtered.The reason for moving the compressor to the side of the engine from its top,where the MAG III air compressor was located on the Bf 109 G-1 and G-3,is not entirely clear. M. Baumgarl states that it did not fit between the largerMG 131 machine guns. This may be true, but it is probably not due to the sizeof the machine guns, but rather to the different shape of the Knorr 300/10compressor as compared to the MAG III unit.None of the authors state that the DB 605 A-1 engine in the Bf 109 G-5had modified high altitude characteristics. A special high altitude distributor(Zünder) with modified plug firing was considered for the Bf 109 G-5/U2, butin the end, the standard Bosch ZM 12 CR 8 distributor, only with a modifiedignition advance for the spark plugs, was retained.During 1943 and early 1944, production of the Bf 109 G-5 took place at theErla AG works in Leipzig. The first five airframes were produced as partof production block 15 000 by March and April of 1943. H. H. Vogt lists theproduction numbers as 15 338 to 15 344, which does not quite fit the fiveunits he claims. The reason for this may lie in that the Bf 109 G-5 was onthe production line together with the G-6, so the serial numbers did notCockpit ventilation for Bf 109 G-6and Bf 109 G-5Bf 109 G-6Bf 109 G-5Bf 109 G-5Exploring the frequency of the R6 kitusage on the Bf 109 G-6According to some researchers, the can-non pod use on the Bf 109 G-6 decreasedas compared to the Bf 109 G-4. In this case,it would have been because the introductionof the MG 131 fuselage mounted machineguns increased the firepower of the Bf 109G-6, reducing the need for additional arma-ment. It makes sense if the advantage ofa lighter and therefore more powerful andmaneuverable fighter outweighed the advan-tage of more firepower, and in some cases it,this may have certainly held true.But I have my doubts about this claim.For one thing, I don’t think that the needwould decrease for fighter firepower on ei-ther the Eastern or Western fronts, or in theMediterranean for that matter. Targets thatrequired concentrated firepower over a shortBf 109G-6 ratio of aircraft with the pods to thosewithout: 1. 16:1From this it would follow that the ratio ofaircraft equipped with cannon pods betweensubsequent models increased, and while theG-2 and G-4 have more airframes without thepods in the photos, those with them dominatein the G-6. With this in mind, it is important tonote that there are aircraft with BR 21 rock-ets launchers in a significant number of theavailable images. This too would indicate anever-increasing demand for firepower ratherthan the other way around.Granted that this is not a scientific analysisof the subject matter using proper data sam-pling or methodology, but the result hinted atcan be taken as a solid base for a hypothesisthat would be worth a more thorough exam-ination.firing bursts was not only ever present on allbattlefields, but increased in number. In theWest and the Mediterranean, they were sore-ly needed against allied medium and heavybombers, and in the East, against the Sovi-et Il-2 armored beasts of various versions.All these adversaries over the fronts were in-creasing in number, firepower and improvedtactical use and the quality of their pilotswas growing. It makes no sense to me thatthe Luftwaffe would go about decreasing thefirepower of its fighters.The second reason for my doubts is in theanalysis of the available photos. In those thatare at my disposal, the ratio of photos of air-craft that can be identified as having cannonpods under the wing to those that do not isas follows:Bf 109 G-2 ratio of aircraft with the pods to thosewithout: 1:2. 4Bf 109 G-4 ratio of aircraft with the pods to thosewithout: 1:1. 1necessarily run consecutively, but intermingled with the serial numbers ofthe concurrently produced G-6. A further 200 or so were built in productionblock 15 000 between June and October, 1943. Further G-5s were built inproduction blocks 26 000 (25) and 27 000 (33) between August and October,1943. The last of the series comprised 287 machines in production block110 000, built continuously between November, 1943 and June, 1944. FromFebruary 1944, the Bf 109 G-5 and G-5/U2 were produced at Erla Werk VII inAntwerp, Belgium.Bf 109 G-5/U2Some Bf 109 G-5s were built as the Bf 109 G-5/U2, equipped with a GM-1boost system. The GM-1 system pressure bottles were located in the rightwing, unlike the Bf 109 G-6/U2, which had the GM-1 pressure bottles placedin the fuselage, behind the second fuselage bulkhead. According to H. H.Vogt, most, if not all, Bf 109 G-5s, including the airframes from productionblock 15 000 in March and February, 1943, were built as G-5/U2. But thisis contradicted by M. Baumgartl’s statement, which states that the GM-1system was only available for the G-5 from July or August 1943, and thefirst fully equipped G-5/U2s were delivered only from December, 1943.The statement by M . Baumgartl seems to me to be better grounded.All Bf 109 G-5/U2s had VDM 9-12159. 10 propellers, the same as the Bf 109G-6/AS and G-10 powered by the DB 605 AS and DB 605 D engine respec-tively. This propeller was considered for all G-5s, but eventually G-5s with-out the GM 1 system were supplied with the standard VDM 9-12087. 10 unit.The Bf 109 G-5/U2 also did not have laminated armor fuel tanks. The removalof the armor compensated for the increase in weight of the Bf 109 G-5/U2,caused by the installation of the GM 1 system, and the heavier VDM 9. 12159.10 propeller.The Bf 109 G-5 was also produced in several production variants. All hadthe same armament and the same engine (DB 601 A) as the Bf 109 G-6.First Production VariantBf 109 G-5 from production block 15 000 (205 units, five in March and April1943, 200 between June and October, 1943).These airframes had the following distinctive features:- Tall antenna mast.- Not equipped with a ZVG 16 direction finder and lacked the associated PR 16 loopantenna on the fuselage spine.- FuG 16 Z radio was used.- FuG 25a IFF system.- REVI C 12 D gunsight.- Sealed cockpit, silica gel tablets in the corners of the canopy windows (1).- Airtight bulkhead forming the rear wall of the hinged canopy section (2).- Angled armor plate behind the pilot’s head (3).- Suction slots for cockpit ventilation under the windscreen absent (5).- Without cockpit vent on left side below canopy (6).- A small bulge covering the Knorr 300/10 compressor on the lower leading edgeof the fairing covering the breech of the right fuselage machine gun.- On the right side of the fuselage, there was only a socket for the external electricalpower source connection and the access cover for the pressurized oxygen bottlebetween fuselage bulkheads 1 and 2.Second Production VariantThis covered Bf 109 G-5s from production blocks 26 000 (25) and 27 000(33) produced between August and October, 1943, and part of the Bf 109 G-5and Bf 109 G-5/U2 run from production block 110 000.These aircraft displayed the following features:- Short antenna mast.- Most had the ZVG 16 direction finder system with the associated PR 16 loopantenna on the spine.- FuG 16 Z radio.- Commanders’ aircraft, equipped with a FuG 16 ZY radio and its Moranmast whipantenna mounted under the fuselage/wing were designated Bf 109 G-5/Y.- FuG 25a IFF system.- REVI C12 D gunsight.- Sealed cockpit, silica gel tablets in the corners of the canopy windows (1)- An airtight partition forming the rear wall of the hinged section of the canopy.- Angled armor behind the pilot’s head in aircraft from production block 110 000.- A small bulge covering the Knorr 300/10 compressor on the lower leading edgeof the fairing covering the breech of the right fuselage machine gun (4).- Ventilation slots under the windscreen were missing (5).- Vents on the left side of the fuselage below the canopy were also absent.- Bf 109 G-5/U2 had a VDM 9-12159. 10 propeller with wider blades(as with the Bf 109 G-10)- A small fuel tank was used for starting the engine, with a filler neck on the rightside of the fuselage spine between fuselage bulkheads 4 and 5 (6).HISTORYINFO Eduard9February 2024Page 10
- The Bf 109 G-5/U2 in the 110 000 range production block had the GM-1boost system pressure bottles located in the left wing, the access coverfor which was on the lower wing surface (7).Example: Bf 109G-5/U2/R6, WNr. 27112, Flown by Maj. Walther Dahl,III. /JG 3, Bad Wörishofen, Germany, December, 1943.Third Production VariantThis characterizes part of Bf 109 G-5 and Bf 109 G-5/U2 production in block110 000. These aircraft had Erlahaube canopies and short rudders, and areoften confused with the Bf 109 G-6 or G-14.These aircraft can be identified by the following:- Short antenna mast.- Erlahaube-type canopy, non-pressurized. (10)- Short rudder.- Usually equipped with a ZVG 16 direction finder unit with its PR 16 loop antennaon the spine.- FuG 16 Z radio.- Command aircraft, equipped with a FuG 16 ZY radio with its Moranmast whipantenna mounted under the left wing were designated Bf 109 G-5/Y. (8)- FuG 25a IFF system.- REVI C 12 D gunsight.- REVI 16 B gunsight from the summer of 1944.- A small bulge covering the Knorr 300/10 compressor on the lower leading edge of thefairing covering the breech of the right fuselage machine gun.- A small fuel tank was used for starting the engine, with a filler neck on the right sideof the fuselage spine between fuselage bulkheads 4 and 5.- The Bf 109 G-5/U2 had a cover on the underside of the left wing for access to the GM-1boost system pressure bottles located in the wing (7)- No intake gills for cockpit ventilation under the windscreen. In some cases, probablyon aircraft converted from older airframes, the cockpit ventilation openings may havebeen covered with circular caps (9)- Cockpit ventilation on the left side under the canopy were absent.- The Bf 109 G-5/U2 had a VDM 9-12159. 10 propeller with wider blades(as with the Bf 109 G-10).HISTORYINFO Eduard10February 2024Page 11
- The Bf 109 G-5/U2 in the 110 000 range production block had the GM-1boost system pressure bottles located in the left wing, the access coverfor which was on the lower wing surface (7).Example: Bf 109G-5/U2/R6, WNr. 27112, Flown by Maj. Walther Dahl,III. /JG 3, Bad Wörishofen, Germany, December, 1943.Third Production VariantThis characterizes part of Bf 109 G-5 and Bf 109 G-5/U2 production in block110 000. These aircraft had Erlahaube canopies and short rudders, and areoften confused with the Bf 109 G-6 or G-14.These aircraft can be identified by the following:- Short antenna mast.- Erlahaube-type canopy, non-pressurized. (10)- Short rudder.- Usually equipped with a ZVG 16 direction finder unit with its PR 16 loop antennaon the spine.- FuG 16 Z radio.- Command aircraft, equipped with a FuG 16 ZY radio with its Moranmast whipantenna mounted under the left wing were designated Bf 109 G-5/Y. (8)- FuG 25a IFF system.- REVI C 12 D gunsight.- REVI 16 B gunsight from the summer of 1944.- A small bulge covering the Knorr 300/10 compressor on the lower leading edge of thefairing covering the breech of the right fuselage machine gun.- A small fuel tank was used for starting the engine, with a filler neck on the right sideof the fuselage spine between fuselage bulkheads 4 and 5.- The Bf 109 G-5/U2 had a cover on the underside of the left wing for access to the GM-1boost system pressure bottles located in the wing (7)- No intake gills for cockpit ventilation under the windscreen. In some cases, probablyon aircraft converted from older airframes, the cockpit ventilation openings may havebeen covered with circular caps (9)- Cockpit ventilation on the left side under the canopy were absent.- The Bf 109 G-5/U2 had a VDM 9-12159. 10 propeller with wider blades(as with the Bf 109 G-10).EXAMPLE: Bf 109 G-5, W. Nr. 15729, Flown by Obstlt. Hermann Graf, Stab. /JG11, Jever, Winter 1944. The aircraft is sometimes listed as a G-6converted from a G-5, but it is a G-5. There could be several reasons why the 15 000 series airframes had an Erlahaube canopy.M. Baumgartl states that twenty Bf 109 G-5s were built, powered bya DB 628 A-0 engine with a two-stage supercharger and fitted with a VDM9-12159. 10 propeller with wider blades (as the Bf 109 G-10). One Hundredand thirty of these engines were built, so their use in the Bf 109 G-5 is notreally out of the question.The G-5/R2 version is a bit of an enigma. According to M. Baumgartl,seventy-two of a planned 126 were built, and according to him, it wasa photo-reconnaissance version, equivalent to the Bf 109 G-6/R2. They wereallegedly made without fuselage machine guns, but whether they were ac-tually produced is unknown. In addition to these machines, sixteen Bf 109G-5/R2/AS and 76 Bf 109 G-5/AS aircraft were also produced, powered bythe BD 605 AS engine with the VDM 9-12159. 10 propeller.Photo Reconnaissance Bf 109 G-6Part of the Bf 109 G-6 run was dedicated to photo reconnaissance.In the following paragraphs, the three photo reconnaissance versions aredescribed chronologically as they were produced. As a result, the Bf 109G-6/R3 version, produced in the summer and autumn of 1943, is describedbefore the Bf 109 G-6/R2 version, produced in late 1944.Bf 109 G-6/R3The photographic equipment in this aircraft consisted of an Rb 50/30 cam-era. Access to the camera was from the cockpit through a hatch in the rearsloping cockpit wall. The Bf 109 G-6/R3 had two grooves in the bottom of thefuselage/wing section to divert oil escaping from the oil cooler under thenose and to prevent the leaking oil from obstructing the camera lens. Thesegrooves were run parallel from the rear corners of the oil cooler across theentire center wing section to the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage transi-tion. The main armament was reduced to the MG 151/20 cannon. Fuselagemachine guns were not installed, the gun troughs were fared over, and in-stead of machine guns, an additional oil tank with a volume of 20 liters wasplaced in the compartment of the machine gun mounts. Unlike the laterBf 109 G-6/R2, the MW 50 boost system was not installed. Radio equipmentconsisted of a FuG 16Z radio and a FuG 25a IFF system. A ZVG 16 directionguidance system (Peilrufanlage) with a PR 16 (Peilrahmen) loop antenna onthe fuselage spine (Rüstsatz R7) could also be installed. The canopy, unlikethe G-6/R2, was of the standard type. In addition to the possibility of car-rying an auxiliary tank under the fuselage, a variant with two additionaltanks with a volume of 300 liters each under the wings was also developed,but it is not certain whether it was ever introduced into operational service.At WNF, 35 were produced in the summer of 1943 (between June and August)in production block 20 000, and five in the fall of 1943 in production block140 000.Rüstsatz R7(photo: Mikael Olrog / The Bf 109 Lair)HISTORYINFO Eduard11February 2024Page 12
Bf 109 G-6/R2Photographic equipment consisted of an Rb 75/30 or Rb 50/30 camera (1).They carried full gun armament and were powered by a DB 605 AM enginewith the MW 50 boost system that injected a mixture of water and metha-nol into the compressor intake. Between the second and third fuselagebulkheads just offset from the top of the spine was the MW 50 system tankfiller cap (4). The battery was moved to the luggage compartment in thecockpit, the luggage compartment door featured a recess covering the bat-tery (5). The radio equipment consisted of a FuG 16Z radio and a FuG 25a IFFsystem. AZVG 16 (Peilrufanlage) direction finder with its associated PR 16(Peilrahmen) loop antenna on the top of the fuselage (Rüstsatz R7) couldalso be installed. These machines likewise had grooves installed below thewing center section for draining leaked oil coming from the oil cooler (2),but they diverted the oil differently than the grooves on the Bf 109 G-6/R3.In this case, they arced from the rear corners of the oil cooler to the leadingedge of the lugs covering the wing spar mounting stud, where they met thelower surface of the wing. The rear-view mirror (6) mounted on the topinner frame of the windscreen was also characteristic of the photo-recon-naissance Bf 109 G. One hundred and ninety three Bf 109 G-6/R2s were pro-duced at WNF in November and December, 1944 in production block 230 000,together with the Bf 109 G-8/R5, and were likely structurally consistentwith respect to their manufacture. They had an additional bulge adjacent tothe fairing covering the right fuselage mounted machine gun (7). I believethat it was not without function, that it accommodated an air compressorto supply enough air to ventilate the cockpit. At least some Bf 109 G-6/R-2s(probably all) had an Erlahaube canopy, and always had a short rudder.On the right side of the mid fuselage between bulkheads 2 and 3 there wasapparently a large oval camera access cover (3). I don’t have photographicevidence of this on the G-6/R2, but it appeared on both the G-2/R2 and theG-4/R2, and it’s quite logical that it was carried over to the G-6/R2 as well.It may have also been on G-6/R3, if only because the original access to thecamera in the rear sloping cockpit wall was not possible since this wasnow the location of the battery (5).Bf 109 G-6/R3Bf 109 G-6/R2HISTORYINFO Eduard12February 2024Page 13
Bf 109 G-6/R2Photographic equipment consisted of an Rb 75/30 or Rb 50/30 camera (1).They carried full gun armament and were powered by a DB 605 AM enginewith the MW 50 boost system that injected a mixture of water and metha-nol into the compressor intake. Between the second and third fuselagebulkheads just offset from the top of the spine was the MW 50 system tankfiller cap (4). The battery was moved to the luggage compartment in thecockpit, the luggage compartment door featured a recess covering the bat-tery (5). The radio equipment consisted of a FuG 16Z radio and a FuG 25a IFFsystem. AZVG 16 (Peilrufanlage) direction finder with its associated PR 16(Peilrahmen) loop antenna on the top of the fuselage (Rüstsatz R7) couldalso be installed. These machines likewise had grooves installed below thewing center section for draining leaked oil coming from the oil cooler (2),but they diverted the oil differently than the grooves on the Bf 109 G-6/R3.In this case, they arced from the rear corners of the oil cooler to the leadingedge of the lugs covering the wing spar mounting stud, where they met thelower surface of the wing. The rear-view mirror (6) mounted on the topinner frame of the windscreen was also characteristic of the photo-recon-naissance Bf 109 G. One hundred and ninety three Bf 109 G-6/R2s were pro-duced at WNF in November and December, 1944 in production block 230 000,together with the Bf 109 G-8/R5, and were likely structurally consistentwith respect to their manufacture. They had an additional bulge adjacent tothe fairing covering the right fuselage mounted machine gun (7). I believethat it was not without function, that it accommodated an air compressorto supply enough air to ventilate the cockpit. At least some Bf 109 G-6/R-2s(probably all) had an Erlahaube canopy, and always had a short rudder.On the right side of the mid fuselage between bulkheads 2 and 3 there wasapparently a large oval camera access cover (3). I don’t have photographicevidence of this on the G-6/R2, but it appeared on both the G-2/R2 and theG-4/R2, and it’s quite logical that it was carried over to the G-6/R2 as well.It may have also been on G-6/R3, if only because the original access to thecamera in the rear sloping cockpit wall was not possible since this wasnow the location of the battery (5).Bf 109 G-6/R3Bf 109 G-6/R2Equipment layout in the fuselage of the Bf 109 G-6/R2:1. Battery2. Rb 50/30 or Rb 75/30 camera3. MW 50 water/methanol system tank4. FuG 16 Z radio 5. Compass (Mutterkompass)The Bf 109 G-6/U3 were a tactical reconnaissance aircraft (Nahaufkläreror Heeresaufklärer). The photographic equipment consisted of two Rb 12.57 x 9 or Rb 32/7 x 9cameras (2) , located in the lower part of the fuselageon the fifth fuselage bulkhead and covered by a closing door as indicatedin the second illustration below, and one Robot II Kleinbildkamera in theleading edge of the left wing, in front of the wheel well (1). This was cali-brated for photography at an altitude of 2000m (6,550 feet), but was usuallyremoved in practice. The radio equipment consisted of a FuG 17 radio, thestandard used in fighter and bomber aircraft. Apart from the frequenciesused, it was identical to the FuG 16Z, but, unlike the FuG 16, it had the op-tion of connecting with ground-based forward flight controllers. This ver-sion also had the FuG 25a IFF system. A ZVG 16 direction finding system(Peilrufanlage) with its associated PR 16 loop antenna (Peilrahmen) on theback of the fuselage (Rüstsatz R7) could also be installed.About twenty Bf 109 G-6/U3s were produced by WNF in the summerof 1943 in production block 20 000.HISTORYINFO Eduard13February 2024Page 14
Bf 109 G-8The Bf 109 G-8 was a development of the Bf 109 G-6/U3. They were tac-tical (frontline) reconnaissance aircraft (Nahaufklärer or Herresaufklärer).The photographic equipment consisted of two Rb 12. 57 x 9 or Rb 32/7 x9 cameras, located in the lower part of the fuselage on the fifth fuselagebulkhead and covered by sliding doors controlled from the cockpit (2), andone Robot II Kleinbildkamera in the leading edge of the left wing, ahead ofthe wheel well (1). They carried full gun armament, but many aircraft hadthe MG 151/20 engine mounted cannon removed at unit level. Also, the RobotII camera in the leading edge of the wing was also often removed in practice.Part of the Bf 109 G-8, twenty-nine machines with production numbers20 670 to 20 698 produced at WNF in September 1943 and 112 710 000 se-ries airframes produced in February and March 1944 were powered by theDB 605 A engine and lacked the MW 50 system. They had standard canopies.Another 760 or so Bf 109 G-8/R5s, produced between May and December,1944, were powered by the DB 605 AM engine with MW 50 water-methanolinjection into the intake of the compressor. The MW 50 system tank fillercap was to the right of the fuselage spine centreline behind the secondfuselage bulkhead (3). The Bf 109 G-8/R5 used 96 (or 100) C3 aviation fuel.The battery was moved to the luggage compartment in the cockpit, andthere was a characteristic bulge on the luggage compartment door project-ing into the cockpit to cover the battery. Like other photo-reconnaissanceBf 109 Gs, the G-8 had a rectangular rear-view mirror on the inner frameof the windscreen.The radio equipment consisted of a FuG 17 radio, later replaced by theFuG 16 ZS unit and the FuG 25a IFF system. A ZVG 16 (Peilrufanlage) directionfinder system with the PR 16 (Peilrahmen) loop antenna on the fuselagespine (Rüstsatz R7) could also be installed. All Bf 109 G-8s and G-8/R5sproduced had the Erla Vollsichtshaube canopy and short rudder. Someof the machines had the mast of the antenna moved rearward, in frontof the 2nd fuselage bulkhead, where the PR 16 antenna was usually located.The reason for this change is unclear. This may have something to do withthe retrofitting of the MW 50 system tank, but why this should be is notentirely clear. It may also be related to the type of radio used.(Author’s note: Prien/Rodeike references mentionplanned U2 (GM 1 boost system) and U3 (MW 50 system)kits. It does not appear that such things actually exist-ed. These authors have photos in their book of allegedG-8s with a standard canopy. These may be one of thefirst twenty-nine Bf 109 G-8s, produced in September1943 in the block 20 000 range, production numbers20 670 to 20 698, or could also be confused with theBf 109 G-6/U3)The Bf 109 G-8 could carry all available weapons.To what extent this possibility was only theoretical andto what extent these weapon sets were actually used is not clear. The use ofauxiliary tanks is documented and logical. This is the case for all photo-re-connaissance Bf 109 Gs produced. It seems unlikely that these valuable ma-chines, which were often lightened by the removal of some of the fuselagearmament, were used for risky combat missions. On the other hand, thereare known cases of pilots who achieved a number of kills on photo recon-naissance aircraft and even achieved ace status, such as Herbert Findeisen.During his two hundred operational missions flying photo reconnaissanceaircraft, he achieved 42 kills. After his 37 kills, as CO of 2. /NAGr 4, he wasawarded the Knight’s Cross. (NAGr = Nahaufklärungsgruppe).HISTORYINFO Eduard14February 2024Page 15
Bf 109 G-8The Bf 109 G-8 was a development of the Bf 109 G-6/U3. They were tac-tical (frontline) reconnaissance aircraft (Nahaufklärer or Herresaufklärer).The photographic equipment consisted of two Rb 12. 57 x 9 or Rb 32/7 x9 cameras, located in the lower part of the fuselage on the fifth fuselagebulkhead and covered by sliding doors controlled from the cockpit (2), andone Robot II Kleinbildkamera in the leading edge of the left wing, ahead ofthe wheel well (1). They carried full gun armament, but many aircraft hadthe MG 151/20 engine mounted cannon removed at unit level. Also, the RobotII camera in the leading edge of the wing was also often removed in practice.Part of the Bf 109 G-8, twenty-nine machines with production numbers20 670 to 20 698 produced at WNF in September 1943 and 112 710 000 se-ries airframes produced in February and March 1944 were powered by theDB 605 A engine and lacked the MW 50 system. They had standard canopies.Another 760 or so Bf 109 G-8/R5s, produced between May and December,1944, were powered by the DB 605 AM engine with MW 50 water-methanolinjection into the intake of the compressor. The MW 50 system tank fillercap was to the right of the fuselage spine centreline behind the secondfuselage bulkhead (3). The Bf 109 G-8/R5 used 96 (or 100) C3 aviation fuel.The battery was moved to the luggage compartment in the cockpit, andthere was a characteristic bulge on the luggage compartment door project-ing into the cockpit to cover the battery. Like other photo-reconnaissanceBf 109 Gs, the G-8 had a rectangular rear-view mirror on the inner frameof the windscreen.The radio equipment consisted of a FuG 17 radio, later replaced by theFuG 16 ZS unit and the FuG 25a IFF system. A ZVG 16 (Peilrufanlage) directionfinder system with the PR 16 (Peilrahmen) loop antenna on the fuselagespine (Rüstsatz R7) could also be installed. All Bf 109 G-8s and G-8/R5sproduced had the Erla Vollsichtshaube canopy and short rudder. Someof the machines had the mast of the antenna moved rearward, in frontof the 2nd fuselage bulkhead, where the PR 16 antenna was usually located.The reason for this change is unclear. This may have something to do withthe retrofitting of the MW 50 system tank, but why this should be is notentirely clear. It may also be related to the type of radio used.(Author’s note: Prien/Rodeike references mentionplanned U2 (GM 1 boost system) and U3 (MW 50 system)kits. It does not appear that such things actually exist-ed. These authors have photos in their book of allegedG-8s with a standard canopy. These may be one of thefirst twenty-nine Bf 109 G-8s, produced in September1943 in the block 20 000 range, production numbers20 670 to 20 698, or could also be confused with theBf 109 G-6/U3)The Bf 109 G-8 could carry all available weapons.To what extent this possibility was only theoretical andto what extent these weapon sets were actually used is not clear. The use ofauxiliary tanks is documented and logical. This is the case for all photo-re-connaissance Bf 109 Gs produced. It seems unlikely that these valuable ma-chines, which were often lightened by the removal of some of the fuselagearmament, were used for risky combat missions. On the other hand, thereare known cases of pilots who achieved a number of kills on photo recon-naissance aircraft and even achieved ace status, such as Herbert Findeisen.During his two hundred operational missions flying photo reconnaissanceaircraft, he achieved 42 kills. After his 37 kills, as CO of 2. /NAGr 4, he wasawarded the Knight’s Cross. (NAGr = Nahaufklärungsgruppe).Bf 109 G-12As with the Bf 109 G-4, the Bf 109 G-6 served as the basis for two-seatBf 109 G-12 conversions. The subsequent Bf 109 G-12 series was then created from the Bf 109 G-10 as well. These machines retained the attributes ofthe original fighters, but were equipped with a two-seat, dual-control cock-pit, with the rear instructor’s cockpit having simplified instrumentation.Regardless of the original production version, the two-seat machineswere always labeled Bf 109 G-12. The exact number of machines producedis unknown.Bf 109 G-14From July, 1944, Erla (and from August, Messerschmittt) produced theBf 109 G-14 in parallel with the Bf 109 G-6, corresponding to the last pro-duction version of the Bf 109 G-6 with the Erla Vollsichshaube type ca-nopy and tall rudder. All Bf 109 G-14s were fitted with the MW 50 systemas standard and therefore used C3 fuel with an octane number of 96 (100).A distinctive feature of all Bf 109 Gs with the MW 50 system installed wasa box-shaped projection on the baggage compartment door in the rearsloped wall of the cockpit, behind the head armor plate (2). This arose be-cause the installation of the water-methanol mixture tank for the MW 50system in the space behind the first bulkhead forced the battery for the ra-dio to be moved forward into the luggage compartment, which needed to beenlarged to accommodate it. All Bf 109 G-14s had a bulge under the fairingcovering the right machine gun, and all were also fitted as standard witha FuG 16 ZY radio with an on-board transponder for the Pegasus Y goniomet-ric sighting system with a Morane-type whip antenna (Moranmast) locatedunder the left wing. The gunsight was the REVI 16 B as standard.Most Bf 109 G-14s with the DB 605 AM engine were produced at the Erlafactory in Leipzig. They were manufactured in blocks 413 000, 460 000 to462 000, 464 000 and 465 000. These machines had a tall rudder (3), ErlaVollsichtshaube canopy (1) and Gallandpanzer armored headrest. Onlya small number of airframes were produced at Messerschmittt in produc-tion block 165 000, but some of the total production of about 110 G-14s wereto Bf 109 G-14/AS standard with a DB 605 AS engine.Example: Bf 109G-14, W. Nr. 464380, Flown by Mag. M. Bellagambi, 5 Squadriglia, 2 Gruppo Caccia,Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, Osoppo, Italy, March, 1945HISTORYINFO Eduard15February 2024Page 16
The DB 605 AM engine was also installed in part of the Messerschmittproduced block of airframes in the 781 000 range, numbering about thir-ty birds, which had a low rudder. The remainder of this production blockwere Bf 109 G-14/ASs with the DB 605 AS powerplant. According to photos,there were standard G-14s with a low rudder even in the 782 000 seriesproduction block, in which H. H. Vogt lists only the G-14/AS. The six hundredBf 109 G-14/U4s, production block 510 000 to 512 000, armed with a 30mmMK 108 fuselage/engine mounted cannon, produced by WNF, also had the lowrudder and Erla Vollsichtshaube type canopy. These machines did not havethe bulge on the fairing above the right fuselage machine gun breech (6),and between bulkheads 4 and 5, they had an access cover for the compressedair bottle for the MK 108 engine mounted weapon (4). There was also anMW 50 system tank filler cap on the right side of the fuselage spine behindthe second bulkhead.Example: Bf 109G-14/U4, W. Nr. 512382, Flown by Lt. H. Schlick, 4. / JG 77,Schönwalde, Germany, November, 1944ConclusionsIf you have read this far, I value you sticking with me and I greatly appre-ciate that you understand that the subject surrounding the technical de-velopment of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 is extremely complicated. It isa theme that is probably without parallel in the history of aviation, per-haps remotely comparable are some types from the First World War,such as the Breguet 14 or the Hansa-Brandenburg C. I. But only remotely.For the Bf 109 G-6, the issue is complicated by the fact that production tookplace under extreme wartime conditions, under heavy Allied air raids andalmost constant reorganization of German war efforts. It was a situationthat is difficult to imagine today. The production of aircraft in Germany, andnot only the Bf 109 G-6, responded not only to the needs of the customer,the RLM and the Luftwaffe and its combat units, but also to the prevail-ing economic conditions and the deteriorating state of the industrial base.As a result of the air raids, a large part of the factories were destroyedor badly damaged, production operations were scattered to branch plants,hidden in the mountains, forests, railway tunnels or underground. The dy-namics precipitated by the changes were unbelievable, and moreover, thesechanges were intertwined on the production lines. The fact that three pro-duction plants were engaged in the production of the Bf 109 G-6 plays onlya partial role in this. During the war, between early 1943 and late 1944, proba-bly more than 13,000 Bf 109 G-6s were produced. The exact number is not andwill never be known, and a significant part of the production lacks definitivedocumentation. It was apparently irretrievably lost in the maelstrom of war.One reason I am writing these articles is because from time to time somelost documents turn up somewhere. Part of the facts presented in the textyou have read will certainly be further refined and corrected over time,thanks to new discoveries, or thanks to relevant new interpretations of al-ready known documents.If you research previously published material and kits of the Bf 109 G-6,you will certainly come across images of aircraft that do not correspondto their classification within the production variants we have discussed oreven to types according to other sources. Please, treat such cases withlenience. There will be many of them, even in the case of Eduard kits.Unfortunately, from the point of view of the facts and conclusions thatI tried to convey in my article, a large part of the profiles in current litera-ture and kits, whether by Eduard or someone else, are wrong. It may causesome loss of confidence in some, but let’s take it positively. Let’s take itas an opportunity to revise our old knowledge, assumptions and mistakes,because this type of research is an ongoing evolution and needs adjust-ments to evolve in the right direction.A nice example of the above is this Bf 109 G-6, serial number 160303, flownby III. /JG I’s Hauptmann Friedrich Eberle:HISTORYINFO Eduard16February 2024Page 17
The DB 605 AM engine was also installed in part of the Messerschmittproduced block of airframes in the 781 000 range, numbering about thir-ty birds, which had a low rudder. The remainder of this production blockwere Bf 109 G-14/ASs with the DB 605 AS powerplant. According to photos,there were standard G-14s with a low rudder even in the 782 000 seriesproduction block, in which H. H. Vogt lists only the G-14/AS. The six hundredBf 109 G-14/U4s, production block 510 000 to 512 000, armed with a 30mmMK 108 fuselage/engine mounted cannon, produced by WNF, also had the lowrudder and Erla Vollsichtshaube type canopy. These machines did not havethe bulge on the fairing above the right fuselage machine gun breech (6),and between bulkheads 4 and 5, they had an access cover for the compressedair bottle for the MK 108 engine mounted weapon (4). There was also anMW 50 system tank filler cap on the right side of the fuselage spine behindthe second bulkhead.Example: Bf 109G-14/U4, W. Nr. 512382, Flown by Lt. H. Schlick, 4. / JG 77,Schönwalde, Germany, November, 1944ConclusionsIf you have read this far, I value you sticking with me and I greatly appre-ciate that you understand that the subject surrounding the technical de-velopment of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 is extremely complicated. It isa theme that is probably without parallel in the history of aviation, per-haps remotely comparable are some types from the First World War,such as the Breguet 14 or the Hansa-Brandenburg C. I. But only remotely.For the Bf 109 G-6, the issue is complicated by the fact that production tookplace under extreme wartime conditions, under heavy Allied air raids andalmost constant reorganization of German war efforts. It was a situationthat is difficult to imagine today. The production of aircraft in Germany, andnot only the Bf 109 G-6, responded not only to the needs of the customer,the RLM and the Luftwaffe and its combat units, but also to the prevail-ing economic conditions and the deteriorating state of the industrial base.As a result of the air raids, a large part of the factories were destroyedor badly damaged, production operations were scattered to branch plants,hidden in the mountains, forests, railway tunnels or underground. The dy-namics precipitated by the changes were unbelievable, and moreover, thesechanges were intertwined on the production lines. The fact that three pro-duction plants were engaged in the production of the Bf 109 G-6 plays onlya partial role in this. During the war, between early 1943 and late 1944, proba-bly more than 13,000 Bf 109 G-6s were produced. The exact number is not andwill never be known, and a significant part of the production lacks definitivedocumentation. It was apparently irretrievably lost in the maelstrom of war.One reason I am writing these articles is because from time to time somelost documents turn up somewhere. Part of the facts presented in the textyou have read will certainly be further refined and corrected over time,thanks to new discoveries, or thanks to relevant new interpretations of al-ready known documents.If you research previously published material and kits of the Bf 109 G-6,you will certainly come across images of aircraft that do not correspondto their classification within the production variants we have discussed oreven to types according to other sources. Please, treat such cases withlenience. There will be many of them, even in the case of Eduard kits.Unfortunately, from the point of view of the facts and conclusions thatI tried to convey in my article, a large part of the profiles in current litera-ture and kits, whether by Eduard or someone else, are wrong. It may causesome loss of confidence in some, but let’s take it positively. Let’s take itas an opportunity to revise our old knowledge, assumptions and mistakes,because this type of research is an ongoing evolution and needs adjust-ments to evolve in the right direction.A nice example of the above is this Bf 109 G-6, serial number 160303, flownby III. /JG I’s Hauptmann Friedrich Eberle:According to the serial number, it should have a standard canopy anda short antenna mast. Nevertheless, the unlikely combination of a tallantenna mast and an Erlahaube-type cockpit covering is photographical-ly documented. The serial number is not, however, and it is derived fromthe loss of aircraft report. Hptm Eberle was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6on January 30th 1944 by a Thunderbolt piloted by Lt. Robert Booth of the369th FS (359th FG). It is possible that the gun camera footage does notshow the same aircraft as photos on the ground. But even so, the combina-tion of a tall mast and an Erlahaube canopy should not exist. But it does, andthere are more such cases. I do not want to discuss possible reasons here,various logical explanations can, of course, be offered. I bring this case upjust to illustrate that you can expect a lot from the Bf 109 G-6 and its variants.Prepare for cases when even the impossible can become a reality!In this article I have not dealt with aircraft powered by the DB 605 ASengine, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/AS and Bf 109 G-14/AS.This is mainly because it is a vast and complex topic in and of itself.The second reason is that I have dealt with these machines before. However,from the point of view of my current knowledge, it is clear to me that eventhat not-so-old article requires revision today. I therefore promise to comeback to it, revise it, and release an updated form when the Bf 109 G-6/AS andG-14/AS are released in 1/72 scale. The same also applies to the Bf 109 G-10.That will be it at this point, my friends, and I hope you didn’t need to stum-ble through this article, and that it has brought you much to your under-standing of the evolution of the Bf 109 G-6!Bf 109 G-6 MT-480 of 3/HLeLv 24 during maintenance in early July 1944 at Lappeenranta. This machine with WNr. 165464 and Stammkennzeichen TX+ZY was delivered to the unit on 7 Julyand its pilot was Ylik. Leo Ahokas. This airman with the MT-480 achieved the last of his twelve victories. [Photo: SA-Kuva].HISTORYINFO Eduard17February 2024SAVOIA MARCHETTI SM.79
Talking about a famous aircraft like the Savoia Marchetti SM.79 isn't easy, a lot has been written about it and, more or less, everything has already been said. To do it in an article is even more difficult since it’s very complex to summarize the very rich and exciting history of such a legendary aircraft. Nonetheless the development history of the SM.79 looks rather simple, a handful of well defined steps brought about, in a natural way, changes in aircraft production and evolutions in its service.
HISTORYhe origin of this project came fromthe necessity of reaching locations atconsiderable distances while transporting10 passengers at faster speeds than the othertransport planes of the time. Speed waskey, when engineer Alessandro Marchetti inFebruary of 1933 completed the first drawings,the aircraft designated SM.79, already had itstrimotor elegant profile. Many structural andaerodynamic characteristics promised greatperformance, retractable landing gears, threeradial engines Isotta-Fraschini “750” Asso of800 hp and Handley Page slots connected tothe flaps were some of them. In the spring of1934 the aircraft, now ready, was given thecivilian code I-MAGO which means “wizard” inItalian, a sign of things to come.owever the first couple of flights wererather disappointing, the speed, justover 350km/h, was nowhere near what it wassupposed to be. The cause of the problem wasquickly identified in the engines,which justweren’t powerful enough and were not idealfor high performance. The solution was toturn to Alfa Romeo, in particular to the Alfa125 RC.35 which were license built BristolPegasus.. The designation of the engine isimportant,explaining the motivations of thechange. "R" stands for Radial, so an enginewith 9 cylinders in a star shape, "C" standsfor Compressor which means that the enginehad a single speed compressor, that wouldenter in action only at a certain altitude inorder to rebalance power. With higher altitudethe progressive lack of oxygen causesa substantial loss of power in the engines andthe compressor is needed to counter that loss,compressing air and fuel thus injected in thecylinders with higher pressure and energy.Finally "35" (3500 meters) was the altitudeat which the compressor started working,allowing the aircraft to keep its performanceeven above this altitude. With the new enginesthings changed quickly, the SM.79P brokehandily the 400km/h speed, a new record thatno other transport plane had ever achieved.he aircraft was subject of numeroustests from pilots of Roma-Guidonia thenstarted to be used for flights towards Westand East Africa as VIP transport. Those flightswere major records, completed without anyissues and at an impressive rate. Meanwhile,military clashes were brewing in Somaliaand Eritrea, so these very promising outlookspersuaded the SIAI to develop a militaryversion which had an increased autonomy andmilitary payloads such as bombs and machineguns. Just as the first military versions cameout of the factory there was another changein the engine, adopting the new Alfa 126 RC.34which would go on to become the main engineof the aircraft until the end of the war. By theend of 1935 the aircraft had already completedall the tests and real bombing runs, while,sadly, the political and military situation inSpain was worsening, turning into a civil war.AVOIA MARCHETTISM.79FROM TRANSPORT PLANETO DARING TORPEDO MISSIONSMaurizio Di TerlizziTalking about a famous aircraft like the Savoia Marchetti SM.79 isn't easy, a lot hasbeen written about it and, more or less, everything has already been said. To do itin an article is even more difficult since it’s very complex to summarize the veryrich and exciting history of such a legendary aircraft. Nonetheless the developmenthistory of the SM.79 looks rather simple, a handful of well defined steps broughtabout, in a natural way, changes in aircraft production and evolutions in its service.TTHINFO Eduard18February 2024Page 19
HISTORYermany and Italy, supporting Franco'sFascist dictatorship, gave men andequipment to the war effort, utilizing theconflict as a testbed for new weapons andtactics. The SM.79 couldn’t have missed thischance and in February 1937 roughly 60 ofthose planes reached Spain having beenbought by the Francoist government. Another92 planes sent by the Italian governmentjoined in and started bombing targets alongfellow Italian and German planes. It must besaid that the peculiar configuration of thepayload in the fuselage raised some doubts,the bombs being attached vertically, wouldhave to unnaturally rotate when dropped,at the expense of precision. The aiming dutyfell to the commander of the aircraft that hadto go through the entire airframe to get to thebombsight which was in the “gondola” situatedalmost at the tail section. He also had controlof the rudder through a little steering wheel,allowing him to adjust his aim. The quantityand different kinds of payloads was selectedby the pilot through a big keyboard that wasironically called “Typewriter”. The deploymentof the SM.79 in Spain was a success, enemyfighters weren’t fast enough to intercept themand this contributed even more the reputationof the aircraft, although failing to rationallyconsider more modern aircraft that would soonenter into service. In any case it became theRegia Aeronautica standard bomber, sharingits service with the Fiat Br. 20.n 1937 came the idea to modify the SM.79in order to participate in a French sportingcup race which was to start in Istres, gothrough Damascus and end in Paris. Theidea was to extensively modify 6 aircraft.The military components were removed, thefuselage was improved as well as the engines,radio and navigational equipment. A noticeableincrease in maximum weight for takeoffbrought an increase of utility equipment andautonomy. The aircraft were labled SM.79Cfor “Corsa” (Race) and they were quickly ableto participate in the cup in August 1937. Rightfrom the start it was clear the Italians weresuperior, their aircraft sported a bright redpaintjob that would then be known as “RossoCorsa”. Even after some unfavorable weatherA very early picture of the first prototype of the SM.79 serialled I-MAGO in its passenger configuration with cabinside windows.A nice shot of the personal SM.79C airplane of Bruno Mussolini, the son of the Chief of the Government at thattime. The plane joined the famous Istres-Damascus-Paris flying race in August 1937.A wonderful formation of several SM.79 taken in Spain during the SpanishCivil War. SM.79s were fast and reliable, and performed bombing missionswith very few lossesgIINFO Eduard19February 2024Page 20
HISTORYconditions on the Mediterranean betweenDamascus and Paris, the aircraft code namedI-CUPA reached the french capital beating allthe opponents and winning the Cup hosted bythe French Aero Club in honor of the 10 yearsanniversary of the Lindbergh flight. It wasa triumph and such a big success that itbrought up an old Italian ambition, to connectwith fast aircraft the nations on both sides ofthe Atlantic. To achieve this the SM.79C wereeven more modified to make it from Rome toRio de Janeiro. When the crew were ready,three aircraft took off, reaching the midpointof Dakar in less than 11 hours. From there, information, they crossed the Atlantic at about400km/h. A huge crowd was waiting for themat the finish line, with great satisfactioneveryone thought the SM.79 was the aircraftof records.adly war was brewing again and theSecond World War would see this beautifulplane as a protagonist. With the outbreak of thewar, the SM.79 was sent into combat in almostall theaters, carrying out all kinds of missions.Bombing, transport, reconnaissance and evenlow level incendiary bombing runs. The aircraftwas well liked by the crews and even if it wasalready obsolete, due to the one piece woodenwing and the metallic tubes framed and canvacovered fuselage, it remained the backboneof the Italian military operations in Africa,Albania and the Mediterranean, carrying outan impressive number of missions. Already in1940, almost all military operation were againstthe British “Home Fleet” which was a seriousthreat due to the convoy escorts and port raids.Many different camouflages schemes for these 193^ Squadriglia flying along balkans coastline. The Electring man insignia was painted on fuselage sides.A torpedo-bomber SM.79 belonging to 204^ Squadriglia.Many authors assigned this specific plane to MarcheseEmilio Pucci, a pilot that after the war became a veryfamous fashion firm owner and designer.SINFO Eduard20February 2024Page 21
HISTORYHigh altitude bombing being ineffective, forreasons already said,that prompted an interestto convert the SM.79 into a torpedo bomber.Italy had a long standing tradition when itcame to torpedoes which were produced inseveral factories, the idea was convincingenough that some SM.79s were convertedto carry these weapons under the fuselage.Racks for two torpedoes were attached underthe belly, an extra fuel tank added in place ofthe bomb compartment, and different aimingdevices were developed so that the movingtarget would be hit at a specific angle of attack.The propaganda picture showing an SM.79 withtwo torpedoes sent shockwaves all around theglobe, contribuiting to the false myth that theaircraft could carry two of them in combat. Thismyth lasted for years after the war, even in themodelling world, Airfix is still selling a SM.79in 1/72 which splendid box-art shows severalSparviero with two torpedoes under their belly.Along the name Sparviero (Sparrowhawk)the nickname “Gobbo Maledetto” (DamnedHunchback) was given to the aircraft due tothe large cabin on top of the fuselage were theradio operator and the engineer sat along witha Breda-Safat 12.7mm machine gun to defendagainst enemy fighters.ith the introduction of the first six SM.79modified to carry the SIAI torpedo,preparations were made for the first combatactions. On the 25th of July 1940 the RepartoSperimentale Aerosiluranti was created,speeding up preparations of the equipmentand crew it was ready for early August. Thefirst torpedo combat action was carried outagainst the port of Alexandria by 5 planes onthe night of the 15th of August. It wasn’t a totalsuccess however, one SM.79 was lost withoutany tangible victory. The determination of thecrews, however, lead the way for a seriesof very successful missions that took intoaccount all the previous errors. New tacticsand techniques were developed and victoriesdidn’t take long. From 1940 to 1943 a greatnumber of Sparviero were modified or built inthe torpedo bomber configuration even withshortages, sabotage and the ever increasingenemy fighters threat that made torpedoruns much more dangerous. The amount ofsank or damaged ships by the SM.79 speaksfor itself, contributing to fuel the myth of the“gobbo maledetto”. Despite being obsoleteor if it wasn’t designed for such actions, thisaircraft was a perfect adaptation, even whencompared to its successor the SM.84, whichfailed to replace it.With the Armistice in Italy inSeptember 1943 there were still a lot of SM.79,but the fall of the fascist government andthe Italian military apparatus brought abouta great crisis. With the Civil War on the horizon,Italy divided, in the North the new fascistregime still allied to the Germans, while theSouth sided with the allies. The SM.79s sawcombat actions once more, in the South itwas limited to transport and training, but inthe North torpedoes were still being attachedto the belly of the aircraft. SIAI had alreadymodified the Sparviero project with new “bis”A post-war SM.79attached to Zona Roma,a big unit based in centralItaly. Side windows can beseen on fuselage sides.A wonderful pics of the interior of a preserved SM.79 in Italy, with many details andcolours well visible.The famous "typewiter" placed inside the bomber aimer gondola. It was a device thatselected the order of launching bombs and their selection.WINFO Eduard21February 2024Page 22
HISTORYversion, the aircraft were greatly improvedwith new Alfa 128 engines, a more powerfularmament, new radios and the removal ofthe gondola. All these changes finalized theSparviero into a true torpedo bomber. Takingadvantage that SIAI was in Northern Italy, theANR (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana)was able to group together new and oldequipmen t and determined crews ready to at tackthe enemy that was climbing the Peninsula.The ANR carried out daring torpedo runsin Ancona, Bari, to counter the landingsat Anzio and even a night time raid onGibraltar. The losses decimated theranks, along with aircraft lost in combatmissions a lot were also lost in transportflights intercepted by enemy fighters.hen the war in Europe was finally over,a great number of SM.79 were stillairworthy. They would go on to have a majorrole in the rebirth of the new AeronauticaMilitare Italiana that struggled to get back onits feet due to the losses of men and equipment.More obsolete than ever, the SM.79 still servedwith many squadrons after the war, waitingfor the Allies to grant surplus or more modernaircraft. The SM.79 also had one last merit thatdeserves a mention. 4 aircraft converted totransport planes were sold to Lebanon in 1949.In a time of great economic struggle sellingthose 4 aircraft was needed to not go bankruptbut many years later it would turn out to be anextraordinary blessing. With the phasing out ofthe lebanese SM.79, that government donatedone back to Italy and today it is on display atthe museum of Vigna di Valle. Nobody at thetime thought about preserving some of themfor future memory so all italian SM.79 weredestroyed. Without Lebanon, which lateddonated a second one to the Caproni museum inTrento, today there wouldn’t be any Sparvierofor our eyes to marvel at or to remember thesacrifice made by so many men in combat.The second example of SM.79 preserved in the world is on display with Lebanese colours at Caproni Museum at Trento, in Northern Italy.The SM.79 preserved at Vigna di Valle Museum near Rome, Italy, with topsides just repainted in an unusual and strange "olive drab" colour.WINFO Eduard22February 2024Page 23
ALBATROS: TIPS AND TRICKS
Karel Pádár is one of the founders and executive directors of Eduard. He is also an accomplished modeler whose love is 1/72 scale kits of Japanese aircraft of all eras. He is a multiple national champion in plastic modelling and his most famous projects include scratch-built models of Kawasaki C-1 transport aircraft.
BUILTAero L-39C/CM/ZA/ZOIn the 12/2023 issue of INFO Eduard magazinewe published a photo gallery of the HungarianAir Force L-39ZO model in 1/72 scale. This L-39for INFO magazine was built by Karel Pádár fromthe ALBATROS kit, cat. no. 2109 in Limited edition.We asked Karel to photograph the constructionprocess and share his knowledge about thepreparation and completion of the model.This is an older kit, which has already beenthrough a lot. It was tooled in 2002 witha technology that we no longer use today. In 2011,newly designed engine intakes were added tothe kit, but the mold was later damaged. Afterrepairing it, we produced a new frame of clearparts in 2023. Despite these modifications, it‘sstill a more than twenty year old model ratherintended for experienced modelers.This is how Karel Pádár prepares tobuild the model:- He collects the maximum amount of photographicand other technical data.- He studies the kit and evaluates which versionof the aircraft the kit allows him to build welland accordingly chooses the camouflage of theaircraft whose model he will build.- he studies the documentation for a specificaircraft and compares it with the kit.- From this, the notes in the instructions aregradually created according to the chosencamouflage. He keeps a careful written planof the building process and, if necessary, drawssketches of the parts that need to be significantlymodified or re-created.Cat. No. 2109, Marking JKarel Pádár is one of the foundersand executive directors of Eduard.He is also an accomplished modelerwhose love is 1/72 scale kits ofJapanese aircraft of all eras. He isa multiple national champion inplastic modelling and his mostfamous projects include scratch-built models of Kawasaki C-1transport aircraft.Built by Karel PádárKarel Pádár does not peel off the surface film when applying decals. He uses them as classic thin decals.TIPS AND TRICKSOne of the last additions to Karel Pádár's collection,a model of C-46D Commando transport aircraft, builtfrom Williams Brothers kit in 1/72 scale. He recreatedpanel lines on the entire model surface and used manynew parts, including Plus Model accessories.INFO Eduard24February 2024Page 25
BUILTWhen preparing to build a model, he prepares a planof the process and makes notes in the instructionsthat relate to the specific plane he is building.If a part needs to be significantly modified or evennewly manufactured, he prepares a sketch of it.He uses silver paint rather than surfacer to identifythe depressions on the surface of the mouldings.The depressions are more visible.Seats in the process of modification.Karel‘s insights from this model building that hewould like to share with modelers follow below.The references are for the printed version of theinstructions for kit cat. no. 2109.Page 3 of the instructions- Part A6 must not fit below the level of the cockpitedges. The clear D6 part will later seat on top ofthe A6 part, among others.- It is advisable to postpone the gluing of part A15until later, as it needs to be slightly shortenedfrom the bottom to fit in with the other parts.- It is not necessary to cut off part A10, whichis marked in red.Page 4 of the instructions- Do not forget to put the ballast in the bow.Page 5 of the instructions- The A5 and A26 headrests have depressions andneed to be filled.- Seat parts B6, A21 and B7 need to be thinned atthe contact surfaces to allow the seat to fit intothe cockpit. If the parts were not thinned, the seatwould be about 2 mm wider and would not fit inthe cockpit.- The headrests should be recessed (in real planefor pilot´s helmet) according to the photos.Page 6 of the instructions- Parts B9, A8, B14 and A7 must be paintedin advance, including the leading edge of theengine intake inlet. Note that silver paint shouldbe applied to the leading edge of parts A7 and A8on the outside and inside.- The drop-shaped radio navigation antenna,located above the rudder, had to be moveddown 1.5 mm. It can be replaced, for example,by a modified photo etched part No 124.- It is advisable to cut wedge-shaped gaps at theouter edges of the elevators (and later add staticelectricity dischargers).- After the fuselage halves are glued together,it is necessary to paint with camouflage paintthe area of the fuselage sides that will later becovered with parts B9 and B14.Page 7 of the instructions- The landing gear legs should be modifiedaccording to the photographs.- There are depressions in the plastic on the rackparts under the wing. It is advisable to sandthem down, rework the panelling accordingto the photos and add brackets using Evergreenprofiles.- On the lower part of the fuselage there isa missing hole for the auxiliary power unit outlet,it should be drilled according to the photos.Page 9 of the instructions- Part D6 is incorrectly shown in the printedversion of the instructions in the „open canopy“position.INFO Eduard25February 2024Page 26
BUILTFinished seats.When painting the interior, it‘s a good idea to first createthe padding on the cockpit sides and then mask it.The A6 part, located between the front and rear of thecockpit, must be fitted so that its top edge comes outat the same level as the edge of the cockpit.Finished cockpit including correctly seated D6 cockpit frame part.Small parts before installation in the cockpit.Even the control sticks can be easily upgraded.Comparison of a finished seat, whose width wasnarrowed during construction, with an original kitseat that is too wide.INFO Eduard26February 2024Page 27
BUILTIncreased attention should be paid to the timelypainting of parts A7, A8, B9 and B-14.Using a plate of the correct thickness, adjustthe length of the wires.The undercarriage can be easily upgraded with wires,needles and also the use of masking tape to createthe undercarriage details.It is advisable to paint the reflector black beforeinstalling the clear part and mimicking the bulb withsilver paint.Finished reflector and preparation of the bulgeon the pylon of the wing end arch.The aft fuselage area also requires filler.Preparation for the installation of wire struts for partsB9 and B-14.INFO Eduard27February 2024Page 28
BUILTKarel Pádár uses Tamiya X-22 glossed coat whenpainting some of the photo etched parts. It is advisableto test the effects of the varnish beforehand. Somevarnishes can damage the coloured surface of photoetched parts.Finished dashboard from two photo etched parts. Preparing a new antenna in red, made from an etchedpart, to be placed over the rudder.Karel Pádár made extensive use of Eduard‘s setof position lights when building the model.In some cases it is more convenient to make partof the framing of the canopy from a newly made decal.Pitot tube newly made from two needles comparedto the original kit part.The model is nearing completion. Karel Pádár used white paint with gloss coat before to apply the large decalon the vertical tail. Due to the size of the decal, he stabilized it with diluted dispersion glue and let it set for abouta day. He did not peel off the top film layer from decals.INFO Eduard28February 2024Page 29
BUILTThe lower part of the completed model, including the added outlet of the Sapphire auxiliary power unit on the leftside of the lower aft fuselage.INFO Eduard29February 2024Air War in Ukraine - Wish for something, the red stars are falling!
In the period covered by this part of the series, the Russian air force suffered some of the highest losses in the air, excluding the initial months of the invasion. Between December 1 and December 31, 2023, Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense shot down five to seven Russian aircraft, including one helicopter being taken out of service. Systematic attacks also continued in the occupied Crimea and the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. Unfortunately, at the end of the observed period, the Russians launched long-awaited winter missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
HISTORYMiro BaričAir War in UkraineWish for something, the red stars are falling!Czech self-propelled machine guns MR-2 Viktor caliber 14.5 mm have been in the Ukrainian service for a long time.In the period covered by this part of the series, the Russian air forcesuffered some of the highest losses in the air, excluding the initialmonths of the invasion. Between December 1 and December 31, 2023,Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense shot down five to seven Russian aircraft,including one helicopter being taken out of service. Systematic attacksalso continued in the occupied Crimea and the ships of the Black SeaFleet. Unfortunately, at the end of the observed period, the Russianslaunched long-awaited winter missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.The first Russian loss occurred on Tuesday,December 5, when a Su-24M bomber attemptedto attack Odesa from the south. According tosome sources, it intended to launch missiles,while others claim it carried gliding bombs witha range of up to 70 km. Instead, it was shot downby a Ukrainian missile in the area of Snake Island.The Patriot system was likely used. Ukrainiansreceived two batteries in the spring of the previousyear, initially used for the defense of Kyiv, and onebattery was later transferred to Odesa in the fall.At the end of last year, they were supposed toreceive a third battery from Germany, and it seemsthey successfully used it not only in a defensivemode, as we will later see.Both pilots of the downed Su-24M, belongingto the Russian naval aviation, were supposed toeject, but they did not survive. Russians sent anAn-26 aircraft and an Mi-8 helicopter to searchfor them, but the search was unsuccessful. On thevery next day, Wednesday, December 6, Russianslost an Mi-8 helicopter. It landed in a field nearthe village of Mankivka in the Svatove district ofthe Luhansk region. It stayed on the ground longenough for a Ukrainian drone to notice it and guidethe firing from the M142 HIMARS rocket launcher.The rocket did not directly hit the helicopter butexploded nearby, still causing the fuselage to bepierced by fragments.On Sunday, December 17, Russians lost a Su-25attack aircraft. The location and circumstanceswere not specified. The pilot, a lieutenant colonelwith the call sign Mason, lost his life. According tosome sources, he was shot down by his own BukM3 air defense system. According to other sources,he was flying by instruments in very bad weatherand crashed after losing orientation. It is worthnoting that the Russian side does not officiallyreport its losses. However, the losses of pilots areusually confirmed by sources on social networks,such as the Telegram channel Fighterbomber.Three Sukhois shot down at the same timeBlack day for the Russian air force occurredon Friday, December 22, when a group of Su-34fighter-bombers fell into a deadly trap. Russianaircraft regularly flew to bomb the Ukrainianbridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper andartillery positions on the right bank of the river.A similar situation occurred last May in northernUkraine when Russians regularly flew to bombPhotos: Ukrainianarmed forces,social media and otherpublic sourcesINFO Eduard30February 2024Page 31
Inscription on a Russian bomb as a memento for the Su-25 pilot nicknamed Mason. Russian rescue helicopter Mi-8.At least two of the downed pilotswere found alive on December 22.The first confirmed casualty fromthe downed Su-34 was LieutenantStepan Zhirnov from the 277thBomber Aviation Regiment.According to thelatest information,Captain VyacheslavKisilev from the559th BomberAviation Regimentalso died onDecember 22.Major StanislavRomanenko, whodied in a UkrainianSu-27 at the Ozerneairbase.Equipment at the site where one of the pilots from the downed Russian Su-34 ejectedon December 22, 2023.Damaged Ka-52, captured in Crimea in September. The footage appearedthree months later.HISTORYUkrainian territory with gliding bombs. However,Ukrainians moved the Patriot system closer to theborder, and on May 13, 2023, they shot down twoaircraft and three helicopters. They did a similarthing now in southern Ukraine and reportedthe shooting down of three Su-34s at once.It was supposed to happen in the Chaplynka andKalanchak districts of the Kherson region. Officialconfirmation from the Russian side, of course,was not announced. Unofficial sources, however,stated that at least three pilots died, and at leasttwo others survived the shootdown. This wouldsuggest the downing of three Su-34s, which havea two-member crew. The identity of one of thedead pilots was confirmed as Lieutenant StepanZhirnov from the 277th Bomber Aviation Regiment.Although the Russian side officially remains silent,the loss of three Su-34s at once shook the Russianair force. Until then, they released about a hundredgliding bombs daily on the Ukrainian bridgeheadaround the village of Krynky, on the next day,Saturday, December 23, these attacks stoppedcompletely. And the Ukrainians were not donewith their mission by any means. On Christmas,December 24, they reported the downing ofanother Su-34 near Mariupol and a Su-30 nearOdesa. This would truly suggest the deploymentof two Patriot batteries in southern Ukraine. Oneprotects Odesa, and the other moves as needed.The mentioned Telegram channel Fighterbombereven stated that this battery was placed on a trainfor easier and faster relocation. However, thisinformation cannot be verified and seems ratherunlikely.In addition to all the above mentioned recentshootdowns, photos documenting older losseshave also appeared. On Saturday, December 23,images of a damaged Ka-52 helicopter werepublished, as it was transported on a traileracross the Kerch Strait to occupied Crimea.The footage dates back to September and probablyrelates to the Ukrainian offensive in the Zaporizhiaregion. During this offensive, Ukrainians reportedseveral hits on Ka-52 helicopters, which were notvisually confirmed at that time.INFO Eduard31February 2024Page 32
Ukrainian Losses and SuccessesA similar case of confirming previouslyundocumented losses from the previousperiod has also occurred on the Ukrainian side.On Friday, December 8, footage of an Mi-8helicopter wreckage was released, which hadcrashed into a house, likely in the Khersonregion. When and under what circumstancesthis happened is unknown. The fate of the crewis also unclear. A confirmed loss during thisperiod on the Ukrainian side occurred on Friday,December 22. After the alarm was raised due toapproaching Shahid drones, a Su-27 fighter tookoff from the Ozerne base in the Zhytomyr region.It was piloted by Major Stanislav Romanenko fromthe 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade. A few minutesafter takeoff, the aircraft crashed near the airport,and the pilot died. The cause of the plane crash isnot yet known. Romanenko was already retired,but after the Russian attack in February 2022,he again assumed an active duty as a pilot withthe Ukrainian Air Force.In addition to shooting down the aircraft,Ukrainians also claimed another significantsuccess in attacks on surface targets. In theport of Feodosia in occupied Crimea, on Tuesday,December 26, a landing ship of the Ropucha classwas destroyed. Before the war, the Russiansconcentrated thirteen landing ships in the BlackSea. However, the expected amphibious operationagainst Odessa never took place, and thesevessels serve only to transport supplies for thefrontline units. Ukrainians gradually managedto destroy Saratov and Minsk ships and damagethe Olenegorsky Gornyak. Novocherkassk is nowthe fourth decommissioned landing ship of theRussian fleet.Its demise was captured in several videos. Theship was hit by Storm Shadow missiles, caughtfire, and then suffered a massive explosion. Thecargo being carried, which probably consistedof artillery shells and rocket launcher missiles,exploded. However, initial reports mentioneda shipment of Iranian drones. The ship's fragmentswere scattered within a radius of 700 meters, andresidents of Feodosia found debris in their yardsand on the streets for several days after theincident. The explosion also caused the sinkingof the old training ship UTS-150, converted froma former T43-class minesweeper from the 1950s.It was anchored opposite the landing ship on theother side of the port basin.The wreckage of Novocherkassk sank tothe bottom of the harbor, with only the burnedremnants of the bridge, chimney, and broken mastremaining above water. Some Russian sourcesadmitted that 33 sailors were missing after theattack. The Ukrainian side reports that about 70Russians died on the ship. What followed thesinking of Novocherkassk vividly illustrates thework of Russian propaganda, aiming to inundatethe information space with a multitude of versionsthat not only contradict available evidence butoften contradict eachother. Do not look for logicin this; Russia is merelytrying to marginalize anddoubt the truth in thisway.In the case ofNovocherkassk, forexample, the Russianstook advantage of thefact that higher-qualityfootage was not availableshortly after the attack.The wreckage of the shipwas not clearly visible atthe pier, and the buildingsand cranes on the pierappeared untouched. Therefore, claims emergedthat Ukrainians did not sink any ship in Feodosia,and the video of its explosion is fake. However,further images quickly revealed that even theconcrete pier was seriously damaged, and it likelydiverted the explosion's energy away from thebuildings and cranes. The shipwreck was alsoclearly visible in subsequent satellite images.Afterward, the Russians tried to downplay theloss of the ship by claiming that it was alreadydecommissioned and unused. However, theSuchonimus channel on YouTube, based on recentsatellite images, demonstrated that althoughNovocherkassk regularly anchored in the sameplace, there were days when it was absent fromthe harbor. Obviously, it was lifted to pick upsome cargo during those times. This happened,for example, on October 18. Russians also labeledFeodosia as a peaceful civilian port with noAmerican guided gliding bomb under the wing of a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter.Fire on the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in the port of Feodosia.The wreck of theNovocherkassk ship aftersinking near the pier.Czech self-propelled machine guns MR-2 Viktor caliber 14.5 mm have beenin the Ukrainian service for a long time.HISTORYINFO Eduard32February 2024Page 33
defenses, explaining how Ukrainians managedto sink the ship. However, this claim was easilyrefuted by Suchonimus based on satellite images.In the photo from October 2, Feodosia can be seenwith 16 ships, at least seven of which are military,including two corvettes and two minesweepers.The assertion of a civilian port without defensescontradicts another Russian version, according towhich the port's defense worked excellently andshot down two attacking Ukrainian Su-24 aircraftdirectly above the ship. The huge explosion in thevideo is said to capture the end of the Ukrainianplanes. Ignoring the fact that, according to multiplestatements from the Kremlin, all Ukrainian Su-24swere already eliminated sometime in the summerand fall of 2022, it is a childish excuse, especiallyconsidering that Su-24s release low-flyingmissiles hundreds of kilometers away from thetarget. Therefore, they did not need to fly over theterritory controlled by Russia during the attack.The Largest Attack of the Entire WarAt the very end of the observed period, Russiaresumed its bombing offensive against Ukrainiancities. For several months, it had been usingprimarily Shahid drones, which helped map theactivity of the Ukrainian air defense. However, onFriday, December 29, Russia launched a large-scale attack using a significant number of missilesand low-flying missiles, fired from 18 strategicbombers. A total of 122 were aimed at Ukraine,of which the defenders managed to destroy 87.They were complemented by 36 drones, of which27 were shot down. It was the largest aerial attacksince the beginning of the war. The targets includedKyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odessa, Zaporizhia,and other cities. The attack resulted in 58 humancasualties and more than 160 injuries.The target this time was not the energyinfrastructure as in the past winter, but themilitary-industrial complex, specifically objectsthat Russians believed were used for militaryproduction. However, Ch-22 missiles were alsoused in the attack, which the Ukrainian defensestruggles to intercept due to their high speed, butthey are notoriously inaccurate. Consequently,the projectiles again hit mainly civilian objects.The impact affected 45 apartment buildings, overZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in Ukrainian service.The battle against drones is ongoing around the clock.Cannons mounted on MT-LB chassis are also used against drones.Burning shopping center hit on December 29 in Dnipro.HISTORYINFO Eduard33February 2024Page 34
100 houses, schools, hospitals, two churches,shops, warehouses, and a metro station. In Kyiv,33 people died, and 35 were injured. In Dnipro,where a maternity hospital and a shopping centerwere hit, seven people died, and 30 were injured.In Odessa, the attacks claimed five lives andinjured 27 people. During the attack, one of theRussian missiles penetrated Polish territoryand, after about three minutes, turned back intoUkrainian airspace. It appears to be a deliberatemaneuver aimed at avoiding Ukrainian defenseand attacking from an unexpected direction. Therewere also cases where Ch-101 missiles releaseddecoy targets during flight. It is unclear whetherthey were pre-programmed to do so in specificareas or if they have a sensor that alerts themwhen they are targeted.Ukrainian RetaliationOn the following day, Saturday, December 30,Ukraine launched 70 drones targeting locations inRussian territory. The most severely affected wasthe city of Belgorod, approximately 40 km fromthe Ukrainian border. Russian authorities claimthat Ukrainians targeted civilian objects, includinga skating rink, a shopping center, and a university.Twenty-five civilians were reported dead, and over100 were injured. However, based on photographsreleased by Belgorod residents, it appears that thecity was mainly hit by its own air defense missiles.Some debris found in the streets was identified asremnants of S-300 missiles, and several houseswere hit by missiles from the Pantsir systems.The Kremlin rejected this claim, and a militaryspokesperson stated that the Russian armedforces precisely target their objectives withoutcausing any collateral damage. Remember thisstatement, as we will come back to it later inthe continuation. Mutual attacks between thetwo sides continued. After Belgorod was shelled,Russia launched missile attacks on Kharkiv,hitting a hotel, apartment buildings, and other"military" targets. In the following days, Russia alsodeployed 49 drones against Ukrainian cities.The shelling of Belgorod had repercussionsin the UN. The Kremlin, without any evidence,claimed that Ukraine used RM-70 Vampire rocketlaunchers supplied from the Czech Republic. Theycould not have had any evidence because evenwith extended-range rockets, the Vampire fromUkrainian territory could not reach the center ofBelgorod. Nevertheless, Russia sought to summonthe Czech representative to the UN to provide anexplanation. However, the Czech representativerefused the summons and did not allow himself tobe exploited by Russian propaganda.F-16 from the Netherlands as wellDuring the observed period, problems with thedelivery of necessary weapons and ammunitionescalated due to internal political disputes in theUnited States. Despite this, there were positivedevelopments for Ukraine. For example, missilesfor Patriot systems are manufactured underlicense in Japan. Although they are not directlydelivered to Kyiv, Japan agreed to provide itsproducts to the United States, which could thensupply Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Good newsalso came regarding F-16 fighter jets. In additionto Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, which hadalready promised their delivery, the Netherlandsjoined during the observed period, announcing thatit would provide Ukraine with 18 aircraft. At thesame time, the first six Ukrainian pilots completedbasic training on the F-16 and moved to Denmark,where they continue their combat training. Therewere also reports that donor states are activelyworking to enhance the F-16 aircraft within theircapabilities during the training of Ukrainian pilots.This includes the installation of more modernradars, and the integration of advanced weaponsis not ruled out. Incidentally, Russia reacted inits typical manner. Even before the arrival of theF-16s in Ukraine, it claimed to have destroyedsix of them in an attack on the airport in Odessa.They even provided a photo of a burned fighter onthe ground. However, there was one small flaw –the photo is from 2018 and captures the crash ofa Belgian aircraft.The maternity hospital in Dnipro was also destroyed. Mothers were evacuated to sheltersafter the alarm was sounded.Damaged residential building in Odesa.Disposal of a Kinzhal missile warhead that got harmlessly buried in the ground. There is also a video capturingthe fall of another downed Kinzhal into the water.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the cockpit of an F-16. Beside himis the Commander of the Dutch Air Force, Lieutenant General Andre Steur.HISTORYINFO Eduard34February 2024Page 35
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BOXART STORYDecorating military aircraft with symbols ormarkings related to significant anniversariesis quite common in modern times, especially inNATO units. A nice anniversary marking on anaircraft is usually of interest to modellers. In thecase of the L-39 Albatros, we have seen two suchhonours in recent years and both of them haveappeared in Eduard kits for obvious reasons.The first one was L-39ZA, no. 232433 fromNáměšt' nad Oslavou, with the depiction ofthe main designer of this aircraft, Jan Vlček.The second one is L-39CM, No. 915254 of the 2 FighterSquadron, 31 Fighter Wing, of the Slovak Air Forcefrom 2022, commemorating the 100th anniversaryof the birth of the Czechoslovak fighter ace,S/Ldr. Otto Smik (current ProfiPACK No. 7044).Otto Smik was born on 20 January 1922 inBorjomi in the Caucasus. His father, a Slovaksoldier who fell into Russian captivityin thisarea during the First World War, got marriedthere, and although he wanted to return tohis homeland, he couldn't do so before manyyears. He did eventually return in 1934 with hisRussian Wife and their three sons, of whom Ottowas the middle one. After some peripeties, thefamily settled in Bratislava. Otto, who had beeninterested in aviation since he was a child, builtmodels and learned to fly gliders. However,he could not reconcile himself tothe Slovakstate's establishment and its leaning towards naziGermany. At the tender age of 18, in March 1940,he fled Slovakia to join the Czechoslovak foreignresistance. Via Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece andIran, he reached France, where he joined theCzechoslovak Air Group in the French Air Force inJune 1940. However, France fell before he startedhis training. The direction of further escape was,as for many others, Great Britain.Here he was accepted into the RAF, where heunderwent flight training. After that, the BritishRoyal Air Force promoted him to the rank of PilotOfficer, but in the structures of the CzechoslovakForeign Army he had the rank of Corporal.This discrepancy was not well borne by someCzechoslovak career officers, and Smik was putto considerable hardship during his first tour ofduty with the No. 312 and No. 310 CzechoslovakSquadrons. After only a few days, Smik thereforetransferred to the British 131 Squadron at his ownrequest, and later to the 122 Squadron of the RAF.On 13 March 1943 he achieved his first victory,a probable shoot down of a Bf 109. In May 1943 hetransferred to 222 Squadron, where he increasedhis score to 7 and 1/2 aircraft shot down for sure,2 probably and 3 damaged. With this score, aftertaking a break from operational flying, he startedhis second operational tour as one of the mostsuccessful Czechoslovak fighters. In March 1944he returned to the Czechoslovak unit, this timewith the No. 310, later 312, Squadron.While Flight commander he was shot downover the Netherlands on September 3, 1944. Afteran emergency landing he managed to get behindAllied lines and after less than two monthshe was back in England. On 13 November 1944he took leadership of the No. 127 squadronof the RAF, with which he undertook mainlybomber escorts and attacks on ground targets insupport of the allied invasion troops. After fifteendays, however, Otto Smik was again shot down.This time his attack on the railway station atZwole in the Netherlands was fatal. His Spitfirewas hit several times by flak and the aircraftcrashed at the Blooksteeg farm near Zwole.Otto Smik died in the wreckage. At the same time,one of his wingmen, Belgian Henri L. J. Taymans,was also shot down and his plane crashed intoa muddy ditch by the railway line. A series ofmisidentifications, started by the Germans whenone of the two pilots was buried, and continuedby the Belgian and then the British War GravesCommission, created a mistake and a mysterythat was not unravelled until 1965.Since 1994 the famous pilot has been buried inthe Slavic Valley in Bratislava. Otto Smik receivedmany military decorations for his successfulcombat activities: five Czechoslovak War Crosses1939-45, the Czechoslovak Medal for Valour,the Order of the M.R.S. 3rd Class, the French Croixde Guerre with palms and the British DefenceMedal and Air Crew Europe Star. During the warhe flew 263 operational sorties, 215 of which wereover enemy territory. He certainly shot down11 enemy aircraft, 1 probably and 3 damaged,in addition to these, he destroyed three V-1missiles in flight and a number of ground targets.Smik's commemoration on the tail surfaces ofAlbatross No. 915254 is one of the significanttributes the Slovak Air Force has paid to hislegacy.For more information about Otto Smik and hisaircraft, we recommend the book by Zdenek Hurt"Naší se vraceji“ (Boys are back / Eduard, 2013),and the website of the aviation society ClassicTrainers.Illustration: Antonis KarydysA face on the tailText: Jan Zdiarský#7044INFO Eduard36February 2024The second youngest
A man on one of the many hospital beds is breathing rapidly, a worried nurse regularly wipes the beads of sweat on his forehead. The slender young man with delicate features and premature wrinkles around his eyes suffered a gunshot wound to his thigh in an aerial combat a few days ago and lost a lot of blood because of it. But that doesn’t worry the doctors nearly as much as the inflammation that is slowly but surely poisoning his entire body. Just twenty years old, Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay is losing his fight for life, meanwhile far away in Germany a paper-pusher is now rushing to bestow the highest honour, the Pour le Mérite, on the exceptional young man before his death...
#8483BOXART STORYA man on one of the many hospital beds isbreathing rapidly, a worried nurse regularlywipes the beads of sweat on his forehead.The slender young man with delicate featuresand premature wrinkles around his eyessuffered a gunshot wound to his thigh in anaerial combat a few days ago and lost a lot ofblood because of it. But that doesn’t worry thedoctors nearly as much as the inflammationthat is slowly but surely poisoning his entirebody. Just twenty years old, Olivier Freiherrvon Beaulieu-Marconnay is losing his fight forlife, meanwhile far away in Germany a paper-pusher is now rushing to bestow the highesthonour, the Pour le Mérite, on the exceptionalyoung man before his death...Two months shy of his eighteenth birthday,Olivier was already promoted from cadet to therank of lieutenant as a member of the FourthCavalry Regiment (Dragoner Regiment vonBredow Nr. 4). When he switched from horsesto planes, he took the stylized 4D badge ashis personal symbol to adorn his planes. TheJasta 18, led by the vigorous Rudolf Berthold,was Olivier’s first air unit from December 1,1917, and subsequently, after a major reshuffleorchestrated by Berthold as the newlyappointed commander of JG II, he and all hiscomrades became part of Jasta 15.The young fighter, whom his colleaguescalled “Bauli”, waited nearly half a year forhis first kill. Why? In the spring of 1918, Jasta15 was flying new Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIfighters, which were forbidden to fly over thefront line into enemy territory, lest the newaircraft fall into enemy hands. This noticeablylimited the opportunities for combat, whichwas reflected in the persistent zero on Olivier'sfighter account. But on May 28 a formation ofAR.2 reconnaissance Dorands flew over thefront line and one of them became Olivier’sprey. His account began to grow rapidly withthe arrival of new Fokkers D.VII. During June headded seven victories, with six more in August.With a tally of thirteen victories, he then left hisunit to take command of Jasta 19 on September2, just two weeks before his twentieth birthday.Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnaywas the representative of fighter pilots whono longer knew the “gentlemanly” duels foughtby the pre-war aviation pioneers, who in manycases were friends until the outbreak of thewar. The air battles of 1918 were fierce, andthe fallen old knights were replaced by newenergetic men whose zeal and aggressivenesswere just what the new D.VII Fokkers needed.Olivier took one of these great aircraft withhim when he left Jasta 15. It was a machinepowered by a BMW IIIa engine, which madethese planes better climbers and also capableof higher speed. No wonder pilots loved them.Beaulieu-Marconnay was given an aircraft thatwas originally intended for Rudolf Berthold,commander of the entire JG II. Olivier had itrepainted to match the color scheme of hisnew unit, notably a yellow nose instead of red.For more information on this subject, the readeris referred to the kit Cat. No. 8483, the boxartof which is the work of our Greek collaboratorAntonis Karydys. It depicts Olivier's D.VII in oneof the many battles with American pilots onFrench Spads XIII. This time the painting is notreflecting any specific action. It is just a scenethat represents the character and participantsof those battles.The young commander of Jasta 19 met hisdestiny on October 18, 1918. On that day, Jasta19 pilots engaged British fighters in a crossfireand one bullet hit Olivier's thigh. Some sourcesstate that it was a bullet fired by a fellowGerman fighter, but evidence for this claim islacking. The heavily bleeding pilot was stillable to get his plane to the airfield and land.He lost consciousness shortly afterwardsand was taken to hospital in Arlon, Belgium.The wound became inflamed, and his conditioncontinued to deteriorate. The Luftstreitkräftecommand was already in process of awardinghim the Pour le Mérite after his twentiethvictory, but official procedures usually tookfour to five weeks. Now, three weeks afterreaching the threshold required for the awardof the highly valued decoration, its prospectiverecipient was lying in critical condition inhospital. Sources differ as to the events at theend of Olivier’s life. Some state that he learnedof the award six hours before his death, othersthat the information had not reached him alive.However, the “Blue Max” could not have beenawarded posthumously, so the official reportmust have stated the first option ... In any case,Olivier became the second youngest pilot to beawarded this high decoration.Text: Richard PlosIllustration: Antonis KarydysThe second youngestINFO Eduard37February 2024Page 38
BOXART STORY #84198On the boxart of this Spitfire edition, PiotrForkasiewicz captured S/Ldr James Rankin ofthe No. 92 Squadron RAF in battle with Germanopponents somewhere over France in thesummer of 1941. This period of large numbersof RAF raids over occupied territory on the westcoast of Europe was given the name Non-StopOffensive.In the winter of 1940, after the Battle ofBritain, most Luftwaffe fighter units movedto Germany to rest, replenish pilots andtake delivery of new machines. Many airmenanticipated that the battle would continue inthe spring and eventually lead to an invasionof southern England. But Adolf Hitler's plans,as we know, headed elsewhere.Meanwhile the RAF command decided to shiftits operations over French territory during 1941.It proposed several methods of deployment.These were not just raids on naval targets(Roadstead), daily bombing missions againstspecific ground targets (Ramrod) or riskyattacks by pairs of fighter aircraft on more orless random targets on the continent (Rhubarb).German air raids during the Battle of Britain,designed to lure into combat and destroy fighterunits of Hurricanes and Spitfires, impressedthe RAF command to such an extent that itdecided to adopt and modify this tactic. Insteadof the tens to hundreds of bombers used bythe Germans, however, the British decided todeploy only small numbers of bombers, usuallysix to twelve. These were mostly Blenheims,although Stirlings, for example, were alsodeployed into combat. Gradually the number ofbombers increased to 24 in exceptional cases,and the very complicated fighter escort systemhad as many as 350 Spitfires and Hurricanesin several flight levels. However, these actions,called Circus, posed no real threat because ofthe small number of bombers and the shortrange of the British planes, which did not havemany strategic military or industrial targetswithin their radius of action. Germans wereoften unable to distinguish them from Sweepor Rodeo actions, which were purely fighteroperations over enemy territory.By the end of June 1941, the RAF had carriedout about 20 Circus missions. Thanks to theirnew radar stations, the Germans quickly learnedto recognize the types of enemy operations andto react accordingly with their own fighter units(or even ignore them). Their new Bf 109 F-1 andF-2s represented a considerable advantageover the Hurricanes and Spitfires Mk.II. Soon thetechnical superiority was offset by the arrivalof the Spitfire Mk.V. In the autumn, however, thefirst Fw 190 As appeared over the battlefield,which shifted the scales again slightly in favourof the German pilots. They were usually abovetheir RAF opponents in time to be ready withthe sun at their backs or behind the clouds.They chose their targets carefully and followeda disciplined hit-and-run tactic.After the attack on the Soviet Union, theRAF greatly increased the number of Circusoperations, hoping to tying up more Germanfighter units at the Channel and make thesituation easier for the Soviets. However,this did not happen and the German fighterunits, although numerically weaker, retainedthe tactical initiative. German propagandaderisively referred to the British plan as the“Nonsense Offensive”.From the end of June 1941 to the end of theyear, JG 2, JG 26 and one operational trainingunit lost 101 pilots and 110 aircraft in combat,with another 58 destroyed or seriously damagedin other circumstances. German fighter pilotsclaimed 838 RAF aircraft, with a number ofother downed planes claimed by flak units.Their British opponents claimed 731 certainvictories but lost 1,036 fighter aircraft and 585were severely damaged. The RAF command,thanks to the ULTRA service, had an accuratepicture of the situation, from decoded Germanradio dispatches describing replenishment ofLuftwaffe losses.The last mission of this type in 1941 was CircusNo. 110, which on November 8, 1941, headed forthe Lille area. Due to German readiness anda combination of poor weather conditions andbad decisions on the side of the RAF, elevenSpitfires and nine pilots were lost, includingone Wing Commander and three SquadronLeaders. A further six Spitfires were shot downwhile escorting Hurricanes during a Ramrodmission to the St. Pol area. The outcome of thisoperation was so bad for the RAF, that thesemissions were cancelled, except to focus onsignificant ground targets.For a more detailed study of this subjectI recommend John Foreman's publications andbooks focusing on the history of JG 2 and JG 26.Illustration: Piotr ForkasiewiczThe Non-Stop OffensiveText: Jan BobekINFO Eduard38February 2024Page 39
#82161BOXART STORYThis dramatic boxart by Piotr Forkasiewiczdepicts one aircraft of II./JG 52 in the lastweeks of the war. This unit was commandedby Hptm. Wilhelm Batz (237 v.) from February1945. Apart from a few Bf 109s of the G-6 andG-14 versions, the core of its armament wereBf 109 G-10/U4s from the nearby WNF plant.The unit also received several Bf 109 K-4s.From the autumn of 1944, II./JG 52 fought inthe defence of Hungarian territory, togetherwith the Bf 109s from units 101. Vadászezred,II./JG 51 and I./JG 53, which fought near Viennaand over southern Moravia in April 1945.Most airmen understood that the end ofthe war was inevitably approaching and thatdefeat would probably be terrible. They facedoverwhelming odds against Soviet ground andair forces. At this time, over Hungarian andAustrian territory there were also sporadicengagements with American fighters. Yet thepilots of II./JG 52 in the final months of thewar managed to find a way to make their livesa little more pleasant in the microworld oftheir unit. For example, announcing just aftermidnight a wake-up call pretending to slightlydrunk colleagues that it was seven in themorning.In his memoirs Heinz Ewald, then a memberof II./JG 52 and CO of the 7th Staffel (former6th Staffel), recalled such funny moments.He was lucky many times during the war(that's why he got the nickname E-Sau). Luckwas on his side on March 1, 1945, when he wasaccidentally shot down by an SS anti-aircraftunit near his own airfield. His friend, laterCO of JV 44´s Fw 190 D-9s, the legendary “Heino”Sachsenberg, dealt the flak unit his own crazyway. For more details on this incident, see theINFO Eduard 11/2010.A month later II./JG 52 was briefly stationedin Wien-Aspern. Landing on a concretesurface was not something Wilhelm Batzand his subordinates were used to. Not onlyBatz's K-4 but also twelve other Bf 109s weredamaged. On a mission from this base, Ewaldwas again shot down. This occurred on April 3,1945, during a strafing attack south of Vienna.Bernd Barbas, in his chronicle of II./JG 52,states that this occurred after a dogfight withAmerican fighters, but Ewald does not mentionany enemy aircraft. Moreover, the Americansdid not claim any victories in this area. Ewaldpoints out in his memoirs that in addition toa 30mm cannon in the engine and two 13mmmachine guns, his machine was also equippedwith two 20mm cannons under the wing. Afterthe end of the war, very few G-14 and G-10swere documented as being so armed, but threeG-10s with underwing gondolas are knownfrom Austria, for example.The target of Ewald's Schwarm was in thearea Waltersdorf-Moosbrunn. After attackingseveral columns and equipment assemblyareas, one of the wingmen reported thata white “stream” was leaking from Ewald'smachine, probably the radiator in the winghad been hit. Then there was an engine failureand Ewald had to put his machine on its bellyamong the vineyard hills. The left gondolaunder the wing carved a furrow in the groundlike a plough. Ewald pulled the parachute outof the machine and walked west. He sooncame under enemy fire and ran away fromthe machine. Soon dusk fell and he cameupon two Sturmgeschütz riding towards hisplane. Together with them he returned to theMesserschmitt and the tankers helped himdismantle and salvage the radio station. It wasonly during the drive back that Ewald noticedthat the tankers were from an SS unit. He wastaken by another vehicle to his airbase wherehe was already presumed lost. The gratefulairmen rewarded the tankers with a supplyof aviation gasoline. During the following day,mechanics, accompanied by tankers, tookthe aircraft to the base and counted 18 hits.The very next day, 5 April, Ewald managed toshoot down an Il-2 Shturmovik over Vienna.It was his 79th victory. By the end of the war,he scored five more victories and received theKnight's Cross.In the final weeks of the fighting, Luftwaffefighter units were being disbanded also inthis part of the European battlefield. FirstII./JG 51 on 12 April, five days later the samefate awaited I./JG 53. Somehow this is howthe “white 11” (with the inscription Rosemarieunder the cockpit), which bore the overpaintedinsignia of JG 53 and II./JG 51, got to Ewald's7th Staffel. It wasthen flown by Ofw. Richter,who didn't belong to II./JG 52, to Americancaptivity at Neubiberg on May 8, 1945. HeinzEwald was released from American captivityin Fürstenfeldbruck on June 22, 1945.Text: Jan BobekIllustration: Piotr ForkasiewiczThe end of the war at the DanubeINFO Eduard39February 2024Page 40
#11179SPARVIERO1/48The Heavy Retro Limited edition of the kit of the famous Italian WWII three-engined mediumbomber aircraft SM.79 Sparviero in 1/48 scale.The first edition of this kit was released in 2001.Sparviero (Sparrowhawk) served as a classic bomber or as a torpedo bomber. First foughtin the Spanish Civil War, followed by service in World War II.plastic parts: Special Hobbymarking options: 6decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: yes, cockpit, wheels, spinner,propeller, engines, exhausts etc.Product pageKITS 02/2024INFO Eduard40February 2024Page 41
MM23838, Capt. Carlo E. Buscaglia, 281aSquadriglia, 132oGruppo AS, Gadurra, Rhodes, summer 194152aSquadriglia, 27oGruppo BT, 8oStormo BV, Son San Juan,Baleares, March 1938Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia started his militarycareer with the 50aBomber Squadriglia and inthe ranks of 252aSq., he took part in a combatbaptism, a raid on the port of Marseille, on June21, 1940. His fame began to rise after training fortorpedo attacks and his subsequent assignment to278aSq. operating from El Adem. TenenteBuscaglia hit the heavy cruiser Kent, thelight cruiser Glasgow and several transportships during his stay with the unit. OnMarch 5, 1941, 281aSquadriglia was formed,and Capitano Buscaglia was appointed ascommanding officer, subsequently becomingCO of the 132oGruppo in early April 1942.On November 12, 1942, a Sparviero flownby Buscaglia was shot down by a Spitfireand Buscaglia was declared dead. However,he survived with severe injuries and burns andwas transferred to a POW camp at Fort Meade, MD.After the surrender of Italy, Allies offered himcommand of the 28oGruppo Bombardemento.Ironically, his former 132oGruppo, now operatingon the ANR side, was renamed 1oGruppoAerosiluranti Buscaglia. On August 23, 1944,Buscaglia crashed while taking off. His Baltimoreexploded and Buscaglia succumbed to his injuriesand burns the following day.The first Sparvieros destined to support theNationalists during the Spanish Civil Warlanded at Son San Juan airport in February1937 and belonged to 12oStormo BV. The crewsof this unit participated in actions against theRepublicans until November 1937, when the12oStormo pilots were replaced by colleaguesfrom the 27oGruppo of the 8oStormo BV, knownas the Falchi delle Baleari (Balearic Falcons).The Sparvieros, supplied from Italy, were paintedin pre-war camouflage scheme, consisting oflarge color fields using the Marrone Mimetico 2,Verde Mimetico 1 and Giallo Mimetico 3 shadeson the upper and side surfaces, while the lowersurfaces were covered by Grigio Mimetico.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard41February 2024Page 42
MM 22278 or 22279, Ten. Col. Mario Giuliano, 193aSquadriglia,87oGruppo BT, 30oStormo, Sciacca, Sicily, December 1940MM 22593, 252aSquadriglia, 104oGruppo BT, 46oStormo,Skadar, Albania, end of 1940The 192aand 193aSquadriglia, forming the87oGruppo, received their first Sparvieros in1938 and used them in Albania the following year.In early June, 193amoved to Sciacca airfieldin Sicily, from where its crews flew their firstwartime missions against airfields in Tunisia.From June 6, Sparvieros of 193aSquadrigliastarted raids on the island of Malta and onsupplying convoys. The unit participated in thefighting against Malta until August 1941, whenthe rearmament of the unit to CANT Z.1007bisbombers began. The Sparviero, designated bythe code 193-6, was camouflaged with VerdeMimetico 2, Marrone Mimetico 1 and GialloMimetico 2 on the upper and side surfaces, whilethe lower surfaces were sprayed with aluminumpaint. The unit's emblem – Omino Elettrico – waspainted on the fuselage sides, and the canvaspunctures sustained during the Malta raids werecovered with patches. It is not entirely clearwhether these took the form of British or Italiancockades. The larger punctures were re-tapedwith pieces of canvas with the Italian tricolorand a label indicating when the damage occurred.Under the fuselage codes was the inscriptionCHI-MI-TOCCO'-CI-LASCIO'-LE-PENNE.The 252aSquadriglia, which formed, together with253aSquadriglia, 104oGruppo BT, received the firstSparvieros on February 15, 1940. In June of thesame year the crews took part in the first raidson targets in Corsica and Marseilles, followedby a move to an airfield in occupied Albania inNovember, from where the Sparvieros took offfor bombing raids over Greece. The Sparvierosused by 252aSquadriglia were camouflaged inseveral camouflage schemes, consisting of bothspots and irregular patches. The Sparviero withnumber 252-3 had the camouflage of irregularpatches sprayed with Marrone Mimetico 53193,Verde Mimetico 53192 and Giallo Mimetico3 shades on the upper and side surfaces, thelower surfaces were sprayed with aluminumpaint.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard42February 2024Page 43
253aSquadriglia, 104oGruppo BT, 46oStormo, Gadurra,Rhodes, August 1942256aSquadriglia, 109oGruppo BT, 36oStormo, Castelvetrano,Sicily, June 1940The crews of 104oGruppo Sparvieros wereretrained for anti-ship torpedo attacks in thespring of 1942, and the unit first moved toDecimomanu airfield on the island of Sardiniain May 1942 to conduct raids on ships of theHarpoon convoy. Later they moved to Rhodes inJuly, from where they undertook reconnaissanceflights over the eastern Mediterranean andattacks against Allied shipping in the samearea. The Sparvieros used by 252aSq. and253a Sq. against ships in the summer of 1942were camouflaged with Verde Oliva Scuro2 shade on the upper and side surfaces, the lowersurfaces were painted in Grigio Azzuro Chiaro1 shade. The olive color on upper surfaces wassupplemented with irregular patches of GAC 1paint before Rhodes deployment. The vertical finof the aircraft number 253-8 was like the otheraircraft of the unit adorned by silhouettes of theships, which were hit during the operation againstthe Harpoon convoy by the entire 104oGruppo BT.The entire 109oGruppo, consisting of 256aSquadriglia and 257aSquadriglia, was formedalong with its sister 108oGruppo in the spring of1938 at Bologna Borgo Panigale airfield. Theseunits were equipped with Savoias SM.79 andSM.81 and took part in the occupation of Albaniawith them. Subsequently, they were moved backto Sicily, from where they undertook raids onMalta and on convoys transporting much neededmaterial destined for the struggling island andits inhabitants. The camouflage of this Sparvieroconsisted of a base color of Giallo Mimetico3 on the upper and side surfaces, with irregularpatches of Marrone Mimetico 53193 and VerdeMimetico 53192 shades. The lower surfaceswere camouflaged with Grigio Mimetico. On bothsides of the vertical fin, there was painted theemblem of 36oStormo, the towers of Asinelli andGarisenda, monuments and landmarks of thecity of Bologna, meant as a honor of the placeof origin of this unit.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard43February 2024Page 44
Recommended:for SPARVIERO 1/48481129 SM.79 bomb bay (PE-Set)481130 SM.79 undercarriage (PE-Set)481131 SM.79 rear fuselage interior (PE-Set)644252 SM.79 LööK (Brassin)648963 Italian WWII torpedo A.130 (Brassin)3DL48158 SM.79 SPACE (3D Decal Set)OVERLEPT#11179-LEPT1SM.79 PE-Set1/48Product page#644252#648463#481130#481131KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard44February 2024Page 45
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L-39CM, s/n 915254, 2 Fighter Squadron, 81 Wing, Slovak Air Force,Sliač AFB, Slovakia, 2022L-39C, No. 0445, Pardubice, Czech Republic, 2023Albatros with fuselage number 5254 isa modernized CM variant operated by the 2 TacticalSquadron of the 81 Wing based at Sliač airbase.In 2011, the aircraft underwent an overhaul,during which it received a new grey camouflage,which includes cabin silhouette of a darkershade grey on the underside of the fuselage. Thelast overhaul of the aircraft took place in earlyJune 2020 and the L-39CM No. 5254 became thelast Albatros in Slovakia, overhauled jointly byLetecké opravovne Trenčín (Aviation Repair ShopTrencin) and Aero Vodochody. On May 4, 2022,a motif commemorating the 100th anniversary ofthe birth of the famous Czechoslovak pilot S/LdrOtto Smik was applied to the vertical tail surfaces.On April 1, 2004, a new organizational unit ofLOM PRAHA, Centrum leteckého výcviku (FlightTraining Centre), was established. The state-owned company leased eight L-39C aircraft(Nos. 0103, 0113, 0115, 0440, 0441, 0444, 0445and 0448) from the Czech Armed Forces forthe advanced training of military pilots. At theturn of 1999 and 2000, all eight of these aircraftunderwent overhaul and modernization, as theyreceived a completely new forward fuselagesection into which the original equipment wasinstalled. This provided the Army with aircrafttechnically equivalent to the 53rd series and witha full service life. A new camouflage consisting ofthree shades of grey was also applied as part ofthe overhaul. During the R3 revision, which tookplace between 2016 and 2019, the aircraft thenreceived new insignia in “flag” form.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard46February 2024Page 47
L-39C, No.16, Russian Navy Air Force, 859 TsBP, Yeysk AB, Russia, 2018L-39C, s/n 533229, No. 77, Ukrainian Air Force, 299 brTA,Kulbakino AB, Nikolaev, Ukraine, 2015The L-39C remains the backbone of the RussianAir Force’s jet trainer fleet. After graduatingfrom one of the three aviation academies, flighttraining during the third year of studies begins onthese aircraft, and by the fourth year, trainees aredivided into fighter, attack and tactical bomberor transport/long-range aviation, with trainingcontinuing on the L-39. This L-39C served in theranks of the Russian Naval Air Force (AVMF-RF) at the Yeysk base. Albatros RF-34122 withblue fuselage number 16 was assigned to the859 Naval Aviation Combat Use and Crew TrainingCenter (859 TsBP i PLS MA VMF). On October 19,2018, it crashed during a low-level training flightover the Sea of Azov, killing both crew members.Unconfirmed sources state that one of the pilotsdied after ejection, while the other did not ejectfrom the aircraft.After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, 1,202 L-39swere to remain in Russia and the rest weredivided among the new independent states. Whenthe Ukrainian Air Force was established in 1992,it operated 708 L-39s, making the country thesecond largest operator in the world. The poorfinancial situation of the entire army has reducedtheir number considerably and in 2005 less than200 were in service. The remaining Albatroseswere stored and offered for sale. The Ministryof Defense decided to modernize the L-39Cwith indigenous systems and assets. There arethree versions of the upgrade (M1, M2 and M3),which denote different levels of modernization.Eight upgraded aircraft were delivered by 2014,but half of them were captured by Russia after itoccupied Crimea in March 2014. With two majoroverhauls of the aircraft in Odessa and Chuhuiv,Ukraine became a master of L-39 overhauls,leading to many Ukrainian Albatroses beingexported.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard47February 2024Page 48
L-39C, No. 20, Kazakhstan Air Force,Taldykorgan AB, Kazakhstan, 2012L-39C, s/n 131904, OK-JET, Czech Jet Team, airport Plzeň-Líně,Czech Republic, 2004–2014The Sunkar is one of the two aerobatic groups ofthe Kazakh Air Force. The Kazakh term Sunkarmeans “Falcon” and the group uses L-39 Albatrosaircraft. It was formed in the fall of 2010 andhas been given six L-39s. In March 2011, it madea name for itself at the International Exhibitionof Arms and Military Technical Equipment(KADEX) in Astana and demonstrates its skillsevery year during the celebration of Air ForceDay. The Kazakhstan Air Force operates a total of18 L-39 aircraft. In 2020/2021, six of these L-39sunderwent upgrades at Aero Vodochody, duringwhich the aircraft received modern avionicsequipment, including a pair of MFDs. The aircraftare in service at the Kazakh Air Force trainingcenter in Balkhash.This aircraft was produced by Aero Vodochody in1981 as part of the 19th production series as theC1 version. It was delivered to the Soviet Uniontogether with 35 other aircraft of this series.It served at the Ukrainian Chernigov Air Baseas “Yellow 53” and was flown by members of theSoviet space program group in addition to militarypilots. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, theaircraft remained with several hundred otherAlbatroses in Ukraine but was only stored andready for sale. In September 2002, it was boughtby a Pilsen aviation enthusiast and in February2003 the dismantled aircraft was transported bytruck to the Plzeň-Líně airport. In cooperationwith Aero Vodochody, work was carried out ondemilitarization of the aircraft, necessary repairsand modifications of systems and avionics.Instead of the original 100 litre wingtip tanks,230 litre ones of the same type as used on theL-59/L-159 were installed. On July 12, 2003, theaircraft passed its first engine test and on July 7,2004, it took to the air for test flight. On the sameday, the aircraft was registered by the CivilianAviation Bureau in the register of aircraft in theExperimental category under the matriculationOK-JET. The official entry into service of the firstprivate-owned Czech Albatros took place on July13, 2004. The L-39 Albatros OK-JET aircraft inits unmistakable glossy black paint with yellowaccessory has been a welcome visitor of theairshows since then and has performed manyadventurous flights.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard48February 2024Page 49
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#8483Fokker D.VIIF1/48The Weekend edition kit of German WWI fighter aircraftFokker D.VIIF in 1/48 scale. These Fokker D.VIIs aremanufactured at the Fokker factory in Schwerinand were powered by BMW IIIa engines.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 4decals: EduardPE parts: nopainting mask: noresin parts: noProduct pageKITS 02/2024INFO Eduard50February 2024Page 51
Lt. Olivier freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay, Jasta 19, Stenay, France, September 1918378/18, Lt. Ernst Udet, Jasta 4, Monthussart Ferme aerodrome, France, June 1918The younger of the von Beaulieu-Marconnaybrothers (the elder Heinz was also a fighterpilot) was born in Berlin on September 14, 1898,and joined the 4th Cavalry Regiment (DragonerRegiment von Bredow Nr. 4) as a cadet in June1915. He transferred to Luftstreitkräfte and aftercompleting pilot training he became a member ofJasta 18 on December 1, 1917, subsequently Jasta15 on March 20, 1918. After five months of combatand 12 victories was “Bauli” appointed commanderof Jasta 19 on September 2. He took with him theD.VIIF he had inherited from Rudolf Berthold.The white stylized 4D. was Olivier’s personalsymbol. It was a branding mark of the horses of hisformer cavalry regiment. The aircraft originallyhad a red nose, like the other Jasta 15 aircraft,and while the red usually ended at the level of themachine gun breech, Berthold had it extended tothe middle of the cockpit. After transferring tothe Jasta 19 as its CO, Olivier instructed his mento paint the nose yellow to the usual line and therest of the red overpaint in blue. This was eithera darker shade or darkened by the underlying red,either way this part of the fuselage looks darker.The upper wing shows extensive repair, probablyin lighter blue. On September 23, Olivier scoredhis 20th kill and was nominated for the Pour leMérite but was wounded in aerial combat onOctober 18 and taken to a hospital with severebleeding. He died eight days later. The decisionto award him the Pour le Mérite was made justhours before his death.Ernst Udet is one of the most significantpersonalities of German aviation history.With 62 confirmed kills, he even became themost successful surviving fighter of the FirstWorld War. After his service with Jasta 37,Manfred von Richthofen, as commander of theentire JG I, put him in command of Jasta 11 inMarch 1918. When the Red Baron subsequentlydied in April, Udet took over command of Jasta4. This aircraft probably bore registration number378/18 (factory number 2465) and was poweredby BMW IIIa engine number 1243. It was acceptedat Schwerin on May 15, 1918 and was one of22 Fokker D.VIIFs delivered to JG I on June 22.Udet test-flown this aircraft shortly before hewas shot down with his famous O.A.W. producedD.VII, bearing the inscription “Du doch nicht!!”.It is very likely that this aircraft was subsequentlypainted very similarly, so at some point it probablyreceived red and white stripes on the upper wing.The design shown here therefore illustrates thelikely appearance of the aircraft at a certaintime period. The white chevron on the top ofthe horizontal tail surfaces is also uncertain.Aircraft of this series were supplied with printedaircraft fabric (Flugzeugstoff), familiarly knownas Lozenge, in four-color version. The fuselage,on the other hand, was originally painted withthe typical green streaked paint. Aircraft 378/18was the last D.VII to receive this finish at Fokker,all next aircraft had the fuselage covered witha fabric printed with colored irregular hexagons.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard51February 2024Page 52
Rittm. Karl Bolle, Jasta 2, Lens Mons, France, October 1918465/18, Lt. Georg von Hantelmann, Jasta 15, Chéry-les-Pouilly, France, August 1918Karl Bolle began his flying career as a KG4pilot, then served with Kampstaffel 23, wherehis observer was Lothar von Richthofen, whobecame successful fighter pilot later. In theautumn of 1917, Bolle was transferred to Jasta 28and, after becoming ace with five kills, he wasappointed commander of Jasta 2 on February 20,1918. Bolle led this famous unit until the end ofthe war, and his score stood at 36 kills. On August28, 1918, he was awarded the highly recognizedPour le Mérite. He remained an active pilot afterthe war and in 1920 was appointed director ofthe Transport Pilots’ Flying School. This Bolle’sFokker D.VII bore a broad yellow stripe on thefuselage with white and black lines and wasa D.VIIF version with a BMW IIIa engine fromthe Schwerin factory’s medium productionseries (series 4250/18-4449/18). The productionor military number of this aircraft is not known.Georg von Hantelmann was born on October9, 1898, in Rokietnica (today in Poland) andjoined the army in 1916. He joined the 17thHussar Cavalry Regiment (BraunschweigischesHusaren-Regiment Nr. 17), which had a skull andcrossbones in its coat of arms. This motif laterbecame von Hantelmann’s personal symbol. Afterbeing appointed to the rank of Lieutenant on June15, 1917, he was transferred to the Luftstreitkräfteand began pilot training on September 20 thatyear. After that, he reported on February 6, 1918,to Jasta 18, which became Jasta 15 in March.He achieved his first confirmed victory on June6. Within couple of weeks, he became an ace.His eighth victim was one of America’s leadingfighter aces of that time, David Putnam (13 kills).Another notable pilot who perished under vonHantelmann’s gunfire was Maurice Boyau, whohad 21 balloons and 14 aircraft on his account.Having achieved 22 victories, von Hantelmannwas decorated with the Knight’s Cross FirstClass and also the Royal Hohenzollern DomesticOrder, however he expected to be awarded thehighest decoration, the Pour le Mérite (awardedfor 20 victories). He was nominated for it,but before it was awarded the war was over.Von Hantelmann’s score counted 25 kills.He achieved all of them with Fokker D.VII,making him one of the most successful pilotsof that type. This example had the upper wingchanged for O.A.W. one in September. After thewar von Hantelmann worked on his farm and onSeptember 7, 1924, was killed by Polish poachershe caught on his property.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard52February 2024Page 53
1/48Spitfire Mk.Vb earlyThe Weekend edition kit of British WWII fighter plane Spitfire Mk.Vbin 1/48 scale. All Spitfires are early version with armor glass beforethe windshield and have under the wings symetrical bulges.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 5decals: EduardPE parts: nopainting mask: noresin parts: no#84198Product pageKITS 02/2024INFO Eduard53February 2024Page 54
W3312, S/Ldr James Rankin, No. 92 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill,Great Britain, June–August 1941W3312, W/Cdr James Rankin, Biggin Hill Wing, RAF Biggin Hill,Great Britain, August-December 1941James Rankin joined the RAF in 1935 and aftertraining he joined No. 25 Squadron, then wastransferred to the Fleet Air Arm where heflew with No. 825 Naval Air Squadron on HMSGlorious. After serving with the FAA he becamean instructor with No. 5 OTU. In early 1941 he waspromoted to Squadron Leader and transferred toNo. 64 Squadron to gain operational experience.During his short time with this unit, he is creditedwith shooting down one-third of a Ju 88 andtwo damaged enemies. In February 1941 he tookcommand of No. 92 East India Squadron, whichwas in the process of being rearmed with thenew Mk.Vb Spitfires. During the summer fightinghis score increased rapidly. In June 1941 he wasawarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for ninekills and on June 14 he shot down Galland’swingman, Obfw. Robert Menge of III./JG 26(18 victories). Spitfire W3312, which was JamieRankin’s personal aircraft, was one of the mostsuccessful and brightly colored Spitfires in theRAF. It was decorated with the inscription EASTINDIA SQUADRON on the left side of the tankcover and the pilot’s personal emblem, whichwas a red lion in the crest. Under the cockpit,Rankin had symbols of the kills he had achieved.On the right side, the donation inscription“The Wiltshire Moonraker I” was displayed underthe cockpit. Rankin’s Spitfire was camouflagedwith a standard scheme consisting of shades ofDark Green / Dark Earth / Sky.In September 1941 Rankin became WingCommander at Biggin Hill and in October receivedthe Distinguished Service Order. In December1941 Rankin completed his tour of operationsand was sent to Fighter Command. He returnedto operational flying in April 1942 and led theBiggin Hill Wing again until December 1942.He then served at Central Gunnery School andin August 1943 took command of No. 15 FighterWing. During the Normandy landings in June 1944,he was commanding officer of No. 125 Wing.Rankin scored a total of 22 kills against enemyaircraft, including five shared ones (13+1 onSpitfire W3312), three probable and two sharedprobable kills, 16 damaged and three shareddamaged. Almost all of the kills were achievedon Spitfires Mk.Vb. The Spitfire that Rankin flewin the autumn of 1941 as Wing Commander ofBiggin Hill already carried the new camouflagescheme effective from August 16. Photographsshow the use of a very dark shade of Mixed Grey(probably Extra Dark Sea Grey) in place of theoriginal Dark Earth, the lower surfaces were inthe new Medium Sea Grey. Although Rankin, asWing Commander, could have chosen his initialsin place of the squadron code letters, he did notuse this option and retained the original codeletters QJ-J, newly repainted in the Sky shade.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard54February 2024Page 55
W3257, F/Lt Eric S. Lock, No. 611 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,Great Britain, July-August 1941W3774, P/O William V. Crawford-Compton, No. 485 Squadron, RAF Kenley,Great Britain, November 1941 – March 1942The most successful pilot of the Battle of Britain,Eric Stanley Lock, sortied for the first time withhis Spitfire W3257 on July 14, 1941. He baptizedhis new aircraft by fire by shooting downa Bf-109F, which was also his very last kill. Barelythree weeks later, on August 3, returning froma Rhubarb mission, he attacked a Germancolumn near Pas de Calais and has been missingever since. It’s supposed he was shot down byAA fire and crashed into the sea. Neither hisSpitfire Mk.V W3257 nor Lock himself have everbeen found. At the time of his disappearance hisscore stood at 26 kills achieved during 25 weeksof the operational deployment in course of oneyear out of which he spent six months in thehospitals. Spitfire Mk.Vb W3257 was camouflagedin the standard Dark Green/Dark Earth/Sky.Code letters E-FY were painted in Sky which wasa standard code letters color of the HornchurchWing Spitfires. A serial was overpainted in thecamouflage color.One of the RAF’s most successful pilots was NewZealander William Vernon Crawford-Compton.He joined the RAF in 1939 as a mechanic, andwas subsequently accepted for flight training,which he completed in 1940. In March 1941 hewas assigned to the newly formed No. 485 Sqn.and from August 1942 served successfully ascommander of B Flight in No. 611 Sqn. In late1942 he took command of No. 64 Sqn. and led ituntil the end of March the following year. Aftera period of staff duties, he became Commanderof Hornchurch Fighter Wing in mid-1943 andled it until the end of the year. After his tour ofoperations, he lectured for three months in theUnited States on RAF operations. He returnedto active service as commander of No. 145Wing, which he led in offensive operations priorto and after Operation Overlord. After the warhe held senior posts in the RAF, retiring as AirVice-Marshal at the end of 1968. He died inJanuary 1988 at the age of 72. During his wartimecareer he achieved 22 kills, four probable and healso damaged a further 13 aircraft. The SpitfireW3774 was his first personal aircraft and heachieved four kills flying it. It had a drawing ofa burning swastika on the left side under thecockpit and a pan with Hitler’s head above it.The left side of the tank cover was decorated withthe inscription Auckland 1 “Waiuku”. On the rightside under the cab was a Samson donation sign.W3774 was given a new livery effective August16, 1941. Photographs show the use of a very darkshade of Mixed Grey (probably Extra Dark SeaGrey) in place of the original Dark Earth, the Skyband was repainted with a new shade of MediumSea Grey on the lower surfaces.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard55February 2024Page 56
P8537, Sgt J. Hloužek, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,Great Britain, November 1941 – March 1942Spitfire Mk.Vb P8537 served operationally withNo. 313 Squadron from 2 November 1941 to28 March 1942. The most frequent pilots in itscockpit were Sgt. J. Hloužek, F/L K. Vykoukal andF/S K. Foglar. The figure of Horace the Horse, whichwas painted on this Spitfire by Sgt. Karel Pavlík,a Pilsen native, trained letter painter and authorof all drawings on Spitfires of No. 313 Squadron,was for many years a mystery, because only halfof the drawing was known from photographs.It was until two uncut photographs from thearchive of the mechanic F/O Ing. Karl Beinhaueremerged and helped to solve the appearance ofthe other half. Spitfire P8537 had been repaintedin the new camouflage shades in effect fromAugust 16, 1941. Surviving photographs documentthe complete change of the Spitfire’s camouflage.A very light shade of Mixed Grey was used in placeof the original Dark Earth, and a band of Sky Bluewas repainted with a new shade of Medium SeaGrey on the lower surfaces. The code letters RY-Zwere in the Sky Blue shade, as were the propellercone and band in front of the VOP.Recommended:for Spitfire Mk.Vb early 1/48481065 Spitfire Mk.V landing flaps (PE-Set)FE1207 Spitfire Mk.V seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644113 Spitfire Mk.V LööK (Brassin)648098 Spitfire wheels - 5 spoke (Brassin)648119 Spitfire wheels - 5 spoke, smooth tire (Brassin)648640 Spitfire Mk.V engine (Brassin)648663 Spitfire Mk.V cockpit (Brassin)648664 Spitfire Mk.V wheels (Brassin)648665 Spitfire Mk. Vb gun bays (Brassin)648667 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts rounded (Brassin)648668 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)648669 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)648670 Spitfire Mk. Va/ b undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648738 Spitfire Mk.V landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)SIN64878 Spitfire Mk. Va/b ESSENTIAL (Brassin)SIN64886 Spitfire Mk. Vb ADVANCED (Brassin)D48088 Spitfire Mk.V stencils (Decal Set)#648670#648738#648667#648640#644113KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard56February 2024Page 57
1/48Bf 109G-10 WNFThe ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII fighter aircraftBf 109G-10 in 1/48 scale. The kit is focused on 109s producedby Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke/Diana.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 4decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: no#82161Product pageRe-releaseKITS 02/2024INFO Eduard57February 2024Page 58
Bf 109G-10/U4, II./JG 52, Brno, Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, April 1945Bf 109G-10/U4, WNr. 612769, 101. vadászezred, Neubiberg airfield,Germany, May 1945Bf 109G-10/U4, WNr. 611048, II./JG 52, Neubiberg airfield, Germany, May 1945The II./JG 51 was disbanded on April 5, 1945,at Fels am Wagram and part of its pilots and theequipment was transferred to JG 52. One of suchaircraft was the Bf 109G-10/U4 with the nameRosemarie painted on the port side. The originalunit can be determined thanks to the overpaintedmarking which location was exclusively usedby II./JG 51.In the end of March 1945, the remainingHungarian units were concentrated at Tullnairport in Austria from where they flew sortiesto the areas of Vienna and Brno. After the frontapproached Tulln on April 5, 1945, they relocatedto Raffelding airport, from where they continuedin the air support of the land forces in the vicinityof Vienna. At the end of the war, the Hungarianairmen, same as their German comrades-in-arms, better surrendered to the American Armytherefore the 101. vadaszezred pilots flew overto the Bavarian Neubiberg with the remainingaircraft. Airframes manufactured in Diana plantwere camouflaged in the same colors as theairframes from Wiener Neustadt plant. Fromthe photographs of “yellow 12” it is obvious thatthe Hungarian national markings were spray-painted directly on the factory camouflage.The German markings had not been applied at all.Part of the wing undersurfaces remained in thenatural metal color.In the middle of April 1945, II./JG 52 relocatedfrom Fels am Wagram airport to Hoschingairport from where it pilots flew the missionsto support the German units and to counteractthe Soviet offensive during the battle of Brno.Fighter sorties against the American units overAustria and Southern Czechia were also on cards.In the beginning of May, the relocation toZeltweg followed and from there, on May 8, 1945,all airworthy planes took off for BavarianNeubiberg, where the pilots were captured bythe American Army. Camouflage of this aircraftconsisted of spray-painted RLM 75/83 colorson the upper surfaces and RLM 76 on thebottoms and was complimented by the Luftflotte4 recognition marking introduced on March7, 1945, in the form of yellow painted nose andrudder. Before the assignment to II./JG 52 theaircraft had served with another unit, its originalmarking was overpainted in the camouflage color.The rudder features seven kill markings.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard58February 2024Page 59
Bf 109G-10/U4, Jasta 5 der ROA, Nemecky Brod,Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, May 1945In the beginning of March 1945, Jasta 5 of theRussian Liberation Army led my Major S. T.Bychkov was located at Deutsch Brod (nowadaysHavlíčkův Brod) airfield. Together with theNachtschlachtstaffel 8 of the ROA, equipped withJu 87D-5 dive bombers, Jasta 5 participated inthe German units’ battles of retreat during thefight for Brno in April 1945. Some of the aircraftused by this unit were found abandoned at theDeutsch Brod airport. The aircraft sporting thecamouflage typical for the WNF plant productioncarried the ROA aircraft marking on the verticaltail surface in the form of St. Andrew’s Cross.OVERTREES#82161XBf 109G-10 WNF1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#82161-LEPT1Bf 109G-10 WNFPE-Set 1/48Product pageRecommended:for Bf 109G-10 WNF 1/4849095 Seatbelts Luftwaffe WWII fighters STEEL (PE-Set)644004 Bf 109G-10 Löök (Brassin)648158 Bf 109G-10 wheels (Brassin)648247 Bf 109G exhaust stacks (Brassin)648265 Bf 109G external fuel tanks (Brassin)648309 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648465 Bf 109G-10/ U4 engine (Brassin)648479 Bf 109G-10/U4 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)648672 Bf 109G-10 propeller (Brassin)SIN64862 Bf 109G-10/ U4 ESSENTIAL (Brassin)D48035 Bf 109G-10 MTT / WNF national insignia (Decal Set)EX609 Bf 109G-10 TFace 1/48 (Mask)#648672#644004#648465#648479#648309KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard59February 2024Page 60
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Leningrad, the Soviet Union, 1941The Soviet Union, summer 1941Genmjr. Ivan A. Lakeev, 46 IAP, Vasilkov, the Soviet Union, 1941Some I-16s survived in the war for a surprisinglylong time. For example, this “red four”, which isa somewhat mysterious aircraft. No details areknown, but it is thought it served as a liaisonaircraft or possibly as a training one for someunit in the northern sector of the front in 1944.The livery was typical of the first half of the GreatPatriotic War. Thus, the upper surfaces werein AII green and AII black (AMT-6), the lower inAII blue. The band in front of the tail surfacesis sometimes given as yellow, however, yellowstripes were not used by the Soviet Air Forcefor obvious reasons, and it is very likely that thestripe was in fact white.Among the many aircraft that fell into the handsof the advancing Germans during the summerof 1941 were a large number of I-16s of variousversions. This one is probably the most famousone captured during Operation Barbarossa.The aircraft sported an unusual camouflage,which can best be interpreted as a brush-ongreen paint (probably AE-7) over the originallight gray livery of AE-9. This camouflagewas apparently hastily applied shortly afterthe surprise German attack on June 22, 1941.The VVS RKKA (Soviet military air force) emblemon the VOP was a fairly popular feature on Sovietaircraft in the early years of the Great PatrioticWar.Ivan Alexeyevich Lakeev was a member of thefirst group of Soviet airmen to arrive in Spain inNovember 1936. With ten kills achieved with I-16Type 5, he became one of the most successfulfighters of the Spanish Civil War. Some sourceseven give 12 individual kills and another 16 incooperation. Lakeev left Spain in August 1937and was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero ofthe Soviet Union. He later fought over Khalkin-Gol, where he is credited with another kill. Somesources, however, list four kills, while othersnone. During the Great Patriotic War, he achievedthree more individual kills and four in cooperation.Here too are discrepancies in the documents andonly one kill is reported. Lakjeev’s I-16 Type 10 isa nice example of a personal aircraft of a highVVS officer. The typical Soviet camouflage of theearly 1940s with the upper surfaces in AII greenand the lower in AII blue was complemented byred accessories, a highly polished steel bandand ideological slogans on the fuselage sides.It is uncertain whether these slogans were alsoon the other side of the fuselage – probably not.The aircraft was serving with 46 IAP at Vasilkovairfield. It was very carefully cared for and keptin perfect condition.KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard61February 2024Page 62
Maj. Mikhail N. Yakushin, the Red Five aerobatic group, the Soviet Union, 1939The Red Five (Krasnaya Petyorka) was anaerobatic group of the Soviet military air force(VVS–Voyenno vozdushnye sily), operating in1939–1940. Today, three of its five members areknown: the leader of the group, Major MikhailNesterovich Yakushin, Lieutenant Colonel V.Klevtsov and Captain Y. Shishkin. Mikhail Yakushin(alias Rodrigo Mateu) was the ace of the SpanishCivil War, where he shot down five enemy aircraft(three CR-32s and two Ju 52s) and another oneachieved as shared victory. Yakushin spent halfa year in Spain (from May 31 to November 15,1937) flying I-15s. In 1938 he was also servingin China. During the Great Patriotic War, heserved in various command positions, ending thewar with the rank of colonel as commander ofthe 215 Fighter Division. The aircraft of the RedFive were fully armed ones, ready for combatdeployment. The paint scheme was pre-war grayAE-9 camouflage paint with a black AE-11 enginecowling and additional decorative elements– a white-lined black stripe on the fuselage(extending over and onto the leading edge of theelevator) and a bright red aft.OVERTREES#8148XI-16 Type-101/48Product pageOVERLEPT#8148-LEPT1I-16 Type-10PE-Set 1/48Product pageRecommended:for I-16 Type 10 1/4849596 I-16 (PE-Set)3DL48157 I-16 Type 10 SPACE (3D Decal Set)#3DL48157KITS 02/2024INFO Eduard62February 2024Page 63
www.eduard.com/bfcBUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTERCLUBEduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduardproducts and also discount on various other non-Eduard products. Fixed, permanent, forever!Unique valuable Club kits and accessories – you will gain access to unique and nowhere else to be soldproducts, specially made for BFC members.Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts ontheir products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount atthese events.Club T-shirt – you will receive fancy BFC T-shirt with unique design and special barcode(used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt will be only availableto the members of BFC.Free entry fee on E-day – you will not have to pay a penny to visit Eduard's E-day.That means lot of fun at E-day for two days and entry kit, absolutely free!* E-day - INTERNATIONAL SCALE KIT EXHIBITION - IPMS Czech Republic ChampionshipBOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter witheyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si-dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details andseat belts.BOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (undercarriage wheels, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, FOD).How to become a member of BFC?How to become a member of BFC?Simply by purchasing the Activation product. You will be given 15% discount on (almost) every Eduardproduct in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shoppingcart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.Activation products:Activation products:Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72Page 64
BRASSINLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards and STEELseatbelts for Sea King HAS.1 in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards andSTEEL seatbelts for Sea King HAS.5 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no644247Sea King HAS.1 LööK1/48 Airfix644248Sea King HAS.5 LööK1/48 AirfixProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard64February 2024Page 65
644250Hurricane Mk.IIc LööK1/48 Hobby BossLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for Hurricane Mk.IIcin 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Hobby BosssSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBRASSINLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEELseatbelts for S.79 in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no644252SM.79 LööK1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard65February 2024Page 66
BRASSINCollection of 3 sets for F-16D Block 50 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Kinetic- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- ejection seatsCollection of 3 sets for P-47D-25 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Miniart- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels644239F-16D Block 50 LööKplus1/48 Kinetic644251P-47D-25 LööKplus1/48 MINIARTProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard66February 2024Page 67
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for J-35 Drakenin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: HasegawaSet contains:- resin: 5 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: yesBrassin set - ejection seat for J-35 Drakenin 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: HasegawaSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no648933J-35 Draken seat1/48 HasegawaProduct pageProduct page648934J-35 Draken wheels Type 11/48 HasegawaINFO Eduard67February 2024Page 68
648936P-38J left engine PRINT1/48 Tamiya648963Italian WWII torpedo A.1301/48BRASSINBrassin set - left engine for P-38Jin 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 48 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noBrassin set - a torpedo fo Italian WW2 aircrafin 1/48 scale. The set consists of 2 torpedoes.Set contains:- resin: 10 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard68February 2024Page 69
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for TBF/TBMin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Academy / Accurate MiniaturesSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- resin: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648965TBF/TBM wheels w/pattern1/48 AcademyBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for TBF/TBMin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Academy / Accurate MiniaturesSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- resin: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648964TBF/TBM wheels w/smooth tire1/48 AcademyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard69February 2024Page 70
BRASSINBrassin set - seats for TBM in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit:Academy / Accurate MiniaturesSet contains:- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - seats for TBF in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit:Academy / Accurate MiniaturesSet contains:- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648967TBF seats PRINT1/48 Academy648966TBM seats PRINT1/48 AcademyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard70February 2024Page 71
BRASSINBrassin set - rudder pedals for Bf 109E in 1/72 scale.The set consists of 2 pairs of the pedals. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts.Set contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672319Bf 109E rudder pedals early PRINT1/72 EduardBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for J-35 Drakenin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: HasegawaSet contains:- resin: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: yes648968J-35 Draken wheels Type 21/48 HasegawaProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard71February 2024Page 72
BRASSINBrassin set - rudder pedals for Bf 109E in 1/72 scale.The set consists of 2 pairs of the pedals. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts.Set contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - the undercarriage wheelsfor L-39 in 1/72 scale. The set consistsof the main wheels and a nose wheel.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes672351L-39 wheels PRINT1/72 Eduard672320Bf 109E rudder pedals late PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard72February 2024Page 73
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BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for Bf 109K-4 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- enjgine- propeller- undercarriage legs BRONZE- fuel drop tanksAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.SIN648119Bf 109K-4 ADVANCED1/48 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard74February 2024Page 75
BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for FW 190A-7 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- cockpit- undercarriage legs BRONZE- landing flaps- engine and fuselage gunsAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.SIN648120Fw 190A-71/48 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard75February 2024Page 76
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We will be thereHow to apply Eduard decals
On various modelling forums, in discussions, but also in messages from customers, there are repeated questions about “the new Eduard decals”, how to work with them, how to peel off the covering varnish film and what the decals actually are. In this article I would like to answer these questions and give the modelers a better understanding of how to work with these decals.
How to apply EduarddecalsTo peel, or not to not peel,that is the question!DECAL SETJakub NademlejnskýOn various modelling forums, in discussions, but also in messages fromcustomers, there are repeated questions about “the new Eduard decals”,how to work with them, how to peel off the covering varnish film andwhat the decals actually are. In this article I would like to answer thesequestions and give the modelers a better understanding of how to workwith these decals. I'll start a bit broadly. Eduard started to use own decalsmade by digital printing in their kits from about autumn 2019, after sometime my colleagues started to print the date on them, so all decals printedafter autumn 2019 are made by this technology. However, we still varnishthe decals using screen printing, on the same machine we used forvarnishing decals before the introduction of digital printing. The varnishhas also remained the same, we have just adjusted the film thicknessbased on customer feedback to make the application more user-friendly.Of course, digital printing has its advantages and disadvantages, forexample it allows us to print smooth colour transitions, which allows usto print nice colours on pin-ups or small cartoons for example, but itsweaker side is colour saturation.INFO Eduard88February 2024Page 89
DECAL SETAnd now back to the initial question - topeel or not to peel? I think that for the vastmajority of modellers, the appearance afterapplication is very good when following thebasic decal procedure and there is definitelyno need to peel the varnish film off the decals.The application of these decals is exactlythe same as applying any other decal. Themost important thing is to have the substrateunder the decal sufficiently glossy, thenafter applying the decal repaint the areawith matt varnish. I understand that thereare connoisseurs among us who peel off thevarnish film from the decals if they can. But itis definitely not necessary, as you will see inthe photos below. Let's do it!Lets start with the spraying of the paint. I spray the degreased modelwith a few fine coats of metallic paint from the Super Metallic seriesby Gunze, in this case SM201.Sprayed fuselage halves. I always try to spray thepaint in several coats, for thinning Gunze paintsI recommend Mr. Color Leveling Thinner to helpprevent the paint from drying on the nozzle.The key is to have an absolutely glossy surfacewhere I will be applying the decal. If I don't havea glossy enough finish, I spray the spot locallywith Gunze GX100 varnish. It is also possibleto re-polish the spot with a polishing cloth,for example from Gunze.>>>>>>>>>>>>INFO Eduard89February 2024Page 90
Another way to achieve a highgloss metallic paint finish is toprime the surface with blackgloss paint before applying themetallic paint, in this case blackgloss GX2 was used.Once the paint and varnish have dried, we have the area readyfor decal application.I grab the decal by the backing paper and soak it in ambienttemperature water for 1-2 seconds. Using room temperature water hasworked well for me, I don't recommand hot water as with other decals.First I cut the decal with scissors with enough overlap to makeit easier to handle.Then I let the decal stand aside, it will loosen from the paperin about a minute. I recommand checking this with a little woodenstick or your finger. I do not move the decal over the backing paperuntil it is completely loose.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DECAL SETINFO Eduard90February 2024Page 91
In the meantime, I use aneyedropper to transfera few drops of the waterI have soaked the decalin to the place on themodel where I will applythe decal. It is importantto keep the place verywet, because so the decalwill literally rides on thesurface and be easierto manipulate.I slowly pull the decalinto the water drops withone hand, still holding thebacking paper in the other.If the decal is small, forexample a stencil,I would not pull it off withmy hand, it would risksticking to my fingertip,but I would pull it off witha small piece of wood.Once the decal is completely loose, I use tweezers to moveit to the spot.I attach the decal to a drop of water.>>>>>>>>>>>>DECAL SETINFO Eduard91February 2024Page 92
I dry off the surrounding water with a cotton swab.I can now move the decal around the surface of the modelwith my finger.I set the decal in place.Finished, set decal. This is how I apply all decals, whether I want to peel the film off or not.I wrap my fingertip in a clean piece of cloth. Then, using only pressureperpendicular to the decal, I press the decal onto the surface whilesucking out excess water with the cloth.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DECAL SETINFO Eduard92February 2024Page 93
After the decalhas dried, I cutinto the panellines witha sharp scalpel.And I'll finishthe rivets witha phonographneedle.I didn't use any decal lotions to apply the decals,I don't think they are needed. However, their use doesnot, in my observation, impair the characteristicsof the Eduard decals.>>>>>>>>>DECAL SETINFO Eduard93February 2024Page 94
The procedure to be followed nowconcerns the peeling of the varnish film.I really recommand it only to skilledmodellers, I also recommand to try iton a test piece of plastic. Peeling filmrequires skill, but also training andcourage. You may end up ruining part ofyour decal. If you don't want to peel thefilm, skip this part and continue on page96.It is best to start peeling off after the decal topcoat has completely dried,at least 48 hours after application. Several methods can be used to peelthe film from decals. The first is to peel by rubbing with a cotton swabdipped in wash thinner. I use AK Interactive's Odourless Thinner.I run a cotton swab dipped in the thinner with a little pressure overthe decal until the film starts to stick and pack onto the swab.After some time, the first film lint starts to form, then I run the swabover it and pack in more of it.Since I also picked up the filmon the letters HO with the swab,I pulled it off with sharp tweezers.This procedure is also possible.I gradually pull the film off alongthe direction.I remove the remaining film with a re-dipped swab.I wrap the whole film in this way from one side through the wholesurface of the decal.To peel, or not to not peel,that is the question!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ADECAL SETINFO Eduard94February 2024Page 95
Views of all applied decals on the fuselage. Can you tell which ones have been peeled off and which ones have not? It is peeled off on the star,the letters HO and part of the small German crosses.The second possibility is to peel off the film with a scalpel and tweezers.I first peel off the film in the corner with the tip of a sharp scalpel.In this way, I gradually pull off the film piece by piece.I then catch the film in the tweezers and gently pull in the directionof the peeling.This is how the decal looks after peeling off the film. I recommandrepainting it with matt varnish before the final weathering.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DECAL SETINFO Eduard95February 2024Page 96
Comparison of the decal with the film removed (top) and the decal from which the film has not been removed (bottom).For repainting I use C182 varnish from Gunze. I apply severalthin coats. Be careful not to overcoat the surface, but to let thelayers dry properly.This is how the decal looks after varnishing.If you have applied the decal ona surface from which it visuallystands out, you need to repaintit with matt varnish.>>>>>>>>>BDECAL SETINFO Eduard96February 2024Page 97
Have you read?How to Work withPE-Accessories - Part IINFO Eduard 11/2023page 104.How to Work withPE-Accessories - Part IIINFO Eduard 12/2023page 84.Exploring SPACE:A Guide to Using SPACE DecalsINFO Eduard 01/2024strana 92.New maska by EduardINFO Eduard 07/2023page 94.Rivet the Eddie wayINFO Eduard 08/2023page 87.DECAL SETINFO Eduard97February 2024Page 98
BIG EDAll sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30 %.BIG33157 TBD-1 1/32 TrumpeterBIG33158MC.202 1/32 Italeri321013 TBD-1 1/3232486 TBD-1 exterior 1/3232487 TBD-1 landing flaps 1/3233358 TBD-1 seatbelts STEEL 1/32321014 MC.202 1/3232488 MC.202 landing flaps 1/3233360 MC.202 seatbelts STEEL 1/32JX318 MC.202 1/32Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard98February 2024Page 99
All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30 %.BIG EDBIG72178 AC-130J PART I 1/72 ZvezdaBIG72179AC-130J PART II 1/72 Zvezda72734 AC-130J exterior 1/7273811 AC-130J interior 1/72CX653 AC-130J 1/7273812 AC-130J cargo seatbelts 1/7273813 AC-130J cargo floor 1/7273814 AC-130J cargo interior 1/72Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard99February 2024Page 100
MASKSIT FITS!EX1004 Ki-21-I1/48 ICMEX1005 Ki-21-I TFace1/48 ICMEX1006 Go 244B1/48 ICMEX1007 Go 244B TFace1/48 ICMEX1008 Fokker D.VIIF Weekend1/48 EduardEX1009 Spitfire Mk.Vbearly Weekend1/48 EduardEX1010 Bf 109K-4 tulip pattern& national insignia1/48 EduardCX658 Me 410A-11/72 AirfixEX1004 Ki-21-IEX1004 Ki-21-IEX1005 Ki-21-I TFace EX1005 Ki-21-I TFaceEX1005 Ki-21-I TFaceEX1005 Ki-21-I TFaceEX1007 Go 244B TFaceEX1007 Go 244B TFaceEX1006 Go 244BEX1006 Go 244BEX1007 Go 244B TFaceEX1007 Go 244B TFaceINFO Eduard100February 2024Page 101
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RELEASESFEBRUARY 2024KITSPE-SETSZOOMSMASKS11179 SPARVIERO 1/48 Limited7044 L-39C Albatros 1/72 ProfiPACK8483 Fokker D.VIIF 1/48 Weekend84198 Spitfire Mk.Vb early 1/48 Weekend82161 Bf 109G-10 WNF Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK8148 I-16 Type 10 Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK53304 USS Iowa BB-61 part 3 1/350 Hobby Boss53305 HMS Ark Royal 1939 part 1 1/350 I LOVE KIT36515 M16 U.S. multiple gun motor carrier 1/35 Tamiya36516 M3A2 Half Track 1/35 Tamiya481129 SM.79 bomb bay 1/48 Eduard481130 SM.79 undercarriage 1/48 Eduard481131 SM.79 rear fuselage interior 1/48 Eduard491414 Ki-21-I 1/48 ICM491417 Go 244B 1/48 ICM73817 Me 410A-1 1/72 AirfixFE1414 Ki-21-I 1/48 ICMFE1415 Ki-21-I seatbelts STEEL 1/48 ICMFE1416 SM.79 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 EduardFE1417 Go 244B 1/48 ICMFE1418 Go 244B seatbelts STEEL 1/48 ICMFE1419 Fokker D.VIIF Weekend 1/48 EduardSS817 Me 410A-1 1/72 AirfixEX1004 Ki-21-I 1/48 ICMEX1005 Ki-21-I TFace 1/48 ICMEX1006 Go 244B 1/48 ICMEX1007 Go 244B TFace 1/48 ICMEX1008 Fokker D.VIIF Weekend 1/48 EduardEX1009 Spitfire Mk.Vb early Weekend 1/48 EduardEX1010 Bf 109K-4tulip pattern & national insignia 1/48 EduardCX658 Me 410A-1 1/72 AirfixBIG EDBIG33157 TBD-1 1/32 TrumpeterBIG33158 MC.202 1/32 ItaleriBIG72178 AC-130J PART I 1/72 ZvezdaBIG72179 AC-130J PART II 1/72 ZvezdaBIG-EDBIG-EDINFO Eduard102February 2024Page 103
RELEASEBRASSINLöökPLUSBIG SINSPACE644247 Sea King HAS.1 LööK 1/48 Airfix644248 Sea King HAS.5 LööK 1/48 Airfix644250 Hurricane Mk.IIc LööK 1/48 Hobby Boss644252 SM.79 LööK 1/48 Eduard648933 J-35 Draken seat 1/48 Hasegawa648934 J-35 Draken wheels Type 1 1/48 Hasegawa648936 P-38J left engine PRINT 1/48 Tamiya648963 Italian WWII torpedo A.130 1/48648964 TBF/TBM wheels w/smooth tire 1/48 Academy648965 TBF/TBM wheels w/pattern 1/48 Academy648966 TBM seats PRINT 1/48 Academy648967 TBF seats PRINT 1/48 Academy648968 J-35 Draken wheels Type 2 1/48 Hasegawa672319 Bf 109E rudder pedals early PRINT 1/72672320 Bf 109E rudder pedals late PRINT 1/72672350 Bf 109F engine PRINT 1/72 Eduard672351 L-39 wheels PRINT 1/72 Eduard644239 F-16D Block 50 LööKplus 1/48 Kinetic644251 P-47D-25 LööKplus 1/48 MINIARTSIN648119 Bf 109K-4 ADVANCED 1/48 EduardSIN648120 Fw 190A-7 1/48 Eduard3DL48156 Ki-21-I SPACE 1/48 ICM3DL48157 I-16 Type 10 SPACE 1/48 Eduard3DL48158 SM.79 SPACE 1/48 Eduard3DL48159 Go 244B SPACE 1/48 ICM3DL72027 Me 410A-1 SPACE 1/72 AirfixFEBRUARY 2024DECAL SETD48115 F-104A/C stencils 1/48 KineticINFO Eduard103February 2024Page 104
BUILT1/48built by Robert Szwarc#8092MARKING BP-400INFO Eduard104February 2024Page 105
BUILT67th FS, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, November 1942P-400 listed in the squadron records as “Old 13”was one of few original Airacobras delivered to67th FS in the spring of 1942 and still serving onGuadalcanal in the beginning of 1943. Rudimentaryconditions of the remote Pacific airbases and lackof the spare parts forced the ground personnelinto many improvisations. Textbook exampleis the story of the “Old 13” Airacobra whichalready crash-landed during her service on NewCaledonia and her wreck was cannibalized forthe spare parts. 67th FS heavy losses after itstransfer to Guadalcanal and the critical lack ofthe aircraft on the island caused the abandonedAiracobra wreck to be restored to the airworthycondition after a complex repair. The aircraftreceived a new wing and also a number of manyfuselage panels and hatches had to be replaced.According to the surviving repair record thereplacement parts were painted in Olive Drab/Neutral Grey colors and therefore the Airacobrasported the unique display of the British andAmerican camouflage shades. Furthermore,the more powerful engine was installed, andthe damaged propeller blade was replaced byanother one balanced by pouring the meltedplumb into its tip. The instrument panel wasfurnished with the essential gauges only, therewere only holes after the rest of the instruments.This repaired Airacobra was christened “TheResurrection” and this inscription was paintedon both sides of the fuselage. Unfortunately, nophotographic evidence exists so the inscriptionappearance is based on another 67th FS airplane.Product pageINFO Eduard105February 2024Page 106
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BUILTINFO Eduard107February 2024Page 108
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BUILT1/48built by Angelo Lodetti#8067MARKING FP-39NAiracobraAccessories used:#648203 P-39 wheels late (Brassin)INFO Eduard112February 2024Page 113
BUILTP-39N-1, 42-18378, 10° Gruppo, 4° Stormo, ACI, Lecce-Galatina, Italy, 1944The Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI) wasthe air force of the Southern Italian monarchistgovernment of Pietro Badoglio, formed inOctober 1943 after the armistice concludedbetween Italy and the Allies at Cassibile. TheACI then used aircraft supplied by the USA andGreat Britain in addition to Italian types. At thetime of handover to ACI, this Airacobra hadbeen operated approximately a year and a halfby the 345th FS/350th FG USAAF in Africa andthe Mediterranean. These worn out Airacobraswere mainly used by the Italians to train pilotson the new equipment. The aircraft with the Jig-Jig insignia on the nose was photographed withother decommissioned P-39s from the 350thFG at an Italian airfield and was probably one ofthe first to receive Italian cockades, as the otheraircraft in the picture are still in USAAF markings.The Italian cockades were applied directly to theoriginal American markings at four positions, andtwo were added to the upper right and bottomleft wing halves. At the same time, the yellowstripes marking the aircraft operating within the12th AF USAAF were retained. The aircraft has notundergone any other changes and can thereforebe built in its spring 1943 form, when it was stillpart of the 345th Fighter Squadron, thanks to thealternative US markings offered in the decal.Product pageINFO Eduard113February 2024Page 114
ON APPROACHMARCH 2024644249Sea King HU.5 LööK1/48 Airfix644253TBM-3 LööK1/48 Academy644254I-16 Type 10 LööK1/48 EduardBIG33159 AH-1G early 1/35 ICMBIG49396 Mi-17 1/48 TrumpeterBIG49397 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 AirfixBIG49398 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 AirfixBIG49399 Sea King HU.5 1/48 Airfix644249 Sea King HU.5 LööK 1/48 Airfix644253 TBM-3 LööK 1/48 Academy644254 I-16 Type 10 LööK 1/48 Eduard632192 Bf 109E rudder pedals early PRINT 1/32632193 Bf 109E rudder pedals late PRINT 1/32648928 Su-25 flaps and slats PRINT 1/48 Zvezda648969 F-16C Block 30 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Kinetic648975 Tornado ejection seats 1/48 Revell648976 Fw 190A-8/R2 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard648977 Bf 109G-10 WNF cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard648978 F-35B wheels 1/48 Tamiya648979 F-35B ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya672352 Bf 109G-6 engine PRINT 1/72 Eduard644256 Sea King HAS.1 LööKplus 1/48 Airfix644257 Sea King HAS.5 LööKplus 1/48 AirfixSIN648121 FM-1 ESSENTIAL 1/48 EduardSIN648122 FM-2 ADVANCED 1/48 EduardBIG ED (March)BRASSIN (March)LöökPlus (March)BIGSIN (March)LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardsand STEEL seatbelts for Sea King HU.5 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards and STEELseatbelts for TBM-3 in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit:Academy / Accurate MiniaturesSet contains:- resin: 5 parts- 3D print: 1 part,- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for I-16 Type 10 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noPRELIMIN