Luftwaffe Experten

Desert Rat

Desert Rat

Library Staff
Staff member
Question for the experts on Luftwaffe WWII colour usage. I've been doing this repaint for the Comet (Komet :d).

http://dh88.airwar1946.nl/Comets/Images/german01.jpg

and was wondering what colour the Green would be?

I have used RLM69 Dunkelgrün from the Simmers paint shop just now as others are used in Splinter schemes, etc in pairs. It looks fairly close to the model but it may also be wrong?

here's how she looks so far.

View attachment 45312

ta,
Jamie
 
Jamie, that looks right to me, similar/same colour to what i used on my 'Captured' Tempest paint :salute:
 
Frustratingly I can't find any references to back this up, but ......

My gut feel would be to use either RLM 70 or 71 (probably 71), purely on the basis that they were the most commonly used colours in the pre- and early war periods. It's been a few years since my plastic modelling days, but I can't ever remember needing or using RLM 69. Like I said, no evidence, so that is just my opinion (for what it is worth). :kilroy:
 
oddly if you look at the image of the captured P-47 it looks to be of RLM 70 (Schwarz-Grun) (Not 69)

02.jpg


whereas the P-38 seems to be in 71 (Dunkel-Grun)

images
 
Here lies the problem, absolutely impossible to tell from old photos. Colour or otherwise, depends on light conditions, exposure time, film used, camera equipment, etc, etc.

Happy with a best guess, we'll never know the entire truth I'm sure.

Jamie
 
another issue is how the paints were mixed at factory RLM70 could look different depending where the thing was painted.... ahh the joys of Luftwaffe markings :icon_lol:
 
Matt,

ta, it's common out-with Germany, I went through a similar thing years ago with early WWII Royal navy colours. I guess we have to best guess.

Jamie
 
JD

One thing that I keep in mind when doing paints....a color that looks great/accurate on my monitor may look totally different on someone else's monitor. With so many video card, monitor, sim setting possibilities, it is nearly impossible for everyone to a skin the same way. Same goes for bare metal work...what I think looks good on my system, you may find to look terrible on your system.

My rule of thumb: Do the work to my level of acceptance and taste. If others find the work to be of sufficient quality and use it, great. If not, no sweat off my brow. I don't do paints and tweaks for fortune or fame. I do it for my own enjoyment first and foremost, and share my work with that in mind.

Of all the colors/schemes that I have done, I find the German colors and schemes the hardest to do and to get to look right. What you have done on the Comet looks good to my eyes.

OBIO
 
OBIO said:
My rule of thumb: Do the work to my level of acceptance and taste. If others find the work to be of sufficient quality and use it, great. If not, no sweat off my brow. I don't do paints and tweaks for fortune or fame. I do it for my own enjoyment first and foremost, and share my work with that in mind.
Click to expand...

Now that's a very sensible and sane motto! :applause:
Will have to keep this in mind as a mantra once in a while...

Cheers,
Markus.
 
Ha ha ha! That's exactly the problem Isra!

The 262 at Hendon, lovely bird, good picture..but actually it's painted in RLM 83, now that in itself is a problem, as 83 was meant to be bright green but has also been interpreted as a dark green, which RLM 82 was meant to be!!?

So here is a pic with a 'bright green' ac, that although it is green, doesn't look too far off Jamie's light-brown colour.

The colour you have there Jamie could be 69, but more likely a late war RLM 81 (a light chocolate brown), or early war test ac were painted RLM02 (a greeny buff). The only thing is that it would be some sort of solid colour.


As both Jamie and Obio say, the camera and the monitor lies (or is that our eyes? ;))


I think it look's grand as is, as all the re-paints have been...:applause:

Cheers Shessi
 
Thanks for all the input and the kind comments. Glad we got this cleared up, lol. I think I'm a little more confused than I was earlier, but I'm used to it.

I liked the idea of RLM02 if this is what was used on early test aircraft, so I tried it even though SimmPaintShop call it Grau/primer. I actually like it, maybe prefer it. Here's the two in ACM side by side for comparison.

RLM02 ________________________ RLM69

View attachment 45401View attachment 45400

Jamie
 
And as my late friend told me,who passed sadly away in March in his 94th,flying from Legion Condor onwards*-all you talk is factory paint.Later in the war whatever could be "organised" was used,even the brighter russian grren

Roland

*With Mölders,Galland(Legion Condor) and Novotny
 
JDTinballs said:
I liked the idea of RLM02 if this is what was used on early test aircraft, so I tried it even though SimmPaintShop call it Grau/primer. I actually like it, maybe prefer it.

Jamie
Click to expand...

RLM02 was used throughout the war years, mainly for internal use (cockpits etc), although RLM66 was also common. And it's probably a very sensible colour to use for this repaint, as per Shessi's comments.

Luftwaffe/RLM paints are an absolute nightmare, opinions change regularly as to which colour uses which designation; as several people have pointed out, later in the war they used whatever was to hand for mixing, so some approximations have caused a lot of confusion - there are about three differents shades which have been labelled RLM 84 (a late war colour) at various points!

Back in my plastic modelling days I used to enjoy catching up with SAM, and Mr Mike McEvoy's love affair with what if Luftwaffe schemes; he painted a Heinkel 274 (a 4 engined, twin tailed He 177) in some late war colours, and it resembled nothing so much as a standard Lancaster day bomber scheme!!!
 
cheers,

so if I get this right, as far as WWII Luftwaffe aircraft painting goes, make it up as you go along, your just as likely to get it right, lol. Reminds me of the whole Camotint, sky, duckegg blue/green malarkey.

happy days,
:d
Jamie
 
JDTinballs said:
cheers,

so if I get this right, as far as WWII Luftwaffe aircraft painting goes, make it up as you go along, your just as likely to get it right, lol. Reminds me of the whole Camotint, sky, duckegg blue/green malarkey.

happy days,
:d
Jamie
Click to expand...

Make it up as you go along? Biggest bunch of rivet counters going, those Luftwaffe guys!! :icon_lol:

Ah yes, sky/duck egg whatever - happy days!!
 
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