Werdna

So that after a certain period of time, they can turn red with rust..

Not sure if the answer is in there or not, but this thread from a few months back might be some help...

Agreed - I think that could be a closer match...

Looks like it could be a Bucker 180..?

The first three digits of the ‘Work numbers’ were allocated in blocks to manufacturers by the RLM, usually in relation to actual and/or anticipated production orders. The factories, I believe, generated and allocated the final three digits in sequence. In principle, it would be impossible for two aircraft to share the same WNr..

So the Ju88 "just needs a good clean" - and underneath all the dirt, algae and colour shift debris, we will see a layer of pristine RLM 65...

You've not been following the US Congressional hearings on their UAP investigations..?

It's a well-known fact that 'colour shifts' only apply to those colours which happen to be in dispute...

They seem fine on my monitor. I've never been a photographer, but I did spend many years art-directing and commissioning both location and studio photography. IMO, it would have to be one hell of a 'yellowish cast' to turn 'blue' RLM 65 into 'RAF Sky', to the point where none of the other colours would likely be in register either...

As Donald Rumsfeld might have said - "That's an unknown unknown"..

Right - here's the image, for the purposes of discussion. If this breaches any copyright I will remove it. Two pics of the Ju88 in question. The reflections on the lower pic makes it appear as though it was taken through the window of a vehicle - either that or it's some kind of developing/reproduction anomaly. The top picture is clear enough though. Towards the forward end of the gondola, it looks to me like a patch of 'sky' paint has flaked off, revealing a blue tone underneath. Anyway, those are the pics - and the caption which relates to them. Make of them what you will..

I mentioned in an earlier post that all the other colours appear (to me, at least) to be broadly in register.

I'm not making any claims for or against the AK books - I'm simply relating the fact that on page 20, there are two pics of a Ju88 with undersides clearly painted in an apparent 'sky' colour, with the caption referring to the colour being '1941 standard RLM 65'. The phrase "don't shoot the messenger" comes to mind...

I agree - if it was indeed a 1941 'standard' then it might be expected to be more prevalent than just a couple of pics in a book. However, I think the Luftwaffe section of the AK book was compiled by Messrs Kiroff and Millman, so I presume there must be some data behind it somewhere. The pics are pretty clear though - and one even shows what looks like a bit of 'proper' 65 showing through underneath, suggesting (to me - the book doesn't speculate) that it might have been over-painted. But nevertheless, that's what the caption says..

I did say the pics were 'good quality' with that in mind. Every other colour visible in the pics (including an actual 'yellow') seems to be broadly in register, so I have no reason to expect that the 'sky' colour would be the only one to have uniquely suffered in the way you describe. Either way, the pics I mentioned are simply offered as contextual reference - not as 100% proof of anything.

He's right. I've previously had cars in both RLM 21 and RLM 22. Something's definitely goin on...

I've seen the link, but I don't see the specific relevance to RLM83, unless I've missed it. If you're referring to the apparent 'blue' colour, then as I understand it a lot of Bf108s were painted RLM24 blue from the factory..?

Further to this - there are a couple of good quality colour pics in AK's 'real colours of ww2' book (page 20, if anyone has it) showing a Ju88 of 'Blindflugschule 4' with similar sky/duck-egg/'RLM84' undersides. The caption describes the colour (rightly or wrongly, I don't know) as the '1941 standard RLM 65'...

IIRC, I think I ended up just adding a bit of white to RLM24. I don't think we'll ever know whether it is accurate or not..

I didn't say it was logical. And you can debate how 'light' 82 is - but it was evidently lighter than 81. In the same way that 75 was lighter than 74. Either way, I'm not familiar with the combination of '82 & 75'. But 81 & 75 was a relatively common combination seen in late war, as far as I'm aware..

Not sure if any scheme combining 75 and 82 would be realistic, IMO. Both are 'light' colours intended to be combined with a darker shade - ie 75 with (originally) 74, and 82 with 81. In that sense, if you are going to use 75, I would be inclined to use it with 81 green as the darker colour.

I usually add Vallejo 71.276 (USAF light grey) to their RLM 76, which takes a lot of the edge off the 'blue' tint. As for colours which might match your image at the top - Vallejo's own RLM81 and 82 look light they would be a good start. Vallejo RLM82 comes up quite dark (darker than I would normally be happy with), but looks a good match for that image above. The caveat is that my monitor might be showing me different shades than someone else's..

That site seems like a good intro to the topic in general. But I'm a bit puzzled by the 'reverse' hakenkreuz on the He-111 - did I miss something..?

As above, there is no simple or single answer, but for fighters, you could get by with the formula of using 65 for early war, 78 for North Africa and 76 for the rest. There were also variations of 76, just to complicate things further.. Far better not to generalise though, as there are plenty of exceptions to the above..

I'm coming round to the possibility that the a/c in the above pics are likely to be Doras and not Ta152s. Looking at the three pics together as above, the sheer length of the Ta152 is not apparent in the other pics. While accepting that the mystery a/c has a significant and unfortunate bend in the middle ( ) I still don't think it has the length in the nose that the Ta should have...