Bf109E3

[Graham T]

Quick question re undercarriage bay colour. The Eduard 1/32 kit calls for aluminium with "tyre black" for the circular part that surrounds the retracted wheel but my impulse is for RLM02 - any guidance?

[Seawinder]

My answer is based on some searching at HyperScale, where there are a number of posts from people who definitely know what they're talking about. You might want to go there and search on "109E whell wells" and/or "109 wheel well liners."

It would seem that RLM 02 was the specified color for wheel wells, but examples have been found painted RLM 65. Also, there were iners in the part of the wells where the wheels went. They are reported as either black leather or undyed canvas. There is disagreement as to whether these liners were only on the sides of the wells (concentric to the tires), or whether they also covered the whole well top above the wheels. You can probably tell from the molded detail of the Eduard kit if/how they replicated this. My guess is they didn't replicate the complete liner, so you should be okay to paint the wells 02 with the circular sides either black or some darkish canvas color.

[Graham T]

My answer is based on some searching at HyperScale, where there are a number of posts from people who definitely know what they're talking about. You might want to go there and search on "109E whell wells" and/or "109 wheel well liners."

It would seem that RLM 02 was the specified color for wheel wells, but examples have been found painted RLM 65. Also, there were iners in the part of the wells where the wheels went. They are reported as either black leather or undyed canvas. There is disagreement as to whether these liners were only on the sides of the wells (concentric to the tires), or whether they also covered the whole well top above the wheels. You can probably tell from the molded detail of the Eduard kit if/how they replicated this. My guess is they didn't replicate the complete liner, so you should be okay to paint the wells 02 with the circular sides either black or some darkish canvas color.

Thanks, I'll probably go with RLM02 for the main & black as called for in the destructions!

[Duncan B]

I'd go for RLM02 for the structural parts and canvas for the sides where the covers were.

Duncan B