Ju 188 colours

[styreno]

About to start this kit as a quick 😀 build. 

Not sure about the colours as shown on the box top and the colour guide on the back - printing variation has probably shifted the colour balance. 

Would anyone care to hazard a guess ( or definitive answer) as to the original colours used on the aircraft. 

Lacking authoritative references, I would be inclined to use RLM 76 Lichtblau on the undersurface. The uppersurface? Grey and green? Light blue and grey? The instructions indicate Humbrol 91 '"Black Green"

and Humbrol 87 " Steel Grey".

 

[72modeler]

IIRC, the standard scheme would have been RLM 70/71/65, but maritime strike aircraft were finished in RLM 72/73/65. Dunno how accurate the box art is, but looks like 70/71/65 with the fuselage and possibly the wings being painted with what looks like RLM 76- I'm not much of authority on Luftwaffe colors, but if somebody doesn't give you a more definite answer, I can look at my Monogram Publishing Luftwaffe color references to see what I can find.

Mike

[stever219]

As the model appears to depict a maritime ‘188 I’d suggest your preferred equivalents to RLM 72 and 73 for the upper surfaces with RLM 65 undersides.  The grey upper surface stripes might be RLM 76 but I stand to be erected.

 

Edit: 72modeller just beat me to it!  I’m going to play devil’s advocate with his reply by saying we don’t know which, if any, references the artist who did the box top illustration had to work from, or if he actually used them if applicable.  RLM 72 and 73 aren’t too different from 70 and 71 so dependent on references, lighting, interpretation, pigmentation and any other -action you’d like to add either pair of those greens could be appropriate.

Edited December 9, 2019 by stever219

[Troy Smith]

the Luftwaffe naval scheme was RLM 72/73 greens over RLM 65 blue undersides,  the disruptive pattern,  either RLM 65 or RLM 76,  which would be a unit level application.

Given the painting instructions are from,  erm, quite some time ago, (1975 it seems)  i'd not depend on their accuracy. 

A quick image google has not u#turned up any photos of the scheme, did get this though

 

 

@FalkeEins  and @SafetyDad  maybe able too add more. 

 

HTH

[dogsbody]

Good luck trying to get the canopy halves together without a visible glue seam down the centre, especially that top turret.

 

 

 

Chris

[Holzhamer]

I wouldn’t discard white distemper as a possibility, besides the usual 76/65 options. This machine was operating from Norway after all.

This machine is also very present in decal form, I still have stashed away a 1/72 sheet that has this machine among other.

 

 

 

 

[SafetyDad]

Thanks @Troy Smith for the drum roll....

 

So here we go...

 

 

 

is your aircraft. As is this...

 

 

 

Sources: the top one I'm not sure about - sorry

The second one is from Jet and Prop Foto Archiv Band 6 p62 (1996) VDM Heinz Nickel 66482 Zweibrucken. Image posted for the purpose of study and discussion.

 

Nice (and unusual) to have pictures of both sides of a late war Luftwaffe aircraft, especially when the camo is so offbeat.

To me, this is a unit-applied scheme as its a bit untidy!

I'd quietly place my money on 70/71/65 with an overspray of 76 as the Ju188 wasn't necessarily a dedicated maritime aircraft, but usually an extension of its role,  so would have a factory overland paint scheme . That said, both pictures show very dark undersides. Might be the lighting, but who knows?  Are the undersides possibly black?

 

Hope this quietly helps

 

SD

 

I made this model in the 1980s when I returned to modelling. Happy memories. Use PVA or Kristal Kleer for the canopy 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by SafetyDad

[Seahawk]

Thanks: I knew I'd seen photos of that aircraft in that scheme somewhere.  I also have a photo of what may be the same aircraft in RAF markings after a crash. 

 

For what it's worth (very little), I'd quietly put my money in the same place.  The only Luftwaffe (or were they Junkers?) camo diagrams I have seen for the 188 specify 70/71/65.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Seahawk

[styreno]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. The photos are especially useful SafetyDad........however, I think they depict the Jumo-engined version (Ju 188A), whilst the Matchbox kit has the BMW engines (Ju 188E). I'm looking at the cowl flaps and exhaust.  That aside, I'm inclined to agree, on your choice of colours - with the exception of the underside. To my eyes, I don't see black.

 

[Wulfman]

Standard factory finish for Ju-188 was 70/71/65 until the end of production in 44. All other variations would have been

done at unit level.

 

Wulfman

 

[72modeler]

1 hour ago, Wulfman said:

Standard factory finish for Ju-188 was 70/71/65 until the end of production in 44. All other variations would have been

done at unit level.

 

Wulfman

 

That's why I guessed 70/71/65 overpainted with 76 on the upper surfaces. Ju-188's were not dedicated maritime aircraft like the Fw-200 and the seaplanes;

Mike

[SafetyDad]

1 hour ago, styreno said:

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. The photos are especially useful SafetyDad........however, I think they depict the Jumo-engined version (Ju 188A), whilst the Matchbox kit has the BMW engines (Ju 188E). I'm looking at the cowl flaps and exhaust.  That aside, I'm inclined to agree, on your choice of colours - with the exception of the underside. To my eyes, I don't see black.

 

You know I had completely missed the engines!

So focussed on the camo and the unit codes...

I'll be bold and say that Matchbox have also missed this detail 

 

SD

 

I'll agree that black undersides might just be a figment of my imagination...

 

SD

[Seahawk]

2 hours ago, styreno said:

.however, I think they depict the Jumo-engined version (Ju 188A), whilst the Matchbox kit has the BMW engines (Ju 188E). I'm looking at the cowl flaps and exhaust.  

The crashed aircraft in RAF markings is definitely Jumo-engined.  Like @SafetyDadI'm inclined to think Matchbox's research slipped up.

[SafetyDad]

2 hours ago, Seahawk said:

Thanks: I knew I'd seen photos of that aircraft in that scheme somewhere.  I also have a photo of what may be the same aircraft in RAF markings after a crash. 

 

 

Like this?

 

SD