**** DONE: 1/72 Bf 110E – Mediterranean Theater of Operations

[imalko]

Username: imalko
First name: Igor
Category: Category 2/Intermediate
Scale: 1:72
Manufacturer: Airfix
Model Type: Messerschmitt Bf 110E-2/Trop
Details: "3U+KS", 8./ZG 26, North Africa 1941

 

[imalko]

Joining this Group Build rather late, but by building this model OOB and with it's simple paint scheme I believe I can finish it in time. Here are the photos of the kit. Far less detailed then Eduard's superb Bf 110 kits, but it can be build into a very nice model me thinks…

 

[imalko]

This model will represent an aircraft in Luftwaffe desert scheme, which is quite straightforward by itself, but there is one aspect of quick identification markings on this aircraft which I would like to discuss. Airfix identifies this aircraft as E-2/trop and the kit paint guide calls for yellow rudders and lower engine cowlings with white fuselage band and underside wingtips. Having found two pictures of this aircraft I can see that they can be interpreted that way. Though it appears to me that this aircraft is lacking air scoop in the nose, cover tubes for the MG 17s or even dust filters and enlarged radiator intakes, all this usually associated with Bf 110E-2/trop. Then there's this profile of "3U+KS" which I found in one German magazine (see the attachment far bellow). Here this aircraft is identified as a D model and not E-2/trop. Furthermore, entire engine cowlings and wingtip undersides are shown in yellow. It is explained in the text that these features denote the aircraft previous use in Balkan campaign and were left intact after the desert paint scheme was applied.
Opinions…?

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

I don't think the upper engine cowlings are yellow, in either the colour pic, or the B&W pic.
Look at the the aircraft nearest the coastline in the colour pic - the underside of the cowling is a totally different shade, and allowing for it being more in shadow, I'd say it was yellow, with the upper surface the sand colour. The colour tones and overall colour balance in this reproduction have degraded from the original Agfa film, which had quite 'warm' tones, compared to the Kodachrome used by US and British photographers.
In the B&W pic, again I see a distinct tonal difference between the top and bottom of the engine cowling, and again would say that the bottom is yellow, and the top 'sand'. The rear of the cowling looks slightly darker, due to the exhaust staining and oil etc.
I might be wrong, but I believe the colours have been misinterpreted by the profile artist.

 

[Wurger]

I have thought the same.. The enlarged shot may come in handy.

Also I found the profile ....

 

[Crimea_River]

It's an E. The pitot tube extending from the wing leading edge confirms it. D's had an L shaped job under the wing. Here's another view of your bird:

The nose scoop is visible in this one but not the pitot, which I think is actually blending in with a background wave shadow. Definitely no tropical filter.

Here's another colour pic that MIGHT be from the same staffel, if not the same plane.

Vasco, in his book on the 110 C,D,E alludes to sensors marking up the first pic you show and, if that's true, it's possible they might have have gotten their mitts on this one too, removing the "K" and changing the "S" to a "B". Note that there is no aircraft letter visible in the white band. That's me guessing though. In any event, these pictures are helpful to confirm that the yellow does not extend around the entire cowl, at least on these pictures.

 

[imalko]

Thank you Terry, Wojtek and Andy for your comments. Your input is always valuable. You confirmed my thoughts about the color of the engine cowlings. My only dilemma about the color picture I've posted is that I didn't know if this was an original or modern colorization. However, as Terry pointed out, the different shade of engine undersides is apparent even on the B&W picture. When rudders are concerned I'm not so sure. I don't see any distinct difference in tonality between tail fin and rudder in either of the pictures posted. Hm...
Andy, good point about the pitot tube. I didn't notice that. This aircraft is surely an E model. Interesting it lacks full tropicalization features though.
I do like the look of that profile I've posted with all yellow engines and sand camouflage, but it's clearly inaccurate. I'll stick to the conclusions about the look of the aircraft that we have drawn here.

In the meantime, I've started painting cockpit interiors and wheel bays. For this model and period these should be in RLM 02 I believe. Anyway, I will have first progress shots soon.

 

[Airframes]

Good input Andy, and yes, the two aircraft in that shot are the same as those in the first pic. I don't know if I still have it, but there was an early 1970's weekly publication which had a series of, if memory serves, three or four colour pics of this pair, obviously taken on the same sortie. However, unless I can find the publication, I can't remember if the full codes were displayed in all the shots. I have a feeling they were, as I made a 1/48th scale model of one of the subjects back in about 1980, long since departed to the scrap yard !
I've seen various versions of this series of shots, as individual photos, in a number of books and magazines, both in colour and B&W, where the full codes have been shown, and the 'censored' or 'doctored' version too.

 

[Catch22]

Cool choice Igor.

 

[Wayne Little]

bring it on Igor!

 

[imalko]

Okay, let get this show on the road...
Here are the first progress shots. The fit on this kit is very good, no need for putty at all, just a little sanding along the joints. As I want to keep this build fast and simple, I omitted any detailing in the cockpit and doing it OOB basically. The canopy on this kit is one piece and rather thick (as usual for Airfix), so not much would be visible inside anyway. If I have enough time maybe I'll add crew figures inside to fill it up a little.

 

[Wurger]

 

[JKim]

That was quick! Looks like a very clean build so far.

 

[Crimea_River]

Very true.

 

[Catch22]

Looking good Igor!

 

[Wayne Little]

Quick work mate!

 

[fubar57]

Moving right along Igor.

Geo

 

[Airframes]

Nice work Igor.

 

[imalko]

Thanks for your comments guys. A little more work on the model is done, so here's another progress shot...