IAR 81c colour scheme

[SirFrancis]

Hey people,
Just looking at schemes for my 1/72 IAR 81c. I came across Scott Van Aken's Modelling Madness article on a 1/32 Azur IAR81c. It is very nice looking model that he built btw. What caught my attention was his comment on colours. Unlike the earlier IAR-80s, these planes were in a pretty simple scheme of green uppers and light blue undersides. Now the box art / instructions for my kit and other built models etc I've seen online also show the two tone brown & green schemes for IAR 81c..
So does anyone have any further data to confirm Scott's comments? ok cheers

 

[Wurger]

According to my notes ...

1940-42 ... undersides quite similar to British Sky Blue, tops similar to British dark earth/dark green.

1942-44 ... undersides Light blue grey, tops painted with a dark olive green overall.

Additionally ... IAR 80 planes to the no.300 wore the two-tone camouflage consited of colours quite close to the British Dark Earth/Dark Green. The IAR 81 from no.300 the tops were painted with the Dark Olive Green colour overall. These planes with the DE/DG camouflage got the single olive green colour all around the fuselage during overhauls.

 

[SirFrancis]

According to my notes ...

1940-42 ... undersides quite similar to British Sky Blue, tops similar to British dark earth/dark green.

1942-44 ... undersides Light blue grey, tops painted with a dark olive green overall.

Additionally ... IAR 80 planes to the no.300 wore the two-tone camouflage consited of colours quite close to the British Dark Earth/Dark Green. The IAR 81 from no.300 the tops were painted with the Dark Olive Green colour overall. These planes with the DE/DG camouflage got the single olive green colour all around the fuselage during overhauls.

Hey Wojtek, my kit has instructions for 343, 320, 344, all brown / green. also has 323 in overall green. So were these planes brown / green at some point then?

 

[Wurger]

Actually there wasn't any rule. Just Romanians used the British made colours to 1942 perhaps to 1943 and then switched to the camo of one tone on tops. In the case the coats used were of the German manufacturer.
Unfortuantely not all kit instructions are correct. All depends on the time the appearance of the kites was depicted. The no.320 in 1944 had the one green coat overall for sure. Also the no.323 and 343. I haven't seen any pic of the no. 344 but the no.343 was of the single tone camo in 1944. So IMHO the no.344 had to be of the same.

A PM sent.

 

[Wurger]

OK. Here you are the IAR 81C no.344 in 1943. IMHO the aircraft was of the one olive green colour overall.

the source: Grupul 6 Vânătoare - Romania Military

 

[Wurger]

And finally I found a picture of the no.344 of a good quality. My thought about the one coat became true. Also the no.349 wore the same camo scheme. The source dated the image on the 1943 as well.

the source: Expoziţia itinerantă ,, Asul regăsit", Dan Vizanty- la Muzeul Judeţean Botoşani -2014

 

[SirFrancis]

OK. Here you are the IAR 81C no.344 in 1943. IMHO the aircraft was of the one olive green colour overall.

View attachment 697210
the source: Grupul 6 Vânătoare - Romania Military

Hmmm I suppose it will have to be overall olive green then..... Still looks good.
thanks pal

 

[SirFrancis]

And finally I found a picture of the no.344 of a good quality. My thought about the one coat became true. Also the no.349 wore the same camo scheme. The source dated the image on the 1943 as well.

View attachment 697211
the source: Expoziţia itinerantă ,, Asul regăsit", Dan Vizanty- la Muzeul Judeţean Botoşani -2014

Great photo!

 

[Wurger]

My pleasure. Here is another shot of the no.344 with her pilot in although seen partially only.

the source: Expoziţia itinerantă ,, Asul regăsit", Dan Vizanty- la Muzeul Judeţean Botoşani -2014

the source: Drama asului aviaţiei Dan Valentin Vizanty: trimis de regimul bolşevic să recupereze epave de avioane şi aruncat apoi în închisoare

 

[fubar57]

This is from "Romanian Fighter Colours 1941-1945" by Teodore Liviu Morosanu & Dan Alexandru Melinte, MMP Books 2010

 

[Baball]

According to "Vânător - Romanian Hunter" by Radu Brînzan (p.312), the two-tone camouflage was applied to IAR-80s an -81s by the factory up to aircraft n°300 around 1943. As for aircrafts returning to service after undergoing their regular overhaul the book says airframes were commonly repainted, which means they would have applied the new single tone camouflage during and after 1943.

 

[Wurger]

And this agrees with my posts above.

 

[Alex Smart]

Am interested in the photo shown in posts 5 and 6.
Has anyone else noticed the Me109(Bf109) numbered "7" in the background?
To me there looks to be quite a large peice of artwork beneath the cockpit.
Is there by chance any other photos that show this Me109(Bf109) ?

 

[Wurger]

According to the Romanian source on the Faceboook it isn't any art there. The Bf 109G-2 was damaged and the skin panel was repaired with a new one. IMHO there is a mistake in the number colour. It should be "White 7" but not the "Galben 7" -"Yellow 7".

the source:

 

[Alex Smart]

Many thanks, but am disappointed that it isn't

 

[Wurger]

Even if it was the NMF panel only the plane looks interesting , no doubt.

 

[Stosser]

Alex Smart, there are other Bf109 with interesting artworks. 53 squadron, Group 7 (Grupul 7 vânătoare, Escadrila 53) fighters for example had a Mikey Mouse with a lance on a brown horse, just in front of the air intake, on the left side of the nose. They had it also on their previous IAR fighters.

 

[Alex Smart]

Many thanks,
I just wondered if it was the Bf109(Me109) that was used to fly the American and had the US Flag painted on its side roughly in the same position ?

 

[fubar57]

This one?

DA WEBS​

 

[Alex Smart]

Ah yes, now I see it . It is quite different to the other aircraft. We're flags painted on the wings, don't remember ever seeing any pictures that shows the wings from above or below ?
Again many thanks.