Given the late introduction of the Ta152 how well was it painted? I've read that they left various panels unpainted for instance. I'll keep searching but i haven't seen original photos showing this. Of all the photos I've seen they don't show any unpainted panels. Hope you can help.
Ta152 unpainted panels?
- Thread starter Wildsau
- Start date
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Check out the pictures of JKim's model here for an idea.
**** FINISHED: 1/48 Ta 152H - Allied Advance and Defense of the Reich WWII.
Also Wayne's build here is slightly different.
**** FINISHED: 1/32 Ta152H-1 Stab/JG301 - Favourite Aircraft of All Time GB
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Master_Ale_88
Airman
Dear Wildsau,
The evidence of unpainted panels on lower surfaces of Ta 152 is proved by an original painting diagram (you can check it out here, looking at the third Ta 152 A diagram). You can actually read "Flugzeugunterseite bleibt ohne Sichtschutzanstrich"; that means exactly "lower surface of the aircraft is left unpainted". I also found a photo af a Ta 152 C showing this characteristic.
Let me take a look at my archive, I am sure I possess another photo of a Ta 152 H in which unpainted panels are more evident. As soon as I find it, I will post it here.
Master_Ale_88
Airman
Here you are the second photo I was thinking about. Actually, I would say that there is no evidence of completely unpainted lower surfaces. However, the examples of Ta 152s with partially unpainted ones are several. For example, W.Nr. 150167 shows this feature as well. Probably, but this is just a supposition, even W.Nr. 150168 (Green 9) had partially unpainted lower surfaces. Hope this is helpfull!
- Thread starter
- #6
Master_Ale_88
Airman
Dear Wildsau,
Actually the photo posted by mjfur show the wings of the Ta 152 H-0 W.Nr. 150010 still under restoration at the Paul E. Garber facility; property of NASM. This aircraft has been re-painted several times during its life and the livery shown nowadays is not the original one, but was applied during evaluation flights by american personnel. Lower surfaces of the wings are not in their original colour and they are not bare metal either. Even the Balkenkreuze are fake. For example, if you look at the last photo posted by mjfur, you can see the difference in colour between the interior of the wheel well (that is bare metal) and the surface of the wing (that has been repainted). That said, we can not say with certainty how the actual color was when the aircraft was assembled. Only the restoration team could eventually work it out.
Anyway, we can still find what was the original material. The red code that can be seen in the wheel well was indeed applied by the manufacturer to specify the alloy composition. It should be an aluminium alloy, but knowing that code would allow us to know it with more accuracy... Unfortunately I never found the correnspondence of that code
. The code is 3126.9. Have you got any idea? Thanks!(Note that the picture below has increased contrast and saturation to better see the code. The actual outer colour is grey)
Truffle Pig
Airman
Hello Master_Ale_88,Dear Wildsau,
Actually the photo posted by mjfur show the wings of the Ta 152 H-0 W.Nr. 150010 still under restoration at the Paul E. Garber facility; property of NASM. This aircraft has been re-painted several times during its life and the livery shown nowadays is not the original one, but was applied during evaluation flights by american personnel. Lower surfaces of the wings are not in their original colour and they are not bare metal either. Even the Balkenkreuze are fake. For example, if you look at the last photo posted by mjfur, you can see the difference in colour between the interior of the wheel well (that is bare metal) and the surface of the wing (that has been repainted). That said, we can not say with certainty how the actual color was when the aircraft was assembled. Only the restoration team could eventually work it out.
Anyway, we can still find what was the original material. The red code that can be seen in the wheel well was indeed applied by the manufacturer to specify the alloy composition. It should be an aluminium alloy, but knowing that code would allow us to know it with more accuracy... Unfortunately I never found the correnspondence of that code
(Note that the picture below has increased contrast and saturation to better see the code. The actual outer colour is grey)
View attachment 639637
in the attached picture you can see a book from 1938 with the description for among others the "Fliegmaterial" 3126. The last digit (9) describes only the condition and not the alloy.
From remnants of this material after the war were sporadically built suitcases or washbowls.
Master_Ale_88
Airman
Dear Truffle Pig,
Thank you so much for your reply. It is definitely interesting, in particular because it is referred to a documente almost contemporary to the aircraft. Making some research I found out that the specific so called "Albundur" or "Bundur" alloy was manufactured by the Vereinigte Leichtmetallwerke G.m.b.H., which factories were located in Hannover-Linden, Bonn and Laatzen. The Bundur was an aluminium-copper-magnesium alloy. Nowadays such an alloy should be indicated with a 2xxx code and not with a 3xxx. The latter would indeed identify, according to my knowledge, an aluminium-manganese alloy. It would be intriguing to deeply understand the code system used to identify these alloys during those years.
Anyway...Where did you find such incredible objects like that pot or that suitcase?? It is amazing they are made of the same material of the aircraft!!!
Snautzer01
Honourably banned
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Focke-Wulf Ta152
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