I've dug the Tamiya 1/48 Dornier Do335A Pfeil with Kettenkraftrad out of the stash and I have a question about the colours.

The instructions say that the Cockpit should be XF-22 RLM Grey. Does this equate to RLM02 or RLM66?

Also the instructions say that the main colours are and mix of XF-5:1+XF-3:1 (which I'm assuming is a light green), TS-2 Dark green and the underside is AS-5 light blue.

I'm not wanting to open a can of worms here but not being fully up on German camo I would hazard a guess at these being an RLM 76/82/83 scheme? would this be a close enough match to what Tamiya suggest?

The cockpit is RLM66/1. this is a bit darker than the earlier RLM66.

RLM02 is an very early cockpit color used for example on early bf-110B/C/D, or bf 109E,so its wrong here.




I would use for example Gunze RLM colors,which are much better than Tamiya for me

Wings Pallette says RLM65 for the underside, which I find surprising as RLM76 was used instead later in the war.

http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/470/2/0#11 Here is a link to wings pallette which may be of use as it suggests different colours for different DO335's.

I second the call for RLM66 for the interior over RLM02.
I use Vallejo/Xtracrylix for my models, so I go off the RLM no's.

thanks
Mike

Hi Sam,
Cockpit colour was RLM66 and I believe that it was finished in bomber colours which would make it RLM 70/71 over 65.

camogirl,

Like the others said RLM 66 blackgray was the cockpit color.
The first couple of prototypes were painted in the older 70/71 colors, the later pre-production series of Do 335's had the late war colors of 81/82 on them and a couple were photographed in color after the war that confirms the use of the 81/82 colors. Not sure about the undersurface color, most likely 76 but 65 is also possible. Very late in the war the Germans had to use whatever paints they still had even if it meant sometimes using the 'wrong' colors.

Matrixone

Well, while some the illustrations on Wings Palette are taken from relatively recent publications, some are quite old (1970's, 1960's, perhaps even older?), so they might be based on outdated data. That combined with incomplete source info on some illustrations makes it a rather uncertain source of references. At least when used alone.

Here's one article on the camouflage of the Do335 on Hyperscale: -click-
Seems like a somewhat complicated case. Lotta ins, lotta outs. Many facets to this one...

Thanks for the replies guys I shall go through those bits thank you all for the advice

Good info Eetu. I have saved it to my favourites as I have a 1/72 DO335 to make at some point.

thanks
Mike

The Do335 was originally designed to be a "schnellkamffluzeug" or fast bomber and it seems that the first prototypes were painted accordingly in a 70/71/65 scheme. The official aircraft handbook (issued 22/12/44) contains a three view drawing showing the splinter scheme to be applied and stipulating colours 81/82/65.
This would accord with the Sammelmitteilung of 1/7/44 which ordered the replacement of the 70 and 71 colours with 81 and 82. Limited substitutions were permitted whilst stocks of the older colours existed but (and this is often overlooked) when a company held large stocks of the old colours they were to make efforts to trade them away to other company plants or sub contractors so as not to "unduly delay the implementation of the regulation camouflage".
The surprising use of 65 on the lower surfaces may have been due to Dornier,accustomed to making bombers,holding large stocks of the colour,trying to bend the rules and use it up.
I would paint a production Do335 in the regulation 81/82 over 65 scheme.
The page of the handbook showing the scheme is reproduced on pages 135 and 156 of "Dornier Do335 Arrow - The Luftwaffe's fastest piston engined fighter" by Smith and Creek.
Cheers
Steve