by: Mike Still [ ]
I stumbled across this in a Barnes & Noble bookstore a few days ago while doing my monthly “hunt and gather” routine for modeling reference. This fit the bill because I was working on a couple of Messerschmitts, and the fit got better after I got it home.This book is like a guide to Easter eggs. It covers most major operational versions and foreign adaptations of the Bf 109 starting with the Friedrich and moving through the Gustav, K, Avia S199 and the HA-1112 Buchon.Text is limited in quantity but informative for the beginner or layman, and even the more experienced builder might pick up a few useful tidbits. Color Profiles
The color profiles (224 of them) are complimented by color plates of Luftwaffe Geschwader, Gruppe and Staffel insignia as well as color and toned plates showing features of the post-Emil 109 variants, variations of the “splinter” upper surface camouflage patterns, and a page devoted to the various Reich defense band colors and locations. Some black-and-white and modern color photos head the book’s sections. While welcome, some of the photos have been published elsewhere. Color Plates
But the color plates are the meat of the book, and they are certainly well-done. You get a nice variety of typical and atypical continental, Mediterranean and foreign schemes with very little fallback on the usual Galland, Moelders and Hartman-flown birds. Even when two of Hartman’s 109’s are presented, they’re different from what you might be used to seeing.You even get a one-off variation of a 109F flow by Hans-Joachim Marseille.The Avia S199 IDF plates are unusual in that the authors cite them as sprayed overall in RLM 68 grey instead of the RLM 02 Grau that many authorities cite. This varies with the Sakim in the IDF/AF Museum collection, which is done in 02 Grau. This has been a topic of discussion of late, and one I'm not equipped to settle here, so make your own decision (and you are VERY welcome to post reactions here).Each profile is well-captioned, with a description of the scheme in RLM color numbers. Detail on the profiles is excellent and, while reproducing exact color matches via printer’s ink is well nigh impossible, the plates give the reader a strong idea of how the schemes look.Plenty of schemes are shown for Rumanian, Hungarian, Slovakian, Italian, Swiss, Finnish, Bulgarian and Russian Liberation Army birds. Pages are also devoted to the Avia S199 Mezec/Sakin in Czech and Israeli service, and the Buchon in Spanish and movie warpaint.Even Bf 109 G-12 trainers are included. Final Thoughts
This book strongly complements any Bf 109 reference on the modeler’s bookshelf. Well worth the $18.95 retail price.Histoire & Collections has no website I can find, but this and other H&C titles are carried by several distributors. Do a Google search for one near you.Publisher: Histoire & Collections
About Mike Still (modelcitizen62) 40-year model builder: big on RAF and USN, but will build just about anything that strikes my fancy. - given my past buying habits, Spitfires are striking my fancy like buckshot >B^D Copyright ©2021 text by Mike Still [ ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.
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