One of the things that makes the Bf 109 such a fascinating modelling subject is the sheer variety of camouflage and markings carried by the aircraft during its long career, not least when it served with foreign air forces. Aviation 3-D artist and decal designer Chris Busbridge has produced a new sheet of decals devoted to the Bf 109 in the colours of Italy's Regia Aeronautica.

Designed for the Hasegawa 1:32 kits (and Revell reboxings), the sheet includes national insignia and unit markings for no less than 14 aircraft, with a mix of Bf 109Fs and 'Gs , plus one set of stencils.

The schemes provided are:

● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. unknown, 70 ͣ Squadriglia, 23 ͦ Gruppo, 23 ͦ Stormo, Cerveteri, August 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 18421, 363 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo, Sciacca, July 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 18023, 153 ͣ Squadriglia, 3 ͦ Gruppo, Comiso, June 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. unknown, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 18391, 364 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 18325, 364 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 18096, 154 ͣ Squadriglia, 3 ͦ Gruppo, Comiso, June 1943
● Bf 109G-6, W.Nr. 18458, 155 ͣ Squadriglia, 3 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Comiso, July 1943
● Bf 109F-4, 363 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo, Sciacca, June/July 1943
● Bf 109F-4, 363 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo, Sciacca, June/July 1943 - an alternative to the previous scheme
● Bf 109G-6/R6, W.Nr. 19426, 364 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, June 1943
● Bf 109G-6/R6, W.Nr. 19566, 365 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943
● Bf 109G-6, W.Nr. 18271, 365 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943
● Bf 109G-2/R6, W.Nr. 10825, 365 ͣ Squadriglia, 150 ͦ Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943

All the aircraft featured still carried their original Luftwaffe temperate or desert camouflage to some extent of other, but the manner in which this was overpainted by the Italians varied greatly and the result in many cases is really quite spectacular - these '109s will make an eye-catching change among the ranks of models of German machines.

The decals themselves are beautifully printed by Fantasy Printshop. The items are thin and glossy with perfect registration and crystal clear carrier film. Several of the aircraft feature spinner spirals (interestingly, one is "reversed" i.e. against the rotation of the propeller) but these aren't provided as decals due to lack of space on the sheet.

Each camouflage scheme is illustrated with a colour profile and quite a detailed caption describing the likely colours. No topside views were included with the sample decals, but Chris informs me that he has now added an extra page to the instructions showing the placement of wing markings.

Chris Budbridge decals can be purchased directly via his website Superareo.

Conclusion

This is an excellent set of decals for anyone wanting to model the Bf 109 in Regia Aeronautica service and deserves to be a great success. A follow up sheet is planned for ANR colour schemes. At the moment the decals are available in 1:32 only, and Chris will monitor sales before deciding whether to release them in 1:48 and 1:72 as well. That's one more reason to really hope the sheet proves popular, because modellers in smaller scales are missing out on a real treat! Highly recommended.

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