Pellsons Perceivings

[Dizzyfugu]

I chime in here, because I have applied a variety of those Eighties Phantom schemes (and there were certainly more than a dozen for the interceptors alone!!!)  to various airframes. The Norm '83 scheme was applied in AFAIK four variants - while using the basic colors, there were two variations of wavy (as seen above in the font view picture) and edgy/splinter patterns. Finding suitable colors for a model is a very difficult task, because you either do not get the RAL tones (Revell has some of them, though, and Xtracolor has many RAL tones, too, even though they are glossy and IMHO not easily applied witha brush), or they look odd on a model because the Luftwaffe Phantoms tended to deteriorate outwardly quickly for a rather uniform look.

I tried to paint a MiG-21 in these colors many moons ago, and I used as many RAL tones as possible, even though with some deliberate replacements:

Upper sides:
RAL 7009 Grüngrau = Revell 67 (authentic)
RAL 7012 Basaltgrau = Revell 77 (authentic)
RAL 7037 Staubgrau = Humbrol 106
RAL 7039 Quarzgrau = Humbrol 92 (the brownish dark, H92 is a compromise and not available anymore, I used Revell 47, but that's too cold and grey)

Fuselage sides/fin:
RAL 7030 Steingrau = Revell 75 (authentic, but I rather used Humbrol 64 because Steingrau is a rather brownish tone, almost like RAF Hemp)

Lower sides:
RAL 7001 Silbergrau = Humbrol 127 (used Humbrol 166, which is less bluish and comes IMHO closer to the real world impression)
RAL 7035 Lichtgrau = Humbrol 196 (used Humbrol 147, which is a tad darker - on real aircraft you hardly see and contrast between the two tones)



1:72 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21G; "24+17", JG 71 'Richthofen', Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Wittmundhafen, 1995 (Whif) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21G; "24+17", JG 71 'Richthofen', Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Wittmundhafen, 1995 (Whif) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21G; "24+17", JG 71 'Richthofen', Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Wittmundhafen, 1995 (Whif) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Note that the briownish tone does not appear at all!

Other applications of contemporary schemes:

1) The "Maikäfer" (cockchafer) scheme


1:72 Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet C; "98+52", JaboG 43 Deutsche Luftwaffe; WTD Manching, 1989 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

2) The "Wolkenmaus" (Cloud Mouse):


1:100 Shinsei Industry VF-25F "Messiah"; 'OK 204' of the New U.N. Spacy (N.U.N.S.) SVFA-233 "Cloudbusters"; Windermere IV in the Brisingr Global Cluster, during the first Windermere War of Independence, 2060 (Macross Frontier Whif/Bandai kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

3) The asymmetrical one from 38+56 which did AFAIK not have an internal nickname:


1:72 Mikoyan-Gurewich MiG-23Ö; aircraft '08' of 2nd Air Surveillance Squadron, Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte/Austrian Air Force, Graz-Thalerhof Air Base, 1996 (Whif/Academy kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[NARSES2]

Personally I think the scheme suits the Mig far better than it does the Phantoms 

[Pellson]

I chime in here, because I have applied a variety of those Eighties Phantom schemes...

I tried to paint a MiG-21 in these colors many moons ago, and I used as many RAL tones as possible, even though with some deliberate replacements:

Upper sides:
RAL 7009 Grüngrau = Revell 67 (authentic)
RAL 7012 Basaltgrau = Revell 77 (authentic)
RAL 7037 Staubgrau = Humbrol 106
RAL 7039 Quarzgrau = Humbrol 92 (the brownish dark, H92 is a compromise and not available anymore, I used Revell 47, but that's too cold and grey)

Fuselage sides/fin:
RAL 7030 Steingrau = Revell 75 (authentic, but I rather used Humbrol 64 because Steingrau is a rather brownish tone, almost like RAF Hemp)

Lower sides:
RAL 7001 Silbergrau = Humbrol 127 (used Humbrol 166, which is less bluish and comes IMHO closer to the real world impression)
RAL 7035 Lichtgrau = Humbrol 196 (used Humbrol 147, which is a tad darker - on real aircraft you hardly see and contrast between the two tones)

Note that the brownish tone does not appear at all!


1:72 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21G; "24+17", JG 71 'Richthofen', Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Wittmundhafen, 1995 (Whif) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Thanks, Thomas. These are all so good, and that MiG-21G is outright marvellous! What I'm after is a bit more colourful. I would really like the blues, greens and browns to be clearly discernible but still not too garish. My current plan is as follows:

Upper sides:
RAL 7009 Grüngrau = Humbrol 31
RAL 7012 Basaltgrau = Humbrol 145
RAL 7037 Staubgrau = Humbrol 127
RAL 7039 Quarzgrau = Humbrol 251

Fuselage sides/fin:
RAL 7030 Steingrau = Humbrol 64

Lower sides:
RAL 7001 Silbergrau = 166
RAL 7009 Grüngrau = Humbrol 31

The target is really an impression like this:



..but based on this scheme to allow for some low level blending also when manouvering hard. Also, the two dust grey (Staubgrau) fields on the wings lighten up the upper sides a bit, not making the aircraft quite as dull as on the photo.



But we'll see. I'm trying it out on an old, and if so should be, disposable Italeri F-4F. 

[Pellson]

Had to go out to the cottage to monitor the pump service replace a broken freshwater pump. Annoying, and pretty damn cold too! Had hoped to get around prep painting some Luftwaffe stuff but got so annoyed when I found that I'd forgotten some interior greens that I didn't get anything done at all. Bollocks.. 

And tomorrow, it's a busy day. First the booster jab, and then the fibre diggers are to "dig in" to the very same cottage, pulling in a glass fibre connection for the broadband. Finally!! I've been waiting for nigh on three years now!
Then on homewards to drop the significantly smarter, and not to mention better looking half and our eldest at the hunting training. Next week, they're due for license testing, and then I'll have to buy another rifle. Or two..   

So no modelling until tomorrow afternoon, best case. Still keen on German stuff, though., so looking forward to it.

[Dizzyfugu]

Hmmm, I fell a certain itch to build a Macross VF-1 with the Norm 81 scheme, also with more distinct/bright colors. The airframe is not as well suited to the scheme as the F-4 or the MiG-21, but it just looks so cool... And it would be a very contemporary choice, too. 

[Pellson]

Hmmm, I fell a certain itch to build a Macross VF-1 with the Norm 81 scheme, also with more distinct/bright colors. The airframe is not as well suited to the scheme as the F-4 or the MiG-21, but it just looks so cool... And it would be a very contemporary choice, too. 

I'm very much looking forward to it.. 

[Dizzyfugu]

It's entering hardware stage. I dug out one of the 1:100 kits from the pile and started yesterday. It just felt right, and I had the plan to do a Norm '81 VF-1 for a long time because it is such an interesting and complex camouflage paint scheme. Also went through my paint reference and profile archives.
The VF-1 will receive an extracted landing gear and an individual ordnance load (instead of the twelve OOB AMM-1 missile) under the wings, even though this turns out to be challenging: finding something suitable for the small aircraft model is more complicated than it seems, even though I think that I can salvage some bits from a 1:144 Tornado kit and maybe from a Zvezda1:72 Ka-58 - this VF-1 might end up in a German attack squadron, I have to check decal options, too. 

[Pellson]

Super, Thomas! I will make sure to follow this in detail as I'm still somewhat undecided on colours for my own Norm
81 scheme. 

[Dizzyfugu]

No easy task! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Already into painting the VF-1, and I decided to use authetic RAL tones as basis:

RAL 7009 Grüngrau: Revell 67 (acrylic)
RAL 7012 Basaltgrau: Revell 77 (acrylic)
RAL 7039 Quarzgrau: Xtracolor X259 (enamel)
RAL 7037 Staubgrau: Xtracolor X258 (enamel)
RAL 7030 Steingrau. Revell 75 (enamel)
RAL 7035 Lichtgrau: Humbrol 196 (enamel)

While this basically works and leaves a very murky aircraft. RAL 7030, 7037 and 7039 appear like gradually darker shades of the basically same brownish grey hue, framed with darker contrast areas. I'd describe it as "ugly". Adapting the paint scheme to the VF-1 is not easy, though, as expected, but I try to stay true to the original concept with a mid-high waterline.

However, the Xtracolor enamels turned out to be total sh!t (they lack pigments in the glossy and translucent base and therefore ANY opacity, at least when you use a brush), and the Revell 75 just did what I hate about the company's enamels: drying up prematurely with a gooey consistency, leaving streaks. The paint finish is already messy, I hope I can save the situation with some shading and weathering.

[Pellson]

Actually having had a little time to spare, I went away painting up a few interiors in anticipation of some construction time, and lo and behold - today I managed to whip together an old Airfix F-84F Thunderstreak. Awful kit, really, but i have had an absolute ball building it. Now it's sitting here beside me, in all its unpainted steel grey splendour, waiting for me to whip up a backstory allowing the European NATO to fly them actively into the eighties.. 
It's a rugged beast, and with some serious navigation and targeting electronics, I would guess it could have been a viable bomb truck for quite a while. So far, I've only included a Laser Ranging and Marked Target Seeker replacing the gun ranging radar in the air splitter, but a little extra oomph is desirable as the most remembered flaw of the Super Hog was the neverending takeoff roll..  Ah, well.. An Avon does normally fit where a Sapphire's been, right?

In the mean time, there's two other old US fifties jets sitting in their boxes, more or less ready to slap together. I might start them first..

[Dizzyfugu]

The horrible paint finish could be saved (*phew*), mostly, and after some use of a soft pencil in the panel lines things almost look acceptable. I will open a WiP thread for this project in the SF section soon. Currently fight with the tiny ordnance and a canopy that somehow does not fit/close over the OOB interior... The Norm '81 scheme is really ugly, and I wonder about the pictures of 38+33 above, because the colors are much too bright. Maybe the picture has been tweaked before release, or the machine was a PR stunt of the Bundeswehr - what I personally believe, because NO F-4F I know or have seen has been looking this pristine way!

[Pellson]

The horrible paint finish could be saved (*phew*), mostly, and after some use of a soft pencil in the panel lines things almost look acceptable. I will open a WiP thread for this project in the SF section soon. Currently fight with the tiny ordnance and a canopy that somehow does not fit/close over the OOB interior... The Norm '81 scheme is really ugly, and I wonder about the pictures of 38+33 above, because the colors are much too bright. Maybe the picture has been tweaked before release, or the machine was a PR stunt of the Bundeswehr - what I personally believe, because NO F-4F I know or have seen has been looking this pristine way!

38+33 was a one-off repaint at the time of decommissioning of the F-4F, together with 38+10 that was painted in Norm 72. They were both ridiculously well kept - obviously because they were totally repainted and only flew in their commemorative schemes for a short while. That said - they're both loverly, and me being not so much for heavy weathering (no criticism, just an explanation) I think I'll happily stick to the lovely shades. And, to be honest, there are photos of other Norm 81 Phantoms that also look quite good. That's excuse enough for me.. 

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Still dead happy with the "new" Thunderstreak. Now considering a Norm 83 coat and the angle of the attachment of the ordnance under in particular the outer pylons. They're really steep as is..

[Dizzyfugu]

Ah, this "retro scheme" of 38+33 explains a lot! It really looks like a museum piece.

However, WiP thread with the Norm '81 Valkyrie has been opened, with pics and comments: https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=50222.0

[Pellson]

Keeping some covid distance to the kids who've gone back to school for the first time this year, I've retreated to the cottage in the archipelago, working a little over the web but also having plenty of peace to actually model away a bit. In line with that, I've done most of the construction on an old Heller T-33A, getting a little bit held up by the landing gear covers, really not meant to build wheels up. Not really being in the mood for that kind of fiddling (the rest of the T-bird went together nicely enough) I instead went all in on interior painting on all the Luftwaffe aircraft I took out of the Stash^TM on packing for the trip. It's about ten different aircraft, and tomorrow, all but the annoying Revell Fiat G91 - which seems to be a very nice rendition of the Gina, had it not been molded in such a glaringly yellow plastic - which will need a third coat of every sodding colour - will actually be ready for construction. Good times!!

Also took a tea break reading up on the Marineflieger Norm 87 camouflage scheme. RAL 5008, they say. No equivalent in Humbrol, they say. But they also say "Blaugrau". I'll have a think on that, and maybe try Humbrol 144. Or, should it feel too blue, 123.

But that's for another day.