Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 

1/32 Scale Decals

EagleCals

EagleCals #36 - #39 are available online from Squadron.com

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eagle Editions is at the forefront of the potential avalanche of aftermarket accessories for the beautiful new 1/32 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 from Hasegawa. 

EagleCals #36-39 are four new decal sheets destined for Hasegawa's big Gustav. Each sheet includes four marking options. Two full-sized decal sheets are supplied, along with a three-sheet foldout instruction sheet.

The decals are printed perfectly by Microscale. Registration and colour saturation were flawless on my samples. Carrier film has been carefully planned to be kept at a minimum. For example, on "open" style cross markings, the carrier film is recessed inside the cross itself - only the "arms" of the cross have a thin boundary of carrier film at the edges.

Markings are supplied in multiple parts where registration is absolutely critical. These markings include fuel triangle stencils, the tricky centre-section of the JG 54 heart emblem, and the very thin black border to "Red 13".

The instructions transform these sets from decal sheets to a one-stop marking and reference resource. All sets include captioned reference photos. Some of these are being published for the first time. Photographs of the unusual schemes are especially useful to the modeller (click the thumbnail to the right to view a sample instruction page).

Although the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 was the most-produced variant of the most-produced fighter aircraft in history, it was not known for its wild colour schemes. The Gustav was manufactured during the mid-war period when Luftwaffe fighter camouflage was standardised in three shades of grey. Eagle Editions has risen to the challenge and found some terrific markings and a few exceptions to the prevailing camouflage rules. The subjects on each of the sheets is as follows:

EC#36

Four Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 aircraft as flown by Erich Hartmann. Reference photos of all four aircraft are supplied, including four photos of "White 1".

• White 1 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white-outlined black tulip nose.

• Yellow 1 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with "squiggle" style IV Gruppe bar and victory markings on rudder

• Yellow 1 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with "squiggle" style IV Gruppe bar and white spinner spiral.

• Double Chevron - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white wash over upper surfaces. Black double chevron and black tulip nose.

EC#37

Four Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 aircraft of JG 50 and JG 302. Eleven reference photos are supplied, including five photos of Graf's famous "Green 1".

• Green 1 (or Red 1) - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white tail and red tulip nose with yellow and white outline. Alternate markings provided for either Red or Green "1" marking, plus "Red Hunter" optional emblem. This aircraft was equipped with 21cm rocket tubes.

• White 10 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white tail and victory markings; "Red Hunter" emblem on fuselage side.

• Black 33 - This is a "gunboat" equipped with the 20mm canon gondolas. 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with yellow outlined numbers in red or black (both are supplied). Full yellow theatre markings are in place.

• Black 8 - This is a "gunboat" equipped with the 20mm canon gondolas. 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white outlined numbers in red or black (both are supplied). White rudder and nose band. Red Devil logo on nose. Full yellow theatre markings and a heavy fuselage mottle. 

EC#38

Three great looking Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 aircraft of III./JG 54 and one from JG 51. Four reference photos are supplied, plus two drawings of the correct canopy and cowl configuration for the Bf 109G-5:

• Yellow 1 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with yellow number and III Gruppe bar outlined in black, broad blue RV band, JG 54 logo on mid fuselage and Staffel logo on nose. Yellow rudder and lower cowl. White spiral on black spinner.

• White 1 - This is a "gunboat" equipped with the 20mm canon gondolas. 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white number and III Gruppe bar outlined in black, broad blue RV band, JG 54 logo on mid fuselage and Staffel logo on nose. Yellow rudder and lower cowl. White spiral on black spinner.

• Yellow 11 - The original 74/75/76 Grey camouflage has been heavily oversprayed with RLM 76 Light Blue, resulting in a pale mottled finish on all upper surfaces. Yellow number and III Gruppe bar outlined in black, broad blue RV band, JG 54 logo on mid fuselage and Staffel logo on nose. Yellow rudder and lower cowl. Yellow spinner. Reference photos of this aircraft are included - wild!

• White 7 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white number and II Gruppe bar in unusual position forward of the aircraft number. Large eye on each fuselage bulge. The bulge itself is yellow, as is the lower cowl. JG 51 emblem on nose. White rudder and white-quartered Black-Green spinner.

EC#39

Four more interesting subjects from JG 3, JG 27 JG 300and JG 54. Five reference photos are supplied, including two of the JG 300 night fighter.

• Red 13 - This is a "gunboat" equipped with the 20mm canon gondolas. 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with red numbers and IV Gruppe bar outlined thinly in black. White fuselage band and rudder. Victory marks on rudder.

The black/white crosses for Red 13 were missing on my sheet. A new production run will correct this problem, and Eagle Editions will replace the relevant sheet for those who have already bought it.

• White 6 - 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with white number and short black III Gruppe bar. "Udet" emblem on cowl, and large comet on gun bulges. Thin white spiral on spinner. This aircraft was equipped with 21cm rocket tubes.

• Yellow 1 - This is a "gunboat" equipped with the 20mm canon gondolas. 76 Light Blue upper surfaces with 75 grey squiggly lines. Lower surfaces in black. Broad, dull red RV Band. Yellow number and spinner spiral. 

• Black 8 - This is a "gunboat" equipped with the 20mm canon gondolas. 74/75/76 Grey camouflage with Black number and III Gruppe bar outlined in white, broad blue RV band, JG 54 logo on mid fuselage and Staffel logo on nose. Yellow rudder and lower cowl. White spiral on black spinner.

Sufficient stencil data is included for a full single aircraft. You will have a stack of spares too. 

I recently painted my 1/32 scale Bf 109G-6. It is awaiting a different set of decals but I decided to use the national markings and stencils from the EagleCals sheets on my model.

EagleCals' national markings and stencils on Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Bf 109G-6. Note how well the decals conform to the fuselage hatch under the balkenkreutz. This photo was taken immediately after the decals were applied - no top coat or weathering has been added at this stage.

All the decals conformed to the panel lines and responded well to MicroSet and MicroSol. The size of the markings looks perfect. Stencil decals are impressively crisp and legible. In this large scale, they look very convincing on the model too - not too dominant as is sometimes the case in smaller scales.

The sixteen options supplied on EagleCal's four latest sheets will give the modeller plenty of excuses to build a stack of Hasegawa 1/32 scale Bf 109G-6s. The inclusion of reference photographs is a real bonus too.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Judy at Eagle Editions for the sample.

EagleCals decals are available from Eagle Editions Website or Hobby Retailers