[Simon Schatz]

Hello folks!
I followed the discussion here and on different German forums. Not just about this book, but also about other books. Mr Achs, I have no idea why you always use such harsh words? Why not simply “ins Fäustchen lachen” (show gloating joy) and announce that you are working on something that will blow away all the errors that were written since end of the war? In the past you gave the German reading aviation enthusiasts an impression what you have in your archive. There were some articles published in Jet&Prop that were simply stunning and made me nosy for more. I’m sure most here don’t know them, and have no idea about the content.
But I have to agree with Richard T. Eger. In your way to announce errors of others you will not find many friends outside of Germany. I’m happy to have some connections around the globe, and just with them it was possible to publish my work around the globe. In “Good-old-Germany” my profiles just got published in small numbers. Maybe my work is too “bad” for the German market, so I have to publish elsewhere.
You can like profiles or not! That’s everybody’s right! If you don’t like them, you don’t have to look at them, but there are others (mostly model builders) that see them as good addition to reference photographs. Painting aircraft profiles is simple the same as building model planes, but just in 2D.
I have to agree with Mr. Achs that some profiles published by different publishing houses and artists are simply fantasy and you will never find reference photographs for them. So these drawings are just “waste” of space and have no historical value. But you also find this stuff in Germany in German aviation magazines, drawn by a German artist. I’m sure Mr. Achs you know the German publishing house, author and artist I mean. ;-)
For me as artist of some of the Ju88 profiles in the book I can tell you that I tried my best to do them as accurate as possible. I got many reference material and if not I tried to find as much material as possible and did many hours of research.
I have to say that I was really wondering seeing some of my profiles without the additional reference photographs. So nobody can check how many hours (and it were a lot) I spent painting all these crazy meanders at my Ju88A-4/LT, Ju88G-1 and Ju88S-1 profiles. But this wasn’t in my hands. I just can say that I tried to draw them as accurate as possible.
And for sure there is another aspect: “nobody is perfect”
If you have any comments and critique regarding my profiles please let me know.
Cheers, Simon
PS: As I’m more artist as historian and no Junkers expert I can’t write anything that is written in Arties book. Also I have no idea if I find time to read it in near future. Some other book projects are waiting!
PPS: ChrisS: What is the name of the German artist working for Kagero?
PPPS: I also know an Austrian artist!!! ;-)