The great camouflage & markings debate

[ChrisMAg2]

Richard,
may I ask why you depend (solely?) on books? Aren't there enough contemporary (ww2 and later) photos available that can be used as a reference? Are there no more original paints on your Me 163?
And reg. the specific colors for this Messerschmitt Me-163B-1a (W.Nr.191060, became VF241 later), IMO, there are not really many questions and doubts. AFAIK the color schemes of a (standard) Me 163 are pretty well documented.

reg the most acurate colorchart and interpretation:
The most reliable colorchart would be found in LDV 521/1, 521/2 and also 521/3. But how to interpretate +60 year old manuals that not really were "a liabel industrial standard", is a different (and IMO sometimes philosophical) question.
For the scheme: IIRC there are factory schemes available.

[edwest]

Richard,


I suggest you go to the Eagle Editions web site and use their order line phone number. Judy Crandall usually answers.



Best,
Ed

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Christian and Ed,

Christian, how would we be able to obtain the LDV and factory schemes for the Me 163 B that you refer to. As for the ready availability of accurate information on the paint schemes for this aircraft, to which you say there are "not many questions and doubts", it would be quite helpful if you could direct me to where this information can be found. As I said in my original note, neither the subject area of camouflage and markings, nor the Me 163 B, itself, are areas in which I have much personal research knowledge nor interest. I am doing this as a non-paid technical consultant to Flying Legends, which started with new-build Me 262's, an area where I was on much firmer ground. My hope is that others, who know exactly where the stones are hidden under the water's surface, could help us out without my falling in and drowning!!

Ed, I'll give Jerry a call.

Regards,
Richard

[ChrisMAg2]

Richard,
I now see that the main problem is exactely where you describe it.
There is actualy no one single solution for that amount of questions you have to solve. To narrow it down to a workable chunck I would want you to look at these links first:
http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/fo...?showtopic=594
http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/fo...showtopic=2041


To have an idea where and -most important- what to look for on original documents, have a look at
http://www.rlm-farben.de/german/index.htm
There click the fifth link ("Quellen"), left on the navi-bar. On the newly opened page click the link "Schriftum". That enables you to download a MS-Excel file (in German, of course) containing a listing of the publications that company uses and the source they are obtained or copied from.

You could then even contact them and ask them for advice or assistance. Their e-mail addy is: mail@rlm-farben.de
Their short english profile is:

RLM-Farben makes authentic WW II aircraft paints to RLM specifications.
We use original materials and components as well as vintage production methods.

They have done substantional paint jobs for DTM, Berlin and Luftfahrtmuseum Hannover-Laatzen. And that would be the closest you can get to an original paintjob.

I hope this might be more helpful to you, then my previous comment.

[Nick Beale]

Just to add that the Smith & Gallaspy book has colour photos of the Australian Me 163 while it was still in its original paint, before it was "restored."