Luftwaffe F-86 colors

[Rocky]

What color was the underside of Luftwaffe F-86s? Grey? Natural metal?

[Jennings]

My sources called it "silver-grey" so take your choice :) Seriously, I believe it was a very light grey, not metallic.

[phantomwings]

Except for ex-CAF birds, the normed color should be RAL7001 "Silbergrau"/silver-grey for the undersides. That's a light grey (non-metallic AFAIK) as Jennings already said.

Edited August 16, 2011 by phantomwings

[PeepingBear]

Hi from Germany!

Roger that, RAL 7001 silver grey is correct, except for the earliest ex-RCAF "NATO military aid" ones who were painted in some light blue.

All 60es-era Bundesluftwaffe birds with the wavy camo scheme used these colours: Tops in RAL 6014 NATO olive drab and RAL 7012 basalt grey, bottoms in RAL 7014 silver grey. The supersonic f-104 and ®F-4 used the same upper colours in a straight angular pattern with metallic RAL 9006 white aluminum (a not-to-glossy metallic dope, which aged quickly into a light grey). The CAS aircraft (FIAT G.91 and Alpha Jet)were painted RAL 7001 "below".

HTH

Jan Teipel

[RAGATIGER]

Hi there

More question related to German Luftwaffe Sabres F-86e/Mk6 some of them were "transfered to Imperial Iran AF" who also pass them further west to Pakistan AF who used me in 71 war, well now I want to know if they were also used as german camoflaged or bare metal in the Blangadesh detatchment

Best modeling

Armando

[Julien (UK)]

From what I have gleaned in my sabre research over the last year is that the Germans did get some early Sabre 5's for training from the Canadians and these were in standard camo.

Sabre 6's were delivered in BMF and served for some time like this. They got camo which as Jan quite rightly said was Tops in RAL 6014 NATO olive drab and RAL 7012 basalt grey, bottoms in RAL 7014 silver grey.

Hannants xtra color seem to be the only paints I could find for these, and in trials look close to the photos I have of German Machines.

With regard to the Pakistani Sabre 6's which were bought from Germany by Iran to get around the ban of supplying weapons to Pakistan; there are reports of both BMF and Camo Sabre 6's being seen in Pakistan. Pakistan also seems to have re-painted some of these as I have seen them in a Dark Green over medium Grey scheme.

The ones I have seen which were left behind in now Bangladesh seemed to be all NMF.

Julien

[RAGATIGER]

Hi Julien

Well after got the Academy Sabre in our last trade I exchange another kit with a local fellow and got a Fujimi F-86E and the main differece is the extra AIM-9 pylon in the Fujimi kit so I consider to use the RAAF Avon conversion with the Academy as instructed but maybe can bee really nice besides a Pakistan AF sample (I got the old SAM decals but no reall indication if used by Sqn 14)

Most Sabre Pakistan AF web sites gave general indications for that timeframe

Best modeling

Armando

Edited August 20, 2011 by RAGATIGER

[dai phan]

Hi all,

 

I am working in the Luftwaffe F-86 MK 6 and I bought some paints from AK as they make these colors. The correct color is RAL 6014 early or late ? Dai 

[PeepingBear]

Hello Dai,

a sure guess is the early / initial variant. The West German Luftwaffe used the Sabre in the 50es / 60es. When I was an active soldier at the end of the Cold War, I saw both varaints of RAL 6014 side by side, the earlier shade was a tad lighter, slightly more yellowish. The later / "younger" shade was definitely darker. BUT: This might not be due to different pigments, but a consequence of aged colour on the older specimens.

 

This also goes along nicely with the scale effect: Especially smaller scale models look more realistic if painted in slightly lightended colours, because small objects cannot reflect as much light as larger ones, thus the small models seem darker unless their colours are made lighter with a few percent of white or really pale grey.

[Sabrejet]

Just a word of warning, the statement "Luftwaffe F-86" covers three models: Sabre 5, Sabre 6 and F-86K. As alluded to above, aside from NMF, the Sabre 5 in camo featured PRU blue (cerulean blue) undersides, in a similar scheme to RAF Sabres (but not exactly the same in terms of demarcations), rather than silbergrau.