FW 190 A-8 / Actual nose color / Willi Unger / Red 17

[vonjhn68]

Greetings Everyone - 

      I have been interested in completing one of my 1/48 FW 190 kits using the Aeromaster 48231 Rammjaeger decals. There is a Red 17 that has an interesting 'wine red' colored nose, but I am not sure if that is the proper color. All the research that I have done indicates that it is likely a Yellow 17 with the common black nose. 

      Does anyone have any information on this?

 

Thanks in advance,

John

[G.R.Morrison]

As you suspected, this was a more-conventionally painted machine, "gelbe 17", the cowling was never red.  Jerry Crandall attempted to get Trimaster to 'fix' their box art, but, no luck, and it's been around ever since.  The curved sweep atop the cowling was a misinterpretation of a shadow from a propeller blade.

 

The 'Krebs' rear-firing rocket tube was a short-lived device, and was unpopular because it eliminated the use of the ETC rack with its range-extending 300 liter drop tank.  The photos of "gelbe 17" were taken 20.May 1944 at Barth.  Unger posed for multiple shots in a 'finish-up the roll of film" situation.  Pictures showing the front reveal the cowl was black, the spiral on the spinner, yellow.

 

Unger's 'regular' machine with the 12./JG 3 at this time was "gelbe 12" -- a conventionally-armed Sturmbock.  In the summer of 1944, he was flying "gelbe 14" from 27.June - 18.July (shot down, parachuted, injured), then "gelbe 9" and "gelbe 1".  He flew a "17" -- not this machine -- for a few times in September (five flights, one claim) before returning to using his preferred "12" (he'd also used "12" and "14" earlier -- March, April, early May -- while flying the Bf 109G-6).

 

Good luck with your build, 

GRM

(I tried inserting examples of the 20.May photo session, but had no luck.  Sorry.)

 

Edited September 5, 2022 by G.R.Morrison
clarification

[vonjhn68]

Thanks G.R.