Stormo! Decals 32-001 Italian Bf109 Aces - Part I Regia Aeronautica
By Jacob Russell
If you are a fan of the Messerschmitt Bf109, then this new decal sheet - Italian Bf109 Aces – Part I, Regia Aeronautica – is for you. This new Stormo! Decals 1/32nd scale sheet has 5 different Bf109G Trop (Tropicalised) options. One of the planes is a G-2/Trop, and the rest are G-6/Trops. Three of the latter planes have the underwing gun pods (Kannonenboote). All of the planes had a white fuselage band. Below is a description of each plane's colors and markings:
1) Bf109G-6/R6/Trop, werknummer 18421, 363a Sq., 150o Gruppo, Sciacca, July 1943, flown by Tenente Ugo Drago; 19 individual and 3 shared victories. Colors are RLM 74/75/76 with RLM 02/70 mottles. The spinner and wingtips were white, and the lower cowl was RLM 04 Yellow. The German markings were overpainted with Grigio Azzurro Chiaro (FS 36307).
2) Bf109G-6/R6/Trop, 150o Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, July 1943, flown by TenenteAntonio Vizzotto; 5 individual victories. RLM 74/75/76 with RLM 02/70 mottles. The basic camouflage pattern showed irregular bands in RLM 74 and 75. The spinner was black with a tight white spiral and the German markings were overpainted with Verde Olivo Scuro 2 (FS 34052).
3) Bf109G-6/R6/Trop, werknummer 18391, 364a Sq., 150o Gruppo, Sciacca, July 1943, Capitano Mario Bellagambi; 14 confirmed victories. RLM 74/75/76 with RLM 02/70 mottles. The spinner and wingtips were white and the lower cowl was RLM 04 Yellow. The German markings were overpainted with Grigio Azzurro Chiaro (FS 36307).
4) Bf109G-6/R6/Trop, werknummer 18096, 154a Sq., 3o Gruppo, Comiso, July 1943, flown by Sottotenente Giuseppe Ruzzin; 5 individual and 7 shared confirmed victories. RLM 74/75/76 with irregular bands in RLM 74 and 75. The spinner was white and the German markings were overpainted with Grigio Azzurro Chiaro (FS 36307).
5) Bf109G-2/Trop, werknummer 10610, 73a Sq., IX Gruppo, 4o Stormo Ciampino, May-June 1943 (profile reconstructed), flown by Tenente Giulio Reiner; 10 individual and 57 shared confirmed victories. RLM 78/79, with white wingtips and RLM 04 Yellow lower cowl. The spinner was ½ black / ½ half white, and the German markings were overpainted with Grigio Azzurro Chiaro (FS 36307).
The decal sheet includes 4 Italian fasces, enough for 2 aircraft; the 1st and 4th options did not have any fasces on either the upper or lower wings. There are 2 sets of tail crosses, enough for 2 a/c. There is a single white spinner spiral decal. 3 sets of stencils are also included, but these are minimal rather than comprehensive, given that most of the stencils were overpainted. The individual markings (unit insignias, nose art, etc.) for each plane are also on the sheet. The decals are in register, crystal clear in clarity, and well printed.
The full color instructions come on 2 8.5 x 11 sheets and feature upper and lower color diagrams. Color Federal Standard (FS) reference numbers are included for Poly Scale acrylic paints, and also descriptive notes for special features of each plane-for example, aircraft number one has the rare "sawtooth" upper camouflage pattern.
Conclusion
This is a first class product. I feel that this decal sheet has 5 very interesting Bf109Gs, any of which would spice up your display case. I highly recommend this decal sheet and would like to thank Stormo! for the review sample.
