Wednesday 20 November 2013

Hartmann's last Erla-built Bf 109 G-10 Revell new-tool box art







Box-art for next year's new-tool 1:32nd Revell Bf 109 G-10 based on a photo that first came to light a couple of years ago. This was a new view of Hartmann's last Erla-built Bf 109 G-10 and showed a little more of the aircraft than the red heart and part of the Gruppenkommandeur's Doppel-winkel-  this G-10 apparently featured the tulip marking..however everything aft of the Balkenkreuz is still guess work although we can be pretty much certain that there would be no fuselage band or yellow rudder.  The second image is 'well known' and was taken directly after the sortie resulting in Hartmann's 350th claim. Note the camouflage tunic worn in the air over the front to facilitate evasion should the pilot come down behind enemy lines.





This is the last known Hartmann machine for which there is photographic evidence apparently taken in mid-April '45 on the occasion of his 350th Abschuß. The G-10 variant was the "hottest" Bf 109 then available, so no surprise that Hartmann flew one and that it was in fact most likely to have been his last aircraft..

More on Hartmann's G-10 and discussion of his 'mythical' Bf 109 K-4 on this blog here

Anders Hjortsberg's updated artwork for this machine is here

http://theprofilepaintshop.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/JG52