Stormo! Decals 1/48 & 1/32 Italian Bf 109 Aces Part II
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
The newest offering is now available from Stormo! Decals, and it is an impressive one indeed. Building on their earlier BF 109 Aces sheet, this new Part II provides markings for five Messerschmitts, including one Regia Aeronautica and four ANR machines. As the title suggests, all of these aircraft were flown by Italian aces, making them an interesting subject for your model.
Starting with the Regia Aeronautica example first, this is a Bf 109F-4 from 363a Squadriglia, 150° Gruppo Cacccia, at Sciacca in May 1943. This plane was flown by ten. Antonio Camaioni, who had eight confirmed victories. The plane is finished in RLM 78 and RLM 79, with the previous German markings painted out with Grigio Azzurro Chiaro. The fuselage demarcation has been oversprayed with irregular lines of Grigiao Azzuro Chiaro as well, making for a rather interesting looking aircraft.
The first of the ANR Messerschmitts is a Bf 109G-14, WNr 434444, from Nucleo Comando II Gruppo Caccia at Aviano in February 1945. This Messerschmitt was flown by magg. Carlo Miani, who had seven victories in Italy and one in Spain. This plane is finished in RLM 83 and 75 over RLM 76, and has an asymmetrical chevron on the fuselage side. The other Bf 109G-14 on this sheet is WNr 464380 from 5a Squadriglia, IIGruppo Caccia, at Osoppo in March 1945. This plane was flown by magg. Mario Bellagambi, who had fourteen victories. This plane is also in RLM 83/75 over RLM 76. The rudder is painted in RLM 81/83, and the aircraft has a yellow 1 on the fuselage side.
Next up is a tall-tail Bf 109G-6/U4 from 1a Squadriglia, II Gruppo Caccia at Aviano in November 1944. Flown by cap. Ugo Drago, who had seventeen victories, this plane has yellow wingtip and cowling undersides complimenting its RLM 74/75/76 camouflage. The plane is coded Black 7, and carries a unit emblem in white on the nose. The final aircraft is a Bf 109G-10/R3, WNr 491501, from 1a Squadriglia, II Gruppo Caccia at Aviano in February 1945. This aircraft, flown by serg.magg. Loris Baldi, who had seventeen victories, carries the name 'Silva' on the fuselage behind the canopy. Camouflaged in RLM 83/75 over 76, this plane is coded Black 11.
The decals are beautifully printed, with excellent register and solid color. There are some differences between the 1/48 and 1/32 releases, with the 1/48 sheet coming with a full set of stenciling, spare WNr numbers, an extra set of white outline German crosses, and several spare ANR flags. Whatever your scale, these decals will allow you to build some attractive and important Italian Bf 109s. Visit the Stormo! Decals website for ordering information.