"Augsburg's Flyers"

Bf 109G-6 
1/32 Scale Decals

Eagle Strike

Eagle Strike Decals # 32038 Augsburg Flyers Part IV and #32039 Augsburg Flyers Part V
will be available online from Squadron.com

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eagle Strike has made their contribution to Gustav-mania with five new decal releases for the Hasegawa 1/32 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6.

Two of these sheets featured subjects that I wanted to build - Anton Hackl's "Double Chevron" of III./JG 11 and an Italian Bf 109G-6 /R6/Trop.

Each sheet includes three colourful subjects on a single, full-sized decal sheet. Registration is perfect and colours look very good. The decals are quite thin too. Instructions are supplied on a double-sided sheet with small colour illustrations and notes on each aircraft plus a stencil marking guide.

I have already applied the markings for Hackl's aircraft to my Hasegawa 1/32 scale Bf 109G-6. The decals performed well, conforming to recessed panel lines and responding perfectly to Micro Set and Micro Sol.

Selected stencil data is included on each sheet. The remainder of the stencil markings can be sourced from the Hasegawa kit or the spares box.

Specific subjects on each sheet are as follows:

32038 Augsburg Flyers Part IV

Three Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 aircraft.

• Blue 29 - a very unusual aircraft with possible upper surface finish of 82/83 Greens and distinct spotty mottle of 76 Light Blue. The large Blue 29 and II Gruppe bar add even more interest.

• White 9 - Standard 74/75/76 Grey finish with Pik As (Ace of Spades) JG 53 badge on the cowling and a large cartoon Ace of Spades in a sailing boat located on the mid-fuselage. Individual cartoons of the Pik As emblem were a feature of 7 Staffel aircraft. The aircraft also has a white III Gruppe bar, fuselage band and wing tips with yellow undercowl and white quartered spinner.

• Double Chevron - Standard 74/75/76 Grey finish. Anton Hackl flew this aircraft and a similarly marked Fw 190A while he was Gruppenkommandeur of III /JG 11 in early 1944. The aircraft has a white-outlined black double chevron and III Gruppe bar, broad yellow JG 11 RV Band and a white tail. The tail carries a green laurel with the iron cross and "100", and additional victory bars are painted below. Some sources show this aircraft with yellow undercowl, but I think the question is still open. The fuselage has a heavy, irregular mottle in 74 and 75 Greys.

The decal instruction artwork shows the early solid metal pilot's armour in the cockpit, but my reference photo clearly shows that Galland Panzer armour with the armoured glass was installed on this aircraft.

The decals for the victory markings are very impressive. Separate decals are supplied for the red "ribbon" and the tiny red dots in the middle of the British roundels that crown each victory bar.

The chevron decal is too large by about one third. This will be quite noticeable on the model. Options are

1. live with it

2. mask and paint your own chevron (the real one on Hackl's aircraft looks quite crude anyway) or

3. use the chevron from the 1/48 scale Aeromaster sheet no. 48-460 "Augsburg Eagles Part X" (that's what I did!)

32039 Augsburg Flyers Part V

Three Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 aircraft 

• Yellow 4 - a Finnish post-war aircraft in standard 74/75/76 Grey finish. The fuselage is splashed with a big bat superimposed over the moon in a blue cloud. The spinner is white with a red spiral.

• Black 4 70 - Italian machine in 74/75/76 Greys with German markings overpainted in Italian Light Blue-Grey. This aircraft is fitted with a tropical filter and has white theatre markings plus the Cross of Savoy on the tail. Interestingly, no wing markings are carried.

• White 1 - Erich Hartmann's famous G-6 with black and white tulip leaves on the nose. Eagle Strike have provided a simple application method by printing each black and white triangular "tulip leaf" as a single part. Registration is good on my sheet.

Eagle Strike's decals for Hasegawa's new Gustav are an attractive offering. The issue of the oversized chevrons will have to be considered if you are building Hackl's aircraft, but even this did not prove to be an insurmountable problem for my project.

These markings will provide even more inspiration and choice when considering a subject for your new 1/32 scale Hasegawa Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6.

Recommended.

Eagle Strike Decals are available from the Eagle Strike website, 
Squadron.com and hobby retailers