VVS Bf-109G2

[66misos]

Hi,
I started this new thread about colorizing captured Bf-109G2 from VVS trials, originally started at http://sovietwarplanes.com/board/index.php?PHPSESSID=ftohntp0on5peurdfpvsotju74&topic=1098.msg14637#msg14637 to avoid mixing different planes.
This is original bw photo:


This is my WIP:


Original Luftwaffe camouflage patterns on the upper wing look like standard:

However, Soviets repainted the wingtips and German crosses (green AMT-4 or its oil equivalent). There is visible darker triangular area on the green area. Is it tip of the red star? Where is the rest of the star? It does not make sense, at least for me
Regards,
      66misos

[66misos]

Hi,
brief info about tests and results at http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/523-soviet-trials-bf-109g-2-g-4/
Pictures and text from Captured Me 109s, Jackiewicz and Wawrzynski - pages 108, 112-113:

[66misos]

Hi,
here final(?) version of the colorized picture:

I still have doubts about color of the propeller spinner. I browsed over web, there seems to be a lot of possibilities - spinners painted black, white, yellow, spirals etc.

Original photo shows big part of spinner (whole?) originally white/yellow repainted with darker (black, green?) color.

Pictures (page 113) in my post above show black spinner with white part. Same spinner painting is here http://falkeeins.blogspot.sk/2013/07/belly-landed-bf-109-fg-of-iijg-3-ace.html - photos show Bfg-109F/G from the same unit. However such white part does not agree with original photo, where white part is much wider.
Regards,
   66misos

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
looks an excellent work. Only, I would use the trick I've already written to make the colors less uniform.
Besides, observing how the shadow is blurried, the dominant color of the sky should be grey. Probably the white parts are not real clouds but defects of the photo, else they should be more flattened and stratified close to the horizon. I would consider to replace all the sky with that of a color photo.
Regards
Massimo

[xan]

Very nice Misos, congratulations!

[66misos]

Hi,
thank you for comments.
I repalced cloud sky and reworked shadows on the fuselage:

Massimo, I must say it looks better after your recommendations
regards,
   66misos

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
looks much better.
I would desaturate the shadows on the blue part under the fuselage and tail, and maybe give to them a slightly greenish shade because they receive more light from the reflection of the ground than from the sky.
Besides I would redraw the aerial wire.
Regards
Massimo

[66misos]

Hi Massimo,
I will correct that antenna wire.
But I decided to let that rear fuselage as it is because:
- there is some shadow and dust and dirty, so that blue part is not so apparent (neither on original bw photo it is). I put it there because rear fuselage segments numbers 6,7,8 (visible on high res photo) are missing, exactly where yellow band plus some possible repair/repainting would be expected,
- today here is same cloudy day - there were no greenish shades from grass or bright from concrete on the (glossy) cars etc. At least I did not is it
I hope I will further improve on my next work - some Il-2.
Regards,
     66misos

[66misos]

Hi Massimo,
here is update - only antena wire enhanced:


and here, just for fun, it is also overlayed with original bw photo with decreased opacity and added sepia effect:


regards,
   66misos

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
very well done, both the variants of the image.
Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Misos,
maybe a thing can be improved: the shade of green of the field is too uniform and too similar to the plane. You could create an atmospheric perspective by adding a slight blue-grey gradient with the distance, close to the horizon.
Regards
Massimo

[66misos]

Hi Massimo,
thanks for advice, I am really happy you watch it so closely and often. I collect all your recommendation to have them all together for my next projects.
I will try it and replace pictures above (hope tomorrow).
Anyhow, there was interesting coincidence - I made grass firstly, trying to match color to what I saw looking through the window. Only latter, after several days I adjust AMT-4/A-24m green on the plane, having on one monitor in one window relevant part of the fuselage and in the second window "chip" from Mig3 page.
I have to admit that AMT-4/A-24m green match color of the grass quite well.
Regards,
    66misos

[learstang]

Nice work, 66misos - I especially like the lower photograph (although both are good)! I suppose regarding the AMT-4, that's what the Soviets were trying to accomplish, having it look like natural vegetation. Evidently they succeeded. It is nice to see these colourised photographs, even if they are somewhat conjectural, since the Soviets didn't take colour photographs of aeroplanes during the GPW.

Regards,

Jason

[66misos]

Hi,
final versions (I hope) - atmospheric perspective created by adding a slight blue-grey gradient with the distance, close to the horizon both on the land and the sky.

"New" photo:


"Old" photo:


regards,
    66misos

[learstang]

Brilliant work - if only the Soviets had colour photography during the GPW!

Regards,

Jason