Title: JG 51, Jagdgeschwader “Mölders”
Series: Units #4
Author: Marek J. Murawski
Artworks: Janusz Światłoń

content

This is the fourth issue in the newest series from Kagero Publishing. Printed on 32 pages of matt, chalk paper, the author writes the story of another famous German Jagdgeschwader – this time JG 51 “Mölders”. This issue keeps the standard and format of the series. The outline history of the unit is supplied by 40 archive photographs. Photos show the unit's planes, not only fighters, fighter pilots and ground crew, shot down machines captured by enemies and working conditions of the maintenance crews. Whenever it is possible there is always an aircraft in the background, but mostly in the foreground. Photos are carefully chosen in respect to quality, sharpness and general attractiveness. Size of the photos is different, from the almost whole page, revealing a lot of technical details to quarter page (most of the photos).

Decals and painting options

Decal sheet is printed by Cartograf. Contains 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 individual markings for four planes. Authors of the profiles are Janusz Światłoń and Arkadiusz Wróbel. Selection of colour profiles and, at the same time, decals, includes the following machines:

• Messerchmitt Bf 109 E-4, W. Nr. 1641, “Black 6”, flown by Hptm. Ernst Wiggers, Kapitan of 2./JG 51, St. Inglevert airfield, France, early September1940.
  
• Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6, W. Nr. 550182, “Black 7”, flown by Ofw. Josef Jennewein of 2./JG 51, Orel-West airfield, Russia, July 1943. This machine is presented from all four side views.
  
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, W. Nr. 442013, “Black 1”, flown by Oblt. Anton Hafner, Kapitan of 10./JG 51, Hüttenfelde airfield, East Prussia, October 1944.
  
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2, W. Nr. 6797, flown by Hptm. Hartmann Grasser, Kommandeur of II./JG 51, probably Orel-Nord airfield, Russia, mid-July 1942.

Colour profiles, created by well known, talented and highly respected artists, are another attraction of the series. Machines are not only interesting in the aspect of their camouflages and combination of markings with many “flavour” details but also present a lot of additional information about the planes weary look, sowing what we call in scale modelling “chipping and weathering marks.”
Decals consists of only the individual markings, numbers and unit badges for the machines listed above. National markings will have to be obtained from some other sources, of which there are plenty available on the market.

Conclusion

Historical background, although very general, gives the reader in a picture of the subject unit place in the deadly struggle on the World War Two skies. Tables of commanders names on the last pages puts some light on the complicated unit and its sub-units structure. From the modellers point of view we are given a great inspirational archive of photographs, colour profiles and superb Cartograf decals. As a modeller many times I wanted to build a particular machine presented in a photo or colour profile. Then the biggest difficulty is to get the proper markings, numbers or emblems. If you can't prepare on your own self-adhesive masks or don't have any leftovers of decals from other kits most probably you're boiled. Kagero "Units" series, including of course this issue, is some kind of solution for similar problems: provides almost all you need to enlarge your collection with another eye-catching model of a popular airplane. What is more your model will be much more unique than so many other models of this type in the original producer painting option.