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German WW2 Dornier Do-17 bomber series was a major Luftwaffe (German Air Force) workhorse, undergoing series of combat versions from medium bomber, anti-ship missile carrier, airborne radar night fighter. Model depicted above  is Dornier Do-217 bomber with early FuG (Funkgerat, or literally in German -Broadcast Equipment-) airborne radar, slugging two Henschel Hs-293 radio controlled anti-shipping missiles. Dornier Do 17 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do-17
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Model depicts Do-217 (variant upgrade of Do-17) flying night-time assaults against Allied convoys in North Atlantic / Arctic Circle regions to Soviet port of Murmansk. Hence, its upper camouflage is hard-edged white-grey pattern, lower camouflage is flat black. Upper surface airbrushed Tamiya Flat White, grey dapples hand-painted with Testor US Navy Grey since it was faster to replicate these irregular patches manually than to mask with airbrush technique. Lower surface airbrushed and hand-brush touch-up via Tamiya Flat Black.
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Inset 1 : First adaptation of Dornier Do-17 into German Luftwaffe service, as indicated by late 1930s-era triple color camouflage, along with military transport letter identification D-AIIB.
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For its day, Do-17 was a major leap in aircraft design, being all metal monoplane with retractable landing gears. Its signatory large nacelles housed BMW Bramo 323P engines, with max speed circa 255 mph, range 720 miles, bomb load 2200 lbs. Upon introduction, Do-17 won the 1937 Alpine Circuit air races at Zurich (Dudendorf airfield) - Switzerland. Zurich - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich
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Interesting to note that Dornier originally developed plane as passenger / postal carrier for German airline Lufthansa, but was rejected since its slim aerodynamic fuselage was deemed too cramped for 6 passenger comfort. However, Lufthansa chief test pilot and Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM or German Air Ministry) staff member Robert Untucht saw the slim streamlined plane at Lowenthal factory and its potential as a medium bomber, hence directed Dornier's design for conversion into the Do-17 bomber. Lufthansa - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufthansa
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Rollover : All Dornier Do-17 variants (ex. Do-17, Do-215, Do-217) retained its  characteristic slim fuselage, its first combat deployment was during 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War when Germany dispatched its "Condor Legion" volunteers to assist Spanish Nationalist (Fascist) forces against Spanish Republican (Communist) regime. Condor Legion - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condor_Legion
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To be fair, both Soviets and America got involved in this conflict to help Spanish Republicans, Soviets sent heavy armaments (ex. tanks, planes, artillery), while US informally allowed deployment of so-called "Lincoln Brigade" to combat Spanish Fascist and German Nazi forces. It was during this civil war that Do-17 got its nickname as the "Flying Pencil" given its slim fuselage design. Abraham Lincoln Brigade - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Brigade
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Inset 2 : Dornier Do-17E version during WW2 early years. Plane more compact BMW 801MA radial engines, with max speed 320 mph, bomb load 1600-lbs, range 1430 miles, and increased armaments of one 15mm cannon + 5 machine guns. Note Germans used 4-letter identifier for Kampfgeschwader (bomber squadron), first 2-letter indicated squadron number, 3rd-letter identifies individual plane, 4th-letter shows Gruppe assignment within the squadron.
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During WW2 early years, these 4-letter plane code were prominently painted on fuselage sides and wings lower surface (shown inset). But to conceal unit deployments as WW2 progressed, German bombers would often write these codes in smaller font size, or leave only the 3rd-letter individual plane identifier. Stormbirds Luftwaffe Resource - www.stormbirds.com/
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Inset 3 : Luftwaffe ground crews preparing bomb load for Dornier Do-17E, with close-up of BMW 801MA engine, and bombardier framed glass nose section. Note the painted propeller cover, used in early WW2 stages to indicate bomber "Gruppe" designation, with colors blue (Gruppe HQ) - green (Gruppe Commander) - white - red - yellow.
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Although Do-17 was a mainstay of Luftwaffe tactical bombing power, it lacked the payload of Heinkel He-111 bomber and agile speed of Junkers Ju-88 bomber. From 1942 onwards, Do-17 (as variants) relegated to aerial recon, Allied convoy interdiction, and night-time fighter interception over the Reich as British Royal Air Force expanded night bombing campaigns against German industrial and urban civilian targets (such as 1943 firebombing of German port city Hamburg). Operation Gomorrah : July 1943 Hamburg Raid - http://www.afa.org/magazine/march2007/0307gomorrah.asp
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