1/48 Bf 109 E4 - Tamiya

[WolfRacer]

Hi All!

I didn't know whether to post this gal in the "completed" or "start to finish" as she's finished but I took photos along the way. I'll stick it here and start with the end result pics.

This is my first go at 1/48th scale, it did teach me a couple of the tricks that work on 72nd models don't translate well to 48th.

Pretty straight forward build. All out of the box, no additions except for Tamiya tape seatbelts and the Balkenkruez/Swastikas/White 9/red lines on wings were all masked and airbrushed rather than decals.

I tried to go for a subtly weathered look, not fresh off the production line but also not beaten half to death.

This model taught me that spraying Humbrol Clear over Gunze acrylics is a bad idea The paint crazed and cracked like crazy, I salvaged it by polishing it back with 2000 grit being careful not to work through the paint, a few touch ups were still required, and then applying a healthy layer of Testors Dullcote to hide it all.

I also almost destroyed it when I spilled lacquer thinner down the port side of the fuselage before painting it, the lacquer thinner was strong enough to melt the plastic which required sanding back and rescribing the panel lines.

I'm open to any comments and criticisms on how I can improve in future, so let me know what you all think of it.

Cheers

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

A very nice build and there's no sign of the troubles you had with the spills and finishes. I'd be very proud of the outcome. A couple of comments which are by no means meant as criticism:

- Looks like you didn't paint the exposed edges of the hinged canopy which should be RLM02
- It would not be wrong to allow for a panel line running down the spine and underside center line of the 109 on the fuselage section between the cockpit and tail. This alos offers the convenience of not having to worry too much about getting a perfect seam at these locations.
- An antenna wire could be a good finishing touch. At 1/48 and larger scales, their omission becomes more obvious.

I love your paint work and the overall build quality is of high caliber. Great model!

 

[fubar57]

Very nice.

 

[WolfRacer]

Thanks for the comments!

I actually couldn't figure out whether there should be a panel line down the centre of the fuselage or not. On other peoples' Emils sometimes they showed a panel line and sometimes they didn't, the kit instructions seemed to indicate no panel line so I filled it in. I figured there'd have to be some sort of seam but thought maybe it was filled or something.

I've never put an aerial wire on to a model before, once I've gotten to this stage I like the look of the model and get scared I'm going to ruin it One of the guys down the hobby shop recommended flourocarbon fishing line so I might stop by a fishing shop and grab some to try out.

 

[fubar57]

For future reference...

 

[WolfRacer]

It's hard to see because there's a centreline drawn down the figure as well.

From what I understand there should be a panel line from the rear of the canopy back to the vertical tail? But not in front of the cockpit and not down the cowling?

I'll keep it in mind if I ever do another 109, bit late to fix this one.

 

[Wurger]

.....From what I understand there should be a panel line from the rear of the canopy back to the vertical tail? But not in front of the cockpit and not down the cowling?

Yes you understand it properly. The rear part of the Bf 109E fuselage consisted of two halves joined together along the top and bottom edges. Because the part of the fuselage started just behind the cockpit the panel lines ( seams ) started from the bulkhead just behind the rear cockpit panel and run to the tail. The fitting of both fuselage halves was quite good and therefore the gap between them can't be noticed easily. Also it seems the joints could have been either filled with a putty or just sealed with paints what made them invisible.

Here two shots you may notice the top seam ...
the pic source : Messerschmitt Bf-109E-7 – Walk Around

 

[T Bolt]

Very well done

 

[Crimea_River]

Re antenna wire. I find even the lightest fishing line to be too thick for 1/48. I would suggest you visit a good fabric store, leave your masculinity outside, and ask for some "nylon invisible mending thread". I have found it in tw styles: clear and smoke coloured. The latter will make it a bit more visible but each will work fine.

 

[Gnomey]

Good work!

 

[Airframes]

Good work, and I agree with Andy on all points. The 'Invisible thread' works very well indeed, I've been using it since the late 1960s.

 

[Wayne Little]

Nicely done...

 

[WolfRacer]

Thanks!

I'll have a look for the mending thread, I'll also grab the smallest flourocarbon line from the fishing shop and compare.

Anyone know what diameter antennae wires typically were in real life? I can go off what "looks" right, but it's always good to know what it should be as well. I'm pretty sure when you scale up the panel lines they're about 50 times bigger than they should be

 

[Crimea_River]

Can only guess but here's a couple of pics of FHC's 109E so you can judge.

And here's an example of one of my wires completed with the mending thread.

 

[Wurger]

The antenna wires weren't large in diameter. I would say it was about 2-5mm or so depending of a plane type. Personally I use threads ripped from tights. These threads are quite elastic of good stringing and easy glued. But the main thing is that these are thin or very thin ( depends on area of tights you rip them from ). These can be of the black , graphite or brown colours and don't have to be painted. Here my 1/72 Spitfire Mk.IIa with a such antenna wire.

 

[WolfRacer]

Thanks!

It is a bit hard to tell, but if I were to guess the wire on that picture of FHC's 109 is about 1-1.5 pixels on the image, by my calcs based on the size of the tail that makes the wire about 3.4-5mm in real life scale.

So that makes it about 0.07mm to 0.1mm at 1/48 scale. The 2lb fluorocarbon leader line I saw in the fishing shop was 0.128mm, so a little bit over scale.

I might have a play around with a few different things and see how they go.

The guy at the local hobby shop said he liked fluorocarbon line because apparently it glues well, doesn't sag over time, maintains tension and is quite tough so is unlikely to snap. He's helped me with a lot of stuff over the past few months and I really like his aircraft, so I need to grab some and at least see how it is to work with

 

[Wurger]

Yep.. another way you may get a nice thread is to warm of a pice of the kit frame sprue and stretch it getting a thread you need.

 

[Crimea_River]

I think you will find the mending thread to be the same or close to same material as fishing line. Being nylon it's very touch and I have never had a problem gluing with CA. But you are right, try out a few options to see what satisfies you most. I certainly did.

 

[JKim]

Very nice result despite the described paint and finish troubles. Your paint and weathering are very nice!

I use stretched sprue for my 1/48 aerials. You can "tighten" it after securing it in place by gently applying heat from underneath. It's a bit delicate though and you may need to paint it to get rid of the plastic sheen.