1/72 BF-109E4 - OOB (Out of Box) unofficial GB-2015.

[CommanderBounds]

Username: CommanderBounds
First name: Samuel
Category: Beginner
Kit: Airfix 1/72 Messerschmitt BF109E-4
Scale: 1/72


This will be my build of Airfix's New Tool 1/72 BF109E4 kit. The kit includes decals for Franz von Werra in France, August 1940 But it doesn't include swastikas. Anyone have any suggestions for a good 1/72 Swastika sheet that I can buy? Other than that I'm looking forward to enjoying this OOB build.

 

[fubar57]

Welcome to the build Sam. swastika decals - All the models with 1001modelkits.com - 1001 MODELKITS

Geo

 

[Crimea_River]

Good one. Let me take a look and see if I have some spare swastikas for you. If I do, you're welcome to them.

 

[CommanderBounds]

Never mind the Swastikas you guys. I found a nice set of them from an old Tamiya Panzer II I built years back BUT I will definitely keep your suggestion in mind for future builds!

 

[Wayne Little]

Let the build begin!

 

[Wurger]

 

[CommanderBounds]

Got some basic painting done before assembly this morning. This kit has really good detail for it's size so I'm trying my best to accent most of it. Once Again though I have another question. Does Franz von Werra's BF109 have red or black on the spinner? I see alot of them with red but I see alot with black. Any ideas?

 

[CommanderBounds]

Some more progress. Got a lot of stuff glued together and it's looking good so far. It's just a shame most of that detail will be hard to see when you close it up.

 

[fubar57]

So far I've only found a profile that show a red 1/4(1/3?) spinner. I'll see if I can find a photo. Someone who knows more about 109 will know for sure.

Geo

 

[imalko]

8)

 

[Wurger]

Here are images of the von Werra's Bf 109E-4 crash landed at the Kent area 1940. Looking at these pics I would say the spinner had two guarters painted white while these two next quarters could have been of the RLM - 70 Schwarzgrun rather. But the black paint could have been used too. For sure these quarters weren't red. It can bee noticed while comparing the colour to the red outline of the squadron emblem seen in the last shots here.

 

[fubar57]

Very nice Wojtek. I found two photos of the aircraft when it was intact but were shot from the rear quarter, not showing the spinner.

Geo

 

[Wurger]

Great Geo. Could you post them here?

Here is a profile that seems to be a nice rendition...

 

[CommanderBounds]

Danke guys! I've made more progress on the build. Surprisingly the kit went together quite easily with only minimal filler required. The paint I put on right now is just a first coat so don't worry, it's not gonna look like that JU88C I built. I wish I had taken more pictures of assembly but there really wasn't that much to take pictures of because the small parts count.

The profile of the BF109 on the box shows it with a black spinner details so I used that which was supported by your photographic evidence so now I can rest easy!

Instead of using masking tape here I opted to use a mechanical pencil to paint the canopy lines freehand.

 

[Wurger]

Looking good. But please could you tell me why you did't use masking tape? Applying coulurs with a brush , even for 1/72 scale, doesn't mean the tape can be useless.

 

[Wurger]

And a mistake I have noticed so far ... the Bf 109E-4 didn't have any metal frames at the top and sides of the central side opened conopy. There were two glasses overlapped because these front glasses of the conopy part could be slided back in order to open the cockpit. As a result painting of the frame at the areas is incorrect. The frame bars there apperared with the hood for F variant as memo serves. Here pics...

 

[CommanderBounds]

Thanks Wurger! I didn't even think of that while I was painting the canopy. I decided not to use masking tape because it's too fiddly to cut masks for the canopy.

 

[Wurger]

I grasped

 

[Crimea_River]

Fiddley, yes, but necessary when you are ready to up your game. The line between the light blue and the grey uppers on the fuselage was also a straight, hard edge on this plane which should also have been masked.

 

[Airframes]

Agree with all, but good going so far, and some lessons learned.
As for the central frame on the canopy, Airfix dropped a b*ll*ck on this one with their otherwise excellent 1/48th scale Bf109E, with the 1/72nd scale version presumably being a 'down-sized' version. It (they) were modelled off the real example in the RAF Museum, which 'lost' its original canopy many, many years ago, and has a replacement from a 'Buchon', so they included the central frame of the 'G' type canopy !
Another example of researchers not asking questions when they have access to an original airframe. Back in the 1970's, 'Matchbox' used the same aircraft as the pattern for their 1/32nd scale kit, and committed the same error !