**** DONE: GB-45 1/72 Bf 109E-3 - BoB/Foreign Service

[PlasticHero]

Username: PlasticHero
First Name: Alan
Category: intermediate (if I use the flaps, arggh I'd have to cut the wings)
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer /Model: Tamiya Bf 109E-3
Extras: Quickboost flaps; Squadron Signal Bulged wheels; Xtradecal decals

This will be the adversary of my Spit. I like the late August yellow but the paint mottle looks like a "stretch goal". I see that the cockpit armor is aircraft specific so I'll try to scratch the armor and use a simpler paint scheme. What's in the box? Again, I am amazed by the improvement in plastic over early Airfix and Heller. Fit is no longer a problem; in fact, I have to dust off my model display area, and I plan to show some of my old models to compare in another post.

I'm considering this with the yellow; same time frame. Beese was killed in combat on Feb 6, 1944.
Aces of the Luftwaffe - Artur Beese

 

[fubar57]

Looking forward to it Alan

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

Would love to see the scheme you are doing

 

[Airframes]

Me too - I had a feeling that Beese was one of the first '109's shot down over England, or is this another Beese ?

 

[Crimea_River]

Well, if it has a mottle, I suspect it's a later BoB 109.

 

[Airframes]

I'd need to check my references, as if it's the one I'm thinking of, it was shot down and force landed in July, and did, indeed, have a mottle finish. I also think it's one of the options in the Airfix 1/48th scale kit, but I may be wrong on both counts - and probably am !

 

[fubar57]

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-109E...crash-landed-near-Calais-24th-Aug-1940-01.jpg​

 

[Crimea_River]

Calais is in France, last I heard.

 

[fubar57]

Had the wrong link...Messerschmitt Bf 109E1 9.JG26 (Y11+I) Artur Beese crash landed near Calais 24th Aug 1940 01

 

[Airframes]

Ah, that one !
I knew the name was familiar. Now I need to check which one I was thinking of, just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[PlasticHero]

fubar57 and Airframes , it's familiar because in GB 27 Vic Balshaw did the same aircraft and the same discussion about the yellow came up.
**** DONE: 1/48 Bf 109E-1 Defence of Britain/Atlantic.
I'm 100% sure that they were correct then.

On a side note, that was quite a prang; lucky to walk from that one.

 

[Crimea_River]

Don't understand your concern about "mottle" then cuz there ain't any.

 

[Airframes]

It's familiar a I've seen it so many times during research. I think he actually badly hurt his back in that crash-landing.
The aircraft I was originally thinking of was Boehme's, the first to force land in England, on July 10th 1940, and it was mottled.

 

[fubar57]

 

[PlasticHero]

This is my first research and build of a WWII German plane. What you read here is very much a 'stream of consciousness'. Many of the schemes of late August have yellow noses and mottle. Beese is one of the few options without it so, I've settled on this as a guide.

The crash photos show a soft demarcation between the upper camo and the RLM 65 on the side. Thanks fubar57.

The instructions for the E-3 don't show the cockpit armor, so I made one out of plastic sheet. He also is shown pointing to a bullet hole that would have hit him without it. Then when getting parts ready for paint, I found this little gem. The instructions have this in a list of parts not used. I wish they had offered the kit as an E-3 -4 and made notes about which parts to use.

It also has 3 different spinners, pointed, blunt and with a hole. I have not yet decided about the flaps yet.

I'm not sure how to deal with this little cover on the wing that goes over the flap. If anyone has done this in 1/72 let me know how it went.
I ordered some paint just before the great unpleasantness but nothing has arrived yet. We had a local hobby shop and I was really glad to have such a resource but they had a bad fire in December. They are rebuilding but probably won't reopen till '21.

 

[Crimea_River]

My own picture of 109E flaps down. The ridge that almost all manufacturers mould in along the hinge line should be eliminated if the flap is modeled in the lowered position

.

 

[PlasticHero]

Everything I ordered has arrived!! I have not fully committed to the flaps yet; there is a complicated step between the upper flap line and the lower with the lower further forward. The resin wheels are smaller than the kit wheels and they have better detail and a bulged flat spot.

The scale is tenths of an inch; The radiator is really nice, it looks white from glare from my window. Cockpit and other bits will be posted soon.

 

[Wurger]

 

[le_steph40]

nice start