Thanks very much chaps, glad you like it, and it's very much appreciated.
I decided to crack on with this build, and finish the 'Emil' probably tomorrow, as I wanted to get the corrections and faults out of the way. I got quite a lot done, and it's progressing well.
The joint problems on the lower cowling and oil cooler bath, due to some slight warping, have been rectified, and the top section of the gun cowling has been attached, without the fit problems I anticipated. The gun breech bulges and supercharger intake are in place, the wings joined and attached, nav lamps done, and a drop-tank rack fitted, along with a lot of engraving of rather soft panel lines.
PIC 1. The top cowl panel in place, along with the gun breech blisters and the supercharger intake, The starboard blister needs a tiny bit of filler at the front edge, which will be done with PVA. The rear of each gun trough has been filed and partially drilled, as I have some doubts that the muzzles of the MG131s, as provided in the kit, would 'sit' properly in the troughs.
PIC 2. The hatch for the stowage compartment has been engraved on the sloping rear bulkhead, with the piano hinge and retaining strap added, both from stretched sprue. The sprue has been scored to represent the piano hinge, and the sprue for the strap was flattened. Also visible here is some of the extensive engraving of panel joints and hatches etc.
PIC 3. With the wings joined, the lightening holes / access ports in the undercarriage leg tunnels were opened. Also seen here are the stiffening ribs added to the wheel wells. There should be a depression for the wheel well blister, but it was not possible to do this, as the actual blister is a separate, 'solid' part, fitted to the top of the wing, the pins for which can be seen in the well.
PIC 4. The wheel blisters added, the slats engraved to improve the appearance, and the notches cut out for the navigation lamps.
PIC 5. Clear sprue was first filed flat, and then had small holes drilled, with the relevant coloured paint filling the holes - red to port, blue to starboard - before attaching the sprue to the previously cut notches, using CA adhesive. Once set, the sprue was then filed and sanded to shape, and then polished.
PICS 6 and 7. The finished nav lamps. Look closely, and it will be seen that I drilled the holes a little to deep, as the surface of each lamp is just breaking through. Not a problem, as these very tiny holes can be filled with PVA.
PIC 8. I'm not sure yet whether I'll fit a drop tank, but the rack certainly needs to be in place. The kit part, at left in the pic, was a bit basic, so I decided to use the rack left over from the Tamiya '109E, as shown at right, which is more accurate, and better detailed, including the notch at the rear. The recesses for the mounting bolts will be drilled once the rack, now fitted, has fully set.
PIC 9. The rack in place, with the repairs to the lower cowling joint and front lip of the oil cooler bath. The bath lacked the shutter at the rear, so this has been roughly represented by engraving. Had I noticed this earlier, I might have tried to open the shutter area, and scratch-build the actual shutter flap. But it's hardly visible anyway, so this will have to suffice. The cowling joints, already quite 'soft' before the sanding during repairs, were engraved.
PIC 10. How things look to date.
Next step is to make and fit the shoulder harness, add the gun sight, and then mask and fit the canopy sections, before deciding what to do, if anything, about the tail planes.
As Andy mentioned, the tail planes seem to lack the correct 'rake' on the leading edge, and old reviews of the entire range of Academy / Hobbycraft '109s always mention a slight problem here too. Some reports suggest that they are too small in chord, whilst others agree with Andy's assessment.
I've had a very brief look at the parts, in comparison to two different scale drawings, and at first look they
seem to be fairly close. However, I'll do a more thorough check before deciding whether to modify the parts, or leave them as is, and live with any slight inaccuracy.
Thanks again for the kind words and continued interest, and I'll be back with another up-date, probably tomo... er .... later today !!