**** FINISHED: GB-36 1/72 BF 109E-4 - Axis Manufactured Aircraft of WWII (1 Viewer)

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parsifal

Colonel
13,354
2,133
Apr 6, 2008
Orange NSW
Username: Parsifal
First name: Michael
Category: Intermediate
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Airfix
Model Type: Bf 109E4
Addons: seat, gun barrels, exhausts

With my Mitsubishis Raiden now finished (posting final photos in the next day or so) I wanted to take a shot at my first LW aircraft. Nothing too ambitious.......

according to the kit information, this is the aircraft flown my Oberleutnant Franz von Werra Gruppen Adjutant I/JG 3 flying out of Samer France, in august 1940.

The kit has fairly positive reviews but is criticised because it has only one decaling scheme., To me that's pretty minor. it has some tricky preshading to do, and the colours are tricky as well. Detailing is nice for the externals, but quite sparse for the internals. I have yet to make a decision on what to do with the interior.


(Edit: updated photos with Swastika tail flashes added)

Final 1 Ver2.0.jpg



Final 2 Ver2.0.jpg



Final 3 Ver2.0.jpg


Final 4 Ver2.0 (2).jpg


Final 5 Ver2.0.jpg


Final 6 Ver2.0.jpg


Final 7 Ver2.0.jpg


Final 8 Ver2.0.jpg


Final 9 Ver2.0.jpg


Final 10 Ver2.0.jpg
 
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Well done; I´m curious, why the swastika is absent in the tail?
 
Hello Edgardo

The kit painting instructions don't show a swastika and one isn't supplied on the decal sheet. I don't know why.

But as the following period shot shows, you are right on the money.

upload_2018-2-23_4-50-26.png


AARRGGHH!!!!! Why have they omitted such an essential detail from the kit?
 
It's omitted from the decal sheet due to the swastika being banned in certain countries that the kit is exported too, which is very common among most model manufacturers. Some get around the problem, by producing the decal in two, or more, separate parts, which works, but can be very tricky to align.
There are various decal producers who offer these in the main scales, and 'Kits World' decals have a sheet, No.1724832, which provides the swastikas for the Bf109, FW190, Ju87 and Me 262, in 1/144th, 1/72nd and 1/48th scales on the same sheet.


KTS1724832.jpg
 
I will see if I can get an aftermarket decal sheet and hopefully redo my finish shots in time...I have five days to get this sorted.......
 
No problem Michael. If you can't get a sheet in time, it will be taken into account during the judging, as it's beyond your immediate control.
It's a good idea to have a sheet of various sized swastikas in your most often used scale, or the sheet I posted, as this is a very common problem.
My current Bf109G-6 build did not have swastikas on the kit decal sheet either, so I had to source the correct size and style from those spare I keep in the decals files.
Even Tamiya are cautious when it comes to this symbol - they included the swastika on their Bf109E kits decal sheet, but it is cut out and removed when exported to most European countries, and even the instruction sheet only shows the decal number and an outlined square where the decal has to be placed !
 
decals are ordered. Just a waiting game now. Ordered from a hobby shop called "metro hobbiies" based in Melbourne. All things being equal, I'm expecting delivery Wednesday or so, so should be able to get this fixed in time.
 
I'm not against this ban. Its not hard to follow the logic behind it, but when I'm on the receiving end of it it is still frustrating.
 
Always you can make a such swastik yourself. Here is my very old 1/72 scale Bf 109 I made years ago. There was no swastikas in the decal sheet and wasn't possible to buy any aftermarket set. So.. I cut out two squares of a white decal and then a narrow ( thin ) black strip. The squares were stuck to the fin sides Using the black strip I cut needed parts for the swastikas and stuck to the squares with a fine brush. Beggars can't be choosers. From the distance it looks good for the scale, IMHO.

bf109 swastika_1.jpg


bf109 swastika_2.jpg


bf109 swastika_b.jpg


bf109 swastika_c.jpg


bf109 swastika_3.jpg
 
Decals have arrived. I will start work on them tonite. I have to work which size and style from the Xtradecal sheet is most appropriate for von werras a/c

I can see straight away this is not going to be straight forward. Tail swastika is supposed to be located within the tail, as opposed to the white rudder as the following image shows
tail swastika location.jpg


The available space within that tail area is about 4.5mm but the size of the smallest swastika with white border is just under 5mm. if I use the version without the border, I can just get it down to 4.5mm....just.

I cant fit the correct bordered swastika in the space that I have allocated.
 
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Nice little machine Michael and glad you got the decals in time. Also don't be hard on yourself, missing swastikas in kits are very common and it is infuriating as the symbol has a much deeper history going back thousands of years.
 

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