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"This machine will never make a fighter!"- FINISHED!


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"This machine will never make a fighter!" are the recorded words of Ernst Udet on his first sight of the Messerschmitt Bf109a, the first prototype later known as Bf109V1.

My choice of subject for this GB is that same Bf109V1, and I'll be building from this kit by MPM:

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It's one of their early efforts, and the instructions include a warning about the nature of short-run kits, and helpful advice.

There is a single sprue, with moderate flash round most components, as can be seen:

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There's an etched fret for cockpit details (and the aileron mass balances!) with a film piece for the IP and a vacformed cockpit canopy:

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Just one set of decals are provided, although 2 colour schemes are given, an early Grau63 with dark blue undersides, and overall Grau63, claimed to be the aircraft's scheme when

tested at the Erprobungsstelle Rechlin. I'll probably use this overall grey scheme.

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The instruction sheet consists of 2 A4 sheets, folded to make an 8-page A5 booklet. Written sections are in 4 languages (Czech, English, German & French), and include a potted history, advice on dealing with

short-run kits, a sprue map,construction diagrams in 6 stages, 2 pages of colour & markings info, and a list of the ranges of MPM, Condor and Co-operativa.

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It's a little different, I've not seen the 109V1 modelled before, I haven't much experience with short-run, or with etch, but all the short-run stuff I've built has been MPM- the Mil Mi-1,

and the Kingcobra. I've just noticed in the range list that MPM have 1/72 Bf109T and Bf109H kits. I'll have to seek those out  . . .(not for this GB!)

 

Roll on Saturday, and the start of this GB!

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5 hours ago, stevehnz said:

1/72, yes? Is this is the prototype with the Kestrel engine? Looking forward to it whatever the scale & engine. :)

Steve.

Correct, Steve, 1/72, and it is the one with the Rolls-Royce Kestrel V, fitted because the intended Junkers Jumo 210 wasn't available. A similar engine was fitted to to Heinkel's He112V1 for the same reason, the Heinkel

being the principal rival for the Luftwaffe contract. The smaller, lighter Bf109 proved to be 17mph faster than the Heinkel, and recorded 290mph as its maximum speed, although the He112 had an appreciably lighter wing

loading and superior ground handling qualities. However, the superior flight characteristics of the Bf109 eventually won through . . .

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9 hours ago, Basilisk said:

Nice seeing the prototype being built. Interesting that the first and the last produced 109s used British engines.

 

Cheers, Peter

Yes, kinda like the wheel turning full circle . . .

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  • 2 weeks later...

In traditional style, construction begins with the cockpit! Most of the kit's PE goes into the 'pit, and the first job really is to prepare the film negatives for the IP dials. So, white paint on the back, cut them out and we have:

 

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and I'm now awaiting an opportunity to visit the LMS for some paint. MPM's instructions give RLM 66 for the interior and IP etc. It seems kinda early for that, but given that the prototype actually belonged

to the Bayrische Flugzeug Werke, and not the RLM, its possible, and without evidence to the contrary, I'll go with that. Work is getting in the way of modelling ATM, but I've 4 days off from tomorrow . . .

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All I can say is test fit everything and be prepared to sand some surfaces to make the fit better. Haven't seen a build of the 109 prototype so this will be interesting. 

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Thanks, Bernd & George! I've done a couple of MPM's short-run kits before, so I'm prepared for some fitting and fettling, and, as predicted, it is necessary. Bernd, I don't know about brave, but I'm careless and impatient which

shows in my models (the Ed Wood of plastic kits?)

Construction has begun. I've abandoned the PE for the IP, I could not get all those layers properly lined up with CA glue to fix them!, so the normal plastic one was used instead! Much of the other PE has jumped off the bench several times

and has now been eaten by my carpet monster, but the seat harness does enhance the 'pit!

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In other news, the fuselage has been closed up. The two halves fitted quite nicely, with only a little sanding and polishing needed to even up the join lines.

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The wing comes in one piece, which just needs a tidy up and flash removal. I'm sure you can imagine what comes next from the photo . . .

I'm back at work tomorrow, and I'm also building a F-101B Voodoo for a Century series GB elsewhere, so there may be a few days before any more progress is reported.

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Some progress has been made on this, and the airframe is actually almost ready for paint, just the canopy to add then It's (shudders with fear) time to fire up the (gulp) airbrush

There, I've said it. it's a single colour on the whole aircraft, so there's really no excuse, no reason not to spray it except my own fear of messing it up . . .

 

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I hope that next time you see it, it'll be a lovely smooth RLM Grey 63 . . .

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  • 2 weeks later...

I do struggle with the airbrush, probably because I don't use it enough. and don't practise with it. I'm just too careless and impatient. So after panicking over paint thickness and high pressure on the A/B, I managed

to get a (very wet) coat of Humbrol 40 "Gloss Pale Grey" (which is MPM's callout for the colour scheme) onto the model. She now looks like this:

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As can be seen, another coat is needed: that will be another day . . .

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  • 4 weeks later...

After a second coat and a touch-up with the hairy stick (oo-er, Missus!), she looks like this:

3c62c3c1-de82-4855-a4dc-a66358023d6c.JPG

 

The next photos will probably be the finished model!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I just read all the way through this MMGaz :).

 

I'm a big fan of the early Bf-109, of Prototypes and 1/72, so it just ticked all my boxes :D.

 

It looks superb; the gloss colour looks very like that evident  in period photographs of the aircraft. Great thread!

 

:goodjob: 

TonyT

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