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Star of Africa - Finished!


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My entry for the Bf 109 GB will be the Revell/ICM Bf 109F-4. I haven,t participated in a GB for a while but have been looking forward to this one.

 

The kit comes with decent engine detail with the option to display the engine but i recon i'll be closing it up as it spoils the outline of one of the best looking variants of the 109 family.

 

Heres some spue shots etc, i lost damaged the box so no box art i'm afraid.

 

IMG_2453_zpscq5qekxz.jpg

 

IMG_2454_zps5sxzxp3m.jpg

 

IMG_2455_zpsq1fwdvqo.jpg

 

IMG_2456_zpsgrzfigk5.jpg

 

IMG_2457_zpsovdweg6f.jpg

 

 

Ooops last one went a bit pear shaped, sorry!!! You get the general idea i'm sure.

 

Cheers,

 

Greg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by GREG DESTEC
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Excellent choice for this GB Greg. I'm looking forward to seeing this one in progress. :popcorn:

Good to see you taking part in a GB again too. :thumbsup:

Kind regards,

Stix

 

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35 minutes ago, SimonT said:

Looks nicely detailed, will be good watching this come together.

Hi Simon,

 

Yes it is a nicely detailed kit, and at a reasonable price. Not up to Eduardo standards mind but pretty good. 

 

I,m looking forward to getting stuck in to it.

 

Cheers

 

Greg

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36 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

Excellent choice for this GB Greg. I'm looking forward to seeing this one in progress. :popcorn:

Good to see you taking part in a GB again too. :thumbsup:

Kind regards,

Stix

 

Hi Stix,

 

I passed on the P_51 and Mosquito GBs  as I wasn't inspired to do those types when they came round.

 

I am up for this one though, and if it goes well may do another 109 as I have a couple of others in the stash :D

 

Regards

 

Greg

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Thats a great choice mate and you can t get more model for the buck.

Looks way better moulded than my ICM kit and the decals look great.

Also a good idea to close the engine panels, should be a sharp looking result !

Happy modelling :jump_fire:

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8 minutes ago, BerndM said:

Thats a great choice mate and you can t get more model for the buck.

Looks way better moulded than my ICM kit and the decals look great.

Also a good idea to close the engine panels, should be a sharp looking result !

Happy modelling :jump_fire:

Cheers Bernd,

 

Looks like we are both doing F_4's albeit with different markings. Can't wait to get going.

 

:penguin:

 

All the best, Greg

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Yeah the most elegant version of the breed.

Basicly my JG 3 bird was painted in the desert scheme as well but it never made it to the med.

Great choice mate :)

 

Cheers

Bernd

 

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A bit of background to my build.....

 

After reading the book "Star of Africa" I was keen to build one of Hans Joachim Marseille's 109's. I had the Revell kit before I read the book and knew it contained an option for one of his aircraft. This Gb has provided the opportunity I needed to get going on this project.

 

HJM is one of the best known of the Luftwaffe's aces, and is lauded as arguably the best fighter pilot within their ranks by the likes of Adolph Galland. His marksmanship was remarkable and he was expert in deflection shooting. During the North African campaign he scored multiple victories in single sorties on many occasions, in some cases returning to base with spare ammunition. Some regarded him to be brilliant but reckless, and although he flew with a wingman I would imagine given his approach and aggressive tactics it would have been hard to follow him or give him much support in a dogfight. Marseille achieved 158 aerial victories before his death in September 1942, which was not caused by enemy action but by his fighter developing engine trouble, catching fire and forcing him to bail out. He delayed this for as long as possible as he wanted to return to German lines before abandoning his aircraft. Upon leaving the stricken fighter he was knocked unconscious hitting the tail of the aircraft, and he fell to his death without deploying his parachute, which had been damaged anyway.

 

He was popular amongst the pilots in his squadron and was known to be a practical joker, much to the disgust of some of his straight laced superiors. HJM was rebellious and never followed the party line or was interested in politics. I found this web page on the internet  https://www.3squadron.org.au/subpages/marseille.htm dedicated to his memory. I think it says something when your adversaries take time to remember you long after the event, and conveys the respect other airmen had for him.

 

I am looking forward to building what appears to be one of his last "yellow 14's"..

 

Cheers

 

Greg

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A good read and right to the point, mate !

His wingman in Africa was Rainer Pöttgen, who survived the war and he stated after the end of the war he became a counting machine.

Looking forward to your build.

:pilot:

Bernd

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3 minutes ago, BerndM said:

A good read and right to the point, mate !

His wingman in Africa was Rainer Pöttgen, who survived the war and he stated after the end of the war he became a counting machine.

Looking forward to your build.

:pilot:

Bernd

Cheers Bernd,

 

Can't wait to get started now :D

 

All the best

 

Greg

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Greg ,,as you like the Bof B film , have you ever seen the Star of Africa  (also used Buchans ) . Iv never seen it but its available with English sub titles .

 

Dont get sand in your coffee .

 

Alistair

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Nice one Gregg,that's a couple of these kit'sin the GB now It looks a cracking kit on the sprue but get's a kicking in some circles

mainly around the engine front fuselage fit of parts be good to see what you guy's make of it.

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2 hours ago, Mottlemaster said:

Greg ,,as you like the Bof B film , have you ever seen the Star of Africa  (also used Buchans ) . Iv never seen it but its available with English sub titles .

 

Dont get sand in your coffee .

 

Alistair

Hi Alistair,

 

I have heard of the film but never seen it. I'll have to see if I can track it down.

 

Cheers

 

Greg 

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1 hour ago, stevej60 said:

Nice one Gregg,that's a couple of these kit'sin the GB now It looks a cracking kit on the sprue but get's a kicking in some circles

mainly around the engine front fuselage fit of parts be good to see what you guy's make of it.

Hi Steve,

I have read that the "front-end" is challenging but not undoable. I will have to wait and see how it all pans out.

 All the best 

 

Greg :speechless:

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So, update 1!

 

I'll do the pictues first them give you some blurb :D.

 

IMG_2462_zpsu9brocwr.jpg

 

IMG_2463_zpsnzysjrwe.jpg

 

IMG_2464_zpsbjocylyy.jpg

 

 

Its not a lot, i'll admit but its a start. As you can see (i hope) the details are adequate if a little thin on the ground in places, particularly on the side walls. I may add a couple of things once i've checked some refrences just to beef things up a wee bit.

 

The IP is the kit part with their transfer supplied and was a bit tricky to apply. However some pledge seems to have finally got it to stick down better. I recon a PE replacement would look a lot better but may not fot in with ICM's engineering. Fit of the parts has been a bit iffy, and even on these small sections needed sanding and fettling to sit in the appropriate manner. In some ways its reminding me of my Brengun Typhoon in terms of getting things together. 

 

I have done some dry fitting on the wings and can say these won't fit without sanding down the wheel well inserts on the lower wing halves. I am now begining to worry about Steve60's comment about how the engine/cockpit construction will line up for the cowlings :o

 

So we're off! Tune in next time for more ramblings, and excuses :jabber:

 

Thanks for looking, Greg

 

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Thats a good start and i think the cockpit and the IP will look good and busy when installed.

...will turn in again for sure..

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1 hour ago, BerndM said:

Thats a good start and i think the cockpit and the IP will look good and busy when installed.

...will turn in again for sure..

Hi Bernd,

 

Hope your weekend went well.

Thanks for the comments. It's difficult to test fit this kit as its reliant on the cockpit and engine firewall to "hang" everything off. But I hope your right. Careful painting will help too.

 

Cheers

Greg:yes:

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6 hours ago, GREG DESTEC said:

So, update 1!

 

I'll do the pictues first them give you some blurb :D.

 

IMG_2462_zpsu9brocwr.jpg

 

IMG_2463_zpsnzysjrwe.jpg

 

IMG_2464_zpsbjocylyy.jpg

 

 

Its not a lot, i'll admit but its a start. As you can see (i hope) the details are adequate if a little thin on the ground in places, particularly on the side walls. I may add a couple of things once i've checked some refrences just to beef things up a wee bit.

 

The IP is the kit part with their transfer supplied and was a bit tricky to apply. However some pledge seems to have finally got it to stick down better. I recon a PE replacement would look a lot better but may not fot in with ICM's engineering. Fit of the parts has been a bit iffy, and even on these small sections needed sanding and fettling to sit in the appropriate manner. In some ways its reminding me of my Brengun Typhoon in terms of getting things together. 

 

I have done some dry fitting on the wings and can say these won't fit without sanding down the wheel well inserts on the lower wing halves. I am now begining to worry about Steve60's comment about how the engine/cockpit construction will line up for the cowlings :o

 

So we're off! Tune in next time for more ramblings, and excuses :jabber:

 

Thanks for looking, Greg

 

A cold harsh chill is sweeping over me too, I picked this as a nice, cheap easy build after my se5 but now reading some reviews it looks like Iv a bit of work, at least you have made a nice start and Im sure with a bit of effort it will come together nicely

Edited by delta7
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38 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Nice start Greg, slow and steady wins the race.

:yes: Thanks Ozzy,

 

Need too be careful at the start of this one due to the build up of the parts. Reviews I have read of the ICM kit have been cautious relating to test fitting so you won see this one finished quickly.

 

All the best

 

Greg

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3 minutes ago, delta7 said:

A cold harsh chill is sweeping over me too, I picked this as a nice, cheap easy build after my se5 but now reading some reviews it looks like Iv a bit of work, at least you have made a nice start and Im sure with a bit of effort it will come together nicely

Cheers Delta7,

 

It is feeling like a short run kit. Certainly not as well engineered as Tamiya etc. Mine was cheap too! 

 

Look forward too seeing yours getting underway.

 

Cheers

 

Greg:smile:

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Looks like a good start from where I'm sitting although it sounds like you might have some 'interesting' times soon! Good luck. :thumbsup:

Kind regards,

Stix

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A good solid start. Somehow, I don't really think some minor fit issues will deter you from constructing a really great model. You've overcome far worse kit issues. Build on!

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