Greif

Many thanks for the nice comments gentlemen.

And here is my Bf109D-1! I'm preparing a diorama base for the RFI. More to come and many thanks for watching!

And so, decaling moment has come. While Alley Cat Model gives the complete decal set, I decided to paint as much decals as possible. And so, I prepared the masks for the national crosses. And here's the result: And finally Tamiya gloss clear and decaling: Then another coat of gloss clear and wash with dark brown Tamiya panel lines enhancer: and some dust with pigments in the landing gear areas…

Time to give the colors ! RLM65 from Lifecolor for the underwing area: And Tamiya Sky Grey for the upperwing and fuselage areas. Finally She starts looking like a 109D!

And finally, here she is, with my 109-E4. Note the noses differences in shape due to the different engines: Jumo for the D and DB for the E version. In the meantime, I have repared the landing gear legs with copper rods, filled, sanded, the wing joints, scratch build the wing tip, repared the slats…. many small jobs that are time consuming but necessary. Last checks before closing the canopy… Not so happy with the panel blue but at this point I have already too much fought with this kit and I accept it since the canopy will be closed. Primer!!! Defaults on the tail joints, so sanding and re-scribing the lost panel lines. I had also forgotten to cancel the external power access panel on the right side since the D type had it more forward... Finally time for pre-shading… not a so precise job.. I hope it will work the same.

I've realized that I had abandoned this thread since a long time… but in the meantime I have completed this Germano-Spanish lady! So Let's post the missing episodes! So after completing the cockpit it was time to try to reinstall it in its correct position and so to correct the flat dihedral (there is also the FW190 I had started in the meantime) . The operation went good after many trials, wings on, check, wings off, modify…. And then it was time for the nose preparation…. It's necessary to cut off the kit nose to replace it with the beautiful Alley Cat nose. The problem here was that it was necessary to try and to fit everything together at the same time: fuselage, wings and nose. This issue is because the kit was already assembled, otherwise things would have been much much simplier! The wing preparation requires to cut the front wing root since it's already part of the new nose. Then it's necessary to close the wing coolers, but in my case, I had to eliminate them… note of course that the landing gear legs were broken!

Hi Piero, I've sent you an email. Don't worry, I speak Italian.

Many thanks Troy for the answers. I couldn't have done better! I don't know anything about the Fw190D-9 I got because it came without the box or instructions. If you're interested I can take some pictures. However, it's an old standard kit: thick hard plastic, raised details panel lines, rivets, poor details and out of shape and scale in my opinion.

Hi Modelers, Here is a strange story that could have started with the tittle " how to transform a trade gone bad into a special aircraft..." The story starts three months ago when a guy propose me to trade my Big King Tiger in 1/16 for two aircrafts in 1/32 " almost done, just to finish..." as he said. The first aircraft was a Bf109E-1 Profipack from Eduard and the second, a Fw190D-9 from... who knows? The pictures were bad and I was not convinced at all, but I had the necessity to remove the too big KT from my stash, so I accepted. Well... I've been very surprised when I 've opened the package...needless to say that the surprise quickly turn to anger! The Fw190 directly finishes in the hands of my younger son who was so happy to have a "plane like daddy"....the kit was I supposed, from the 60's...very very poor quality.. a toy. The Bf109E-1 from Eduard was a Profipack, with additional PE and it's a nice kit... but this one was very badly done. In the end that's not a problem of being low or high skilled in modelling, the problem was to have trade with a liar that recognize in the end that it was already a second hand kit... I precise that this person is not a member of Britmodeller community. My son was already doing some space to welcome the 109 on his shelf, when I decided to turn this junked 109 into a special one: few days before, talking about 109's models differencies, my son pointed out a strange 109 with black crosses on the wings; it was a picture from a Bf109D-1 photografed during the Spanish war... I've made some research to find any manufacturer that proposes a 109D in 1/32, and I found Alley Cat Range that has this conversion in its catalog ( and not only this one!). So I ordered it ( with a Bf109G-12 conversion as well)...and the story begins... First, I did heavy surgery on the 109: the cockpit was lacking half of its components, still attached to the sprues. so I start cutting, nose, wings, cowlings... until I got to the cockpit. The cockpit tube was incorrectly installed causing a flat dihedral to the wings... so I remove everything, keeping only the two half fuselage bonded. I completed the cockpit a repainted it in the correct RLM02 color ( not RLM66 like did by the previous owner), washed it, done some dry-brush... and it comes like this now, note the sword like control stick: More to come sooner! Thanks for watching! Cheers

Thanks Intruder! honestly this was my first mottling... and doing it, I 've realized that it's really easy to overdo it. I will do a more subtle mottling on my Fw190. Every model has something to teach to me. Cheers.

Time for the last complement work... spinner and props, wheels, antennas... I apologize for the low qual pictures, but I just have my cell phone. Here are some pictures with my E-4...enjoy, and thanks for reading. Cheers! Erik

Thanks for the nice comments guys! Well...I'm really late on this topic, because this aircraft has almost been finished 2 months ago... Ok ok ok here are the last pictures of her.... So, it was time for decaling. No problems with the Revell decals, applied on a gloss coat of course and then sealled again in the same way. After that, I applied a wash composed by 3/4 burnt amber a 1/4 black, thine with artist turpentine. After 25 minute time to leave the wash fixing , I wipe it away... Then I reapplied a localised wash only on the panel lines to accentuate them. I realised also that this turpentine can dissolve the ciano glue that I used to repair the landing gear... so let's repair it one more time! (good to know for the future models) Ok here is she...

I have the same problem: I 've already written 2 emails without any answers. I would like to buy the conversions to make a Bf109D Spanish and the Bf109G-12 in 1/32. It's a pity.

Hi modelers, I think I've not written anything since 2016... not much time to spend on internet, I prefer to spend it on my models! Well, I've just realized that I am nearly on the way to finish a BF109G-6 in 1/32 from Revell, without having posted any thread about her! So let's go! The kit is the 2013 released BF109G-6 that has led to also a G-10, not sure about a K-4... anyway, the kit has a nice price and the surprise is good because it seems that Revell has made a step forward: the quality is much better than in the past.... except for two things : the boring box, and the primitive instruction sheet with numbering mistakes, omissions... to upgrade the kit I have the following goodies: - Eduard Brassin cockpit - Eduard Brassin exhausts - Quickboost compressor intake and gun bulges - Barracuda Spinner and prop - RB production coolers grills - Mastermodel MG131 tip and pitot tube So let's crack on this Gustav! The Eduard cockpit is a beauty! Crisp details, perfect fit and two options for the inboard canon (20mm MG151/ 30mm Mk108), the gun sight (early/late version)and the instrument panel, P-E or the resin one that requires additional decals. I have chosen to use the resin part; the P-E one look too flat for me. the colored P-E sheet. The two possible options for the canon: Revell swaped the references, Eduard is correct! I go for the MK108. Revell and Eduard side by side... Initially my intention was to use the kit cockpit, but I had a chance on the Eduard kit for few Euros on Ebay, so I decided to upgrade this area. But strangely I got an issue with the Brassin cockpit. The floor was 1mm shorter compared to the flanks resulting in a mismatch of all the side pipes with the floor. After Emailing the customer support, they send me a correct new floor. The contact with Eduard customer support has been excellent and smooth, thumbs up for them! It's the first time I was using Brassin components and I need to admit that the resin is pleasant to work with: it's easy to cut, the engineering is clever and it does not generate so much dust when cutting. I go quickly o the cockpit assembly, I use Lifecolor and Tamiya paint; my airbrushes are Iwata's, a 0.3mm High Performance and a 0.5mm Revolution : - P-E assembling - white primer and black preshading - RLM 66 overall. - starting picking-up the black components and dials - weathering on the instrument panel, plus gloss varnish inside the instruments. - Decaling, gloss coating. - overall weathering and smooth dry-brushing... and here's the result: I'm quite happy with the result; the belts are a mistic problem that I can't solve, but I'm happy the same. I've noticed some improvement in my technic compared to my BF109E-4 so that's the most important, I'm getting new skills. It was time to close the fuselage ! Before the closure it's necessary to fit the exhausts from inside, thing that will make the paintjob more delicate. So i decided to paint the exhasuts first and to mask them. Here again the Brassin parts are fantastic. The 4 scoops on the engine cowlings are molded closed so I opened them with the driller and sharp knife. Time to fit the wings! Starting from the top; the modular wings of this kit are clearly indicating that Revell has done more kit with the less engineering possible... in fact this wing section has the G-6 landing gear bulges giving the possibility to create a G-10 and a K-4 with the long bulges. It's this modularity that created me few issues. the first one is due to an incorrect position of the landing gear bay structure that create a slight gab between the wing parts. THe second is the inner plastic frame of the wing that just make the wing impossible to fit correctly. Not a big issue in the end, trim, cut, dry fit... In the end an overnight dry to ensure the glue has locked everything in place. there's also an issue with the top engine cowling part that has not a so flush fit with the side... so let's putty! the wings as well after sanding, filling again, riveting, the last components were installed : MG131, compressor intake, gun bulges, grilles, antenna, DF loop... the faps and cooler flaps were preshaded and painted inside with RLM02 and then masked and positioned provisory. added also the landing gears and the ATC rack.. time to prepare the Barracuda props and spinner! Ready for paintjob! Primer! Preshading and yellow stripe and wing tips. Since my skills in airbrushing are still weak, the preshading is a good moment to test the thinning and the pressure! first layer of RLM 76...the pictures are not that good... then going with the typical scheme RLM 74/RLM75. Attention! Revell references are swaped! I sprayed 50% thinned with low pressure( about 0.5bar). This time I did it freehand without masks for the scheme because I wanted to have smooth change between the two colors. Time also for the spinner : primer, preshading, matt white and mask. here's the result: Then I tried to create my own german cross masks with Frisket film... not too bad for a first shot... That's where I get for now. Unfortunately I broke my 0.3mm airbrush nozzle... and I need to wait for the spare part.... Still have the motling to do before final marks and decals and then weathering.... But in the meantime, I've started the FW190F-8, same brand and scale... Thanks for watching! Of course, any comments are welcome. Happy modeling ! Greif

Thank you Rui, much appreciated! Regarding the gunsight, it's in fact something I've left over for the moment, mostly because I'm not convinced about its position in the cockpit. The peculiar conformation of the canopy doesn't allow the gunsight to be in line with the pilot's head...but it's something I will deal with....after all, the nice thing about Luft 46 theme is fantasy! Cheers. Erik

Hi modellers, such a long time without posting on the forum; but I'm still here ! In september I had the chance to pick up a quite hard to find kit out there (Italy), a Lippish from Mauve in 1/48. So let's crack up this tiny fighter! The box is small and represent a Lippish upside-down up in the earth atmosphere. Actually I don't know if it was originally a Mauve kit or a re-boxing of Revell. The Do 335 on the picture will be use as parts donor to upgrade the cockpit area of the small triangle fighter. Inside the box : plenty of sprues and parts !!! ... up to 20 styren parts and a small PE set with pilot harness. Instructions are simply written but clear. The kit cockpit is really poor so the first concern was to upgrade this area... I've used parts of my Tamiya Do335 as I have a complete resin cockpit... I can cannibalize this parts without problems. Left, the original rear bulkhead; right the re-cut Do335 bulkhead. First trial. The space is little but it stays in. The canopy closes flush with the top of the jettisonable seat. I've decided also to add the inner frame of the pylon area. Easy to do with some evergreen rods. After that I did few scratch building : the gas control lever and the oxygen system. It was time to think about a serious and decent instrument panel...once again the Do335 has been the part donor. The panel has been reduced in size ( too wide for the pylon) and fitted to simple evergreen tubular frame. here's an overall view of the cockpit. In the meantime, I started assembling the Kettenkrad that will tow the trailer... 4 cm long A bit of surgery to the cockpit floor was necessary for the Do335 seat to stay in. Simply cutting the floor underneath the seat and closing it inside the body... invisible when the seat is in place. Another problem to address was the see-through structure... So I decided to craft an engine... Using two discarded belly tanks and a Mistel hollow charge cone, I've created my own ramjet coal engine....nothing historical here, but great fun! Note the additional inner frames to create the engine bay. The rear grills are kit PE parts. The engine has been painted using K-colors paints. Time for the cockpit to be painted : RLM66 from Italeri followed by washes and details done with Lifecolor and Tamiya paints. After adding the last details : oxygen tube, pilot harness, decals on the seat ( from an old never finished Su-32), a dry brushing has been done to enhance details. Instrument panels has been done with airscale dials decals. With the canopy on. finally, the pylon is closed and glued in place... but now filler time and sand paper... Comments are welcomed as usual ! Happy modelling to everybody ! Erik

Sorted! I've picked up a Tamiya Zero, an Hasegawa P-47 D all in 1/32 and finally I managed to find a Ju188 in 1/48!. Happy!

I got mine saturday at the Milan Fair for half the normal price. Beautiful kit which has a good rendering already OOTB.

Well, I had the chance to open the Tamiya Mustang box this weekend at the hobby model Expo of Milan. Focusing on the fin (not to mention other parts), and comparing it to the ZM Mustang, I would go for the Tamiya one because of the level of details and quality of molding that I found lower on ZM. Maybe it's just an impression but I found that Tamiya ( in this precise case) was superior to ZM. Unfortunately, I didn't had the chance to see the TA152H... But sooner or later I think Tamiya will do some german fighters too.

That's right, this precise Fw190 inside the kit has two option of engine cowl guns, the classical lay-out and the Schrage Musik type. I wasn't aware about this kind of installation on the Fw190... but the strangest thing to me is that I have always known that the Mistel's guiding plane were disarmed to spare weight. Am I mistaking??

Many thanks for your answers guys, really appreciate it. Well I'm going surely for a ZM TA152 to complete my german fighters series... but I still have (too much) time to change my mind ! Actually the Do335 is really seducing my too, but I have already the Tamiya A-12 version to do in 1/48; and it's already a very big bird in this scale (as big as a Bf109 in 1/32)... I can't imagine it in 1/32! Anyone has experience on the Bf-110 series in 1/32 from Dragon? Cheers

Hi, I assume the scale is 1/48? If it is, the Fw190 A8 from Dragon/cyber hobby is nice. I have it inside my Mistel 2 kit and apart from a bit of flashes here and there, the quality is very good. Cheers

Hi modellers, I understand the tittle could sound a bit strange; here's the explanation: I have the chance to go to Tokyo for 3 weeks for business 😜😛.... There, surrounded by dozen of hobby shop, I should lock my credit card in my hotel room to prevent from doing crazy things, else I should rent a container to bring back all the stuff to Italy .... Well, my interest is mainly WWII fighters in 1/32 and bombers in 1/48.... I'm not a rivet counter, but I like the kits to be quite accurate... My first idea was to bring back a Zero in 1/32 from Tamiya, which seems to be a gorgeous kit....quite tempted also by the Corsair though.... But Tamiya is not alone on the market (I don't forget Hasegawa, but I already know their quality standards) , because now there is also Zoukei-Mura.... And the idea of a TA152H0, a Shinden or a Do335 in 1/32 is also tempting me.. Now, my question: does Zoukei-Mura worth the money? Does this brand stands the comparison with Tamiya and Hasegawa in 1/32? Comments from modellers that had the chance to build one of these kits are more than welcome! Thanks in advance. Cheers

No I don't think that Mattlow has seen my post....

Very Nice! It starts looking like a Mustang now,