Niknak

If you won't to use the correct Jack's antb. Das werk do a 1/48 luftwaffe Jack stand set. Nick

You could contact meng, and get a replacement leg. Nick

It's looking good antb. Nick

Hi all, just a quick update on the nose & engine nasalle's. I have used plastic card shims to pack out the nose glazing so it fits the fuselarge opening. These need blending into the airframe. But looking at a photos of the nose of the me 410. It looks like the mg 131 openings are wider apart. So I have used strecked sprue to plug the holes for redrilling Now for the nasselles. I opened out the intakes using a 1.2 mm drill. I must of cut the vector oilcoolers of the casting blocks a bit close because after giving them a slight sanding they were a little short so I used a plastic shim to extend them. The one which is going to be open I have thinned the plastic and joined the lower part of the upper kit part to the vector part. (No issues here.) Thanks for looking, feedback and comments welcomed. Nick.

Thank you Thom216 .both can be build into great models.To be honest. I am enjoying this build .up to now most of the fit issues can be fixed. I would say the canopie will take the most fettleing, And there are corrective sets avalable for this kit . Its a pitty there isn't a vacformed replacment canopie avalable. Nick

Hi all with this update the updates have cought up will this build. As I'm going to have the slats deployed I cut them from the wing half's be fore I glued them together. When I went to join the starboard Wing half's together one seamed about a 1mm longer than the other half. I got round this by glueing the wing tip so thay lined up. When dry I glued the wing root. When I checked the wing was straight I found the wing was worped. (not sure if it was with me removing the slate before it was glued together or as it came.). I straightened it using a mud of hot water from the kettle and a mug of cold water. In the hot for about 20 seconds then bending it then put in the cold. Then checked using a straight edge. The opening were the flap was I filled with resin restore the strength of the wing I then started on the engine naselles. I cut off the kit oil coolers as there the wrong shape and replaced them with vectors replacements. As the vector ones are wider the kit parts are too small. So I tried a spare from an eduard bf 109 g it fitted. So I made four copies. These I painted oily steel when dry gave them a wash of black then rubbed over with a damp cotton bud after about 30 min. (Vector is the top one) As I'm only having one engine displayed, I glue one naselle together except the exhausts which I'll fit after painting the airframe. The other one I have started to cut into the different sections. The bottom of the exhaust cut out is not part of the top cowling nor is the part with the intake on it. (to be cut along inside of tape). I have also replaced the the barrels on the rearward mg 131s with the brass rmb ones. These were painted with gun metal then given a black wash. Replacement props have been painted rlm 70 (colour coats) then weathered. Spinners have been painted black. As the the drawing shows the kit spinners are the wrong shape. I think the vector ones are the the closet match. As antb. Stated in his build I have the same issue with the nose glazing. I have tested the top canopie to the fuselarge. On mine the top fits (after I reposition the compass? On the top of the canopie sill) but the nose glazing is to narrow. I think I'll use plastic card to fill the gaps. On the mushroom drawings the nose glazing is 5. 5mm wide. Outer frame is 7mm. Where I have the top of the gap at 8mm. When I test fitted the wings to the fuselarge I had o gap at the front of port wing This was coursed by a small lump were the front spare exits the fuselarge. Once removed the top fitted ok Unlike the lower joint And finally for this post the engines. I have started the engine plumbing. Using 0.3mm and 0.4mm lead wire painted rlm 02.One of the copied eduard bf 109 g oilcooler fronts is below. Thank you for looking. Feedback and comments are welcomed. Nick

Hi all, I have finished the cockpit and gun bay. As I cut the kit gunbay roof window so it went further back so it lined up with the cockpit floor I had too extend the window glass (as the kit part was too small now). I used 40" clear plastic card. I then started to reproduced the wiring in the gun bay using 0.2 mm lead wire then I give the gun bay a light spray of rlm 02 to prime the lead and to hid the glue marks it also blended everything together. Then I used a 10/0 brush to paint the wiring yellow I then started to paint the mg 131's & mg 151's gun barrels. I first painted then matt black then humbrol gun metal. The blast tubes and spent cartridge chutes were then painted rlm 66 with the clamps painted rlm 02. These were then fitted and the whole gun bay given a wash of tamya black panel liner and dusted with gray paste. Then I had a opps moment ! When I when to fit the gunbay/cockpit to the fuselarge I noticed the mg 131's didn't reach the nose. On inspection I noticed there was a gap between gunbay and the nose and it needed moved forward. This was coursed by the cockpit sides binding against the fuselarge... More scraping and test fitting. When everything lined up. It was time to join the fuselarge and fit the cockpit coming. I used a 45 tpi saw blade to rescribe the center panel line before a light sanding of the fuselarge joint. Thank you for looking, feed back and comments are welcome. Nick

Thank you antb, there is nothing wrong with you effort mate, I've hit issues with the kit too. As I've not planned to do a wip there's not many build photos until the stage I'm at now. Luckly I have just joined the fuselarge. Think I'm going to have a issue with the canopie. It's on the thick side.

Hi all I thought I would share my current build of mengs me 410 b-2/u2/f4. I started this build in Feb. I am planning to correct the mistakes in the kit (props and oil coolers) drop the leading edge slats and have 1 engine displayed. I am planning to use the following after market items. Aires cockpit for the meng kit. Eduard super fabric seat belts The following quickboost items-- ju 88 c/g gun barrels, (under fusalarge gun pack) Ju 88 mg 151 20 ( inturnel gun pod) Me 410 props True details me 110g wheels. Rmb 13mm mg 131 gun barrels ( rear guns) Vector corrected oil coolers. A sorted lead wire Paint used will be xtracolor and humbrol enamels. Airbrushs used are Badger 200 sg & Badger 200 g (fine tip) (The cut down blade is what I used for thinning the cockpit sides down) And my referances Now for the build. As I wonted to have the gun bay detailed as well as using the airies cockpit. I first joined the gun bay roof to the rear bulkhead. I then placed it in position inside fuselarge with the rear cockpit and marked around them. As I did not won't to remove any plastic were the kit gun bay is. I then started with the removal of plastic, from the top of the kit gun bay roof as this has the kit cockpit floor molded on it. And from the bottom of the airies cockpit floor. (My intension was to join the kit gun bay to the airies cockpit. But be the same thickness as the kit part.) as well as the fuselarge sides. The airies cockpit walls were thinned until thay were see through. Aswell as removing the casting block from the rear cockpit I was going to use my dremel for the removell of the plastic but the plastic is too soft. So I went old school and used a blade to scrap away the plastic. As the cockpit sides are curved I cut a no 2 bladed down to the size of the front cockpit walls. It took muliable test fits and scraping to get them to fit. As the airies cockpit coming is longer I had two options. Cut the airies part down to the length of the kit part or remove the rear cockpit bulkhead. I went for the removal of the bulkhead and more scraping of plastic. The cockpit and gun bay were first sprayed black then a base coat of rlm 66 (cockpit), rlm 02 (gunbay). Mgs were sprayed humbrol gun metal. Ready for the detailing. The results Thank you for looking, feed back and comments are always welcomed. Nick

I've used thinners to remove glue left on conopie by masks before. It did not mark them I used it by putting it on with a cotton bud. You could try it on a small section to test it. Or on spare part first.

Hi Antb, if you have used enamel paint you could try using thinners to remove the paint from the frame. when I used to paint using the hairy stick. for mottling I used brushes with the brissels cut down and used the dry brushing technic (by dabbing the brush on paper to remove most of the paint before dabbing the brush onto the aircraft) . I still use them for weathering. Nick

Hi antb, it's fighting you all the way. It could be the kit when I joined the starboard Wing the bottom seamed longer than the top.! I think I would be tempted to split the fuselarge at the nose and have the canopie fit the top of the fuselage and use plastic card down the sides of the nose glazing and blend it in. Could be easier than blending the canopie into the fuselarge. Nick

Xtradecal do different coloured strips. Each sheet has different sizes on them. I have used them for outlines on. 1/72 bomber codes and 1/48 fighter numbers. Nick

You are welcome Steve, the 2nd vol of jadgeschwader 53 history of the "pik as" covers may 43 to Jan 44 by jochen prien. These books are a good ref. Nick

The information is from mainly the following books messerschmitt bf 109 f, g, & k by jochen prien & Peter rodeike.(has w.nr.blocks,factories that build them and when. Recognition manual has only w nr.blocks) Messerschmitt bf 109 recognition manual. By Marco fernandez-sommerau. Nick