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Found 22 results

  1. I picked up this cheap Airfix Messerschmitt Bf109E-3 gift kit reduced at a local discount supermarket here in the UK and thought I’d try and document my build process so I can look back and use it as a point of reference more than anything else. All bar one of the supplies paints had dried up (not an issue) and the small tube of glue will come in handy as a back up if I run out. Instructions are clear and the decals basic but effective at this scale. It started so well with images at the beginning but as per usual for me, they became more sporadic as the build went along. I think there’s some good detail to this 1/72 kit and it fits together well. So as a (re)learning process it’s an ideal kit for me at this stage. Anyway, here’s where I’m currently at.
  2. My next project that I'm now planning is a downed Bf109E from the BoB with one of the new SH kits as the basis. I've never attempted a diorama before so that will be a challenge in itself but I have a question about the Bf109E canopy. Many of the pics of downed 'Emils' show the centre and rear sections of the canopy missing and I think I read somewhere that these could be jettisoned by the pilot prior to landing so is this the case or have I imagined this? In the pics I've seen there is no evidence of the missing canopy sections close to the aircraft just the aerial wire dangling from the fin connection point which would support this. However I just want to check as if they could be jettisoned then I wouldn't have to include the missing sections as part of the diorama. Regards Colin. Ps. does anyone know who produces realistic artificial hay/long grass as my plan is to show the aircraft is a hay field?
  3. Hi all, I had hoped that the "Adlerangriff" Bf109E that I'd ordered would arrive in time for the Battle of Britain Group Build last year. It didn't, which means I get to build it now instead! For this entry I'm going to build the first of the two included kits mostly out of the box, which includes photo-etch and resin parts. However, being lazy, on seeing the individual exhausts I decided to order some one-piece resin ones. I also have some extra decals on order because the kit didn't come with enough I wanted to build something still from the Battle of Britain period, but different. The aircraft I'm planning to represent here was flown by the top scoring Luftwaffe pilot between 10 July and 18 August 1940 (and no, it's not Galland, Wick or Mölders!). He filed victory claims on three major Kanalkampf operations which resulted in British shipping being sunk, and on two airfield attacks including the successful attack on Croydon Aerodrome on 15 August. By then time he was shot down on 18th August 1940 he had claimed 15 victories in the Battle of Britain, to go with 7 in Spain and five in the Battle of France or in the prelude to the Battle of Britain. The aircraft in question is this one: Its pilot is Horst Tietzen, who claimed 15 victories during the Battle of Britain, until he was shot down on 18th August 1940 (now known as The Hardest Day). Decals are from the Eduard Alte Hasen sheet. I also chose this because I like the scheme - plenty of yellow tactical markings but not on the nose for a change! And lots of mottling to have fun with. Right now my bench is strewn with Messerschmitt while I start painting the interior, and I'll start adding some commentary on this in the next few days. Thanks for looking! Matt
  4. I managed to pick up a bf109e-4 from Bill's hobbies yesterday in Coleraine for 6.99. Hope to start soon but will have to clear the bench of projects at the moment, such as a big build diorama with 3 tanks, one plane and about 20 odd figures...so will defo need the four months dead line. But looking forwards to this and interested to learn how to do the cloud camo/make the camo look air brushed with a hairy stick! Without this GB I wouldn't have even picked up this but really glad it honed me into it! Not totally sure of the composition as of yet, if I'll do as on the ground with wheels down and a bit of conversion..uhmm butchering as I call it! Or if it will be in dog fight.
  5. From what I've seen of a build of the new SH Bf109E on the forum there appears to be a definite problem with the fit of the canopy, as in it is too wide. I'm certainly not up to sawing the rear part in half and then re-gluing as was carried out in the build, plus it still leaves you with the front and main canopy parts not fitting correctly so I'm somewhat disappointed to find this out given that the kit is otherwise quite superb. Hopefully a vacuum replacement may become available at some point but until then the three I have will to wait behind my Tamiya 'Emil' instead, unless the new AZ 'Emils' are worth looking at. I haven't seen any comments on the AZ kits so wondering if anyone can comment on them and if they are an improvement on the Tamiya kit (ignoring the length issue of the Tamiya) and/or if the AZ canopy could possibly be used on the SH kit. Just thinking that if the latter is possible I could then ask AZ to send me some spares as a solution. Regards Colin.
  6. Good evening guys, I hope everyone is well! I decided to share the photos of the build I finished today, which as the title suggests is Tamiya's Bf-109 E-4/7 Tropical, 8 / JG 27 in 1/48th scale. I attempted to do a work in progress section for this build, however forgot to upload the photos until I had just finished painting the model and so it was a bit of a short lived work in progress with only one update before completion. However as mentioned in the work in progress update, I chose to build this after watching a youtuber by the name of Keeto who was using fillable acrylic pens to do mottling work which I found pretty interesting, he made it look quite straight forward, and until I build up the courage to re- try my hand at Luftwaffe mottling, I thought this could be my substitute. I got the Luftwaffe paint set by AK interactive to test out their paints as I had never bought one of their sets prior to this, and was really impressed with them. I felt their colours looked pretty accurate to me and the paint sprayed really nicely and also flowed out the pen well after a bit of testing with thinners. The only downside for me with this approach to mottling is that it looks too well painted, rather than the usual misty outline on usual mottling, but I still kind of like this even though its not totally accurate. Its safe to say, I think I will continue to use these pens, especially being that they're around £3 or so on amazon, I've got my eye on a Japanese scheme to use with the pen next, I think its a Ki-47? I loved the build, I was making it to fill in the gaps between making my Eurofighter Typhoon, however it took over pretty quickly and now the Typhoon has been put aside as and when I feel like working on it. It was really refreshing to go back to a Tamiya kit after working on some models that have been eating away at my time. Due to the model being a bit of a test for the Acrylic pen, I thought i'd try a few different things to get a different finish, this being trying to get an interesting weathered effect. I feel it came out alright but next time, i'd be a bit more refrained rather than taking a piece of sponge and splatting away at the painted model, you can see in the photos it didn't go completely to plan. The only problem I had which was a big mistake on my part was after I put an enamel wash over the kit. I decided to use Vallejo's varnishes inbetween paint layers rather than Klear which is my usual go to and I think this might have been what caused the problem... Once the wash had dried after about 10 minutes or so, I got an old rag out to start rubbing the excess off and was having no luck, I had ran out of my enamel thinners and haven't bothered buying any more since as I never usually have an issue with the washes but started worrying, it looked a complete mess. I came on here for previous articles on alternatives to get the wash off and hoping that I wouldn't have to drive into town to go to my local hobby store. Luckily I read that I could use white spirit to try and fix it; it kind of did the trick but ate away at some of the varnish and subsequently a bit of the paint underneath which is why there are some pretty heavy stains on the model. Either way, I think the White Spirit saved the model from being a total disaster even with a few messy marks left behind. I think, with my next paycheck the first thing im gonna do is buy some new varnishes (let me know if anyone has what they feel is the best) as I always seem to have issues with Vallejo's. I hope you all enjoy, let me know on any fixes to the issues I had if you like or any criticism, its all appriciated, im still working on my finishing with models. Thanks everyone, stay safe! Ryan
  7. Last week I picked up half a dozen recent Aero Journals, partly to re-oil my rusty aeronautical French. (Much easier than reading Le Figaro or Les Recherches etc.) One has a Chris Goss article about the introduction of the fighter-bomber during the Battle of Britain. Good stuff, lovely photos, and some grand profiles. But I have a query. They are all in the greys. I would expected that at least the early ones, converted from E-1s and E-4s, to be in the earlier 71/02/65 scheme. To my knowledge the grey scheme was standardised by early 1941, and there were trials of (possibly different) greys in the Channel Front units during the BoB. But for the LG.2 use of E-7s, we are talking about October. The actual examples shown are Bf 190E-1/B Yellow 10 6/JG51 early 1941 Bf 109E-4/B Black H 5(S)/LG2 October 1940 Bf 109E-7 White 1 7/JG2 early 1941 plus Bf 110D-0 S9+CK 2/Erp.Gr. 210 August 1940
  8. Dear All, My next project will be a BoB Bf/Me 109E but need some help please. I have the Tamiya E3 and the ICM E3 as well but not sure which would be the better and if either can also represent the E1 or E4 version? In this scale the difference between an E3 and E4 would presumably be almost 'invisible' so it should come down to identifying a specific subject from research and applying the relevant decals? As for the E1 my basic understanding is that this variant was armed with wing machine guns so lacking the under wing cannon bulges but could also have had the later cannon installed as well, plus the more heavily framed canopy possibly retro-fitted, so again a question of research and decals for a specific example I guess. My knowledge of the Bf/Me109E is not minimal but neither is it exhaustive so I've always been somewhat confused by the differences seen when it comes to the canopy framing as I'd always assumed the early style was on the E1 and early E3's only and also that all E1's only had wing machine guns. However I have many photos which entirely contradict these assumptions, such as E4's with early style canopies and examples described as E1's but with guns (cannon) protruding from both wings. Kind Regards Colin.
  9. Introducing my build of Franz Von Werra's Bf109E, courtesy of the Airfix kit - that's been seen before. Parts, some pre-painted. The starter version of this kit cost me £5.50 at The Works in 2013, then swapped kits with @Hepster - I received this one. This being the only decal option, I've got and watched the DVD of his story. And I found the book by Kendall Burt and James Leasor - whilst at school. Oh where is that copy now? Franz Von Werra was a colourful character - as described in Valkyrie's thread. Prone to exageration? - that's one way of describing his character. As I remember from the book: There was an attempt to run away to Amerika, and being returned to Germany. Then the flamboyant fighter pilot with a pet lion-cub, wonder what became of that. A lot of drawing attention to himself, like being towed around his airfield in a bath-tub - towed by a friend's sports car. His picture, with the lion, and a broken finger, was on the cover of Signal Magazine. It was then used by RAF interrogators to identify Von Werra, following his capture. There was also a controversial incident of falsifying RAF kills, and subsequent discrediting at interrogation - covered in the film. As I recall, this was to move himself up the scoreboards, putting him in consideration for medals. . . . . . and holders of those high medals were promised estates in the occupied territories. Thus exageration with the purpose of self-gain. For FvW's first escape he detached from a exercise-party, and was on the run in the Lake District for a few days. His second attempt was a tunnel. He got away to Hucknall, where he impersonated a downed Dutch airman - and almost stole a brand new Hurricane II for his return to Europe. The third successful escape was by jumping from a train window, after being transported to Canada. The film stops when FvW steals a boat, and crosses the frozen St Lawrence Seaway to the USA. This is the start of another aspect of the story. FvW makes his way to New York, where the German Embassy is under constant surveillance by the FBI. The USA is still neutral at the time, but it's just a matter of time . . . And Canada has lodged an extradition order over that stolen rowing-boat! Germans have few friends in North America. In avoidance of a kidnap, and him being returned against his will to Canada, FvW is instructed to visit a specific cafe, where an envelope full of cash is secreted in the cistern of a toilet. Then to disappear and make his way to Brazil, and then return to Germany. Wiki is probably correct that this help came from the German Embassy, saying the Vice-Consulate. I remember he had to obtain very used clothes, and impersonate a farmhand as he crossed into Mexico. Returning to neutral Spain on the final TransAtlantic flying-boat service from Brazil, he then made his way to Italy, and finally Germany. An exciting read - certainly it was that.
  10. Another straight OOB build for "production" - as per my earlier Spit for presents , fleabay etc. I'm curious what will fetch more a Spit or a 109E? Thats the trader in me I suppose but I wonder if patriotic zeal will win out? Oh and yes the props all spin now... WIP here Thanks for tuning in Anil EDIT: Updated images, processed with the right settings
  11. Just about managed to get this one finished and photographed before 2018 is done. The scheme is taken from the Xtradecal BoB decal sheet and represents "Black 8" flown by Ofw Bernhard Lempskemper. The airfix kit went together very well along with some Eduard etch for the cockpit, wheel wells and air intakes. I tried to replace the slightly sorry looking moulded guns on top of the nose by scratch building some out of thin stainless tube - not sure there's much improvement though in the end... The aerial wire is from stretched sprue with little coiled bits of wire to add interest. I airbrushed on Mr Color RLM04, 65, 02 and 71, thinned with X-20 and they went down a treat, especially the yellow! Weathering was mostly done with brown, black and white oil paints and I added a few random chips with a fine brush and silver paint. The paint job was then protected with a coat of Vallejo flat varnish. This was my first go at riveting and mottling a Luftwaffe aircraft and overall I'm pretty pleased with the result - she looks good alongside the Mk1 Spitfire. WIP is here if you'd like more details: Thanks to those who helped along the way and Happy New Year!
  12. Well it's taken nearly the whole year but the B-29 is finished and I've decided to make something a lot smaller, a bit more quickly. I've gone for the Airfix Bf109E-4 with an Eduard set for the cockpit, undercarriage, etc, etc and the Xtradecal Luftwaffe Battle of Britain decal set. I've not quite decided which aircraft I'm going to pick yet - it'll definitely have a yellow nose but I'm going to practice some mottling before making the final decision. I've got the cockpit done, fuselage halves together and things seem to be going pretty well so far. The cockpit is definitely improved by the etch, even if some of the bits are insanely fiddly and not much will be seen. The coloured seatbelts and instrument panel in particular look cool, even in 1:72. The foot plates are Al tape with the knurled pattern created by rolling the grip of a modelling knife on it. The insides are painted RLM02 and then I added a brown oil wash. More to come soon!
  13. Hi Fellow Modellers, Bit of a gap between my last posting and now as two builds have not quite passed muster, but this one's just about good enough to publish IMHO. Nice kit actually, went together well with no real issues(apart from disintegrating decals). First real trial of my Iwata Revolution CR and I'm most impressed. Paints are Vallejo MA. Let me know what you think. PS: From my research there seems to be some disputed colours for the prop spinner, some sources say red & white, I went with the Black-green & white as per kit diagram. PS: I know my canopy framing sucks !! Cheers Nigel
  14. This 1/48 Airfix BF109E is the first kit I have built for something like 50 years! My eyesight and clumpy fingers can't cope with 1/72 scale so it’s 1/48 scale for me. It's the first time I have used an airbrush or attempted any kind of weathering. All paints used are Vallejo Model Air. Some parts are missing/broken off, courtesy of a heavy-handed grandson, hence the retracting undercarriage. I've used a clear Airfix stand which has been removed from the photo by magic. I’ve got some of the prop blur thingies but not convinced they look that effective. I’ll maybe try the no-blade method to simulate a spinning prop. Currently building another Airfix 109E and an Airfix Mosquito PR.XVI (Both 1/48) with lots more waiting! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZUlNfLWG6QZNH309x7yCjHzJTCuzqGYn/view?usp=sharing
  15. Some pictures I took today of the completed build. WIP can be found here Next time I'll dust the model before taking the pictures And without the stand (removed using Inpaint) And paired with the older tool Airfix Sptitfire Mk1 which was the next build after this one. And again with stand edited out. And yes, I know the aerial connector is going to the wrong place in the fuselage on the 109. Also the Spit has both HF and IFF fitted which appeared correct according to the Xtradecal drawings for LO.A and, in my innocence, I reasoned that there might have been some crossover . Anyway I hope the above images meet with your approval. Comments and criticisms always welcome.
  16. Hi folks, I tend not to do build logs on BM, but thought I'd show a photo of my current wip, the Airfix Bf109E, as I made a somewhat disparaging remark about it on my profile. It is a nice wee kit (the emphasis being on the 'wee', for those of us whose origins are North of Hadrian's Wall), but has some really annoying engineering / fit. Now I can bollix up a kit with an ability matched by few others, but when bits of a new tool Airfix don't fit off the sprue, then I get a bit annoyed. The wing uppers and lowers didn't match up and the lower edge of the LE slats sat proud of the forward edge of the lower wing, also the wing tips and ailerons didn't sit in the same plane, all of which required some fettling of the mating portions of the wing pieces to sort out. The sprue gates are quite oversized and I removed a chunk of the outer edge of the tailplanes (actually the elevators) when I removed them from the sprues with side cutters. That explains the rather odd shape of the outer edge of the elevators in the picture below. In addition, there are some really small pieces that I'm not looking forward to removing from the sprue (Pitot tube, aileron mass balances, gun barrels, etc.). Also removing the mould seams from the tailplane support struts was lots of fun. Right, rant mode is now off. Apart from the above, it's gone together fairly well, although some mechanical deformation of the upper engine cowling piece was necessary to aid fit, and some filler was required at the fuselage / wing underside interface. Anyway, I'm now onto painting, and the second coat of RAF Dark Green sorry, RLM71 dunkelgrun, has just been applied. I'm using the Bf109E colour demarkations from Michael Ullmann's Luftwaffe Colours book and I have just realised that I've got the positions wrong on the starboard wing. Oh poo! Still, we're hopefully on the home straight now, so just have to grit my teeth and get it done. regards, Martin
  17. One of the most colorful fighter squadron of German Luftwaffe was the "Jagdgeschwader 53". I have built some models from these with many work and effort. The color layout only decides in the end, even if the kit is very old or has lower quality. Some few months ago I was looking in my - actually from 23 volumes consisting (Die Deustche Jagdfliegerverbände" - and found in the part II (Sitzkrieg") "phoney war" an interesting template. It was a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4, yellow "1" of 3. / JG 53 from OLtn. Wolfgang Lippert. On 23 November 1941, OLtn. Lippert baling out of his stricken aircraft, he broke both his legs when he struck the vertical stabiliser. He was captured and taken to a hospital. He died from an embolism after the operation without regaining consciousness. Wolfgang Lippert was credited with 30 victories. basic kit is from Hasegawa - a very old Bf 109E kit Decals from my private decal collection box corlor AGAMA/ XTRA Color changed parts: new position light on the wings (left/ rigth) new antenna wire and new aerial mast control cable rudder spindle vertical stabilizer the foto template my paper template in scale 1:48 Rollout:
  18. Hi everyone. It is my first posting. I thinks, airfix new 1/72 scale airplane series are fantastic kits It work in 2013 summer. I hope you like this
  19. Dogfight Doubles - Supermarine Spitfire Vb / Messerschmitt Bf109-E Airfix 1:48 The air war over Malta in WWII was a bloody battle with the odds stacked hard against the residents and small Allied presence there. The island posed significant strategic value to the Axis forces to prevent attacks in its shipping lanes interrupting supplies to their forces in North Africa. Initially under assault from the Italians, the Germans reinforced them in early 1941. Malta was under threat not only from military attack on the island itself, but from resource and food starvation as a result of attacks on the ships bringing supplies to the small fortress. In February 1941 Bf109E fighters of Jagdgeschwader 26 led by former Battle of France and Battle of Britain ace Oberleutnant Joachim Munchenberg gained air superiority operating from Sicily when their experienced crews overwhelmed the RAF pilots many who had limited combat experience based on Malta. As well as the RAF crews lacking combat experience, their Hurricanes had seen better days, let alone being already inferior to the 109E in good service condition. German efforts against Malta were strained due to resource distractions elsewhere, namely the Balkan Campaign and the attack on the Soviet Union. In mid 1941 this left the Italians taking the lead in attacks on Malta. With the weakening attacks and the influence of Air Commodore Hugh Lloyd, the RAF were able to get supplies through to the island, both in materials and aircraft. By July 1941 around 120 Hurricanes including some newly delivered Mk.II’s with a heavier punch and 60 bombers were now available to create an offensive from Malta. Despite heavy losses in low level shipping attacks, the RAF offensive continued, however in early 1942 German reinforcements were moved to Sicily where they could defend the shipping lanes using Bf110’s and Ju-88’s with great effect. This impact not only affected the RAF strike capability, but also the defensive capability yet again over Malta. In March 1942 Spitfires began to arrive on Malta from the carrier HMS Eagle as part of Operation ‘Spotter’. Opponents by this time were the more effective Bf109F and Macchi C.202’s which were outclassing the Hurricanes providing the back bone of the defensive operations. Despite the presence of the Spitfires, attacks on Malta severely hindered their ability to be effective, many being destroyed on the ground, however as supplies of new fighters got through as part of Operation Bowery in May ‘42, the tides began to turn in the RAF’s favour as Axis losses steadily increased. Hugh Lloyd was replaced with Keith Park of Battle of Britain fame in July ’42. His experience and abundance of British fighter planes by this time led him to take the enemy on using tactics favourable to the British. By October 1942, it was clear to the Germans that the RAF were too strong to be defeated on Malta, so their efforts were turned to North Africa. After almost 2 years of continual bombing and near starvation, the residents and British forces based on Malta had overcome the odds and defeated their Axis rivals. The kits Two of the iconic aircraft that operated during the air war over Malta were the Messerschmitt Bf109E and the Supermarine Spitfire Vb. First of all, to clear up any confusion, whist this set is sold as a ‘Dogfight Double’, as mentioned above, the Spitfire wasn’t available during Joachim Munchenbergs time when based on Sicily using Bf109E’s, he would have been opposing Hurricanes. The Spitfires of 229 Sqn would more than likely of been opposing the new Bf109F’s and Macchi C.202’s in ’42 onwards. With that out of the way, both kits are the newer toolings supplied by Airfix. The pack comes in an end-opening box with artwork of the two aircraft enclosed. It also comes with a stand to display the two aircraft in combat pose and a set of brushes, paints and glue. Each aircraft is individually wrapped. We have previously reviewed both aircraft kits on Britmodeller, so please see the links below for more information about the plastic: BF109E BF109E Tropical (same plastic as the ‘E’ review above) Spitfire Vb The stand comes in black plastic with a self adhesive label and Airfix moulded emblem to finish it off. Be aware if you decide to display the aircraft on the stand, then you will need to leave the slipper tank and drop tank off the Spitfire and Bf109E respectively and the holes for the stand need to go there. If this set is for a young or novice builder, you have to drill the holes for the stand yourself following the instructions. For this you will need a 2mm drill bit. Materials to build the kit As well as 2 brushes and two tubes of Hornby glue, 10 small pots of Humbrol acrylic paints are included to paint the aircraft. Including a 2mm drill bit would have been a good addition to this pack given the need to use one if you want to use the stand included. Decals Decals for two aircraft are included: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb, No. 229 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Qrendi, Malta, December 1942 Messerschmitt Bf109E-7, aircraft flown by Oberleutnant Joachim Muncheberg, 7./JG26 “Schlageter”, Gela, Sicily, Spring 1941 The decals are in excellent register with a semi-matt finish and look superb. Having used some of the recent decals by Airfix, I’ve been very impressed with how they settle down. A good selection of stencils are also included for both aircraft. Conclusion Given that this set includes new tooling for both aircraft and different decals than the single box options, it offers excellent value for money. Both kits build up in to great renditions in their own right and together will form a superb display of history ignoring the reality that they didn’t actually see combat with each other. As a young modeller myself (many, many years ago!!), I was captivated by these heroic periods in aviation warfare and these sets remind me of where my passion for both aviation and modelling came from. As such, I’m sure that these latest efforts by Airfix will have the same impact on today’s budding young modellers or even us older ones on a nostalgic trip! Review sample courtesy of
  20. Here are some photos of a build of a BF109E I bought a little while ago. I've followed some astounding builds on this "work in progress site" which I can't compete with (especially the Skyraider!!) but I hoped that some of you might be interested in a less expert build. I've included some fabric seatbelts and have done some pipework and cables with lead wire I got on line but it is essentially out of the box. Thanks for watching and I'll post the finished article soon.
  21. Hi All, The first of my 3 (yes 3 ) builds will be the Heller 1/72 Messerschmitt BF109E.... First impressions of this kit don't seem too bad (for a kit older than I am - and not like the other two kits I'm building) the kit comes on 4 sprues and has the obligatory raised detail... The type of styrene used reminds me of recent new tool airfix kits - rather soft.... Seems to have minimal flash and a few nice details.... The kit will be built entirely out of the box (except maybe some nice new decals) Please find all sprue shots etc below - and please keep your expectations low....... Very very low......... The Box: Sprue 1 Sprue 2 Sprue 3 Sprue 4 The canopy (looking very thick) and decals (looking very yellow - the photo compliments them.....)........ Not forgetting the one sheet covers all instructions.............. Any help and advice from those who have already built this kit would be appreciated.... However accuracy isn't one of my priorities - finishing this to a decent standard (hopefully......) is............... Thanks Tuco
  22. Eduard Bf109E-1 Weekend Edition 1:48 Eduard We’ve reviewed several of Eduards Bf109E’s here on Britmodeller so the base kit is probably one that you’ve become familiar with if not in person, then in internet review sections at least. I reviewed the E-4 Profipack last September which was my first introduction to the series and I was mightily impressed. In the constant fight for the skies, the 109 went through many evolutionary improvements, the E series or more affectionately known Emil being designed based on the lessons learned fighting for the Condor Legion in the Spanish civil war. Infact a few saw service in that era although towards the final stages. The Emil received a much more powerful power plant in the shape of a Daimler Benz DB601 giving nearly 40% more power than its predecessor in the earlier models. The first models were the E-1 and E-3, the only difference between them being that the E-1 had Mg-17 machine guns in the wings, the E-3 having 20mm Mg FF cannon. The E-1/3 were the main fighter aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe until shortly before the Battle of Britain when the E-4 began to replace them. Settling on canon in the wings, a number of other improvements resulted such as improved cockpit armour and a more ‘squared off’ canopy. The kit Again, because we’ve done several reviews on the 109E series produced by Eduard, one can have a tendency to skip information out, however I’m sure not everyone has come across the kits and that’s the way I must approach the review. Eduard have developed a pattern of providing two formats of their kits. The first is the Profipack version which normally includes an extensive decal sheet, usually with 4 or 5 options, an etch fret and paint masks. The second is the budget series known as the Weekend editions. You still get the same great plastic kit, but usually a single option decal sheet and no etch or masks. That is what we have here. My first observation is the fact that rather than the normal beige plastic, the four sprues of this kit are moulded in a medium grey colour which is great for taking review pictures !!! Obviously, you get a different set of instructions because there’s no etch to consider. Whilst the Profipack ones are printed in colour on gloss paper, the Weekend edition instructions come on standard paper in black and white. Construction starts with the cockpit. Now whilst the kit lacks the etch of its Profipack brother, the injection moulded detail in the cockpit is not something to be sniffed at. Finesse of the detail is superb with plenty of small details to keep you out of mischief. Trying to produce trim wheels that look scale accurate in 1/72 in injection moulded plastic is difficult, but Eduard have done as a good a job as we’re likely to see. The front panel is a little less traditional in that it’s produced in two parts, upper and lower. The lower part fits to the cockpit tub, bit the upper part fits to the nose section behind the engine and the two sub assemblies come together afterwards. The seat looks a little plain in comparison with the rest of the kit in general and lacks seatbelts, so unless you have an etch kit to use in your collection, making some from your scratch build materials is necessary if having a bare seat concerns you. The engine is another source of finesse, however it also presents a challenge which I’ll pick up later. There’s considerable detail within the engine and nose gun arrangement that allow you to leave the cowlings off to reveal it all. With the assembly built, it fits between the fuselage halves in the usual manner along with the cockpit tub. The Mg-17’s are beautifully moulded and with the right painting skills will look quite exquisite sat above that chunk of Db601. The exhausts are individually formed again showing off what Eduard have managed to do with their moulding process. The ends of the exhausts are slightly and cleverly hollowed and there’s weld lines along each one, so don’t assume this is flash and sand it off ! Now if you choose to have the cowlings closed, you still need to use the engine block as the exhausts are fitted to it. This is where the challenge comes in. You need to fit the engine / exhaust assembly before fitting the cowlings, but that then makes painting a bit of a challenge. The fit of the exhausts in the cowling opening is very snug, so there’s very little room to mask the exhausts if you paint them before fitting. I’d be interested to hear how people have dealt with this challenge as to the best way of dealing with it. I suspect fitting the individual parts through the opening after painting will be too fiddly. With the fuselage zipped up, next is the wings. As with the fuselage, the detail on the wing surfaces is simply stunning. Very restrained panel lines are supplemented by ultra-fine rivets, quite literally leading the market in this respect. A great feature of the kit is all separate surfaces, flaps, ailerons, rudder and elevators are all individual and nicely moulded. The fabric surfaces have a nice sag effect, however I appreciate that this produces mixed opinions. If it bother you, a few extra layers of primer or similar with a light sand afterwards should tame it down somewhat. With the flying surfaces attached, attention turns to the smaller bits. The wheels have separate hubs that fit from either site of the tyre in two halves. The detail in these is excellent and give the option to pre-paint the parts before fitting eliminating the usual hassle of getting a neat demarcation line around the tyres. The canopy has a rear armoured glass panel that care will be needed to fit without getting glue marks on your canopy. Some reserved dabs of PVA might be the best option. The clarity of the transparencies is superb, very little distortion. For some reaon, three of the clear parts had detached from the sprue upon inspection of the kit. Construction finishes with the fitting of balance tabs , prop and mast. The decals I have to say, this is my only real disappointment with the kit. Having been spoilt with the Profipack a few months ago, I appreciate that it’s good business practice to differentiate them with the Weekend editions, but none of the stencils are included in the Weekend edition (unless mine are missing). You get one decal option as listed below which I can understand, but as the artwork on the box clearly shows the stencils on the aircraft, it’s disappointing that they are omitted from the kit. The decal sheet provided whist very simple, do look to be of good quality, rich print and very sharp. The markings are provided to represent Bf109E-1 6./JG 52 based at Husum, Germany in 1940. Paint scheme is the infamous yellow nose / rudder of the period with usual RLM 70/71 upper and RLM 65 lower mottled along the sides. Conclusion This is a great kit in most respects. The detail and quality is superb for the very reasonable retail price that the weekend editions sell for. The profipack does spoil you with the etch and very useful paint masks, so if you are looking to get an Eduard 109 kit, you should weight up the pro’s and con’s of each before making your decision. Whist the decal sheet is somewhat disappointing, I cannot commend highly enough on the quality of the plastic, I couldn’t find any flash and you really have to look hard to find anything that resembles a sink mark. Built up kits indicate that the lines are pretty accurate with no major issues. Review sample courtesy of
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