PaulR Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 (edited) Evening all. The Battle of Britain has long been my favourite period of aviation history, and for the last few years I have aimed to do a BofB subject every summer. This year it is one of the opposition, namely JG27. I have an old Dennis Knight BofB activity book (a treasured possession since I was 7!) that has JG27's badge (albeit labelled as JG3) on the first page, and I have always wanted to do a model of one of their aircraft, complete with tribesman and tiger head. Cue Airfix with their new 109 and Xtradecal's 70th Anniversary sheet! I am aiming to finish this by the 8th September, which will be the 73rd anniversary of this particular aircraft being shot down. As an aside, I have the Eduard kit of the ME110, which happens to have the markings for the exact sharkmouthed Me110 shown crashed in the activity book. Next year I think! Edited August 22, 2014 by PaulR 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 Further thoughts. . . while I am getting in touch with my childhood, I might well build this 'wheels up' and mount it on one of Airfix's new stands. . . perhaps with a spitfire in hot pursuit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 A great way to commemorate the BoB, nice subject to model as well. Look forward to seeing this build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjames68 Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Wow what an incredible flashback, as a youngster i used to have and love this activity book, am i right in saying its the one that had the rub down transfers for posing your own battle scenes? I would love to peruse its pages one more time!! Absolutely brilliant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagoneer Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 That's a nice way to compile a 'set' of aircraft. Displaying on the clear bases with wheels up would be fantastic too, a real memory. Those rub-down books were fantastic, my parents got fed up with me rubbing characters onto all manner of household surfaces..... That leopard over Africa icon appears in 'Flying Colours' (1990 edition) attributed to BF109K-4 of I/JG 27, Rheine, December 1944. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 Wow what an incredible flashback, as a youngster i used to have and love this activity book, am i right in saying its the one that had the rub down transfers for posing your own battle scenes? I would love to peruse its pages one more time!! Absolutely brilliant Dead right! much to my disgust, I managed to lose my original copy around 1985 or so... but then found a mint copy at an airshow book stall around 1990! I have done a few of the rubdown stickers just for fun, but it is a great book, and a great memory. I am looking for the dambusters booklet at the mo. I don't think it would break any copyright rules to post pics of a few pages- any in particular stick in your memory? Glad to see the post had provoked a few fond memories. The older I get (42) the more modelling is a link to a very happy childhood. I've even bought an original 1979 Airfix spitfire mk1 in the original blister packaging; I've no intention of building it, it's just a tangible link to standing in my local model shop as a wee chap. The Dennis Knight book is another part of that. I am going to do the rest of the rubdown stickers with my own 'wee chap' in due course, and I've a couple of the old mould airfix spitfire mk1s to do with him. Pass it on,chaps, pass it on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjames68 Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Id love to see a few pages posted here for old times sake, im 45 and prob had this 35 or six years ago , proper nostalgia !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 Id love to see a few pages posted here for old times sake, im 45 and prob had this 35 or six years ago , proper nostalgia !! Consider it done! I'll get on it tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 (edited) Somebody is already on the case! Lose yourselves in nostalgia here: http://www.action-transfers.com and specifically, here: http://www.action-transfers.com/html/pbipb/pb_battleofbritain.shtml the Dambusters book is in there too... bestest, M. Edited August 21, 2013 by cmatthewbacon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 (edited) Thanks for posting these links-very cool! Only goes to show what exists on the net! However, the edition shown on the link differs in several respects and several pages from the Dennis knight version I have. I'll take shots of these particular pages for the sake of interest. One of the neatest parts of the Dennis Knight version is the pages on building your own BoB fighter station...another long term project! Edited August 21, 2013 by PaulR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjames68 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Looking forward to seeing the dennis knight pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 I'll be onto it later on tonight! Looking forward to seeing the dennis knight pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Nostalgia fix as promised! Getting back to the original premise of this thread, the canopy has been 'futured' prior to masking (Eduard is pretty much essential these days!) and I am working on the cockpit as I type . . . more or less! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjames68 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Absolutely fantastc, you made my day , many many thanks, looking forward to watching your progress, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Absolutely fantastc, you made my day , many many thanks, looking forward to watching your progress, Mark Pleased to oblige! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airgunner Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Absolutely fantastc, you made my day , many many thanks, looking forward to watching your progress, Mark As you did with mine, I remember my seventh birthday, my Mum and Dad didn't send me to school, we went to see the film 'Battle of Britain', and then I got that book as a present afterwards. It remains my favourite film to this day, but I lost the book in a house move six years ago and am always on the lookout for a replacement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 And there I was thinking I was the only one who was interested inthat book. It is amazing how certain things stick in our minds - just glad it's not just me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 (edited) Quick update! Have built the cockpit, prop etc and have primed all the internals and the cockpit sides, followed by a slight preshading. Not sure why, as very little will be seen once the pilot is in and canopy is closed, but it leaves a warm feeling inside. Unfortunately, have just realised that my father has my stock of Luftwaffe paints (he's building this kit as well) so will have to leg it over the aged P's to retrieve them. Plenty to get on with, not least of which will be sorting out the pilot figure. Speaking of the pilot, Xtradecal kindly noted his name, which was a certain Gunther Bode. Googling turned up this picture of him standing next to a staff car, apparently attached to JG2 at the time. He looks every inch your classic fighter pilot. Haven't found anything else on him yet, but judging by pics of his crashed plane, I am believe he may well have survived the crash landing. It would be interesting to know what happened to him (POW? Further service in the postwar Luftwaffe?) or anything about him generally. I'll post anything I find, but if anyone has any info I would be very interested. Period photos and associated information turns putting together pieces of plastic into something else entirely! Edited August 25, 2013 by PaulR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Very nice, looking good, Gunther looks ready for action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Small update tonight. I am still held up by not having my paints, but intend to get these from my dad on Saturday so that I can get the internals painted. After that, I think it will come together pretty quickly. In the meantime, I have contented myself with masking the canopy, and painting Gunther the pilot, as this will be an inflight model. I have since found out that Bode did survive his crash landing, and thus became a POW; I haven't yet found out anything else, aside from the fact that this particular airframe didn't have the pilot armour - one less part to paint! I based the painting of the pilot around pics in my Dennis Knight book, and a picture of Adolf Galland's black leather flying jacket with fleece collar - this seems to be what the figure is wearing. Am pretty pleased with it; it should look the part when he fully installed. Am thoroughly enjoying this project; Airfix seem to be aborbing an ever greater proportion of my regrettably limited disposable income - can't wait for the early Hurricane . . . and hopefully a late BoB boxing to follow! Edited August 29, 2013 by PaulR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 (edited) Hi Paul, nice build! Seeing that book I believe I had a copy of it when I was young, no idea where it is now though... Edited August 30, 2013 by James G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 A quick update! Managed to retrieve my paints from my father, and have sprayed the internals, wheel wells etc with the obligatory RLM02. An oil wash tomorrow and then button it all up! However, while I was at my parents, and viewing my shamefully extensive stash that I have secreted in my old toy loft, I spied what must be a 30 year old issue of Italeri's He111. Given the theme of the build, and the fact I also have decals for a 9/KG53 H2 variant on the same Xtradecal sheet, I thought I'd add it to this build thread! The kit is surprisingly good considering its age; the crew figures supplied are some of the best I have seen. While the panel lines are raised, they are very fine indeed, and the rivet detail is equally good and 'in scale'. I also like its relative simplicity, while still giving a busy and detaiied 'feel'. It seems to me that many kits recently seem to go overboard on fantastic internal details which inevitably increases the complexity and build time; sometimes it just fun to have something straight forward to do! The only thing the kit is missing is the shrouded exhausts characteristic of BoB He111s; looking at pictures however, I think some circular plastic rod bent in hot water and then drilled out ought to pass muster! Anyway, pics of the ME109, and Heinkel box art and work so far . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted September 9, 2013 Author Share Posted September 9, 2013 Well, the original plan to have this ready for the 8th September (the day Gunther Bode got shot down) has itself been shot down by work commitments. I find that increasingly work seriously gets in the way the more important things in life. Still, need to keep the modelling tokens coming in . . . the aim is now for the 15th September (BoB day) for the '109; I think the Heinkel might be a little later! Anyway, the '109 now has the splinter camouflage on, and the rudder and prop squared away. Next; some extensive masking and the blue next. The fit of the canopy was a little iffy on the port side, but I think this was me not taking enough time, Anyway, a little sanding has broadly sorted that out. The Heinkel has proved to be rather fun. Props all done, and I've added miliput pads to the seat for the cushions. All the windows are in, and I have just got to add the guns before I join the fuselage. I have to say the fit of parts is really good, and I am thoroughly enjoying building an airplane I haven't tried before. Anyway, will aim to get a shift on for Sunday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted September 14, 2013 Author Share Posted September 14, 2013 Progress . . . as the deadline approaches to tie this in with Battle of Britain day tomorrow, I've now got all the paint on, plus gloss coat and oil wash. I know some people don't like the panel lines on these Airfix kits, but they do take a wash extremely well. Am pleased with how this is turning out, and am looking forward to getting the decals on, which I think is the point is where the kit really starts coming together. The plan is to have the decals on tonight, and then do the final varnish tomorrow morning. My only concern is the canopy masking; I think that I've been a little over generous with the paint, and I might have to chisel them off! Paints are Xtracrylix RLM02, 71, and Tamiya for the blue (XF23) and yellow. Anyway, a couple of pics, posed on the Airfix stand it will be sitting on in my rather overcrowded cabinet. I think I'll have an Airfix Spitfire behind it, in Eric Lock's markings. . .but that will be several kits away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 With a few hours to spare! To mark Battle of Britain Day, one ME109 finished and up on its stand! And as it was wheels up, I was obviously forced to take it for a fly around the room . . . now onto the Heinkel! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now