1/24 bf109e-4 Airfix (11/24 Markings started)

[ScanmanDan]

Just doodling about with this great old kit. Making some progress;

Cockpit

Started to work on some surface details on the fuselage.

I hope you enjoy.

Dan

Edited November 23, 2013 by ScanmanDan

[ScanmanDan]

A little progress;

Messed about a fair bit doing the little teardrop blisters for the belly. They are too big but will have to do.

Started working on the tail planes, lots of flash needed sanding down.

Going to put in Radu's seatbelt set tonight and that usually takes a couple of hours so that's it for the weekend.

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

[ben_m]

Looking great Dan- did you scratch build those little fasteners for the cowling panels? They look really nice.

[modelfan]

Looking good great kit!

[AirfixAndy]

Ive seen a fair few of these built , Ive even built one myself but Ill say that yours is the best fitting engine cover Ive ever laid my eyes on !!

Andy

[ScanmanDan]

Ben-- Yeah I just wanted something a bit more deailed. I used a Trumpeter 1mm micro chisel to cut in a slot and filled it with a bit of 1mm wide strip with a bit of detail pressed in. a tiny bit of 0.5mm rod finished off the deception. I think it will look okay under some paint and pop a bit once I wash it with some oil paint.

Modelfan-- Thanks!

Andy-- That cowl took a few hours of scraping and sanding and checking to get to fit halfway decent. I took a fair bit off both sides of the bulkhead that the cowl guns sit on and thinned down the cowl at the mating edges. I have riveted the whole fuselage with a beading tool and lightly sanded the lot to get rid of a wavy texture. No doubt I'll need to do some more tweeking once I glue the whole assemble together.

Dan

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

I have wrestled the fuselage together, much clamping and glueing.

Belly finished off with cowl vents and more little bits.

Rudder got some cables.

Started to tart up the prop and landing gear.

I'm riveting the wings right now and beginning work on boxing in the gear wells. I want to do canvas wheel well liners.

I hope you like the pictures.

Thanks for stopping in for a look.

Dan

[TnF3]

Doing a really nice job there Dan, what are you using to produce the riveting detail?

Ian

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

I wanted to have canvas covers for the wheel wells as Airfix left them as big gaping holes with no detail at all. Used hardware store two part epoxy putty to block out the shape and then some bits and bobs to fake a bit of detail. Better than a big old hole I hope .

Airfix did a credible job on the shapes for this kit. It's a nice starting point to add details to. Engrave a bit here, add a bit of styrene for some missing bolt details there and before you know it the whole thing just pops. It's going to be great fun to detail paint!

Ian-- Thanks for your support. The rivet detail was pressed in with a beading tool I bought on the internet.

I just followed the raised pattern on the kit and then lightly sanded the area. I did have to go back in and reinstate some of the rivets that the sanding partially removed but it wasn't too much work. The beading tool set I got has a range of tips that allow a wide range of different sized rivets to be produced. The number 10 tip matched the Airfix raised rivets perfectly. A bit boring to do but I took breaks every half and hour or so and didn't find the task too taxing. Very much improves the look of the kit as the pictures of the real thing so a very smooth surface finish. I think the German workers early in the war put a lot of effort in getting the finish nice and smooth. IHTH.

Thanks to everyone for stopping in for a look.

Dan

Edited September 15, 2013 by ScanmanDan

[ScanmanDan]

What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Made a one part mold of the rubber main wheels. Something in the rubber that Airfix uses inhibits the setting of the Pinkysil mold material I use. This leaves the tyre detail soft and mushy. I'll add some mud and grass to the wheel edges and you shouldn't be able to tell.

I dearly wish some body would come out with replacements for those stupid rubber tyres that Airfix uses .

Dan

[woody37]

Nice start. Do like these 1/24 scale kits, as a kid, unlike most builds, these took more than a day to build !!

[ScanmanDan]

Thanks Woody, I could never hold out saving for one of these as a kid, the latest 1/48 Monogram always took my cash first .

Progress;

Prop and spinner;

Main landing gear;

Lots more un-photogenic work done to the radiator and under wing. Once sorted I'll tackle the other wing.

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

[hendie]

some really nice detail work there... very impressive

[malt1977]

I wish i had half the patience that you have. This is going to be a cracking model when its finished.

[ScanmanDan]

Thanks Hendie and malt!

I don't know that I have the corner on patience. Need to preserver and finish the other wing now.

Dan

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

I got the HGW seat belts the other day and rushed to put them on. I like the new material but my set didn't have any instruction. My vanity got in the way and I thought I knew how they went together. So I built, then looked at some photos. DOH! I know the belts aren't right but I'm going to close the canopy anyway. Still, no excuse for not looking at some references first. I liked how they came out. They are a bit easier to work with than Radu's but The photoetch seems thinner. Also the fabric material is thinner too. They got a couple of coats of matt medium to seal them and then some watercolour washes. Not subtle but then I'm ham fisted and they look better at usual viewing distance. I'm undecided as to if they are better than Radu's just different. Much better for me than Eduards, I can't get those pre-painted photo etched ones to work at all.

Did some more bits for the cockpit so I can get that sealed up. 'Bout it for mid week.

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

[Chris W. Balmer]

Whichever way you skin it, those belts look triffic!

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

With a new job to learn I haven't had much time to work on the 109,but I did get to grips with the canopy.

I don't know if it was me or not but the darn thing didn't want to fit in the closed possition. The back bit was 1-1.5mm below the spine and the middle bit didn't fit at all. The front section has been milled out for the IP and sanded to wafer thinness in some spots. I've had to add some styrene shims as well. Real blacksmith work . This how it looks with the rear section glued and puttied in and the hinged and front section just sitting in place. I'm going to have to glue the hinged section to the front as it wants to 'suck in' at the joint. I have worked over the armoured head rest and painted it. I've been trying out watercolours as a wash medium and so far so good. Fast and plenty permeant for this work. The trick for avoiding tide marks is to wet the whole piece and then apply the colour. A lot faster than oils that's for sure.

Oh, and here's a shot of the seat in the office.

I'm off to mess about with the gunsight and some handles so that I can glue this all in and move forward.Thanks for dropping in for a look.

Dan

[Spikelhund]

Nice work Dan, Your efforts are paying off. I like the paint work, a bit 'impressionist' to my eye.

Cheers...

[SHAR67]

This is fantastic Dan your definitely doing the old kit justice, I have this in the loft might give it a go when I see your end result. What's the new job?, mine takes up nearly all of my time then the daughter of 2 takes up another percentage and what's left is not much but I do squeeze a bit of modelling in.

Clive

[Viking]

Just found this Dan, It's a great reference!

I've got one of these stashed to build 'one day', you are making it look fun so it might just move up the 'to do' list. Those cowling fasteners are brilliant, and I love all the other little details you are adding. Inspiring work!

Cheers

John

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

Gunsight, just shards of styrene and paint.

Spikelhund -- Thanks for your comments they mean a lot to me. For better or worse I do tend towards the high saturation, high contrast paint styles. I'm still pretty ham fisted with the paint but it looks better at normal viewing distance.

Clive -- Thanks! Oh, do drag out the old girl. I love these old kits. Never could afford them as a kid and they aren't too bad even today. Sure look nice once finished and have a nice WOW factor.

John -- You're too kind I don't know how much I'd use my work as reference, I know where the bodies are buried on this build If I can get folks interested in the old Airfix kits that would be great. I'm encouraged you like some of the little details I'm putting in.

Tomorrow sees me zipping up the cockpit and starting on the other wing.

Daylight savings robs us of a whole hour tonight .

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

Edited October 5, 2013 by ScanmanDan

[HL-10]

Impressive work!

You're really brining this old kit into the 21st century

[ScanmanDan]

Last for the update for the weekend.

Progress (Sort of );

The canopy is on and seated properly. That's the good part. But as you can see I have some sanding dust in the cockpit . It's not so bad in person, the camera makes it a lot worse, but it is there. I did reach for the Hammer of Destruction as the canopy and cowls have been a bear to get right. Any body have any tips on how clean it with out removing the canopy.( Its way stuck on with tons of superglue. Needed a lot of force and assistance to get it to sit down at all. In fact I have a tiny stress mark too ) I think if I could cancel out the static build up in the clear canopy then it would just drop to the floor of the cockpit which I could live with. Any ideas?

I did reinstate the rear canopy seam and I've painted in the interior colour. So It's off to masking and the a shot of primer once the wings are on. I'm admittedly a bit gutted by the dust but I'll keep pressing on and finish this one. It's not very noticeable under normal viewing and it's not like I'll be winning any contests with her.

Thanks HL-10 -- As much as I like working with these old kits there are times I long to a drop fit Tamiya build

Thanks for looking.

Dan

[woody37]

If you have access to the cockpit through the engine bay, using one of those aerosol keyboard cleaners that has a straw works well for getting rid of sanding dust as they just contain compressed air, use them a lot for this.

Stunning so far