vppelt68 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) I bought this Airfix A01008 Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 <+- a couple of years ago. It´s an iconic aeroplane but may also appear as a bit worn subject for a Battle of Britain build. I´ll build it anyway, out of the box and paint it using Humbrol enamel paints and hairy sticks. Do they still make tubes of Britfix plastic cement? Pics later. I suppose the sprue and instruction pics can be skipped as this subject is already rather well documented at the interweb. Happy modelling everybody! Regards, V-P Edited September 26, 2015 by vppelt68 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I'm building two Spitfires so I don't think this counts as a worn subject! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Time to post an update! First the obligatory pic of sprues and instructions: What a tiny little kit! Oh but I needed to "finish" another Spitfire first . Next morning I found out I had, regardless of being engaged to a duel... dual... make it a triple of Spitfires, managed to do this: Now I need to remember I have used also Revell enamels, when I´ll list the ingredients in the gallery post (see how positive I´m about finishing this!?). The assembly continues... The leading edge fit was rotten. I should´ve removed the guide pins. The IP decal needed severe trimming. Going through paint and decal instructions I found Airfix had forgotten most of them. The solution: Airfix 1:48 kit instructions, downloaded from the Airfix Tribute Forum. Thanks ATF! Option 2 is Eduard website. Main parts together. Next time I´d glue the upper wing panels to fuselage first, as the wings look too shallow now and there´s a visible step in the joint. This is how things look like underbelly. Or whatever you call it. Crap. I forgot to take pictures of where I put some putty. Didn´t need much of it anyway as the kit fit (yep) just fine. She´s - no. Like a Curtiss airplane (say a P-40) this beast just gotta be a "he". He´s got most of the little parts attached and just waiting for some paint. The prop assembly is just tacked on. My camera really distorts the proportions! The tail will go there in the very final part as it´ll be painted all white. Thanks for watching! Regards, V-P 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Nice progress, looks a lot different to the last 1/72 Airfix kit I made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) First layer of quite old Hu65 is on. The hue became very turquois and I'm pretty sure I'll use some liberty in picking another pot of paint next. Nevermind what it says in the lid... I'll paint the b.....d light blue. V-P EDIT: Edited September 20, 2015 by vppelt68 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 Up from page 5 of build threads . You thought I had quit? No way! I did have a long pause, though (check the picture dates!) First some masking... ...followed by some painting, then a PAUSE, some building, some painting and some masking again (pic taken this morning)... ...and here´s where HE stands today: just waiting for varnish and stickers . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 I noticed I had missed painting the leading edges light blue. That's now corrected but I need to touch up the greens instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 This 109 is starting to look real nice. I am busy building the same one, on me little own, out of the GB. But unlike you, who is showing result, I am scratch building (some would say wasting time... and they are possibly right) a more reasonable cockpit interior... But I am soaking in any information I can find! I have no shame and I shall be spying on you! Great job! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 Thanks Jean. My long build is nearing the end. The kit is varnished and ready for decals. Here are just some pics of it "clean". I also wanted to show the difference in painting the leading edges blue. My camera phone isn´t at its sharpest at 6 AM (and me neither...). The bugger looks anemic and pale in these pics. I shall use some modellers' license and try to represent the kit as von Werras' plane before it got a new clean engine cowling and the mottled panels behind them. But lets not get into serious debate about the historical accuracy! Regards, V-P P.S. Thanks Airfix, yet another great kit :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Hi vppelt, this 109 does indeed look very good. Like you, I believe that that particular plane must have had(possibly not too long before it was shot down) a normal camo, without the allegedly pale RLM 65 front cowlings. So I am fully behind your take. Great show! JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Italians took part in the Battle of Britain too. An Italian songwriter has written "forse un giorno tutto gamberai", or something, that means "maybe one day will change it all". In this case it wasn´t a day but a night. I think the Little Messerschmitt looks quite healthy now, the anemia is beaten. I went nearly mad adding all those awfully small stencils but once you´ve been bitten by the bug, you just can´t leave them off. I can´t promise some of them aren´t upside down though! I need to add the canopy, antenna wire and maybe matt varnish too but I´m not sure about that. This doesn´t look too glossy to me. Tonight I´ll attend a lecture about night fighter operations in the First and Second World Wars so I suppose finishing this will happen in the weekend. Regards, V-P 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Hi vppelt, now, this 109 I do like very much! Funny that you'd have chosen the same line of thought than myself, re the camo of the front. My plan, just like you, is NOT to take any notice of the light blue forward. Re the "slight mottling" in front of the canopy, I am not 100% sure yet, but as I brush paint, I may well end up like you. Although I usually follow the motto: "why make it simple when it can be made complicated" I may well make an exception in this case! My plan is to post some photos this week-end... or am I dreaming? Great show! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Thanks Jean! I suppose von Werras' plane got the mottled panels as replacement from another, mottled plane at the same time it got a fresh new cowling, but I don´t claim that´s any kind of a fact! It would be interesting though to add the mottling and weather the fuselage back from the panels... and see how that´d look like? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Hi vppelt, having taken as close a look at all the photos from von Werra's plane I could find (and that's not very many...), it looks like most of the weathering behind the exhaust stacks may be the result of the plane being shot down. You know, like a very dark sooty smoke pouring out of the exhausts? Anyway, as I am a legend in my own lunch box, I convinced myself that this is a very plausible scenario! So no heavy weathering for me on the sides of the fuselage! Life is getting easier by the second! Once again: I like what you created! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 This may not please you, Jean, but I went the filthy and weathered way with my build. Here´s one shot of the finished build, there´ll be four more in the Gallery soon. Regards, V-P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 V-P she looks a stunner. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 This may not please you, Jean, but I went the filthy and weathered way with my build. Here´s one shot of the finished build, there´ll be four more in the Gallery soon. Regards, V-P Hi vppelt, I am not displeased at all. I actually find your take on this particular 109 extremely well done and convincing. It does look really good. I personally will follow a more conservative approach, which for me is a rarity. Great show! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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