UKguyInUSA Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) Hello Guys, Because I have to wait 8 weeks now for the missing part and damaged part to arrive from Revell Germany for my Revell 1/32 Spitfire Mk.IIa, I'm now going to start a new kit that will be my 2nd entry into "Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary GB" both on here and on YouTube- hosted by Ukscalemodeller and CharlesScaleModelling. This is Eduard's "Weekend Edition" of this model. You can buy what is called a "Profi-Pak" version that is more glitzier, that includes a full color booklet, photo-etch and more color/marking options. This kit was kindly given to me by a modeling buddy and so the sprues had already been taken out of their bags and some parts had been removed from their sprues. The Box is made from a two-ply card base and a single-ply lid making it very sturdy, which I prefer moreso than the single ply Revell boxes that open at one end. The box contains a 8 page black and white instruction/assembly/painting and decaling booklet. Only one option of color/markings is offered, that of Major Otto Bertram's aircraft who was a Luftwaffe ace fighter pilot with 22 kills credited to him that earned him the "Knights Cross of the Iron Cross".... The instructions look straight-forward and the color call outs are for Mr. Color and Hobby Color only, so conversions to your preferred paint will be necessary. Front Page 1 and Back Page 8 Pages 2 and 3 Pages 4 and 5 Pages 6 and 7 There are two sheets of decals/stencils that are very thin, nicely registered, almost zero carrier film around the edges and they are a nice satin/matt finish. Decal Sheet Stencil Sheet The kit comes with 6 olive colored sprues and one clear sprue, but as mentioned earlier, because this kit was given to me, the sprues had been taken apart. But, here are photos of all the parts on their sprues or removed with some close ups too, to show the nice fine panel line and rivet details and also how nicely molded these parts are. There is zero flash on the majority of these parts, with the tiniest amount in a few places. The parts are crisp and clean with zero warping/distortion and ejector pin marks are absent from seen surfaces. One thing that I'm excited about is that this kit includes a Daimler-Benz DB601N engine and removable cowlings to display it if you wish to do so, unlike the Revell 1/32 BF109G-10 build I did recently that didn't include one... The Clear Sprue is very clear with thin molded parts that include riveted frame details. They are free of any aberrations and very little distortion of image when looking through them... At first sight, this kit looks like a really nice kit, well engineered and excellently molded, although it would have been nice to have one or two more options of color/markings. This kit is available from on-line USA distributors for $35.85, which is about 24.00 quid in the UK, which is $12.00 (8.00 quid) more than I paid for the Revell 1/32 BF109G-10, although the Revell kit didn't have an engine and open cowling options. At the end of this build, I'll let you know my thoughts on how well it goes together and compare it to the Revell kit I built to establish my personal opinion on whether it is good value for money. Okay, with that out of the way, I can now go and wash the parts in readiness to make a start on her next Monday! I have the grandson coming soon and he's here until Sunday evening! In the meantime, if you'd like to see my YouTube "In-Box-Review" video for this kit, here is the link: https://youtu.be/H23GCnQS9os Happy modelling and have fun! Cheers Martin : ) Edited August 18, 2015 by UKguyInUSA 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlemaster Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi Martin Good to see another entry on our side . I have built 2 of these and the fit is very good . Will follow your build. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Hi Martin Good to see another entry on our side . I have built 2 of these and the fit is very good . Will follow your build. Hello Mottlemaster, Thanks for taking a look, much appreciated! I'm on here to post my "Build Update #1" progress report, and since getting as far as I did yesterday for this report, I then today, attempted to fit the egine, bulkhead and cockpit sub-assemblies into the fuselage and had a lot of fit issues that required me getting the swiss files out to make things fit...but, that will all be illustrated in "Build Update #2". Anyway....let me post my "Build Update Report" of progress made up to yesterday! Cheers, Martin : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Eduard "Weekend Edition" 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #1" Hello Guys, Well, I made a start on this baby on Tuesday and managed to get a few sub-assemblies built up and painted! I started by washing the parts as always and let them air-dry. Once dry, I removed parts for the inner fuselage wall assemblies from the sprues laid them on my table, then assembled the inner walls and glued them into their corresponding fuselage halves. I also assembled the fuselage radiator housing that fits beneath the engine and then glued it into the starboard fuselage half; Next, I removed the rear wheel location inserts from the sprues and glued them into the tail ends of the fuselage halves; I then moved onto the Engine assembly, by first, removing the parts from the sprues and preparing/sanding the gate vestiges smooth, then gluing everything together; Next was the engine bulkhead/firewall/electrical cabinet and machine gun mount assembly; Following that sub-assembly, I then got all the pieces together for the wing assembly and put those together: This was followed by assembling the drop tank, horizontal stabilizers and elevators: It was now time to assemble all the parts within the cockpit: Lastly, I assembled the flaps: It was now time to begin painting! I started off by airbrushing a black base coat onto all the interior parts and some of the external sub-assembly components, then followed that by airbrushing a RLM 02 onto all internal parts: I then airbrushed aluminum onto the propeller assembly components, the oil tank and engine support mounts; After that, I allowed everything to dry on my table and checked how it was looking so far: I could begin detailing the sub-assemblies now everything had dried, and so, I started with the engine, painting it, then adding the exhaust stubs, coolant tank and some hoses: Following the engine, I detail painted the cockpit interior, then using some stretched sprue, I fabricated and fitted a hose for the Oxygen regulator and painted that blue. I added some delicate aluminum chipping to weather it a little; Next, I detail painted the engine bulkhead/firewall/electrical cabinets and machine gun mount assembly, followed by detailing the internal walls of the fuselage halves; And, after all that, I laid everything out on my table to check the progress achieved for this update and took some photos; Well, that's it for this update, more to come soon! In the meantime, if you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #1" video for this project, here is the link to that: https://youtu.be/54TGIdJMXTc Thanks in advance for taking a look and leaving comments, much appreciated! Until "Build Update #2", take care, happy modeling, have fun and enjoy this coming weekend! :th: Cheers Martin 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ettore Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Well done ! A great work also I not love 1/32 Ettore 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Fantastic start! Definitely going to be watching this one. Craig. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREG DESTEC Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Great start. Looking forward to the next update. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Well done ! A great work also I not love 1/32 Ettore Thanks Ettore, greatly appreciated! Cheers, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Fantastic start! Definitely going to be watching this one. Craig. Thanks Craig, greatly appreciated! Cheers, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Great start. Looking forward to the next update. Thanks, Greg, much appreciated! Cheers Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Eduard "Weekend Edition" 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #2" After a few days, I managed to get some more done on this "baby", but, things happened that I didn't expect to happen with a kit who's reviews that I had read were positive and praiseful...hmm? Anyway, leading off from where I finished with "Build Update #1", it was time to airbrush a gloss clear coat over the previously painted parts so that I could add the instrument panel decals, a dirt wash and some delicate wear and tear/chipping.... First, I applied the decal to the lower instrument panel, which was followed by applying the decal to the upper instrument panel: I then mixed a dirt wash using a small pea sized amount of black oil paint, a smidgeon of white oil paint thinned down with odorless mineral spirits. I then brushed it liberally over all of the painted and clear coated parts and left it to dry for 30 minutes; I then rubbed the excess of using cotton buds/Q-Tips, but left enough on to give a nice worn, dirty appearance. I then laid everything out on the table to see how it all looked before I moved on to the next step which was to be some delicate chipping effects using Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum... I was happy with how the sub-assemblies looked, and so I moved onto assembling the engine to the bulkhead/firewall, using the engine mounting brackets, I also fitted a hose to the filler cap. Super-glue is recommended for doing this to achieve a fast and solid bond; It was now time to assemble the engine into the bay, and here is where my problems began!!! Aaarrggghhhhh! I recommend that if you build this kit, you hide sharp objects so that you don't slash your wrists, you shave your head to prevent you pulling your hair out, and, you line the walls with soft padding so it doesn't hurt when you bang your head against them!Anyway....the instructions direct you to fit the engine into the starboard side fuselage, pushing the exhaust stack through the aperture that they locate into. Well...that wasn't happening! The rectangular aperture is both too short in length and shallow on the width. I took a flat swiss file and gently worked at all 4 sides until the exhausts slipped through. Beneath the engine is the radiator housing that one assumes the engine rests onto and is glued onto it as a point of location to set the height of the engine. Well, again, the top of the radiator is too low and leaves a space, so the only support the engine has is the slot the exhausts are slid through. I put a couple of piece of cocktail sticks on top of the radiator housing and used super-glue to fix them there, then filed them until the engine sat on them and the exhausts lined up with the aperture they are to slide through. That worked and I was happy the engine had some support beneath it to prevent it accidentally being pressed down and breaking off the exhausts. The next fit issue that came to light was that the distance from the front of the oil cooler tank to the back face of the bulkhead was around 1.5mm too long, and therefore, the bulkhead wall didn't locate into the recess on the side of the fuselage to position the assembly in the correct place. I therefore had to file the location recess back about 0.5-0.75mm, and, file down the front of the oil cooler tank until the engine/bulkhead assembly fitted into the fuselage: Now that I had got the engine/bulkhead assembly to fit into it's intended location, presently by dry-fitting until I was certain I had covered everything before I glued it into position, I dry-fitted the portside fuselage half around it, and, discovered another issue; the fuselage halves would not close together at the front end beneath the engine/nose area, and a gap of around 2.0mm was present. I therefore had to file down the sides of the oil cooler tank, the inside walls of the fuselage, and, the first exhaust pipe on both sides of the engine. After all of the filing, and, filing off as much as I dare before parts fail, I put the fuselage halves back together and I was happier with the fit. The gap closed up from around 2.0mm to about 0.5/0.75mm, which I felt was a more comfortable gap to work with when filling; I then permanently glued the engine, the bulkhead and cockpit into the starboard fuselage half. This is where I ended for this update; the next update- #3, will be the plane fully assembled, filled, filed smooth, washed, primed and pre-shaded. If you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #2" video that outlines the above more clearly in a step by step fashion, then here is the link to that: https://youtu.be/54TGIdJMXTc Thanks in advance to those that view this thread, leave comments and follow my build on YouTube, much appreciated! Have a good week! Cheers Martin 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Excellent work Martin! The weathering ou have done to the cockpit and engine is extrememly realistic. Craig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) Hello Guys, {snip} This is Eduard's "Weekend Edition" of this model. You can buy what is called a "Profi-Pak" version that is more glitzier, that includes a full color booklet, photo-etch and more color/marking options. This kit was kindly given to me by a modeling buddy and so the sprues had already been taken out of their bags and some parts had been removed from their sprues. The Box is made from a two-ply card base and a single-ply lid making it very sturdy, which I prefer moreso than the single ply Revell boxes that open at one end. {snip} The instructions look straight-forward and the color call outs are for Mr. Color and Hobby Color only, so conversions to your preferred paint will be necessary. {snip} Pages 2 and 3{snip}At first sight, this kit looks like a really nice kit, well engineered and excellently molded, although it would have been nice to have one or two more options of color/markings. This kit is available from on-line USA distributors for $35.85, which is about 24.00 quid in the UK, which is $12.00 (8.00 quid) more than I paid for the Revell 1/32 BF109G-10, although the Revell kit didn't have an engine and open cowling options. At the end of this build, I'll let you know my thoughts on how well it goes together and compare it to the Revell kit I built to establish my personal opinion on whether it is good value for money. Okay, with that out of the way, I can now go and wash the parts in readiness to make a start on her next Monday! I have the grandson coming soon and he's here until Sunday evening! In the meantime, if you'd like to see my YouTube "In-Box-Review" video for this kit, here is the link: https://youtu.be/H23GCnQS9os Happy modelling and have fun! Cheers Martin : ) That's a lovely build, with excellent work on your part, just sorry about the engine problems. I suspect other people have had issues with that engine - Eduard have changed the instructions in the current boxing of the kit.. {edit} Whoops, sorry, I was looking at 1/48 scale instructions {/edit} Edited August 8, 2015 by Greg B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazdot Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) Martin great work, as I'm building one myself here is my twopence worth the problem with the gap is the oil cooler It's just too damn wide either thin the walls or as did reduce the width of the cooler. If you haven't closed everything up yet this is what I did 1 glued fuselage halves together 2 fitted cockpit in from underneath 3 fitted wings (this ensures wings line up) 4 (in your case) fit oil cooler (in mine I put the bulkhead in because mine is closed up) 5 fit bulkhead and engine 6 glue bottom seam under engine you may find the bottom corners of the oil tank need reducing also When I did this it all fixed fine but as I said I haven't put the engine in if you are intending to put the engine in but close up it won't close over the engine bearers at all Secondly and it's your model so please don't take offence e1 e3 and e4 didn't carry drop tanks there was no plumbing only the e7 carried them Darren Edited August 4, 2015 by dazdot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlemaster Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Good Mega update .Can see you have spent many an hour on your 109 . I,m not sure if the small oil tank would have been on this aircraft as i think i'v read it was used on the tropical versions . I may be totally wrong as i'm NO expert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 That's a lovely build, with excellent work on your part, just sorry about the engine problems. I suspect other people have had issues with that engine - Eduard have changed the instructions in the current boxing of the kit.. {edit} Whoops, sorry, I was looking at 1/48 scale instructions {/edit} Thanks Robert, greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Martin great work, as I'm building one myself here is my twopence worth the problem with the gap is the oil cooler It's just too damn wide either thin the walls or as did reduce the width of the cooler. If you haven't closed everything up yet this is what I did 1 glued fuselage halves together 2 fitted cockpit in from underneath 3 fitted wings (this ensures wings line up) 4 (in your case) fit oil cooler (in mine I put the bulkhead in because mine is closed up) 5 fit bulkhead and engine 6 glue bottom seam under engine you may find the bottom corners of the oil tank need reducing also When I did this it all fixed fine but as I said I haven't put the engine in if you are intending to put the engine in but close up it won't close over the engine bearers at all Secondly and it's your model so please don't take offence e1 e3 and e4 didn't carry drop tanks there was no plumbing only the e7 carried them Darren Thanks Darren, much appreciated! I did file down the insides of the fuselage walls around the oil cooler area, and filed back the location recess for the bulkhead. I also filed down the rear edges of the bulkhead, along with filing down the oil cooler front face and all around the sides and bottom. I also had to file out the apertures that the exhausts locate through, as well as filing down the front exhaust pipe to allow the fuselage sides to close up more than they did. It still left a gap of around 0.5mm to 0.75mm that had to b filled. This is all described in my "Build Update #2" and shown in the photos. Anyway, she's all built up now, and I'm on here to post my :Build Update #3" report to show my progress to date! Cheers Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Good Mega update .Can see you have spent many an hour on your 109 . I,m not sure if the small oil tank would have been on this aircraft as i think i'v read it was used on the tropical versions . I may be totally wrong as i'm NO expert Thanks mate, much appreciated! Regarding the oil tank, it would have been a lot easier to build this plane without it and I wouldn't have had half the fit issues if it wasn't included. But, the part is included in the kit and shown in the instructions for the E3 version. But, that said, they have also included a drop tank in the parts with instructions included indicating to fit it in place. I have been informed by a few modelers that the E3 version didn't have a drop tank. I think Eduard should do a better job with their research and don't include parts that are not supposed to be included. Cheers, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKguyInUSA Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Eduard "Weekend Edition" 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #3" Well, the last few days, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and so, guess what I did to utilize that time?! You got it...I got back onto this build. In "Build Update #2" I left off with the cockpit and engine finally fitted and glued into the starboard side fuselage. Here are some images of that, which weren't included in "Build Update #2": Engine and bulkhead glued in place: Time to glue in the cockpit: After those sub-assemblies had set in place, I laid out all the parts that I was going to assemble next: I started by assembling the portside fuselage half to the starboard side and clamped and taped that until it had set. After that, I assembled the wing assembly to the fuselage assembly and taped it until the glue had set. I then removed the tape: There was a gap around the rear end of where the wing assembly joins the underside of the fuselage and a gap at the propeller end of the fuselage, and so, I had to get the filler out- the first time in about 12 builds. When the filler had set, I smoothed the joints down, then fitted the two underwing radiator covers: I then moved onto assembling the ailerons, flaps, horizontal stabilizer/elevators and finally the rudder: With the main assembly now completed, the plane was ready to be primed, but before I did, I cleaned her down with Isopropyl Alcohol, masked the cockpit, engine and exhausts with tape, then masked the wheel wells and air intakes with damp tissue. I also temporarily located the wheel bay doors with putty so that they act as masks, but also get painted at the same time as the plane: I then primed the plane and some peripheral parts with Model Masters Grey Primer: When the primer was dry, I then pre-shaded the plane and peripheral parts: Once the pre-shade was dry, it was time to move on with the first of the three exterior camouflage colors, the light blue for the underside and fuselage sides. There is a contradiction on the paint instructions, the color call out is for RLM 76 Lichtblau, but at the top of the page there is a description of the aircraft wherein it states the color was RLM 65 Hellblau. I wanted a pale blue, so I used the RLM 76 with a small amount of the RLM 65 to add a pale bluish hue. After airbrushing that mix on, I then added some white to what was left in the airbrush cup, to tone it down so that I could airbrush some highlights on top of the blue color: It was now time to start preparing for masking the plane to airbrush the two upper camo colors. I therefore, as I always do, measured the width of the wings on both the plane and the plan view of the painting instructions and calculated a scale factor by dividing the actual plane measurement by the measurement taken from the painting guide. It calculated to a scale factor of 2.31, and using this factor, I photocopied the painting instructions plan view and scaled it up by 2.31 using the zoom option on my photo-copier. I took a copy of the starboard side and the portside: I then cut out the darker of the two colors and used those to mask the plane in readiness to airbrush the lighter RLM 02 Grau color. After airbrushing it onto the exposed areas, I then added some white to tone the color down for airbrushing some highlights: I removed those masks and checked how it looked: I let that dry for a few hours and then cut out the lighter colored areas on the masks and used those to mask over the previously airbrushed RLM 02. After completing the masking, I then airbrushed RLM 71 Dunkelgrun onto the exposed areas, then added white to tone it down for airbrushing some highlights: This was as far as I had gotten for this update and so I removed the masks and checked everything. A little area of paint peeled from the underside of the starboard horizontal stabilizer and I had some bleed through onto a couple of small areas of the engine. I then put everything that I completed so far onto my table and took some photos: Well, that's it for this update guys! From hereon, I will touch up the few areas where paint peeled and I got some bleed through, then give everything a gloss clear coat in readiness to add my decals. After decaling, I will then move onto weathering. In the meantime, if you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #3" video, here is the link to that: https://youtu.be/McUxVQiCQKo Thanks in advance for following this build, leaving comments and watching my video, greatly appreciated! Until the next update, have a great weekend and happy modeling! Cheers Martin 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 I am impressed the way you illustrate your build. Great pictures and great work! Cheers, Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlemaster Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 yes ,i agree wih Basilisk , an easy to follow build and an insight into how you build and paint your modells. Like you i'm a prolific consumer of cocktail sticks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREG DESTEC Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Holy moley, thats great progress! Love what you're doing with this one, it all looks great to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Absolutely superb! I love the effect with the paintwork, very convincing. This is going to look fantastic when you have finished it. Craig. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airgunner Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 I am really liking what's going on here, plenty of stuff to learn in your build techniques. Going to be a stunner once she's done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Your build is looking stunning. Nice save on the engine fit. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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