Earla Built 109's

[Denford]

Not wishing to veer 'off thread' on AZ future 109 releases, could somebody be so good as to explain what is distinctive/special about Erla Built 109's

[Nachtwulf]

I am no expert on 109's either , but I know the clear vision canopy was one thing.

[Giorgio N]

If you mean the Erla built G-10, these had a differently shaped engine cowling compared to other G-10s

[Touvdal]

The difference is the flaring behinnd the engine cover on both sides.

Erla

Wien-Neustadt

Cheers

Jes

Wien-Neustadt

Cheers

Jes

Edited June 18, 2016 by Touvdal

[Troy Smith]

The Erla planes had more differences than shown above

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1323015953/Question+about+bf109-G10+with+%26quot%3B110+engines%26quot%3B

note also different gun troughs and oil cooler width/depth

also, there was a unique scheme applied on some of the production batches

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235003797-bf109g-10-132-revell-colour-instructions/

note dark fuselage underneath and undertail planes, there are more images of this scheme in the link.

HTH

[Jure Miljevic]

Hi!

According to the book Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10-U4 - production and operational service (JaPo) only type 110 cowling applies to Erla production, the other two types had been used on Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg and Wiener Neustadt factory production lines. I also vaguely remember something about slight differences between tails and use of various Flettner trim tabs on rudders, although I am not sure if these do not apply only to G-14 models. Cheers

Jure

[Duncan B]

Also of note is that ERLA was the only factory to build the G5 variant and they were produced at the same time as ERLA was also producing the G6.This is why their G6 also had the distinctive extra bulge and intake on the starboard cowling to save on producing 2 different cowlings. As someone has already mentioned ERLA's paint-shop produced quite a distinctive interpretation of the RLM paint instructions, for instance if you see the 'Fir tree' pattern camo on the wings of an 109F or G then you can be sure it was produced by ERLA. They also went through several distinctive patterns of fuselage painting with the later Gs having a quite spotty appearance of the mottling.

Note that the reference 'Type 110 cowl' etc description referred to above is a recent description and not a period RLM/Luftwaffe one. IIRC is was Mermet himself that came up with the description but I might be wrong.

Duncan B

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello, Denford

Most, if not all, Erla built Bf 109 G-10s had so called late rudder with two ground adjustable trim tabs. That is just a fancy way of saying that pilot could bend those two aluminum tabs on the ground according to his preferences. In their book Messerschmitt Bf 109 F, G & K series (Shiffer) Jochen Prien and Peter Rodeike state that production batches 490000 and 491000 G-10s, two of the four batches assigned to Erla, had been produced with such trim tabs. Several batches of G-14 received such rudders, too. Judging by the photos and profiles, majority of G-10s with the early Flettner tab rudder only had been produced in Regensburg.

Another question I am not quite certain about is concerning various types of horizontal tail and elevator. It seems that early VNF production aircraft used various combinations of both metal and wooden horizontal tails and elevators with both one long or two short trim tabs. My suggestion for Erla built machines is to stick with standard G-10 horizontal surfaces. However, bear in mind that Bf 109 G-10s were G-6s and G-14s, reworked as close as possible to K standard and there had been many exemptions from the rules. I hope you find these information useful. Cheers

Jure

P.S.: Yes, Duncan B, Mermet invented cowling type numbers himself to ease distinction between models and also stated so in his publication.

[Denford]

Thank you to all who have posted answers to my original question.

All very subtle, and not always easily distinguishable!

To complicate matters, replacement parts may not always have corresponded to the original. So if I build 109 with say, the wrong number of rudder trim tabs, or bulge where there shouldn't be one, I'll pass it off as a field replacement!

I'm still working from 'The Last of the Eagles' and a lot of new information has come to light since then. In fact I don't think Erla even rates a mention there: certainly not the widener rather than deeper oil cooler.

[Stonar]

To complicate matters, replacement parts may not always have corresponded to the original. So if I build 109 with say, the wrong number of rudder trim tabs, or bulge where there shouldn't be one, I'll pass it off as a field replacement!

Or an aircraft rebuilt on the industry side of the repair and salvage organisation. The 'mongrel' of a Bf 109 hanging in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra (which I once drove several hundred miles out of my way to see, Canberra not being exactly on the way to Brisbane from Sydney!) is an excellent example of just this.

Cheers

Steve

Edited June 20, 2016 by Stonar

[Jure Miljevic]

Denford,

is this just a general inquiry or are you planning to build a model of Erla G-10? If so, in which scale? Cheers

Jure

[Denford]

Denford,

is this just a general inquiry or are you planning to build a model of Erla G-10? If so, in which scale? Cheers

Jure

No, just a general enquiry

[Jure Miljevic]

When you decide to build Bf 109 G-10, the obvious rule to go for the one with as many photos and information available as possible applies, naturally. It is an interesting subject, though, with colour schemes and markings reflecting deteriorating state of affairs in the near-collapsing Third Reich. Anyway, happy modelling! Cheers

Jure