Eduard / Alley Cat Model 1/32 Bf109D-1 Spanish war conversion

[Greif]

Hi Modelers, 

 

Here is a strange story that could have started with the tittle " how to transform a trade gone bad into a special aircraft..."

The story starts three months ago when a guy propose me to trade my Big King Tiger in 1/16 for two aircrafts in 1/32 " almost done, just to finish..." as he said. 

The first aircraft was a Bf109E-1 Profipack from Eduard and the second, a Fw190D-9 from... who knows? 

The pictures were bad and I was not convinced at all, but I had the necessity to remove the too big KT from my stash, so I accepted.

Well... I've been very surprised when I 've opened the package...needless to say that the surprise quickly turn to anger!

The Fw190 directly finishes in the hands of my younger son who was so happy to have a "plane like daddy"....the kit was I supposed, from the 60's...very very poor quality.. a toy.

The Bf109E-1 from Eduard was a Profipack, with additional PE and it's a nice kit... but this one was very badly done.

In the end that's not a problem of being low or high skilled in modelling, the problem was to have trade with a liar that recognize in the end that it was already a second hand kit...

I precise that this person is not a member of Britmodeller community. 

My son was already doing some space to welcome the 109 on his shelf, when I decided to turn this junked 109 into a special one: few days before, talking about 109's models differencies, my son pointed out a strange 109 with black crosses on the wings; it was a picture from a Bf109D-1 photografed during the Spanish war...  I've made some research to find any manufacturer that proposes a 109D in 1/32, and I found Alley Cat Range that has this conversion in its catalog ( and not only this one!).

So I ordered it ( with a Bf109G-12 conversion as well)...and the story begins...

 

 

First, I did heavy surgery on the 109: the cockpit was lacking half of its components, still attached to the sprues. so I start cutting, nose, wings, cowlings... until I got to the cockpit. The cockpit tube was incorrectly installed causing a flat dihedral to the wings... so I remove everything, keeping only the two half fuselage bonded. I completed the cockpit a repainted it in the correct RLM02 color ( not RLM66 like did by the previous owner), washed it, done some dry-brush... and it comes like this now, note the sword like control stick:

 

 

More to come sooner!

Thanks for watching!

Cheers

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by Greif

[celt]

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Hello i like the idea and work so far. I have a quick question does any one make a conversion set or maybe a complete Dora kit in 1/48 or 1/72 scales. Id love to add a Dora either from the Spanish civil war or the Polish offensive in 1939.

thank you in advance. 

 

 

[Troy Smith]

16 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Hello i like the idea and work so far. I have a quick question does any one make a conversion set or maybe a complete Dora kit in 1/48 or 1/72 scales. Id love to add a Dora either from the Spanish civil war or the Polish offensive in 1939.

thank you in advance. 

 

 

Hi Dennis

In 1/48th

Hobbycraft (reboxed  by Academy) did a 109B/C/D  It's supposed to have issues with the nose.

Ventura did a limited run Bf109B

Classic Airframes did a Bf109A/B and a C/D, OOP but findable second hand, 

AMG recently did the early family again

 

detailed pics

http://www.hyperscale.com/2017/reviews/kits/amg48711reviewbg_1.htm

built here

https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/cleaver/g/109/tc109a.htm

 

probably the one to get unless you find the CA kits at a good price. The alternate parts and decals in both the AMG and CA kits could be used to improve the Hobbycraft kit, which can probably be got cheap in the US

 

I'm not up on 1/72nd, two are listed here

https://modelingmadness.com/scott/109s/109gallery.htm

 

There maybe more, have a look on Scalemates

 

HTH

T

[Troy Smith]

7 hours ago, Greif said:

second, a Fw190D-9 from... who knows? 

The pictures were bad and I was not convinced at all, but I had the necessity to remove the too big KT from my stash, so I accepted.

Well... I've been very surprised when I 've opened the package...needless to say that the surprise quickly turn to anger!

The Fw190 directly finishes in the hands of my younger son who was so happy to have a "plane like daddy"....the kit was I supposed, from the 60's...very very poor quality.. a toy.

 

Looks to be the Revell kit

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/175029-revell-h-215-focke-wulf-190-d

 

though there was an old Hasegawa kit as well.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Thanks very much troy. I now have a starting point from which to start.

[Greif]

Many thanks Troy for the answers. I couldn't have done better!

 

I don't know anything about the Fw190D-9 I got because it came without the box or instructions. If you're interested I can take some pictures. 

However, it's an old standard kit: thick hard plastic, raised details panel lines, rivets, poor details and out of shape and scale in my opinion.  

[hacker]

l have a Cutting Edge conversion in my stash somewhere. It's meant for the old Hasegawa but if memory servers me correct it will fit the Eduard kit as well.

 

 

[Greif]

I've realized that I had abandoned this thread since a long time… but in the meantime I have completed this Germano-Spanish lady! 

So Let's post the missing episodes! 

 

So after completing the cockpit it was time to try to reinstall it in its correct position and so to correct the flat dihedral (there is also the FW190 I had started in the meantime) . 

 

The operation went good after many trials, wings on, check, wings off, modify….

And then it was time for the nose preparation…. It's necessary to cut off the kit nose to replace it with the beautiful Alley Cat nose.

 

 

The problem here was that it was necessary to try and to fit everything together at the same time: fuselage, wings and nose. This issue is because the kit was already assembled, otherwise things would have been much much simplier! The wing preparation requires to cut the front wing root since it's already part of the new nose. Then it's necessary to close the wing coolers, but in my case, I had to eliminate them… note of course that the landing gear legs were broken!

 

 

 

 

 

[Greif]

And finally, here she is, with my 109-E4. Note the noses differences in shape due to the different engines: Jumo for the D and DB for the E version. 

 

In the meantime, I have repared the landing gear legs with copper rods, filled, sanded, the wing joints, scratch build the wing tip, repared the slats…. many small jobs that are time consuming but necessary.

 

Last checks before closing the canopy… Not so happy with the panel blue but at this point I have already too much fought with this kit and I accept it since the canopy will be closed.

 

Primer!!! 

 

Defaults on the tail joints, so sanding and re-scribing the lost panel lines. I had also forgotten to cancel the external power access panel on the right side since the D type had it more forward...

 

Finally time for pre-shading… not a so precise job.. I hope it will work the same.

[Greif]

Time to give the colors ! RLM65 from Lifecolor for the underwing area: 

 

And Tamiya Sky Grey for the upperwing and fuselage areas. Finally She starts looking like a 109D!

 

[Greif]

And so, decaling moment has come. While Alley Cat Model gives the complete decal set, I decided to paint as much decals as possible. And so, I prepared the masks for the national crosses.   

 

And here's the result: 

 

And finally Tamiya gloss clear and decaling: 

 

Then another coat of gloss clear and wash with dark brown Tamiya panel lines enhancer: 

 

and some dust with pigments in the landing gear areas… 

[Greif]

And here is my Bf109D-1! 

I'm preparing a diorama base for the RFI.

 

 

More to come and many thanks for watching!

[bruce bay]

Stunning!

[JohnT]

And that gentlemen is how to make a silk purse from a sows ear in a masterclass.  Fabulous recovery there.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Great looking Dora 

[exdraken]

Very nice grey Messer!!

Happy end to you story I'd say!

Edited August 22, 2018 by exdraken

[Greif]

Many thanks for the nice comments gentlemen. 

[Sea]

Nice rework. I enjoy recovering old kits. There is something about restoring an old wreak into a really good model again.there is always a good story to tell.