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Me Bf 109E-4 with PeilG IV - 1:72 Academy/Owl


Mig88

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Here is my 1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 with Peilgerät IV "G9+GV", of 10./NJG1, at Köln-Osthgeim, Germany, in July-August 1941. I built it in 2008.

It's the Academy kit with the Owl conversion set. The conversion set includes the parts for the PeilG IV device and cover as well as a new larger rudder and decals for two options. The Academy kit, although nicely moulded has a series of flaws which I corrected as well as I could. The following changes/additions were made:

 

- Rudder replaced by larger Owl resin part.
- Top engine cover replaced with that from an old 1970s Airfix kit. The guns on the Academy kit are too much to the sides.
- A new oil cooler intake was scratchbuilt. Academy's is too narrow and shallow.
- The outer ends of the wheel wells were filled as they were too long.
- The wing cannon bulges were replaced with those cut from the same old Airfix kit.
- The underwing radiators were replaced with parts of those from the Airfix kit and plastic card. The Academy parts are of the Bf 109F-type.
- Tailwing struts replaced with parts from my spares box.
- A gunsight was scratchbuilt.
- The forward part of the supercharger intake was adjusted to be facing correctly forwards (not sideways).
- One flaw I didn't fix as I only found out too late was that the engine exhausts are back to front!!

 

The kit was fully painted with brush except for the flat varnish which was airbrushed.

 

Thank you for looking and all comments are welcome as always
Miguel

 

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Very neat and ambitious '09! I wasn't even aware of this specialised version…😬

 

Considering how much research, corrections and additions you have lavished on this model, it's almost petty to point out that the prop is mounted back to front. Yes, it is – the more curved edge of the blades is the trailing edge, and vice versa. Sorry!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

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27 minutes ago, Spitfire31 said:

Very neat and ambitious '09! I wasn't even aware of this specialised version…😬

 

Considering how much research, corrections and additions you have lavished on this model, it's almost petty to point out that the prop is mounted back to front. Yes, it is – the more curved edge of the blades is the trailing edge, and vice versa. Sorry!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

Oh my.... you are correct!! 😳

Thank you anyway!

 

Miguel

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24 minutes ago, Spitfire31 said:

Very neat and ambitious '09! I wasn't even aware of this specialised version…😬

 

Considering how much research, corrections and additions you have lavished on this model, it's almost petty to point out that the prop is mounted back to front. Yes, it is – the more curved edge of the blades is the trailing edge, and vice versa. Sorry!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

 

Dang! Ya beat me to it. It is easy to do if you're not careful, as the prop fit over a pin on the rear plate.

 

49075086411_329b5daee9_c.jpg

 

The right way:

 

49075086341_df992b2e4d_c.jpg

 

The Other way:

 

49075294417_ab84187fdd_c.jpg

 

 

 

Also, I disagree with Mig88's statement about the exhausts being moulded back to front. While not moulded that great, they are in the proper direction.

 

 

 

Chris

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18 hours ago, dogsbody said:

 

 

 

Also, I disagree with Mig88's statement about the exhausts being moulded back to front. While not moulded that great, they are in the proper direction.

 

 

 

Chris

Thanks for pointing out how I went wrong, Chris.

I've been checking another of these kits in my stash and I'm afraid I'm standing my ground on the exhausts. They are slanted from out to in looking rearwards when they should be from in to out. Unless, of course, Academy has rectified the sprues in the meantime, which I doubt. I have two in my stash and I bought them 10+ years ago.

 

Miguel

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I'm not sure if Academy ever re-did this kit, to repair the faulty exhaust, if they were faulty. I've had my kit for a long time now, at least since sometime in the 90's. I know I got it not too long after it first came out. Compared to other 1/72 Me109E's, it does look a bit soft-moulded and not well defined, but the orientation looks okay, compared to other kits.

 

Below are the other kits. First is Academy, then Hasegawa and last is Tamiya.

 

49080289377_b7b5bb512a_o.jpg

 

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Chris

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Thanks Chris

 

Here are photos of one of the Academy 109Es I have in my stash:

 

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The boxing I used to build this Bf 109E was exactly the same as the two I have in my stash. As you can see, the exhausts are back to front! This raises some interesting questions...

 

Miguel

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Thanks again Chris

 

Right, that's an earlier issue. Mine is from the early 2000s, the "Heinz Bär with Kettenkrad" issue. Strangely, looking in Scalemates in the kit's history, they make no mention of any change in the moulds. But it's very clear there was. The upper guns are more correct in your moulds for example. Can anyone shed some light here?

 

Miguel

 

 

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11 hours ago, Mig88 said:

Thanks again Chris

 

Right, that's an earlier issue. Mine is from the early 2000s, the "Heinz Bär with Kettenkrad" issue. Strangely, looking in Scalemates in the kit's history, they make no mention of any change in the moulds. But it's very clear there was. The upper guns are more correct in your moulds for example. Can anyone shed some light here?

 

Miguel

 

 

 

I've gone over to https://www.super-hobby.com/products/MESSERSCHMITT-Bf109E-3-4-Heinz-Bar-with-KETTENKR.html#gallery_start and noticed that the propeller also fits on differently than on my kit. Academy did some weird crap!

 

 

Chris

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12 hours ago, dogsbody said:

 

I've gone over to https://www.super-hobby.com/products/MESSERSCHMITT-Bf109E-3-4-Heinz-Bar-with-KETTENKR.html#gallery_start and noticed that the propeller also fits on differently than on my kit. Academy did some weird crap!

 

 

Chris

No wonder I got it wrong!!

 

In the meantime, I bought a pair of Airfix Bf 109Es several years ago to "replace" the two Academy kits in my stash and in the middle I had an inspiration: make a two-seater Emil from the Academy kits. I later discovered that there was a project for it (the Bf 109S) but it was never carried out until the two-seater Bf 109G-12 was built.

 

Miguel

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4 hours ago, kapam said:

An excellent conversion.!

The device inside the ventral dome - is it a photographic device?  Some sort of radar or direction-finding apparatus?

Just curious is all.  🤔

It's a locating device, it proved pretty useless. 

Edited by Walter
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