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1/48 Airfix Bf109E OOB(ish)


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Right, you lot have @Dandie Dinmont to blame for this - I wasn't going to bother you all with a WIP, but he can be very persuasive, so here goes...!

 

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I managed to get this kit second-hand and unopened, and wasn't trying for a strange one, but this one came up.  I deliberated doing the RAF one but was put off by all the yellow.  Obviously the yellow served quite an important purpose, but the 109 should look like a stone-cold killer, so I went with some Almark decals and the accompanying colour scheme for yellow 1 6/JG52  as flown by Ofw. Walter Friedemann in October 1940, with the splatted-on layers of various camouflage that had followed it from Germany to France and then above the Channel and throughout the Battle of Britain. 

 

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I thought I'd have fun with this lovely mottled paint scheme, until I realised that an airbrush is something I don't possess, so I'll have to give it a whirl manually.  Undeterred by this, and giddied by the knowledge that since the late 1980's a lot has changed, I went online and bought some Eduard PE for the cockpit (more of this later), a set of Eduard masks and some very sexy Master gun barrels for it.  Okay, so things had changed?  Great, bring it on, what's not to like etc etc....  I'm guessing that most of you have realised that this is going to come back and bite me on the backside, yes?

 

As I wasn't going to inflict a WIP on you I didn't take photos of the earlier parts of the build, or do the sprue shot, but hey, this is a 109, so I'm sure you know what it looks like.  A collection of, as it turns out, startlingly soft grey styrene.

 

I got the bits and pieces together and started painting the cockpit interior, and making the PE bits and bobs.  It became apparent that the IP (see, I might be new but I'm learning the lingo!) bits really didn't fit.  As in really didn't fit - they were too wide.  This is when I found out that I'd ordered the PE kit for the Tamiya 109....  Oh well, improvisation and cutting stuff up seem to be the biggest part of this lark, so I attacked the IP layers with a small file and worked it all into shape.  I was quite chuffed with the results.  I was also pleased with the cockpit bits and bobs, like the map pocket, oxygen doodah and the various panels, levers etc.  I abandoned the seatbelts as I wanted to put the pilot in (as an aside, I don't know who Airfix were kidding with the pilot - he's obviously wearing German gear - Mae West etc - and in this iteration of the kit, he should surely have at least some RAF / Japanese kit, but still, it didn't matter as he was going to be flying the aircraft with its proper German markings).  I made an effort to weather the cockpit interior, too, as by the end of 1940 this aircraft would have seen plenty of action.  Whilst it wasn't amazing, it was better than my previous effort on my Defiant, so I was pleased with that.

 

Right, let's get some cement action going on, I thought, moments before discovering that half of the fuselage and mainplane parts don't blooming fit together very well at all...  In particular the upper cowling (which is cemented on) was too wide and also didn't join well on the port side by the supercharger intake filter.  I got that sorted with a bit of cursing and hitting things, and then found that the pin that holds the airscrew in was too small for the drilling it sat in, so the prop would chatter as it rotated.  I threw the pin away and lathed a replacement using sprue, a drill and a small file.  I was pleased with this right up until I remembered that I've got a perfectly good metalworking lathe that would have been much quicker and simpler....  Still, moving on...  I slapped some paint on, and now it looks like this:

 

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Control surfaces are set as if the aircraft was taxi-ing prior to take-off or after landing.

 

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It was as I took the above picture that I realised that you can't see a single item of PE at all with the pilot in place, other than the IP, so I'm hoping that once the masks come off that'll be a bit more visible, at least.  The pilot also has weirdly long arms and a rather constipated expression.

 

So, that's about it for now; I'll update as I go but getting that last 5% of the Defiant finished is the priority over the next few days.

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

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You’ll know that all that PE is in there and that’s all that matters right? I don’t know what you were worrying about, that’s looking great, especially after all the struggles you’ve had with it. I’ve had a look at your proposed colour scheme and you’re a braver man than me attempting that armed only with a hairy stick. I await further developments with interest!

 

Craig. 

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1 hour ago, Dandie Dinmont said:

You’ll know that all that PE is in there and that’s all that matters right? I don’t know what you were worrying about, that’s looking great, especially after all the struggles you’ve had with it. I’ve had a look at your proposed colour scheme and you’re a braver man than me attempting that armed only with a hairy stick. I await further developments with interest!

 

Craig. 

 

1 hour ago, Werdna said:

Good progress already.  The camo scheme sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing that.. :) 

 

Yeah, the mottling....  Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a recurring theme?!  I wish I could lay blame to bravery but I strongly suspect that a combination of stupidity, being completely out of my depth and blissful ignorance is more likely.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, chaps - I'll read it again when I'm despairing about ever getting a paint scheme on the blooming thing.

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It turns out that I did take a couple of photos of the IP and cockpit interior, pre-washing, so, in the interests of full disclosure, here they are.  If the cement does its job properly, they'll never see the light of day again.

 

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I did give the IP a bit more tickling (mostly the glassware and reflector sight padding) before it went in.

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Great start. I’ll tag along if that’s ok. P.E is a wonderful addition to any office area. (Cockpit) but I’ve found that leaving the little guys out gives the best visibility of it.
 

Johnny. 

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5 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

Great start. I’ll tag along if that’s ok. P.E is a wonderful addition to any office area. (Cockpit) but I’ve found that leaving the little guys out gives the best visibility of it.
 

Johnny. 

I don't know why, but I really wanted to include the pilot on this occasion, despite the aircraft sitting on the undercarriage.  Also it was my first go with the PE and I thought that doing something... less prominent, shall we say, might be a good idea.

 

On the next one that I do sans pilot I'll have another crack.

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10 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

I don't know why, but I really wanted to include the pilot on this occasion, despite the aircraft sitting on the undercarriage.  Also it was my first go with the PE and I thought that doing something... less prominent, shall we say, might be a good idea.

 

On the next one that I do sans pilot I'll have another crack.

Forgot to mention what a great job you did of the photo etch. It’s fiddly at the best of times but sanding and trimming and getting it to fit another kit is next level. Bravo sir. Oh aaaand for next time they usually supply seat belts. 😉

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Making some progress on this in between trying to beat the Dak into shape.

 

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Above is the lighter grey and first coat of the green/grey/mucky colour.  This is my first go at this type of camo, so masking off was a gamble.

 

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It didn't turn out too badly!  It needs a bit of tidying up but that's no big deal.

 

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The YNB is taking shape now.  I'm looking forward to seeing how well the hairspray method will work on it.

 

That's all for now, but she's coming along and hopefully I'll be able to make some more progress on her soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In between fiddling the Italeri Spit into shape I decided to grasp the nettle and have a go at the mottling on the Emil.  In short, I found that it's hard to do with a brush.  Very hard to do with a brush.  Nevertheless, it's done now, for better or worse.

 

I painted on a good coat of thinner and blobbed already-thinned paint onto it, letting the thinner move the paint about as it saw fit.  I did this first with the grey and then with the green, according to the colour scheme published with the decals I'm going to use, and then painted more thinner over the top when it was partially dry. I think it might have been better without the green, but it's done now.  Once it was thoroughly dry I washed over the top with sky blue to take the hardness out of the mottle.

 

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I don't know that it's an amazing job but it was my first go at mottling and without an airbrush it's brushes or nowt, so brushes it was.  I'm reasonably pleased with it but it's obviously a long way from the airbrushed examples that can be seen daily on the forum.  Either way, I'm learning, so I'm happy with that.

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Looking good.  The thing I'm learning about mottling is that is doesn't really look 'done' until everything else is on over the top of it, like clear coat, decals, weathering, etc.  I've also learned that there's no such thing as the 'correct' way to do it, as long as it works.. ;)

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One technique mottling by brush is to cut down the bristles of the brush to about an eight of an inch, or 2-3 mm. Then use it almost dry, in a stabbing motion and gradually build the colour. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

I don't know that it's an amazing job but it was my first go at mottling and without an airbrush it's brushes or nowt, so brushes it was.  I'm reasonably pleased with it but it's obviously a long way from the airbrushed examples that can be seen daily on the forum. 

mottle varies,  and could be applied in different ways, I'm having memories of JG 2 using sponges, not a spray gun,  to add mottle, dense 

I think this is an example

Messerschmitt-Bf-109E4-Geschwader-Stab-J

 I just had a search for a photo of Yellow 1, to see how it was finished, rather than the decal instructions, though AFAIK Alamark were decent on research.  

Have a read of this, http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/articles/camo/bob/bob_camo.htm

 

Quote

9jg2_machold.jpg

Believed to be the aircraft of Werner Machold, this 9./JG 2 Emil illustrates the heavily applied "stippled" camouflage pattern favored by the Richthofen Geschwader.  Also seen in this view is an example of one of the methods used to reduce the visibility of the white areas of the fuselage Balkenkreuz.

 

and the more you look...the more variations you find

 

OK, that's JG 2, just to show a different style (and one you couldn't really airbrush either) 

 

Nearest, and only as similar era/unit 

this is Yellow 2, 6/JG52 in sep 40,  Ulrich Stienhilper

Messerschmitt-Bf-109E1-6.JG52-Yellow-2-U

Ulrich Stienhilper later wrote a book on his time in the BoB

Spitfire on my tail, a view from the other side.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-My-Tail-View-Other/dp/1872836003

 

from

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-109E/JG52-II.html

which has plenty of variation over 1940...

not long before that they had high blue sides, which were found to conspicuous, and got toned down.  Note the lighter panel behind the Swastika as the mottle has been applied round it.

 

Quote

 

Either way, I'm learning, so I'm happy with that.

I think it's a good job,  be wary of other models, as there are trends and fashions, rather than careful observation of the real thing. (note my sig line) 

 

cheers

T

 

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14 hours ago, Dandie Dinmont said:

Looks pretty great to me, especially considering it’s your first attempt at this sort of thing.  How many builds have you on the go now? I can’t keep up!
 

Craig. 

Hi Craig, thanks very much.  I've got three going at present.  I was hoping the Dak would be farther along by now but the paint issue still hasn't been resolved (which reminds me, I must rattle the seller's cage a bit).  The Emil was waiting for me to work up the courage to do the mottling, so I should be able to make some decent progress now, I hope.

 

 

13 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

mottle varies,  and could be applied in different ways, I'm having memories of JG 2 using sponges, not a spray gun,  to add mottle, dense 

I think this is an example

I just had a search for a photo of Yellow 1, to see how it was finished, rather than the decal instructions, though AFAIK Alamark were decent on research.  

Have a read of this, http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/articles/camo/bob/bob_camo.htm

 

 

and the more you look...the more variations you find

 

OK, that's JG 2, just to show a different style (and one you couldn't really airbrush either) 

 

Nearest, and only as similar era/unit 

this is Yellow 2, 6/JG52 in sep 40,  Ulrich Stienhilper

Ulrich Stienhilper later wrote a book on his time in the BoB

Spitfire on my tail, a view from the other side.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-My-Tail-View-Other/dp/1872836003

 

from

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-109E/JG52-II.html

which has plenty of variation over 1940...

not long before that they had high blue sides, which were found to conspicuous, and got toned down.  Note the lighter panel behind the Swastika as the mottle has been applied round it.

 

I think it's a good job,  be wary of other models, as there are trends and fashions, rather than careful observation of the real thing. (note my sig line) 

 

cheers

T

 

Thanks very much, Troy.  There's so much out there to learn, but I'm wading through it slowly.  I think that the German camo can be particularly hard to get "right" (if that's possible!) as they just put one lot over the top of the last scheme, as far as I can tell, so in theory an Emil could potentially have a BoB scheme over a BoF scheme over the original paintwork that may have even seen service and adjustment in the Polish campaign.  When you take into account that methods of application would have been many and varied it makes it even harder.

 

Thanks very much for the links - I'll enjoy checking them out.

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Oh dear...  it was all going so well...

 

I've tried the hairspray method out on this one (it's all new to me; in my day we didn't weather models - we rarely got the decals on in any decent shape for starters) and I think I've cocked up.  I've applied plenty of water and  nothing is happening.  I've managed to dig some of the paint away with tweezers but it doesn't take a genius to see that this will wreck the model if used much more.  I've tried with brushed and cocktail sticks but still no joy.  I had a look on YouTube and I think the problem may have become apparent.

 

I used enamel paint.  On YouTube everyone I saw was using acrylics.

 

Is this the source of the problem?

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8 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

I used enamel paint.  On YouTube everyone I saw was using acrylics.

 

Is this the source of the problem?

No im using enamel and can do it, it does take a bit more elbow grease with enamels though. Can you describe the order of how you did things. I can try to evaluate a bit better. I wrote this to another modeler recently as my technique maybe it will help you. 
 

No I don't mind helping, the best build to study in your case will be the Geronimo build that I posted.

Always remember with weathering Less is more. Its easier to take away more paint, than it is to fix and repair from over doing things. I did the base aluminum and Zinc Chromate Yellow then sprayed the areas i wanted to chip away at. Let the hairspray dry for a good while that needs to be hard to protect the colors underneath it. Then I sprayed the green camouflage on the p-40. I wait about 20-30 minutes for the paint to cure pretty good. Usually I clean my A/brush or do a little work on another build. Once the time is up I attack the paint where i want wear & tear to show through. Once you're happy seal it in so it wont keep flaking off.
       I then repeat that process for the sand camouflage layer, but removing slightly different bits in the same general areas. By doing that it gives the appearance of a used plane being repainted in theatre. Not one being done at depot level where they would’ve stripped it down to primer or bare metal. I only spray the hairspray in the areas i want to weather. This lessens accidental removal by handling the model. And I clear between each layer of weathering, i use future/pledge brushed on and sat to dry for 24 hours before moving to the next stage. But you can use your clear coat of choice. Some modelers think you lose detail by clearing between layers. However I’ve never ever had an issue doing it that way. I do this specifically when dealing with acrylic paints, they're prone to have adhesion problems even without hairspray. I would recommend practicing on a scrap kit before moving onto the one you're trying to weather. It really helps to practice the technique and the timing of it all. If you have more questions please ask.”

 

Im also doing four builds currently using the technique. 
 

Dennis

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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@Corsairfoxfouruncle, thanks Dennis, that's great.  I may try it on the next one, as this kit has been painted for weeks and so the paint is completely cured now.  I really appreciate you and the other folks who are happy to take time to give patient and encouraging advice. as there's so much to learn and many ways of getting things wrong.  Having such a wealth of knowledge at my fingertips makes a huge difference and I'm very grateful for it

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Im always happy to help, ironically not long after I posted that I had a meltdown on one of my builds using the same technique. I think there was a reaction to the hairspray with a lacquer paint. Im doing two corsairs each using the technique I posted. Both got a coat of lacquer paint yesterday difference being paint manufacturer, first one was Hataka the other Gunze. Everything worked as is on the Hataka build, the Gunze must use a different formula as it caused a reaction and the paint began to curdle and melt the under coats if paints. Just a friendly warning to be careful if you are using lacquers.  

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On 6/14/2020 at 11:11 AM, jackroadkill said:

 

I used enamel paint.  On YouTube everyone I saw was using acrylics.

I have  Always  used Acrylic but I only use AMMO MIG? Chipping fluid. It’s really good stuff. I got it wrong for ages but the technique is pretty straight forward. Spray the chipping fluid (hairspray) on This can cure for as long as you like. Once cured spray your top layer. This really only needs to dry for a little while before you go at it. I was letting the paint coat sit for a day or two before going to chip. Still works but harder to do. This I can imagine is why it’s hard for enamels. Acrylics and a 20 min drying time and you’re away. 
 

Give em a go get one pot and do a dummy run? Worth a pop.

 

Take care.

 

ps. The mottling and Camo Look great by the way. Trust me it’s no easier with an airbrush. 
 

Johnny

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  • 2 weeks later...

Today I've begun the decals; previously I've only used Humbrol Decalfix and this time I've tried the Micro Sol / Set combo, and although it looked a bit hairy to start with (I learned to dry the decals thoroughly between the two solutions, for example, or really weird things happen).  So far, so good, and I think I'll carry on with this combo for the rest of the process on this model.

 

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Just a quick initial photo - note the weird reaction with the paint / clear coat on the starboard leading edge.  Not sure why or what but I' sure it can be fixed.

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