Pushing the Borders, a Messerschmitt Me 209 V-5 in 1/72

[warhawk]

On 5/26/2020 at 1:22 AM, 109 fan said:

 

Now THAT's a tail!

keep up with the good work on a rather unusual 109 spawn.

[stevehnz]

Hi Barry, interested to bits to see this, I've long fancied one of these & tried to hunt down a Huma kit, those I could find I couldn't afford & I couldn't find one I could afford. Now that you've consigned the Huma kit to the ranks of the unworthy, can you explain briefly what it's problems are?

Steve.

[Lanmi]

11 hours ago, 109 fan said:

A small update tonight. I've attached the wings and smoothed the joints with 5-minute epoxy. The excess was removed with a Q-tip dampened with denatured alcohol. Then the flaps were installed using the same process. The joints have been spot checked with Gunze Mr. Surfacer 1000. 

 

 

Great work, I like it a lot, wheel wells are phenomenal. Looking forward to see the paint on it. I like the idea of 5 min epoxy for wings., would it work on clear parts to remove the excess of epoxy with q-tip and alcohol? I believe it is not a messy technique. 

[109 fan]

Thanks, gentlemen. 

 

Steve there is much wrong with the Huma model, which is a shame since I really like their kits. It is the general shape that bothers me. Lay a Fine Molds 109 G-10 fuselage against its Huma counterpoint and you can readily see the difference. It also represents an armed aircraft, while the one photo shows the prototype to be unarmed. Despite the work, I hope this one is closer to the original. The wheel wells are wrong and the general look of the airframe is emaciated.

 

Lanmi, yes you can use the denatured alcohol trick on canopies. I've been doing it for years. In fact I use it whenever there is a small or even sizable gap to be filled. It certainly is not messy but don't let the epoxy begin to "kick" or you'll have a world of hurt. I've rarely used 15 or even 30 minute epoxy, but the stuff "flows" into cracks and may require a second application. For that reason, I've gone exclusively to the 5 minute variety. A final thought. You can be creative with the Q-tip usage. Forming a wedge (I actually bite the end) and vigorously ribbing the joint will leave the impression of a panel line (good for wing roots and stabilizer/fuselage joints). Rubbing it gently sideways will fair in the joint more smoothly.

[109 fan]

Well, I ran out of excuses to keep from painting this bird. After adding the supercharger intake and windscreen I was forced into it. We begin modestly however. Here is the base coat of Gunze RLM 76. I use Gunze lacquers for the base coats since they are very durable and can take the constant handling better than their acrylics. The slats, cowl and prop are simply taped in place for the photos.. I'm working through some problem areas as the build progresses. I was never happy with the fit of the lower cowl, but cutting a notch in the bottom solved that problem. There were also some small areas that needed filling and I tried something new, Vallejo 100% Acrylic Resin Plastic Putty - 70.401. I've tried other acrylic putties but have been less than happy with them. I found out the hard way with this model that you can't wet sand them. Also, they seemed to dry too fast. This Vallejo product has a creamier consistency and dries rather slowly. It can be removed without drama using a damp Q-tip for some time after application. This is now another addition to the "non-destructive" arsenal of fillers. 

 

Here's where things stand at the moment.

 

 

CDA52F44-6787-4AF0-82D4-D738B5FA5811_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

B3AB629E-5B40-464E-877E-C9DD4F5A5C6C_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

A very interesting thread. I learnt a few things and bookmarked a couple of links. Thanks to all who've contributed.

Barry, it looks good in primer.

 

I must say, I can't remember ever seeing a wing root fairing with a kink like that in it before!

I wonder if it would cause a spot of turbulence at the tailplanes?

[Shark444]

Great looking conversion thus far!

[109 fan]

Thank you for the kind words, gentlemen.

 

The major camo has been applied. With the cancellation of the IPMS Nationals this year (and my decision to not go some time before that) there is no rush to move this one along. I've been doing some experimenting with other 109s and painting the 209 at a leisurely pace.
Here's where she stands at the moment.

C4C519EC-CDB7-4DC4-9EC8-B1796CBFB0B7_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

03073595-D678-430D-8D3E-69A4D68E6EEB_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


C88EA10F-3A46-4C92-8C83-9C86631BEB27_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


Since these photos were taken I've made the mottling a bit more dense, but that's about it for the major painting. On to detail work and gloss coating next.

[Thom216]

I like it. It's cool finding out about these different alliteration on the base design.

[109 fan]

The mottling has been intensified, particularly behind the fuselage crosses. Occasionally something is right in front of your face, yet you still miss it. Case in point: I was ready to apply the decals when I noticed that the center of the fuselage cross is considerable lighter than the codes. Well, I could paint the center of the decal RLM 74, or apply the decal, mask the center and spray the center area 74. Nope. No real choice but to crack out the airbrush and tighten up the mottle in that area. I hate German crosses with clear decal centers. Too much opportunity for mayhem. Time to  cut out the arms of the cross, stick the decal paper on the model and snuggle the cross bits up to the decal paper. I've done this for years on wings, but that is much easier (less radius). Anyway after some eventful modeling, I got them on. The rest of the decals went on with much less drama. Then came the stenciling. The one and only photo shows a few stencils, so away we went. Stencils are like potato chips; you can't stop at just a few. Modeling fun is described as applying the fuselage station markings (numbers 1 through 😎 on a 1/72 scale model. They might all be there. They might even be straight. I'm not sure. At this point all decals are on and she's received another coat of Gunze GX-100 gloss.  


6C49F20F-8F35-4188-9B72-4A53A8107490_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


Today it was time for the oil wash. No two of my model photos demonstrate the effect this makes better than these before and after shots:



DF9D68FE-4DF0-45F9-8761-3966404C0F4D_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


A5877A94-ED34-403E-92BE-887F56B695EE_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


They also show why I will never not rivet a model again. Some say they probably can't be seen on the real plane, but I have a file with dozens of period 109 photos with very obvious rivets. There is no comparison of the visual interest between the two photos.


8FF0F04F-3895-44DC-90AC-72C24993E5E2_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


A196A28B-689A-4FEC-8B3A-56D713166502_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

Now on to detail bits; landing gear, covers, wheels, etc.

Edited May 20, 2021 by 109 fan
grammar

[109 fan]

Slow progress, but forging ahead on the 209. Here some detail painting has been done around the exhaust stacks and a flat coat applied (Gunze GX 182, diluted 10/1 with Leveling Thinner). Some very light exhaust staining was also sprayed on.


297DBCD2-2843-4775-9E0A-28DA0AFC5ED0_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


A3593460-367C-479A-BE63-17087EFBD040_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


83B2AC56-03BB-4C1C-98CC-A1C9F775292B_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr


360FBD3E-F252-4094-BA60-998E4153EB99_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

[109 fan]

Very small update tonight. I attached the tailwheel, which was originally a test piece for the Bf 109 V-23 tricycle landing gear prototype. I went with another part for the nose wheel on that one, but kept this piece. I added some details from .005" and .010" plastic card and represented the leather boot with Gunnge Sangyo Mr. Masking Sol, which you can make some convincing wrinkles. This was painted acrylic leather then the whole thing inserted in the kit's tailwheel opening. Fortunately it fit. However, you can only see about 1/16 of an inch of the leather section. The removal of canopy masking and placement of the prop make a definite difference in the appearance of the model.

B8E0F75D-CE3D-419A-82DA-F356A09B6093_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

C57224CC-3C36-4198-B78F-3A03AE97A2CF_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

[neil5208]

Excellent work, would it have regained the nose guns for production or would there have deleted perrmantly?

[109 fan]

Thank you, Neil. The production versions would have been armed, including nose guns.

[Wdedig]

Wow. Great looking finish but I just noticed how large that tail looks. Must have been some serious Torque. Also the Before and After on the wash really shows your effect...NICE

Cheers

Bill

[109 fan]

Thank you, Mr. Dedig.

 

[109 fan]

She's on her legs now. Many touchups have been done as well. The gear was a challenge, but with the use of templates, it appears to be OK.

 

 

8AF555DD-4001-4561-812F-CEFC19B17860_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

 

AA63F148-06F1-439A-986F-91371945F23D_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

 

AA66BFF8-749D-484C-8663-39CAAA02B0A5_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

[Duncan B]

Tremendous work as always.

 

Duncan B

[109 fan]

Thank you, Duncan.

[109 fan]

Well, I'm calling this one done. At least until I do another inspection and find something else to be corrected. The final bits included landing gear doors made from .010" and .005" plastic card, pitot tube from .3mm Albion Alloys brass tube, Rob Taurus vac canopy, detailed with painted decal frames, riveted plastic card base frames and a locking mechanism from stretched sprue. The canopy retaining cord is very fine wire, first fashioned into a spring, then a looped straight section is threaded through this.. The 209 V-5 had exposed wingtip nav lights, much like the 109 B-E. These were made from tiny drops of white glue tinted with food coloring. Finally, the antenna was fashioned from stretched black sprue. Attaching the two sections to each other can be a challenge, particularly finding the right adhesive for sprue to sprue glueing. I've found that gloss black acrylic paint works very well. It stays tacky for some time and forms a strong bond. 

 

Thanks for persevering with me through this build. At times it seemed to go on forever.

 

BCE89C1A-7B5B-4551-A629-AB470A9D0727_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

56F4F04C-7A7F-4B8B-9AE0-5F8464F3ECBB_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

C9A0353E-769D-41BA-BD1F-B437ED94799C_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

 

C7E4AA58-BB78-4144-BCA9-B12088461A25_1_201_a by Barry Numerick, on Flickr

 

I'll post more in the ready for inspection section.

Edited May 20, 2021 by 109 fan
spelling

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, 109 fan said:

Thanks for persevering with me through this build. At times it seemed to go on forever.

Thanks for persevering with the build, it has been a treat & should I ever find an affordable Huma V205, it'll probably end up as a donor to my rendition of one of these, to a hugely lower standard than this beauty.  

Steve.