Bf 109K-4

[Foxbat]

When you're up against deadlines and have a bench full of incomplete GB models, the only sensible option to get going again is to start another one. I don't currently have a completed 109 in the collection, so this is a chance to rectify that. This Italeri kit is a rebox of the Academy kit that was a re-pop of the Hobbycraft kit from the early 90s. I've built a Hobbycraft 109G so I'm hoping that will stand me in good stead for this one. 

 

I'd bookmarked the kit because of the markings but wasn't mad keen to get one at full price. Jadlam came to the rescue - they had it in their clearance section at 1/3 off and I had some reward points to trade in so suddenty it was half price with free postage. You really can't turn that sort of deal down. Only ordered it this morning so all these pictures are stolen from that interwebs.

 

The box:

 

 

Sprue shots. It's quite a simple kit but it builds OK and looks good enough for me:

 

 

 

 

The decal sheet. There is a massive clue here as to where I'm going with this:

 

 

It had to be the Italian Job (and you wouldn't believe how hard it was not to use that as my title  )

 

 

It was the green scheme with minimal mottling that swung it for me. Think even I can manage that with my collection of hairy sticks.

 

As ever, I'm waiting for the postie now so I can get started and add some photos of my own.

 

Andy

Edited November 24, 2020 by Foxbat
More typos than I could live with

[Ozzy]

What could go wrong Andy? Nice scheme choice it’s nice to see some different markings on a 109

[Troy Smith]

2 hours ago, Foxbat said:

It had to be the Italian Job (and you wouldn't nelieve how hard it was not to use that as my title  )

 

The scheme is more likely closer to the box art

AFAIK, there are no photos of an Italian K,  but details of it being supplied and unit records,  hence werk nummer and 3-14 code being known.

@Giorgio N  may know something on this.

 

Here's one of the very few images of a K in colour

 

And this gets hotly debated

 

HTH

[Foxbat]

I realise it's a speculative scheme (has to be if there are no pictures of Italian ones, and few pictures of K's generally) but I can live with that. I'm also aware that the various shades of RLM 8n are controversial all on their own. The challenge is to make the speculative scheme look believable and also to have fun. 

 

Think the fun is the only one we can be sure of  

 

Andy

[Giorgio N]

I do not know much about the Italian Ks  and there isn't much information since there were only a few of these aircraft in the ANR, with 6 being quoted as the number.

Of 3 of these the W.Nr and the Italian code are known, among them W,Nr. 333878, coded 3-14, that is the subject of the Italeri sheet. Of this aircraft it is also known that she was hit and damaged by P-47Ds of 65th FS of the 57th FG in April 1945 but the pilot managed to bring the crippled aircraft back to the base, although with damages deemed unrepairable.

3-14 is said to have carried an 82/83/76 scheme, with the tail in 81/82, don't know where the info came from but research on these aircraft was carried out by D'amico and Valentini. it is possible that they came to the conclusion b checking the scheme of other aircraft in the same W.Nr. range. In their book on the camouflage and markings of the ANR there is no mention of the scheme carried by 3-14 but there is a picture of another ANR K-4, W.Nr. 330209 and this is said to be likely in 75/83/76. This aircraft had a different type of rudder and later became 3-17. The picture however was taken right after the aircraft arrived at the base after the delivery flight, so she still carries German markings, with the last 3 of the W.Nr. painted behind the fuselage crosses.

Sorry, don't have any further information

[Foxbat]

That's a brilliant amount of info Giorgio, thank you. It backs up the Italeri colours if not the actual scheme, so I'm going to go with it. Hopefully my finished model willl look like the day before she played with the Thunderbolts and not the day after.

 

Andy