Kitbashing a Trainer (Bf 109 G-12)

[Prenton]

My entry to this Group Build will be a two-seater Bf 109 G-12.   

 

Although I have over fifty Bf 109 kits in the stash, I have only one kit of the G-12, which is a rather old Hobbycraft kit:-

 

 

Scalemates indicates that this is a reboxing of an earlier kit by the Polish firm Intech:-

 

 

However, according to Lynn Ritger, in his excellent SAM Publications Guide to the Messerschmitt

Bf 109 - Part 2, the Hobbycraft kit is a very poor one.

 

 

He recommends that the Hobbycraft fuselage can be used, with a Hasegawa G-6 kit providing the wings, the undercarriage, the

props and the tailplanes (and probably one of the cockpits, as apparently these are also poor in the Hobbycraft kit.),   The Hobbycraft kit

does have interesting decal choices - not only the German one shown on the box top, but also Italian (post 1943) and Yugoslav (1950) options.

 

So, I am going to do a kitbash with one of the (many) Hasegawa kits that I have in the stash:-

 

 

I could, of course, buy one of the more recent AZ kits of the G-12, but that would be too easy (and would add even more to the stash). 

This way, I reduce the stash by two in one go.

 

However, I have never kit-bashed before, so it should be fun......and a learning experience.

 

I will start later in the week, as rain is forecast from Thursday onwards.  

 

Philip

[modelling minion]

This sounds like a very interesting project.

Any idea which scheme you will be going with?

[Prenton]

3 hours ago, modelling minion said:

This sounds like a very interesting project.

Any idea which scheme you will be going with?

I am leaning towards the Yugoslav version, because it is so unusual.....what do folks think?

 

Philip

[SAU]

I think (=not 100% sure) that all yugoslav 2-seaters were built post war. Some were later sold to Bulgaria

Designation UMe 109 and the second canopy was a Erla canopy instead of the G-12 wide one.

 

An UMe 109 looks like the one in this PDF, bottom page

https://wingsofserbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Messerschmitt-Bf-109-The-Yugoslav-Story-Volume-II-Sample-Pages.pdf

 

Also Kora has a conversion set

https://www.modelimex.com/172-bf-109-g-12-convset-yugoslavian-service-kora-c7266

 

My best source is Falcon's Messerschmitt Bf 109 Hangar but I didn't find any good photos of any yugoslav 2-seaters.

 

BTW, the Intech mould is a copy of the Hasegawa and everything should fit.

Check the width of the fuselage before you glue it together. Use the Hasegawa tail fin as a reference.

I've got the Intech G-12, still fairly good, your Hobbycraft I guess is the same.

I know the latest Mistercraft has very worn moulds and are soft and grainy

 

 

 

[Col.]

Nice subject choice Philip. The Yugoslav one gets my vote as had the same machine planned myself but likely won't get time to do it during this GB so keen to see how you get on and learn more about it

[Prenton]

1 hour ago, SAU said:

I think (=not 100% sure) that all yugoslav 2-seaters were built post war. Some were later sold to Bulgaria

Designation UMe 109 and the second canopy was a Erla canopy instead of the G-12 wide one.

 

An UMe 109 looks like the one in this PDF, bottom page

https://wingsofserbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Messerschmitt-Bf-109-The-Yugoslav-Story-Volume-II-Sample-Pages.pdf

 

Also Kora has a conversion set

https://www.modelimex.com/172-bf-109-g-12-convset-yugoslavian-service-kora-c7266

 

My best source is Falcon's Messerschmitt Bf 109 Hangar but I didn't find any good photos of any yugoslav 2-seaters.

 

BTW, the Intech mould is a copy of the Hasegawa and everything should fit.

Check the width of the fuselage before you glue it together. Use the Hasegawa tail fin as a reference.

I've got the Intech G-12, still fairly good, your Hobbycraft I guess is the same.

I know the latest Mistercraft has very worn moulds and are soft and grainy

 

 

 

Thanks for all that info, SAU   The kit has the standard double canopy - with the projecting triangular pieces for the rear occupant - so perhaps Intech and Hobbycraft didn't get it right.  Grafting on a Erla canopy to the back of a standard G-6 canopy might be a bridge too far.  Certainly, the idea of spending another 20 euros for the Kora conversion set doesn't appeal.  So perhaps the Italian option might be best......  Sorry, Col!   (I can keep the Yugoslav markings for another, more normal, single seater...)

 

Good to know that the Intech/Hiobbycraft kit was based on the Hasegawa one, as that should make the kitbash that much easier.  Lynn Ritger clearly knew what he was talking about.

 

Philip

[Col.]

8 hours ago, Prenton said:

...perhaps the Italian option might be best......  Sorry, Col!   (I can keep the Yugoslav markings for another, more normal, single seater...)

No worries Philip as the Italian option is equally valid  

[modelling minion]

12 hours ago, Prenton said:

I am leaning towards the Yugoslav version, because it is so unusual.....what do folks think?

 

Philip

Yugoslavian all the way for me!

And the Yugoslav 109G's came from Bulgaria as part of war reparations, not the other way round. There were also proper G-12's as well as the locally converted examples. And 109's look great with red stars on them!

[Prenton]

56 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

Yugoslavian all the way for me!

And the Yugoslav 109G's came from Bulgaria as part of war reparations, not the other way round. There were also proper G-12's as well as the locally converted examples. And 109's look great with red stars on them!

 

Well, it would be easy to do a second entry, of a Yugoslav single seater - that mine of information from SAU is just what I need - I see two G-6's and a G-14 there, in those markings, and I just happen to have another Hasegawa G-6 kit in the stash....mmmm.

 

Philip

[Col.]

Go on, you know you want to  

[Prenton]

9 hours ago, Col. said:

Go on, you know you want to  

We will see, Col.  Maybe....

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

 

Here are the sprues for the Hobbycraft kit:-

 

 

You will notice the complete lack of sidewall detail in the cockpit, and the two "armchairs" for seats - these will  certainly need replacement...

 

On the other hand, these are the most excellent decals from the kit  in question

 

As Mr Ritger says: "even with the shortcomings of the kit, the excellent decal sheet makes this a worthwhile kit to find." 

 

Now the sprues from the Hasegawa kit (should I call it the donor kit, or is the Hobbycraft the donor???)

 

 

Much better in terms of detail and moulding quality (as might be expected, of course....).

 

As SAU said (above):-

 

"BTW, the Intech mould is a copy of the Hasegawa and everything should fit.

Check the width of the fuselage before you glue it together. Use the Hasegawa tail fin as a reference."

 

So I took this excellent advice.  Here is a comparison between the tailfins on the Hobbycraft kit (in white) and the Hasegawa kit (in grey).

 

No contest really....

 

Luckily, he was absolutely right - the assembled tail of the Hasegawa kit fits in perfectly into the Intech/Hobbycraft fuselage

in terms of width and height.

 

 

 

 

Many thanks for the tips, SAU!  

 

 

SAU also said:-

 

"I know the latest Mistercraft has very worn moulds and are soft and grainy."

 

Well, the comment about the moulds being very worn and grainy is certainly true.  The Hobbycraft fuselage is indeed grainy, and

has a lot of flash.  It will certainly need a bit of work before it is ready to put together - I am actually not sure which is grainier - the

fuselage or the sandpaper.....

 

So the job for the next couple of days/posts, is to refine, sand and then rescribe the fuselage of the donor kit,,,, There you go, I have

decided who is the donor, and who is the recipient.  (Sorry, Intech/Hobbycraft! )

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Philip

 

 

[Prenton]

The empty cockpit just wouldn't so.

 

So I rummaged around in my stash, and found this "conversion" set from H Tech.  Though intended for an MPM kit, I was able to do

some judicious cutting, and measuring, and more cutting, and finally got a cockpit interior, to which I have added the joysticks - one from

the Hasegawa kit and (with a clean-up) one from the Hobbycraft kit.   

 

In addition, there were very nice resin cockpit sidewalls.  These I managed to get to fit, following a LOT of scraping to thin down the

cockpit walls of the Hobbycraft kit (you can see how thick these were from the last photo in the previous post...).

 

 

I will have to prime these, and then give them a black base undercoat, followed by some RLM 66

and some drybrushing...and then detail painting with Vallejo and Citadel acrylics

 

 

More soon.

 

Thanks for looking, and for the kind reactions.

 

Philip

[Col.]

That's cheating!  Nah, not really, it does say "For MPM & other kit" so all good   Plus it answers a question I've had about a project of my own and how much equipment there was fitted to the rear cockpit

[John Masters]

This'll be fun!

[Prenton]

Progress was reported.  The cockpit sides and main assembly got a primer coat, then a black base, and now has just been given a coat of Gunze RLM 66 - which

was wet as the photo was taken.

 

 

Tomorrow, I will do some detail painting, using various Vallejo shades, and put on seatbelts and the front IP.  Then, with a very little weathering (this was a pilot schule, so the aircrafts were kept clean(ish) by the

men in black, and trainees had to wipe their feet before getting in.....), it will get an overall matt coat, and then I can put the sides together and close up the fuselage.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Philip

[Col.]

15 hours ago, Prenton said:

...very little weathering (this was a pilot schule, so the aircrafts were kept clean(ish) by the men in black, and trainees had to wipe their feet before getting in...

[Prenton]

Back to the workbench over the past week or so.

 

The cockpit was finished, and Eduard PE seatbelts were added.   The fuselage was then put together, and the Hasegawa tail was added. 

It needed a very small amount of filler to join it to the Hobbycraft fuselage.  The fuselage itself needed a bit more, as the two halves were

not the same size (!),  So there will be some rescribing to be done.....

 

Then the Hasegawa wings were added, as well as the top cowling piece.   The wings went on well, and didn't need too much filler.....

The cowling piece just needed a slight bit of sanding.

 

This is where we are now:-

 

The darker grey components are from the Hasegawa it, and the lighter grey fuselage is from the Hobbycraft kit.

 

 

and the underside view....

 

You can see where the filler was needed at the join of the two Hobbycraft fuselage pieces.. and also where the back of the wings met the fuselage.

 

As the title says, it is a kitbash!

 

More in a couple of days...thanks for looking.

 

Philip

[Col.]

You're bashing this together well Philip

[Prenton]

On 09/07/2021 at 15:15, Col. said:

You're bashing this together well Philip

many thanks.

 

P

[Johnson]

Great project and nice to see an usual Bf 109 in the GB.

[Prenton]

Well - time is getting on towards the end of the Group Build.  So back to the bench..

 

Since the last entry last month, there has been a reasonable amount of progress.  The canopy has been put on and masked (ouch! - that took four nights, as there

are no aftermarket masks for this, so out came the Tamiya tape, and a new number 11 blade....),   Then the main colours were sprayed on - RLM 74 and 75

greys for the wings and for the top of the fuselage, over the  lower fuselage and undersurfaces in RLM 76.   All Mr Hobby Aequous paints - cut with Mr Hobby

Levelling thinner.  

 

Then there was a rather odd addition, according to the kit instructions (see earlier in the thread for the colour scheme), which involved patches on each wing

where the original Luftwaffe upper wing markings were overpainted in RLM 82 light green, and where the Italian ANR fasces markings were placed.

 

In addition, the fuselage of the G-6 that was converted originally had what I assume was a Reich Defence band, over painted in RLM 02.  Again Mr Hobby paints

did the business.

 

Then -  there was some mottling.  Given that this was my very first time using an airbrush for Luftwaffe mottling, and given that the kit is 1/72nd scale, it is just as

well that the mottling on the real thing (assuming that you believe the marking scheme on the kit, and who am I to argue?) consists of quite large patches in varying

colours of  the aforementioned RLM 82, RLM 70 (which is also used for the spinner and the prop blades), and also the RLM 74 and 75.

 

This is where I am now at, with perhaps one further run at it left to do tomorrow.

 

 

 

The end of the Group Build is September 5th, so I am hopeful of finishing on time (!).

 

Thanks, for looking.

 

Philip

[Col.]

Good to see you making continued progress with this one Philip

[Prenton]

Coming down to the close of the Group build, so here it is.  I think it is, finally, finished.

 

Overall view:-

 

The mix of Italian and German markings is quite striking, and just shows what was really going on with the ANR, the Italian airforce in the north of

Italy after Mussolini was toppled and  the Germans took over what was left of the Italian Airforce in the North of the country after they freed him .

 

Rear View:-

 

The kit gave a choice of white or black Italian "fasces". The white ones looked better, so on they went.  I think that they look well over

the RLM 82 green patches.

 

Side view:-

 

For a first attempt, and on a 1/72 kit, I am happy with the way the mottling went.

 

Underside view:-

 

Note the German markings on the lower wings, and the RLM 02  overpainted "Reich defence band", which you cannot easily see on the

upper fuselage because of the mottling.  Those balance weights at the back of the wings are TINY.....

 

Actually, the entire model is quite small:-

 

 

 

And, as a result of the kit-bash, I now have a lot of (pretty useless) plastic parts from the Intech/Hobby craft kit that I didn't use,

but I also have some neat decals that I can use in due course for a Yugoslav Bf 109 G-6 or G-14.  Many thanks to SAU for the link to

that very interesting article extract on the Yugoslav Story from the Wings of Serbia website.  

 

 

Many thanks for looking, and for the support for what has been, shall we say, an "interesting" build.  It is not a competition entrant, by any

means, but should look good in my collection of Bf 109's.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Well done sir, great job on this as G12’s are rare in any markings. 

[Johnson]

Great result!