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BF109E-4, Airfix in 1/72


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Hi, Finally got here!!!

I got started about two days ago and have a few pics below. Note: I do have the strangest model making painting regime known. So yes their is a lot of painted on the sprue parts etc: 

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I'm not sure with the pilot if this is the actual colours, I kinda went off piste with this!

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You may notice the pre-shading over the top of the first coat of light blue. Its not very neat and like rough ad ready so not every happy with this but figure quite a lot will be covered up with the next two coats. 

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Its a start for now. 

 

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Hi,

 

being an Emil fan, I watch every single ones built in this GB. These paint schemes are super attractive and any one of them will be perfect.

Just one little thing: it would appear that you installed the gun sight upside down... The inclined reflector glass should stick above the fuselage.

Mind you, when the canopy is glued in place, nobody will be the wiser.

 

Great start.

JR

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37 minutes ago, jean said:

Hi,

 

being an Emil fan, I watch every single ones built in this GB. These paint schemes are super attractive and any one of them will be perfect.

Just one little thing: it would appear that you installed the gun sight upside down... The inclined reflector glass should stick above the fuselage.

Mind you, when the canopy is glued in place, nobody will be the wiser.

 

Great start.

JR

Haaahaa good spot. Can't believe I didn't spot it. I can still try swap it around, as I am the sort of person that that would kinda irritate, I take your point it won't be seen but I'll know it's their otherwise. I try tonight to swap around ...thank you very much for noticing before I did stick down the canopy (I'm still a sort of newbee to this but love the plane.) Thanks, Paul

 

Edited by Muchmirth
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Well belting along now...further update tonight. 

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Wings on: with a little filler in a tiny gap at the back joint of the wings to fuselage. 

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Bit of a mare with the rear fixed wheel: It went on fine and then I noticed a tiny bit of flash which I hasn't removed before. So I took it back out and went to cut it out and my hand slipped and cut a chunk out instead, so no I've re-fit with the wheel facing right down to the fuselage, where the cut is, to try and hide it. It doesn't look right but hey ho couldn't really avoid this one.

 

Next flaps attached to the wings:

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Going to straighten that left hand side machine gun, noticed through the pic it looks bent.

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I painted the canopy: I do this free hand, maybe I should mask it off, now I have the right tape but doesn't look to bad in 'real life' yet not as great in the pics. Odd but their we are. 

 

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Enjoying the build. So tomorrow I do whole coats of the plane maybe one or two depending on time and then gloss coat the whole canopy, the Vallejo gloss varnish does great for the these. 

Thanks for all kind comments added so far!

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Hi Paul,

 

this is starting to look like an Emil should.

Fast and good work! The tail wheel mishap is a bummer, and best to put it down to experience. Been there, done that, etc... and spent the T-shirt money on another kit.

I nonetheless have two little points for you:

- inside the chin radiator (part A26), have you installed the part A10? It looks a bit like a cavern. Or have you painted it back?

- re the canopy, there should be no paint on the middle ridges of the main opening section. These lines are not framing but where two sheets of plexiglass overlap each other. The side and the top panels of the center canopy section can be open in flight.

- Oh, and best to keep little thingies like machine guns, ailerons mass balances, aerials, etc. for the very end, when everything is painted, decaled, etc. Please do not ask me how I know this is the correct thing to do!

Again, these oversights are made once, never twice.

 

Keep having fun with your build!

 

JR

Edited by jean
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Hi Jean,

On the chin rad, I think I installed incorrectly. It's a little far back inside so does look a little cavernous. I may have a remedy for this, I've a spare bit of grate I could cut to size and possibly insert. Only problem with this is to insert will mean it won't be big enough to entirely fill the gap. But I'll try it out. 

  On the canopy I painted this middle section as it's indicated as frame/painted on the back of the box. I didn't realise it was supposed to be transparent. Not sure if I can remove this now as I did use a cocktail stick to smarten up, then repainted and have dipped whole this in gloss so maybe too solid but again will see if it comes off easy. 

  With the little bits and pieces I have left them off before til the end and probably should have this time, but luckily have straighten the machine gun and havent snapped anything else off......YET! Their is still time. Again thanks for advice and observations, this is only my third plane so still learning a lot as I go. 

   Just out of curiosity do you find the 1/72 scale or the larger scaled to be more or less of a challenge? This emil is so tiny and am yet to do a 1/48 bird or even a 1/35 and would like to garnet some opinions. 

Thanks, best for now.

Paul

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Muchmirth said:

Hi Jean,

On the chin rad, I think I installed incorrectly. It's a little far back inside so does look a little cavernous. I may have a remedy for this, I've a spare bit of grate I could cut to size and possibly insert. Only problem with this is to insert will mean it won't be big enough to entirely fill the gap. But I'll try it out. 

  On the canopy I painted this middle section as it's indicated as frame/painted on the back of the box. I didn't realise it was supposed to be transparent. Not sure if I can remove this now as I did use a cocktail stick to smarten up, then repainted and have dipped whole this in gloss so maybe too solid but again will see if it comes off easy. 

  With the little bits and pieces I have left them off before til the end and probably should have this time, but luckily have straighten the machine gun and havent snapped anything else off......YET! Their is still time. Again thanks for advice and observations, this is only my third plane so still learning a lot as I go. 

   Just out of curiosity do you find the 1/72 scale or the larger scaled to be more or less of a challenge? This emil is so tiny and am yet to do a 1/48 bird or even a 1/35 and would like to garnet some opinions. 

Thanks, best for now.

Paul

 

 

 

 

 

ay

Hi Paul,

as long as you realize that you never stop to learn something new every day, you are fine.

Mistakes are frustrating,but are part and parcel of the learning curve. I wish I could build a model without stuffing something up! It hasn't happened yet.

Re the scale of the  models you choose to build, it is a highly personal decision. I love 1/72 because I find it offers a great compromise between details and size. Smaller scales leave me unhappy, but I am sure that is because I am not good enough a modeler. Some can produce outstanding models in these lilliputian scales.

I have only built a couple of 1/48 planes and I could easily build more, but storage becomes a problem. And 1/32 leaves me cold.

Again, everybody to their own.

Try every scale in the book, and decide what makes you the happiest. This is all for pleasure after all.

 

Re your 109, it will look very good when finished despite the Ooops. The next model will be even better.

But never forget that it is meant to be fun!

JR

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Next update:

The replacement grill in the chin rad didn't work out, I tired but wouldn't fit right. Also couldn't get the paint off the middle section of the canopy was all sealed in now.

 

Interesting thoughts on the scale!!! I like to hear what other modellers like to work in. I like 1/72 but its all I've done so after this it'll be back to armour and something little bigger. 

 

On the bf109 I have done the basic colours, all humbrol acrylic: I'm not totally happy with my painting as it too thick in parts. I also did a bit of a re-scribe as a result of the thickness of the paint. 

 

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Next for the bit I was most looking forwards to: The mottle camo!!!! For this next 'instalment'  I'm going to do bit of an experiment. I've gloss varnished the whole model in prep and will trial Adrian's suggestion of using the short brush on a piece of paper, building up the stippling with thin paint and also will trial a picked out sponge on the end of a pair of tweezers on the same page, side by side to see what works,.

Then the best outcome will go on the plane. 

Thanks all.

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That's looking great Paul. The suggestion for the mottle using a short bristled brush and thinned paint is a good one too, I have done the same thing on 109's that have needed it in the past, even on 1/144 scale models. I just cut the bristles down on a smaller brush to stipple on the paint, building up the colour gradually .

 

Keep up the good work.

 

John

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So the experiment is below: Now it might be a bit lame and not exactly scientific but the result below is fairly similar to each other, so I tried both on the plane: The sponge is a little more cloudy, so I used this first to make a sort of 'spray paint' background whilst the bristles are more defined and pick out the squiggly lines. 

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And this is the first light application on the bird:

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Here is the otherside: sorry neither a great pic at mo.

 

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I have revisited this camo effect about five times, probably more in all honesty, retouched parts maybe as many as seven ore even eight times, I didn't keep an accurate account. It was very hard to make look half way decent as a lot of you may already know. I'm glad I glossed first, so that it wouldn't effect the base coats and helped the thinned paint spread/blotch out better. A lot of this was trial and error but that I knew prior. A lot was also putting it on and then removing but now its as point I'm happy with and looks...passable maybe. 

    I hope to have finished in a few more days, further gloss coat, decals, matt gloss, canopy and prop stuck on and finally aerial.

Thanks all.

Best for now

Paul

Edited by Muchmirth
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Hi Paul,

 

this is looking pretty good all around.

Painting a mottle camouflage with a brush is a cast iron b.... at the best of time.

So no worries! Just enjoy and learn a new technic, but most importantly, know when to stop! 

Less is more, as we all know.

 

Keep at it!

JR

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just saw your finished model in the gallery Paul, it looks fantastic with the 1/144 Hurricane. It's a really nice presentation, and well done with the brush painted mottle on the 109.

 

Cheers

John

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2 hours ago, nimrod54 said:

Just saw your finished model in the gallery Paul, it looks fantastic with the 1/144 Hurricane. It's a really nice presentation, and well done with the brush painted mottle on the 109.

 

Cheers

John

Big thanks John, especially coming from you, your finished 1/144 are an inspiration. 

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