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Bf 109 E-7/Trop***FINISHED***


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Over the years I have built quite a few Emils - 2 Revell ones in I suppose the 1960's and at least 5 of the Airfix 1970's moulding but as I have my RLM78/79/80 paint out from my HobbyBoss G-2/Trop I though I would build another.

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This is a reboxing of the latest Airfix attempt which I believe dates back to around 2010 and I will be building it as a plane of 8/JG 27 in April 1941, hopefully OOB. I always thought the old 1970's version did not look too bad but I suppose this could be even better though no doubt there are going to be some errors somewhere as with most kits?

 

Cheers

 

Pete

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Everything I've read about this kit has been largely positive (or at least not negative if that can be considered the same thing :hmmm:) with regard to its accuracy and given the bitterly entrenched and polarised attitudes Airfix kits create in certain quarters I'm fairly sure we'd have heard something about even a slight flaw in shape or line by now :lol:

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Unlike the G which is only a year or two earlier moulding, Airfix provide a very busy cockpit.

DSC05385-crop

No less than 2 decs for the IP and a gun sight which I will leave off for he moment.

 

Pete

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  • 2 weeks later...

Given that it is a relatively recent release the engineering and fit is pretty good, though I am a bit surprised how "low" the ailerons sit - might have to do something about that. I stuck on the cowling, exhausts, intake and blanking plate, followed by the tail feathers and wings.

DSC05460

I have so far found one "typo" in the instructions - the support struts for the horizontal tail are B12/13 not A12/13 as indicated - the latter are the wing guns!

 

Coming along nicely.

 

Pete

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RLM78/79 on but a little touching up needed.

DSC05472-crop

Airfix suggest that the RLM80 mottle is hard edged but I need to check on that before I start putting it on.

 

Later, 

Airfix have provided painting instructions for "Black 8" of JG 27 which is one of the best known E-7/Trops, photos having appeared in numerous publications as an example of how good the camo was over the desert - or alternatively how bad it was over the sea! In spite of that there are serious problems deciding who flew it, which unit it belonged to and when. Airfix say it was flown by Fw Franz Elles of 8/JG27 in April 1941, whilst Osprey Aces shows a virtually identical Black 8 flown by Lt Werner Schroer of the same unit at the same time, the only difference being a green and white spinner on the latter rather than the red and white one on the former though interestingly Airfix show both spinner variations as being used by Elles!

 

As to the unit, I/JG27 did move to Africa in April 41, being based at Ain El Gazala, but II and III Gruppen did not follow until the end of 1941 at which time they were converting to Bf109F. If indeed the plane is as at April 1941 it could only have belonged to I Gruppe, ie 1. 2. and 3 Staffeln and this seems to be borne out by the fact that is carries the "Lioness over Africa" badge which was in theory only used by I Gruppe, and if the normal pratice was followed the fact that the "8" is outlined in red suggests 2/JG27, though of course 8/JG27 would also use red. Oddly, although the pic in the Osprey book is labelled 8/JG27, the text lists both pilots as being in I/JG27. Of course the way units were formed could just possibly mean that 8 Staffel was in I/JG27 - the Luftwaffe was fond of grafting sections of one JG on to another to add Gruppen/Staffeln and make up numbers as I found with my Airfix Stuka build last year, but it seems highly unlikely.

 

Finally we come to the date. According to a couple of my sources, when JG27 was sent to Africa the Luftwaffe had no official desert camo scheme and they arrived in the European green or perhaps the new grey scheme, which was soon found to be unsatisfactory. A new scheme of 78/79 was introduced as a result but sources vary as to exactly when - certainly by September 1941 I believe, but there are suggestions it was in use in July. Until then the implication is that they "borrowed" paint from their Italian Allies, though exactly which shades is unknown. Ullmann lists 5 "yellow/sand" colours, 3 greys for the undersurfaces though RLM65 or even 76 could have been used, and again 5 Greens. So it would seem to me that the suggested date of April 1941 is somewhat unlikely unless it was in European green or grey scheme or borrowed paint!

 

Even later.

 

In the "Classic Colours" series of books, Merrick has more info on the colour situation. He says that when the Monogram book was produced he too thought Italian paints were used but now finds that orders to use 78/79 were issued in April 1941. Not having expected to operate over the desert, the development was rushed, and although the "official" colour chips were not issued until the end of the year, some sort of temporary mix was clearly created and issued in April, which may explain the evidence of 2 or more versions of 78/79 that some sources now agree on.

https://flic.kr/p/2mcNZRr

 

So if we say June 1941 then the 78/79 scheme would perhaps make sense, though the actual shade may be incorrect.

 

If anybody has any more definite info feel free to post it as this is something of a puzzle. 

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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  • PeterB changed the title to Bf 109 E-7/Trop - "It's a mystery"!

I have been looking in my book collection, and according to the works of Prien and Rodeike JG 27. 

 

8, staffel/JG 27 was never in Africa, the operated from Gela over malta, and did not have the desert camo or lion badge.

 

The famos color shot by PK of black 8 with red outline, is from 2, staffel/JG 27, and pilot not known, it could possible be Fw. Franz Elles as he was attached to 2. Staffel/JG 27.

 

Werner Schroer was attached to 1. staffel/JG 27.

 

Cheers

Jes

Edited by Touvdal
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Thanks Jes,

 

That fits with my own interpretation that it must have been 2/JG 27, though I did not know which Staffel of I/JG 27 the two possible pilots were in - looks like Airfix got the right pilot but the wrong Staffel! As to the paint I seem to remember that I read somwhere that 78 and 79 were developed from some existing pre war civilian colours though that may be wrong, but it would explain how they were produced so quickly, even if the actual colour was not standardised until later - I have used Xtracolour versions and the RLM 80 mottle will be the same. 

 

Pete

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I now have a  "spotty" E-7/Trop!

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Xtracolour RLM78 and 80 with Xtracrylic RLM 78. Bit of touching up to do then its decal time. I have a left over white fuselage band dec from my Gustav so I will see if that fits.

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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Hi Adrian,

Yes it is a nice kit. About the only fault I have found so far is that Airfix have moulded the spurious vertical frame line in the middle of the opening section of the canopy - in the painting instructions they correctly just show a thin line where the sliding sections overlapped. Bit of a "schoolboy errror" given they have the one in the RAF Museum to  guide them!

 

Pete

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2 hours ago, PeterB said:

Hi Adrian,

Yes it is a nice kit. About the only fault I have found so far is that Airfix have moulded the spurious vertical frame line in the middle of the opening section of the canopy - in the painting instructions they correctly just show a thin line where the sliding sections overlapped. Bit of a "schoolboy errror" given they have the one in the RAF Museum to  guide them!

 

Pete

 

And that reliance upon the Hendon example may be just the reason why they made the error. See here - the middle section is apparently a later replacement...

 

SD

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  • PeterB changed the title to Bf 109 E-7/Trop - nearly there.

The spare dec for the fuselage band did not fit so I ended up painting it.

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All the main decs are on and now I need to decide which of the numerous small stencils I will actually use - probably not that many as my hands are not up to it these days! Bit of touching up to do but nearly there.

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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Final bits put on and as many decs as I am going to use.

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So that is another one waiting for a final spray which I should do in the coming week. The kit wing cannon are not bad but as I had some Master ones spare I used them.

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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And that's done too.

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When I started this GB I had 8 kits available and I have built 6 so far. I still have a spare Arfix G-6 but I will probably use that for spares as I have done 3 Gustavs already. I may have a go at correcting the second Italeri F and paint it as a plane based in France in 1941/42. We will see, but if not then this may be my final entry in what is proving to be a good STGB, so thanks to the organisers.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

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  • PeterB changed the title to Bf 109 E-7/Trop***FINISHED***
  • 1 month later...

Hi Pete,

 

A bit late here, for which I apologise.

 

This is a splendid model in what I consider to be one of the nicest camouflage schemes, excellently executed if I may say so!

 

I'm not sure if I missed it, but how did you apply the mottles? And I think you mentioned that the instructions stated "hard-edged" mottles.

 

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mark

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Hi Mark,

 

The instructions do not say anything about the mottles but looking at pics and profiles I decided, rightly or wrongly, that they looked fairly hard edged so I did not stipple them. Instead I used thinned green paint on the tip of a long fine brush, wiped most of it off and then just dabbed it on with the brush at a fairly shallow angle to the surface.

 

In the past I have tried airbrushing mottles, but small ones in 1/72 scale are beyond me and my basic Badger 200, not helped by my shaky hands these days. I have seen much better efforts in GB over the years, but it is close enough for me.

 

Pete

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11 minutes ago, PeterB said:

Hi Mark,

 

The instructions do not say anything about the mottles but looking at pics and profiles I decided, rightly or wrongly, that they looked fairly hard edged so I did not stipple them. Instead I used thinned green paint on the tip of a long fine brush, wiped most of it off and then just dabbed it on with the brush at a fairly shallow angle to the surface.

 

In the past I have tried airbrushing mottles, but small ones in 1/72 scale are beyond me and my basic Badger 200, not helped by my shaky hands these days. I have seen much better efforts in GB over the years, but it is close enough for me.

 

Pete

Thanks for the extra info, Pete, that's fantastic. You've done a brilliant job on this camo scheme: I did wonder if you'd used a stencil!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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