A double Bf 109E build - Eduard and Airfix 1/72

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

"Oh, the excitement, yet another Bf 109 build" I can almost hear you think. Admittedly, it is not the most original subject to depict but I've always had a soft spot for the Bf 109. I will be building two 1/72 kits, Airfix's Bf 109E-4 and Eduard's Bf 109E-3.

 

The Airfix kit will represent White 7 of 3/6 orlyak the Royal Bulgarian Air Force circa Summer 1942 using decals from Kora's Bulgarian Eagles Part II. This is intended as a gift for a close childhood friend of mine who's late grandfather had passed him a 1/72 scale Emil that was given by German soldier who server in Bulgaria during the Second World War. Unfortunately, he lost it some years back during one of those hectic moves when the family increases and I know he cherished it as a family memento. I was hoping to complete the kit for his birthday next week but given my glacial building pace, there's no chance of that. I built another of Airfix's 1/72 Emils back in 2021, as White 6 of 3/6 orlyak, so am I know what to expect and, hopefully, what mistakes not to repeat. This will be displayed with the canopy closed so there won't be any super detailing effort inside but I am tempted to try to add riveting. Airfix's plastic is very soft, though, so might not work out. 

 

The second kit is Eduard's new Profipack boxing of the Special Hobby plastics. I've read superlatives about the Special Hobby 109Es but they seem to be quite complex kits that require some planning and precision to assemble properly. I am really tempted to try and build it in such a way to allow removing the engine and machine gun block top covers. Still undecided on what marking option to choose but it will be a Luftwaffe bird. This will also be the first time I will be using Eduard decals and if I understand correctly from my research, Eduard's decal transfer film can be removed once they dry so only the pigment remains? 

 

Here's my start off point.

 

 

As I mentioned above, I am going to be working at a glacial pace. Unfortunately, things have been hectic on the personal front ever since the pandemic began and this is an attempt to start hobby project that I can focus on, and to break a habit of not asking for help or advice when needed. Well, off we go!

Edited January 7, 2023 by Ventsislav Gramatski
typos

[GREG DESTEC]

Cool 😎 I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

Cheers Greg 👍

[ernestf]

One day I will try German fighters for sure, they have the speed !!!! Lovely project for double build, looking forward to it.

 

stay well

Ernest 

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

Pretty disheartening but I have encountered an issue from the start.

 

I opened both kits to wash the plastic sprues and saw that the canopy of the Airfix 109E was broken on the sprue - front windshield glass had a completely snapped off almost halfway through at the front gate and had started to crack at the right gate...

 

 

Airfix have changed to box type from a top lid to a side opening one that is smaller than the original boxings. It probably got squished and snapped during packaging. Also, the clear parts, especially the damaged windshield piece, are very thin, almost like vacuum formed ones. Maybe a molding error?

 

Despite my best effort, it also snapped at the right gate while removing from the sprue.

 

I carefully glued both damaged sections and then spent over a couple of hours polishing, finally dipping it in diluted Mr. Hobby acrylic gloss varnish.

 

 

Not happy with it, though the macro photo is more brutal than in person but I am not sure what else to do. 

[TallBlondJohn]

I had the same issue on my Airfix canopy, managed to patch it up with Future. Note the Airfix canopy sliding hood part is wrong anyway, its for a Gustav.

[Mattlow]

Hi. Aren't there some spare parts in the Eduard boxing? Certainly are in some reviews I've seen... but that was the 'dual combo' edition. Of course they may not fit either..?

 

Good luck.

 

Matt

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:56 PM, TallBlondJohn said:

I had the same issue on my Airfix canopy, managed to patch it up with Future. Note the Airfix canopy sliding hood part is wrong anyway, its for a Gustav.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have that magical stuff Future/Pledge available here, and shipping and customs taxes from the UK since Brexit have made it prohibitively expensive.

 

Mr. Hobby's clear varnish doesn't quite restore clear parts the same way.

 

On 1/7/2023 at 7:16 PM, Mattlow said:

Hi. Aren't there some spare parts in the Eduard boxing? Certainly are in some reviews I've seen... but that was the 'dual combo' edition. Of course they may not fit either..?

 

Good luck.

 

Matt

 

Sadly, no, not on the Profipack - it has a spare E-3 canopy with the added armored glass but not for the E-4 with its straighter shape and heavier framing.

 

I took a good luck at the windshield today in good daylight and it's not usable. Definitely malformed during molding, it's less than 0.2mm thin in places.

 

I've emailed Hornby to check if I can get a replacement clear sprue C. If possible, I will continue as planned.

 

Another option would have have been to use the spare E-3 windshield but.. there are no decal options for an such a machine in either kit, and I don't know if I'll be able to cobble something together from the stash.

[AdrianMF]

The ICM 109E kit has two windscreens. I used one of them on my Airfix 109E when it arrived in the post with a broken windscreen.

 

Hope that helps,

Adrian

[opus999]

I've read good things about the Airfix Emil kit, so I'm interested to watch this come together.  I also see you've got the Hataka Spanish civil war paint set.  I'm curious to see how those turn out -- I have mixed experience with Hataka's colors.  The RAF colors, early WWII Luftwaffe and Mid WWII Luftwaffe colors were great.  The late WWII Lufftwaffe colors were terrible.  I hope yours are good matches!

[Hook]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:16 PM, Mattlow said:

Aren't there some spare parts in the Eduard boxing?

Eduards recent ProfiPack comes with both a standard and an armored windscreen. I have not yet tried if the SH / Eduard part fits the Airfix fuselage.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Mattlow]

Another alternative is a Rob Taurus vacform...

 

Not sure where they hark from, continental Europe though...

 

Depends how happy you are with vacs...

 

Good luck in finding a solution..

 

Matt

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

Thanks for the suggestions about the canopies @Mattlow @AdrianMF! I'm saving for the next order of kits in March, when Eduard will release the E-4 in a Profipack boxing. Hopefully, that one will have a spare. The other option is Hornby sending a replacement, they did respond asking for more information on the issue. 

 

The E-3 Profipack I have does have a spare armored windshield that's not used with any of the provided markings options but there are two issues preventing me using it. One, I don't have any markings for an E-3 with an armored windshield, neither in the stash, nor do I have a "subject" (colour profile, photo, etc.). Second, the E-3 and E-4 canopies have different cross sections, the latter having straighter edged and heavier framing. I thought this wouldn't be noticeable in 1/72 but after dry fitting the parts, it is - the front windshield won't match the opening and rear canopy pieces.

 

On 1/9/2023 at 5:03 AM, opus999 said:

I've read good things about the Airfix Emil kit, so I'm interested to watch this come together.  I also see you've got the Hataka Spanish civil war paint set.  I'm curious to see how those turn out -- I have mixed experience with Hataka's colors.  The RAF colors, early WWII Luftwaffe and Mid WWII Luftwaffe colors were great.  The late WWII Lufftwaffe colors were terrible.  I hope yours are good matches!

 

It is a good kit, the overall shape is correct and mostly builds fine without fitting issues. It's not as detailed at first glance as the Special Hobby one, the panel lines are quite exaggerated, but it is a lot more forgiving when applying paint coats. The cockpit is also a bit barebones. And it's quite cheap!

 

I've also had mixed results with Hataka's paints - I got the "Legion Condor" set chiefly for the RLM62 Green, which turned out pretty good. The RLM02 Grey and RLM65/78 Blue were also good, a bit more desaturated and darker than the Mr. Hobby acrylics. Haven't tried the other paints yet. I have another Hataka paint set from the Blue line, the "Late WWII Soviet Air Force", and that one is a mixed bag of excellent (AMT-4 Blue) to bad (AMT-11/12) paints; overall, you need to lighten them up quite a bit, they're too dark for 1/72 scale. 

 

Turns out, I might have picked the short straw with the Airfix kit this time. There are other parts that have lots of flash or are deformed. The exhausts in particular are horrid. Take a look at the instrument panel.

 

 

I was planning not to add detailing to the Airfix kit cockpit but I needed a mojo restorer. So, after a "brief" four hour work session overnight when I used all kinds of junk PE pieces I had in the stash from previous builds, I got to here.

 

 

I am happy how the map planchette/holster on the starboard wall turned out despite the haphazard perforated pattern. It's a simple PE fret frame rolled into shape and perforated with a small needle. Seatbelts are Tamiya masking tape, I plan to add buckles from very thin wire.

 

Finally, test dry fitted closing the canopy inside the main fuselage, luckily there are no issues here. This will also to keep the PE parts protected while stored.

 

As a side note, while Eduard's boxing costs almost twice as much as the Airfix kit, notice just how big it is - in addition to its contents, it can easily hold everything from the Airfix box plus two brass armament sets from Master, an extra decal sheet and a PE fret with leftovers from a previous 109E build!

Edited January 10, 2023 by Ventsislav Gramatski

[Mattlow]

3 hours ago, Ventsislav Gramatski said:

The other option is Hornby sending a replacement, they did respond asking for more information on the issue.

Do mention to Hornby that you're ding the build online (provide a link)... Knowing there's an audience may positively affect their decision around supplying replacement parts...

 

Nice build so far...

 

Matt

[Gondor44]

18 hours ago, Ventsislav Gramatski said:

Thanks for the suggestions about the canopies @Mattlow @AdrianMF! I'm saving for the next order of kits in March, when Eduard will release the E-4 in a Profipack boxing. Hopefully, that one will have a spare. The other option is Hornby sending a replacement, they did respond asking for more information on the issue. 

 

The E-3 Profipack I have does have a spare armored windshield that's not used with any of the provided markings options but there are two issues preventing me using it. One, I don't have any markings for an E-3 with an armored windshield, neither in the stash, nor do I have a "subject" (colour profile, photo, etc.). Second, the E-3 and E-4 canopies have different cross sections, the latter having straighter edged and heavier framing. I thought this wouldn't be noticeable in 1/72 but after dry fitting the parts, it is - the front windshield won't match the opening and rear canopy pieces.

 

Easy answer is to pose the canopy open, that way it's difficult to tell if the windshield and canopy match each other.

 

Gondor

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

A minor progress update but I did warn my building pace is glacial! At least it's much needed good news. Hornby have approved my request and are sending spare parts! Now we shall see if they'll survive the trip intact, as I shudder at the thought of Bulgarian Post handling the package... 

 

Back to the Airfix kit - I added buckles and fasteners to the seatbelts from very thin (maybe AWG 44 0.06mm?) wire I found in my stash, and bent the port side levers to their correct position (parallel to the length of the fuselage). 

 

 

Finally, I just completed (re)assembling and testing my new acquisition, a Fendga AS-186A compressor! Now my work desk is even more cluttered but I finally have a real compressor (even if a cheap one) instead of that joke I used previously, a portable manicurist compressor. Here it is below the desk. I added some rubber O-rings to several joints to prevent rattling.

 

 

 

This will be the first time I will be working with an airbrush using a stable airflow and I'm really excited! Any suggestions as to the best way to calibrate the air pressure? Should I adjust it when the tank is full (compressor has auto-stopped) but the valve is closed? Adjust while the airbrush nozzle is opened? I've read that 18-20PSI is a good starting pressure for general airbrush work, although it already feels like a hurricane compared to the mini compressor I previously used...

Edited January 12, 2023 by Ventsislav Gramatski
typos

[opus999]

I love the detailing in the cockpit!  Very nice work.  I have to say, the Airfix kit looks "chunkier" than the Tamiya, but when you dry fit it together, it still looks very nice.  I might have to try one someday.

 

Congrats on the compressor.  I too got a new compressor for Christmas, since my 35 year old compressor was starting to make some dreadful noises.  Mine has a tank and it is the first time I've used a compressor with a tank.  It is so nice to have a steady air flow.  I'm no expert, but I adjusted my pressure when the tank was full (comperssor auto stopped) and airbrush was full on.  I tend to like lower pressures my self -- maybe 12 -15 PSI for general work and  7 (-ish?) for that super close free hand work I did on the Fiat G50 and Bf-109E-7 trop.  I say "maybe" because the gauge has a wide range and so it's hard to determine exactly what the pressures are.  Anymore, I just adjust by feel. I adjust the pressure and then blow air on the back of my hand and repeat until I feel like it's about right. How's that for exact? 😛

 

I think you're really going to enjoy airbrushing with this compressor.

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

Apologies for any upcoming typos but I am writing this from my phone.

 

I started work on the Eduard 109 on Friday.

 

 

 

All the superlatives I have read about the kit are true - it is marvelously detailed and very well engineered. My photos don't do the detailing justice. I did encounter minor amounts of flash but well within reasonable. The PE set adds even greater level of the detail however, there is a downside - there are so many tiny details to build that it feels almost fiddly. Especially if you want to preserve the pre-painted pieces, you have to plan at least two steps in advance. For example, I had to shape the lower seatbelts without gluing them but the main harness has to be attached to the seat, so I decided to glue and mask it.

 

Both kits great, each goes together well, they are both accurate shape wise. In fact, the main fuselage parts look identical.

 

But they are truly the result of different design philosophies.

 

The Airfix kit is a bit more simplified, some details (such as the panel lines) are exaggerated for the scale. The Special Hobby/Eduard one has an amazing detail that is scale accurate but is so fine that I dread the moment when I'll have to prime it. I remember when it was announced back in 2019 that many people complained visible rivets in 1/72 are an exaggeration - fear not! One stroke of a sanding stick or a tad thicker layer of paint and they would be gone. It is a different approach between a scale representation of detail vs scale accurate detail, I think. Both are great but I feel the Airfix kit is more easily approachable and better for beginner modelers. The Special Hobby/Eduard one is more truer how the 109 should look scaled down 72 times and does assemble like a dream but it is an involved build that requires some planning and experience.

 

Anyway, I went back and redid the dashboard and some details on the Airfix cockpit based on photo reference I have and the other kit. What I though as a map holster was actually part of the oxygen system!

 

Then I masked the joint areas and primed everything with Mr. Surfacer Finisher 1500 White. I tried a new technique where I mist sprayed diluted Mr. Hobby Black from the direction of where the shadows would be. It's an painting technique for figures and it turned out nice but far too subtle for 1/72 scale, it is barely visible in the photos, so in the end I also used a good ol' pin wash (Tamiya's Black Enamel Panel Wash). Here are both side by side.

 

Post shading without wash

 

Wash applied after post shading

 

 

 

@opus999 thanks for the advice on regulating the pressure, and I can confirm that airbrushing with a steady airflow from a tank is just a blast (pun intended)! The compressor is a bit louder than I expected and hoped for, so that would be a problem for building kits late into the evening, but it is working solidly so far.

 

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Ventsislav Gramatski

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

Finally, a sunny Saturday when I've had both the time to work on the build and to take some half-decent photos! I've mostly finished the cockpits - only the gunsights and the PE parts for levers on the instrument panel are left.

 

Below is the Eduard/Special Hobby kit. Assembling the PE instrument panel was an absolute pain, as I don't have a magnifying glass. I managed to squeeze it too hard with my pincers and damaged the paint, so I had to mix the same shade of RLM 66 and repaint the damaged sections with a 000 brush. I covered the instrument dials with a drop of Mr. Hobby Clear varnish to simulate glass. Hopefully, it doesn't look too bad.

 

 

 

 

The DB601 engine is excellently detailed out of the sprue but I've started adding additional details from various diameter wires, as I am planning to build the kit with detachable cowling panels (preferably) or with

an opened engine bay.

 

 

Of course, I forgot to take photos of the Airfix kit cockpit before I closed it up... Quite sad, because in the end I'm very happy with how it ended up, particularly the seatbelts. It won't stand up next to a proper PE/resin cockpit but I think the scratchbuilt pieces look good.

 

The instrument panels is a simple decal treated the same way with Mr. Hobby Clear varnish over the dials. It cuts off abruptly in the lower section because I corrected the shape of the instrument panel - on the Emils without the additional panel for a bomb rack or drop tank, it curves downwards and inwards towards the engine bay, and not outwards towards the pilot as depicted on the Airfix kit. The elevator trim wheel was a last moment addition. I assembled it from thin copper wire.

 

 

 

The strange spots on the floor are actually scratched paint, the aluminium shining underneath. I had to use my flashlight to lit up the interior to take the photos and I think the artificial light made them look like splotches - they look better in person than on the photos. The Airfix kit will depict a Bulgarian Въздушни войски Bf 109E White 7 circa Summer 1942. This machine being in service for over two years by that point, I figured there would be some wear and tear in the cockpit.

 

I'm still pondering if I should try to open up the Airfix DB601 engine a bit using my minidrill. It's not a bad replica in terms of detail and I doubt my friend would notice the difference but it irks me that it is a single, monolithic piece moulded together with the exhaust stacks. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Ventsislav Gramatski

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

Work in progress photos of the DB-601A engine on the Eduard kit.

 

 

 

Well, aren't macro photos unforgiving...

 

Unfortunately, I'm coming near a point where I won't be able to proceed without getting some documental information. I can't find any photographs of Eric Rudorffer's E-3 Werk Nr. 1079 that I was initially planning to build despite being able to find a slew of photos of other JG2 Bf 109Es. They all seem to bear quite heavy mottling so I'm not sure Eduard's "clean" paint scheme is accurate. I am starting to lean towards Werk Nr. 1380, the E-3 of Carl-Alrfed Schumacher, Kommodore of JG 1. It doesn't have the most exciting paint scheme ever but it is something I should be able to replicate and I found a fair number of reference photographs. However, I can't find the engine serial number. 

 

The second issues is I can't quite understand how the cowls on the barrels I see on the MG 17s are attached to the main engine cowling panel - are these inserts or lie underneath? Are they partially visible when the cowling panel is attached, etc.? 

 

Any fellow Britmodellers to the rescue? 😉

 

 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

Can't be useful, but I can say I'm enjoying watching your builds!

[opus999]

Sorry to say I can't help with your questions either, but I wanted to say that the Eduard cockpit is amazing.  I had to check your title again to make sure it was 1/72.  The DB-601A looks very nice too!

[Zephyr91]

I did the same check!  Amazing.    If I'd produced anything near that standard I'd be happy with it as a model in it's own right.  I wouldn't want to hide it inside a fuselage 

 

Keep up the good work

 

Rob

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

On 1/22/2023 at 11:38 PM, ModelingEdmontonian said:

Can't be useful, but I can say I'm enjoying watching your builds!

 

On 1/23/2023 at 4:34 AM, opus999 said:

Sorry to say I can't help with your questions either, but I wanted to say that the Eduard cockpit is amazing.  I had to check your title again to make sure it was 1/72.  The DB-601A looks very nice too!

 

On 1/23/2023 at 8:36 PM, Zephyr91 said:

I did the same check!  Amazing.    If I'd produced anything near that standard I'd be happy with it as a model in it's own right.  I wouldn't want to hide it inside a fuselage 

 

Keep up the good work

 

Rob

 

Thank you all for the kind comments! Considering the awesome build threads I've seen here on Britmodeller that is a great motivational boost!

 

The next progress update is the engine bay of the Airfix Emil after a violent encounter with my minidrill last evening. I got the sidewalls (cowling panels) as thin as I could without compromising the structural integrity of the fuselage. As soon as they started showing some light spots when looking from the inside, I gave them a coating of liquid CA superglue. The same reinforcing was done for the DB-601, as it's not moulded as a monolithic block but rather it's hollow inside. 

 

 

 

Still quite rough and a lot of work to do ahead. I need to clean it up and figure out how to make the exhaust stacks with their gasket cover, then add the machine guns and their lafette, the magnetos, the gun synchronizer, various cables, oil and cooler lines. And I was planning not to add to many details to the Airifx kit when I started it.

 

My greatest concern remains whether and in what state the replacement canopy arrives after the careful handling of Bulgarian Post... 🙄

 

In a more optimistic tone, I managed to find photos of all the paint schemes listed in Eduard's instructions at the excellent https://me109.info/ website. Most of them appear to have underwent several camo iterations in the span of several months. So, choices aplenty. Still no luck on the DB-601 engine serials, though!

Edited January 28, 2023 by Ventsislav Gramatski
typos

[Ventsislav Gramatski]

I had a free Sunday afternoon and my adventure with the braille scale DB-601A engines continues! To be honest, I think I might have bitten off a bit more than I can chew by deciding to make both kits with optionally open engine bays but it's too late now, after all the effort.

 

My initial measurements using the Mk. I Eyeball weren't correct. The cockpits have the same dimensions but the Airfix Emil is 1,5mm shorter in the engine area. This results in the DB-601A having different length, and the placement of various internals doesn't exactly match. I thought about it but in the end, I didn't bother moving the MG-17 ammo boxes (on the starboard side) back, as they are far too forward on the Airfix Emil.

 

 

After some deliberation, I made a quick 3d model of the machine gun lafette and the firewall, and 3d printed it at 0.1mm layer height basic PLA. Not terribly detailed, as I used a 0.5mm nozzle.. I got lazy and didn't bother to switch to a 0.2mm nozzle more suitable for the scale. Luckily, the measurements I took were okay and it fits without issues.

 

I added the inner parts of the exhaust stacks by using cutaways from the sprues, which were sculpted to at least somewhat resemble pipes. Could have turned out better but they should do.

 

Also sculpted pieces of plastic into (very simplified) magnetos, MG synchronizer gear, crankshaft, propeller reductor gear, and added various pipelines. I also added some additional detail on the Eduard DB-601A, namely the vacuum pipes, but didn't take a photo.

 

 

 

Finally, primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500. I've already started painting it but it got too late and didn't take photos. I need to figure out how to make and fit the MG-17s and gun blast tubes.

 

Hopefully, the next update should be both kit's engine bays and fuselages assembled.

 

I hope I haven't bored you all to sleep, I did warn about my glacial building pace! 🥴

[opus999]

I love the 3D print addition! It came out nicely; I can't wait to see it in place.  You're braver than I am -- I've never dared to show an open engine.  (well, I did on my very first glue-together model, a Revell Ju-87, but I guarantee there wasn't much detail to it!   )