John Masters Posted February 16 Posted February 16 Ok. I hope this one is allowed. The moulds are the same, the decals are the same, it is from Heller, but the boxing is 2015...The Scalemates lineage confused me. I'll get this in the pipe and if it is not allowed, feel free to strike me off! What's in the box...as you can see, it is the newer instruction sheet, not the older style exploded diagram. I really need another Messerschmitt--who doesn't, really? I hope I'm accepted! --John 13
2996 Victor Posted February 16 Posted February 16 Hi John, welcome again with a nice, early '109 - in my humble opinion the Jumo variants are far more interesting than their descendants! This kit was originally issued in 1978, so it's definitely "in". I have to agree about Scalemates' lineage diagram, though Looking forward to watching your build progress! Cheers, Mark 1
John Masters Posted February 16 Author Posted February 16 There are as many answers as questions regarding the fuselage colour. RLM02? And RLM65 underneath? I’ll see if I can find a picture of the actual aircraft in question. And since it’s 1938, variable pitch propeller…correct? 1
John Masters Posted February 16 Author Posted February 16 I’m also seeing either RLM 62 or 63 for the upper surfaces. Hmmm…02 on the inside although I’ve heard very dark grey for the cockpit too. It’s the visual colour-minefield. 1
John Masters Posted February 16 Author Posted February 16 The Hataka paint set refers to the reality that no one is sure about whether it was RLM 02 or 63. I think I’ll use “modeler’s choice” and go with RLM63. ☺️👍🏻 2
Wez Posted February 17 Posted February 17 Good choice, yes that's the old kit in a fancy, dancy, new box. Those new decals look interesting. Good luck! 1
John Masters Posted February 20 Author Posted February 20 On 2/17/2025 at 7:28 PM, Wez said: Good choice, yes that's the old kit in a fancy, dancy, new box. It is! And it all fits pretty well too. I'm not spending a lot of time on the interior. Because it really won't be seen anyway. I don't think this is what is needed for the variable-pitch propeller. It looks like two canoe paddles. Obviously an error in the injection moulding process. I will have to scavenge the stash for one. I hope no one minds. I will establish provenance... --John 7
2996 Victor Posted February 20 Posted February 20 Great progress, John, this one is really coming together beautifully! Don't worry about the provenance of the replacement prop - consider it to be after market in the same vein as a resin casting, for instance. The model itself is still the Heller original! Cheers, Mark 1 1
John Masters Posted February 21 Author Posted February 21 10 hours ago, 2996 Victor said: Don't worry about the provenance of the replacement prop - consider it to be after market in the same vein as a resin casting, for instance. The model itself is still the Heller original! Unfortunately I don't seem to have anything that will suffice. I can either A) use the non-variable prop that is supplied or B ) scratch build one using the hub as a foundation. I think I'll build one. 2
John Masters Posted February 21 Author Posted February 21 And so I did. I used the supplied dummy prop as a foundation, snipped off the little round ends and added some pointy bit made from plastic card. I measured the new length using the fixed prop supplied. What do you think? Dummy... Augmented... Cleaned up a bit. The upper and lower sections of the wings are together; the stabilisers are attached. On the nose...were the guns of the 109B offset like this? Look closely...do I need to fix that? And I am not sure this aircraft had a radio. Should I snip off the aerial? --John 7
John Masters Posted February 24 Author Posted February 24 The wings and fuselage have met for an easy fit with some obvious gaps in the wing roots. I have since filled those in. --John 8
John Masters Posted February 27 Author Posted February 27 Jump ahead a bit...the canopy is masked and assembled on the aircraft. And the primer went on easily too. Paint tomorrow! Actually, it never ceases to amaze me that I might have 3-5 builds going on at once and they always seem to end up in or around the paint shop at the same time, unplanned, mind you.. Does anyone else ever encounter this phenomenon? --John 6
John Masters Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 The paint is and looking good. I ave noticed on some profiles there is a black stripe running along the wing roots forward and surrounding the exhausts, very stylistic. They seem to be on the Condor Legion Emils. Did the B variant have that too? I can't find an actual image of this aircraft. Any help would be welcome before I move along with decals. Don't worry. I'll repaint interior of the wheel wells... A hand painted while rudder. I'll have to clean that up a bit. --John 9
John Masters Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 3 hours ago, John Masters said: I can't find an actual image of this aircraft That was easier than I thought. And, no. No black strip along the side. It does have a white spinner, however, decorated with the Olympic logo. I will not be painting that. White I can do. So it's to the decals!😁 2
Andwil Posted March 2 Posted March 2 On 2/28/2025 at 7:09 AM, John Masters said: Does anyone else ever encounter this phenomenon? Yes! I also don’t know how it comes about as it’s certainly not planned. In fact I try to have models at different stages but it never quite works out. The inevitable follow on is that they all reach the decalling stage at the same time, which is far worse! AW 2
John Masters Posted March 3 Author Posted March 3 21 hours ago, Andwil said: Yes! I also don’t know how it comes about as it’s certainly not planned. In fact I try to have models at different stages but it never quite works out. The inevitable follow on is that they all reach the decalling stage at the same time, which is far worse! Uncanny. There must be a way to study this. But not tonight. Tonight was a night for wonky decals, bad decals and decals out of scale. So I began Handrick's mount...the rudder decal looks good. the fuselage decals are not 1/72nd...maybe 1/60? Just look at the top hat! Far too large. And the registration numbers are also too large...Fiddlesticks! In comparison... So it will be a more anonymous Jasta 88 109...which I'm ok with, actually. These SCW Legion Condor aircraft give me the shivers. It is too bad about the Handrick markings because the decal sheet has the Olympic Rings for his spinner... Darn. I'll change the title tomorrow. I'm fed up tonight. --John 7
2996 Victor Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Sorry to hear this, John, that's unbelievably frustrating: the top hat looks almost it should be for a 1/48 set. I'm afraid I can't offer suggestions for an alternative decal set. Mark
John Masters Posted March 4 Author Posted March 4 13 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said: I'm afraid I can't offer suggestions for an alternative decal set. No worries! I have chosen the non-Handrick aircraft and am happy with it. 2
John Masters Posted March 6 Author Posted March 6 Almost done with this one. I gave it some satin varnish last night and after a full night of drying, I painted on some light-toned Flory Wash. This afternoon I will clean off about 98%, leaving only some in the panel lines. The underside has been 'washed' too, but a little darker. One thing about Flory Wash is that it is a clay-based substance and a very fine grit. As I wipe it off it renders the surfaces with a very nice scale patina...not matte or flat and not too shiny. I've used this technique many times and it really looks the part when finished. And from what I've seen, I need to re-attach the aerial and rig some radio lines. --John 7
John Masters Posted March 6 Author Posted March 6 All cleaned off and the final little pieces have been attached. I'm calling this one 'done'. I'll have better images tomorrow. --John 10
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