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Messerschmitt Bf 109-F2 Build Review


Mike

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I started this last in the week, as I just liked the look of the sprues. It's a nicely detailed kit, and I've not yet built a 109, so I thought it was about time.

you can see the review here for what you get in the box, and like a good boy, I followed the instructions and built up the engine first. It's a rather nicely detailed lump, with plenty of parts making it up, and a sturdy link to the cannon bay behind it, which is also made of a number of interlocking parts. I made a bit of a goof with the cylinder heads here as the instructions made me scratch my head, so the little bumps on the overhanging end don't meet up with the pipes moulded into the end parts. Shouldn't show up in the end ;)

The cockpit is pretty good, and builds up quickly - plenty of extra parts give the sidewalls extra depth, and I elected for the 3D Instrument Panel, which I might tart up with punched out dials from the provided decals.

I've squirted a coat of Alclad black primer over it to act as a base coat for the coming painting - the Primer is great in case you were wondering ;)

cockpit1.jpg

Now comes the head scratcher - the instructions tell you to paint the cockpit Flat Sea Blue, but from what I can gather, it's either RLM02 or RLM66 Black-grey. I'm leaning toward the latter, as I read that the RLM02 option went after the Emil... can anyone confirm for me please? Also, I'm planning on painting the wheel wells RLM02 - am I right or wrong?

While I was waiting for the glue on the cockpit parts to dry, I installed the tail on the fuselage - as expected, I got a good joint by adding the tail halves to the fuselage halves before joining. I then taped up the fuselage, so that the halves lines up and didn't go banana shaped. A quick sand, and a dab of filler on some tiny sink marks there and on the cockpit outer sidewalls, and we're done. I'll have to re-scribe the panel line on the tail joint, but I'll leave that until the fuselage halves are joined, so they line up ;)

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I'm going to follow this thread with interest!

The cockpit colour changed from 02 to 66 some time around the late E/early F models. I have read (but never seen) that cockpits in 66 could have parts in 02 on the early F models. Anyway, I'd go for 66 for this F-2. 02 is good for the wheel bays and landing gear though.

HTH,

Jens

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A bit of painting done today. Lifecolor RLM02 on the engine bay innards, RLM66 on the cockpit, and "black" on the engine block itself. I also started painting the pilot, but I'm not sure that color is dark enough for Feldblau :hmmm: Lifecolor do have a Feldblau in their range, so I might have to get hold of that to get it right :)

innards1.jpg

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That sub-assembly build sequence looks interesting...nice looking piliot figure as well....It looks as if it's coming along nicely...

Cheers,

ggc

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..the first F-2s arrived on the Channel Front during 1941 and despite there only being two Geschwader involved gave the RAF a pretty hard time ....eg 23 July 1941, two Circuses were mounted for actual losses of 15 Spitfires and a single Hurricane shot down...the "Richthofen" had in fact claimed no less than fourteen Spitfires during Circus No. 59 (from 13:14 to 13:30) and fourteen more (plus a Hurricane ) during Circus N ° 60 (from 20:55 to 20:20)! JG 26 filed nine claims. 20 September 1941 was another bad day for the RAF with three Circuses over France - JG 2 claimed 15 Spitfires (7 actual losses) while their training Staffel 4./JFS 5 claimed 11..! On 27 September, two groups of eleven Blenheims were sent to Amiens and Mazingarbe (Circus 103 ). The RAF lost twelve Spitfires ( from Nos. 72, 129, 308, 403, 603, 609, 611, 615 and 616 Squadrons). With the F-2 in service the RAF over France sustained an almost constant round of heavy losses..

th_jg2volii.jpg

the 'safety rail' is the fuel line from the belly tank - with a transparent cut-out so that the pilot could see the air bubbles and switch tanks at the appropriate moment --

nice work Mike! Not starting mine until I've done the Airfix Emil..

Edited by FalkeEins
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Okay! Okay! You've talked me into it. I'm going to get one of these! :analintruder:

At the beginning of the year I had no plans to build any Bf109s. At the moment I have a Tamiya Emil and a Unimodel Gustav on the go. I shall shortly be starting the Airfix Emil and I will be building a Dora for the Blitzkrieg GB. Might as well add a Friedrich to that lot! :D

Mike, how do you think the nose will fare if the model is built closed up? The Unimodel Gustav has a similar arrangement to display the engine but I'm not convinced that the nose will fit at all well - or even hold its shape - if built closed up.

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Talked me into it as well, I've just ordered one. I'm on the clock to finish a Nimrod in the next 10 days or so but I can see a 109-fest coming up after that.

Better try to find my airbrush!

John

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Thanks guys ^_^ I'm waiting for some more Lifecolor paints before I do the pilot "properly" - the German Uniforms set contains the correct Feldblau. I'm just not convinced about the color I've blocked the pilot's uniform in with :hmmm:

We've got the Airfix 109E in for review, which I'm hoping to sit down with early this week :)

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Did a bit of figure painting today in between various things. As I'm doing this one with a pilot, his painting is stopping the wings going on - the cockpit installs from underneath and the pilot MUST be in to fit. I gave him a lick of a few shades of my favorite paint, Lifecolor, and a little Mig wash to enhance the blue of his Feldblau uniform. With the absence of any eyes, I painted his goggle lenses panzer grey, then painted a shadow in black under the top frame. I finished them off with a dot of lichtblau in the top left corner, and a smidge in the bottom right corner of each lens. The buckles were done in black, then the fabric re-instated, and the silver of the metal touched in around it in the middle (sometimes) of the black area. I didn't bother painting his 'chute as it disappears in the seat tub, and paid no interest to the underside of his legs, as I hope he's not coming back out in a hurry!

Anyway - here he is :)

pilot1.jpg

pilot2.jpg

pilot3.jpg

Once the CA on his bottom is cured, I'll install him and the cockpit into the airframe, and on we go ^_^

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There seems to be a small resurgence of people building aircraft models in flight, doesn't there. Hopefully manufacturers will realise and start coming up with some quality seated figures.

Nice build by the way Mike, looking like it's going to be a winner. Where did this Zvezda quality suddenly come from, all I know them for is for making rather basic, softly moulded Tank kits?

Edited by Doug Rogers
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that is one neat painted figure - and the rest of the aircraft looks good too.... will keep an eye on thisone for painting tips/tricks.....

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There seems to be a small resurgence of people building aircraft models in flight, doesn't there. Hopefully manufacturers will realise and start coming up with some quality seated figures.

Nice build by the way Mike, looking like it's going to be a winner. Where did this Zvezda quality suddenly come from, all I know them for is for making rather basic, softly moulded Tank kits?

Capitalism, pure and simple. Adapt or bankruptcy and Zvezda seems to have had a good go at adapting to the new standards of the world wide hobby market - pity Revell USA has not learnt the lesson.

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