1/48 Tamiya Bf 109 G-6 JG 77 (Steinhoff) FINISHED

I’m really on the fence with this one.  The detail in the pit looks great and you’ve built it to perfection!  I am definitely following this one. 

To Mr. Lawdog114 If I may be allowed to follow this Mr. Gustav build I would highly appreciated and work like sponge.

Your friend, Toshi

Pitmaster stikes again! When I heard about this kit, I was like that commercial about the thieves and the couch.  "When I saw it I just had to have it." Ordered mine as soon as the became available.  I'll be following this build with peaked interest.

Thanks all, glad to have you along... 

Greatmaker

When I heard about this kit, I was like that commercial about the thieves and the couch.  "When I saw it I just had to have it."

Great analogy!......

I did get some work in on the Gustav.  The cockpit went into the fuselage without issue.  Tamiya made the rear deck luggage door one piece which is creative.  No awkward seam down the middle.  

Eventhough I intend to build this one closed up (I think?), Tamiya requires you build the engine which seems to hold the exhausts and perhaps the nose panels in place later.  I built it up and sprayed everything flat black for now. I assembled the wings and tail too.  They made the tail a separate piece, perhaps for a later G or K variant.  Everything fit great.

Here's my one issue with this kit so far.  What a dumb seam!  This will be a pain to remove. I'm not sure what they were thinking here.  You'd think Tamiya would have been more creative here.  

I'll start assembling the cowl soon then hopefully start painting. 

lawdog114

Here's my one issue with this kit so far.  What a dumb seam!  This will be a pain to remove. I'm not sure what they were thinking here.  You'd think Tamiya would have been more creative here.  

  

Lookup Deluxe Materiels* Perfect Plastic Putty,  exp on You Tube for a demo on how, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stLzShlnrEk

Apply dry, then smooth with wetted finger, Tip: the new stock ships with a metal applitator tube, U don't allow tube to dry out, fill cap with water & screw on upside down & store tube on standing on cap.
Jon

*Maybe I should ask Deluxe for a retainer, I recommend this stuff so often.

Agreed, unfortunate location for what appears to be an unnecessary seam!  However, it does look to be a very nice build thus far. 

Jon_a_its

Lookup Deluxe Materiels* Perfect Plastic Putty,  exp on You Tube for a demo on how, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stLzShlnrEk Apply dry, then smooth with wetted finger, Tip: the new stock ships with a metal applitator tube, U don't allow tube to dry out, fill cap with water & screw on upside down & store tube on standing on cap. Jon *Maybe I should ask Deluxe for a retainer, I recommend this stuff so often.

Thanks all,

Jon, thank you or the input.  I'm familiar with PPP and use it fairly often.  I still primarily use the superglue-accelerator-sand trick for filling and gaps.  

lawdog114

Here's my one issue with this kit so far.  What a dumb seam!  This will be a pain to remove. I'm not sure what they were thinking here.  You'd think Tamiya would have been more creative here.  

  

Joe,

According to the review of this kit in May's Finescale Modeler, that seam is an actual panel line, and is supposed to be there. The review also mentioned that this information is in the instructions somewhere. Might want to check it out before you apply putty to it.

Gary Mason

Thanks Gary, I'm actually referring to that curved seam that runs side to side below that oval at the wing root joint. I've never seen that on any other kits and it's not there on any diagrams I've seen. I believe the seam your thinking of is the one that runs along the spine on the top and bottom. I always fill this in on my 109's because I can never scribe a line that long convincingly. I don't mind sacrificing accuracy for aesthetics here.......lol.

I have a quick update.  I sat down last night and threw this turkey together. I had no issues assembling the nose area but I still think it needs some tidying up as some of the gaps are too wide.  I really dislike these open panel kits, regardless the manufacturer.     

As I said, everything fit pretty nice, but I do have a slight issue with the top cowl gun insert.  I don't believe it falls on a panel line (Circled in red).  I may remove it or I may leave it alone. Not a huge deal but worth noting.

Real thing?

Not on here either...

Or here...

Again, not a huge deal, but you would think Tamiya would get this right, especially for this price.  Almost time for paint.  

Wow, that is a glaring error and not easy to remedy either. Filling and sanding those until they don't show is very hard. I see why you're torn on whether to fix it or not. As usual the work is top notch. I love watching your work.

BK

Way to go joe! Now I'm ordering one like I need another 109g I would like to see if tamiya would release an f model.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gen. Steinhoff following a speaking engagement in the late '70s where he presented an overview of how the Bundes Luftwaffe had sorted their problems with bringing the F-104 into service. He was an amazing guy...as proud of his watercolor painting, it seemed, as of any of his aviation or military accomplishments.

Your build looks to be an excellent tribute. Following along with keen interest!

gregbale

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gen. Steinhoff following a speaking engagement in the late '70s where he presented an overview of how the Bundes Luftwaffe had sorted their problems with bringing the F-104 into service. He was an amazing guy...as proud of his watercolor painting, it seemed, as of any of his aviation or military accomplishments.

Your build looks to be an excellent tribute. Following along with keen interest!

 

Thanks guys!

Indeed.  I remember watching a documentary with him (and several others) years ago and his insight always stuck out to me.  I just don't understand why decals for his machines are so hard to find. 

Well, I'm back to my original plan because the only Hartmann decals I have are for Erla canopied Gustavs.  I prefer Steinhoff's ride anyways.    

I'm finally back on the Gustav.  I believe I left off complaining about the cowl seam line, to sand or not to sand?.........or is it supposed to be there?  I decided that in the grand scheme of things that it's best to leave well enough alone.  Tamiya clearly believes it's supposed to be there so I'll play along.  I added some more Tamiya extra thin cement to the seam which greatly improved the "look" and called it a day.  I preshaded the panelines then sprayed the lower surface and fuselage sides Mission Models RLM 76.  I do like this paint, nice rock hard eggshell finish, but I'm running dangerously low on their thinner.......and you MUST use their thinner.

Next I added the RLM 75...

I was unable to find good reference material on Steinhoff's JG 77 Gustav, so I opted for a standard splinter camo pattern for the time, one that was shown in profile in the kit. I then taped off the pattern. I have no idea how correct it is.   

I fired down some RLM 74.  Mottling was left light.

I did a touch of postshading, nothing too crazy yet.  I'll dirty it up much more later with an oil wash.  

Almost time for a clear coat and some decals.  

Joe you have an amazing talent of enhancing the details of a kit without being too heavy handed. Any your consistency of quality is absolutely fantastic.  You sir are truly a master . 

I got this decaled the other night.  I was able to piece together decals for Steinhoff's G-6.  It's a combination of a little bit of everything I had in my stash (Sky, Aeromaster, Superscale).  I even found the JG 77 heart badge on a K sheet.  I even used some of Tamiya's kit decals and they worked great, possibly because I used their Mark Fit decal solution which I suspect is designed for these.  

The spinner spiral was from the kit and it worked great.  Maybe Tamiya improved their decals.

Almost time for some weathering.  

Really looking good there, Joe!

Thanks guys...

It was time for some weathering.  I used the AK Interactive Dark Brown for a panel line pin wash.  This stuff flows very nice.  I know it looks ugly right now, but a little of the AK odorless thinner on a Q-tip cleans it right up. If you wipe in the wind flow direction it leaves a nice weathered streaked effect.  This product has to be done over an ACRYLIC clear coat. I used Alclad Aqua Gloss.     

Next I used AK streaking fluid in some random spots.  Apply it with a thin brush then let it dry for a few minutes.  The only one I have so far is Panzer Grey. Agin, it looks horrible but this is only the first stage.

After I let it set up, I used a flat brush with a touch of thinner and pulled the streaks down.  Go easy on the thinner or you'll wipe it all off.  Think dry brushing here.  I concentrated mostly around the engine area for simulated grime and oil (well...real oil I suppose).  This looked about right to me.

The overall effect....subtle..

I should be wrapping this one up soon...

Thanks guys...

I'm going with done.  Other than a few little nit-picks, this is certainly the best Gustav in 1/48.  I loved it and will be building another very soon.  There's a good chance my Hasegawa Gustavs will end up on ebay. Tamiya thought of everything.     

Reference the subject, it's in the markings of one of my favorite pilots, Johannes "Mackey" Steinhoff when he was the CO of JG 77 in Italy.  It was this particular story that inspired this build:  

"Around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 25, 1943, Steinhoff took off from Foggia airbase in southern Italy to test a new engine that had been installed in his Me-109. Oberleutnant Theo Lindemann flew as his wingman. Only a few miles from Foggia, Steinhoff and Lindemann encountered 140 P-38 Lightnings  (75 from 82nd Fighter Group, 65 from the 1st Fighter Group) inbound from their bases in North Africa for an early morning surprise attack on the German airfields in the area. The P-38s had flown over 1,000 miles and were now were flying at low level to avoid detection en route the target area. In a head-on pass, Steinhoff fired into the Lightnings, downing two. One of the P-38 pilots bailed out and landed on the runway at Foggia. He was immediately captured by the Germans. That evening, the American pilot was invited to dine with Steinhoff at his tent quarters. The two men enjoyed friendly conversation late into the night and got very drunk on the local wine."