Before They Were Aces-The First Aircraft of the Aces

Yeah, the Malcolm does change the lines a bit, but I've always posed it with the Malcolm slid back rather than the hinged one open... Dad flew a C with the Malcolm and said he preferred it to the D, even though the D had the extra guns, and also said that the visibility was about the same to the rear, and even better out the side and down rear ...

   I just got a pair of the old Monogram "Ding Hao!" ponies off Ebay, reckon I may have to pick up the Revell one now...

Well Hans I tell ya it the kit builds half as good as it looks like it will it cant be beat for the 12 bucks I spent on it at the LHS. I built one of the Monogram kits was a fun build too.

Here is my second entry for the group.  It's in conjunction with the Battle of  Britain GB.  I offer you Heinz Bar's Bf109E-3 as it appeared mid  Summer of 1940.  Bar flew with 1/JG 51 as an Feldwebel and ended up the highest scoring NCO ace of the BoB with 10 victories.  He went on to become the 8th highest Ace of all time with 220.

The kit is the Academy Bf109E "Heinz Bar" in 1/48.  It's a very simple kit but finely molded with very nice surface detail and great fit.  It comes molded in blue plastic and Cartograph decals are provided for the splinter camo pattern on the wings.  There are even decals for the canopy frames.

While the sidewalls of the cockpit are nicely done, the seat leaves a bit to be desired.  The canopy is a one piece closed part so without an aftermarket canopy a new seat would be wasted.

Hans, are we going with the Luftwaffe definition of Experten?  The markings have 7 kill stripes but if we are defining Ace as 5 then I can snip a few off.

Further progress on White 13:

The only fit problems were self inflicted by placing the cocpit side wall too far back.  The canopy will be closed so no blood no foul!

Satch_ip Your pit is lookin good there guy, and I see you use the same brand files I use as sanding sticks Hope to see more of your build soon.

Looking good Satch!!!!

Further progress on White 13:

The only fit problems were self inflicted by placing the cocpit side wall too far back.  The canopy will be closed so no blood no foul!

Well, I finished Red Norley's "Red Dog" a few weeks ago, but have just now finished the pictures. Norley shot down two German aircraft in this bird, before becoming an ace in the P-51.  This aircraft is in the markings of the 336th Squadron of the Fourth fighter group.  The kit is Hasegawa 1/48.  I had some fun wiring up the engine with some fine speaker wire.  It was easier than I thought it would be, and I'm really happy with the dimension it added.  The rudder did not fully form on one of the fuselage halves, but luckily I had a resin part to replace it.  The olive drab and neutral grey were Model Master,  airbrushed on, grey first, and then I made a small rolled masking tape "pillow" under my demarcation tape line along the fuselage.  By raising the masking tape edge away from the surface, I was able to give the edge a soft look.  The white markings are Krylon rattle can.  Decals are Aeromaster "4th Fighter Group The Early Days".   Cockpit details were improved with the Eduard Zoom kit.  Not that they were really needed, but I added True Details Wheels.  Other than having to replace the rudder, the kit was great.  Landing gears and bomb rack are very nicely detailed.  Red Dog sits very well and looks great on the shelf.  I can't wait to set "Donnie Boy"  Gentile next to it.  Rick

Great models guys. Imagine, "cutting your teeth" in a Jug! That'd be like learning to drive in a Viper.

Ok, I'm starting Scat II next week, as I finished a GB this weekend and about to wrap up a longterm project.

Looks like there'll be a Messer to chase!

Well, I finished Red Norley's "Red Dog" a few weeks ago, but have just now finished the pictures. Norley shot down two German aircraft in this bird, before becoming an ace in the P-51.  This aircraft is in the markings of the 336th Squadron of the Fourth fighter group.  The kit is Hasegawa 1/48.  I had some fun wiring up the engine with some fine speaker wire.  It was easier than I thought it would be, and I'm really happy with the dimension it added.  The rudder did not fully form on one of the fuselage halves, but luckily I had a resin part to replace it.  The olive drab and neutral grey were Model Master,  airbrushed on, grey first, and then I made a small rolled masking tape "pillow" under my demarcation tape line along the fuselage.  By raising the masking tape edge away from the surface, I was able to give the edge a soft look.  The white markings are Krylon rattle can.  Decals are Aeromaster "4th Fighter Group The Early Days".   Cockpit details were improved with the Eduard Zoom kit.  Not that they were really needed, but I added True Details Wheels.  Other than having to replace the rudder, the kit was great.  Landing gears and bomb rack are very nicely detailed.  Red Dog sits very well and looks great on the shelf.  I can't wait to set "Donnie Boy"  Gentile next to it.  Rick

The overall model looks awesome mate!!!!!!!! However, and I am sorry, but that 'fine' speaker wire needs to be MUCH finer!!!! That really looks more like copper tubing rather than an ignition harness!!!

Yeah, regrettably I probably realized that as I got going with it.  But they looked so cool and I was on a roll.  I've already stripped down some finer wire for my next attempt.  It is a bit tedious to do it that way, but I can get a better look than trying it with a PE harness.  Thanks for the input.  Rick.

satch_ip

...Cartograph decals are provided for the splinter camo pattern on the wings.  There are even decals for the canopy frames.

Decals for the framing and splinter camo? I've never seen that, other than decals for WW1 upper surfaces. Interesting option - are you using them?

You really make me wanna do John Godfrey's P47 Lucky with that one ,but right now I'm doing

Don Blakeslee's P51B .  Great job on the P47.

Frank C.

Wabashwheels that is one sweet Jug you built there guy, very well done . Beautiful markings, makes me want to do another P-47

Wabash, appliance cords are VERY nice for fine wire!!!! Or wiring inside radios as in the background!!

This is 1/72 btw for an Italeri 1/72 F4U-4B

I have the cockpit(s) together on my Classic Airframes Hurricane I.  I put the (s) because I happened to see another kit at the LHS, and since I also want to do the earliest form of the Hurricane without the ventral fin I picked it up and am doing a 2fer.  It will be in 111 Squadron colors which was first to get the Hurricane.  I made decals for the instrument panels and also made the markings for VY*E which Albert Lewis was flying for his first two kills.  I don't know the serial number as records were not well kept in 1940 France so it will be absent and I will have to do a 50/50 on the hand of the camouflage pattern, as at that time odd airframes were one way and even were the mirror pattern.

Nice offices John!!!!

John lookin good as always, cant wait to see more of your build as I always learn from them

I gotta get started on my P-51 soon am running out of time here.

I'm moving Heinz Bar from the workbench to the shelf.  I have to go to work today for about two weeks so I'm clearing the bench.  I't pretty much done except for a flat coat and the antennae wire.  But I'm calling it done for now.

The canopy frames were decals!  They acutally worked well, just needed a little Sol to lay down.

Heinz Bar's White 13 of 1/51 Summer of 1940.  Painted with Model Master 70/02 and Aeromaster 76.  The yellow is Tamiya.  I used a oily/grimy black pin wash on the panel lines and wiped off the excess.  The guns are MM metal gun barrrels.  Everything else is OOB.

Thanks

[[The canopy frames were decals!  They acutally worked well, just needed a little Sol to lay down.

Heinz Bar's White 13 of 1/51 Summer of 1940.  Painted with Model Master 70/02 and Aeromaster 76.  The yellow is Tamiya.  I used a oily/grimy black pin wash on the panel lines and wiped off the excess.  The guns are MM metal gun barrrels.  Everything else is OOB.

Thanks

The canopy frames were decals!  They acutally worked well, just needed a little Sol to lay down.

Heinz Bar's White 13 of 1/51 Summer of 1940.  Not quite an Experten yet with only 7 victories here, he ended the war with 220. Painted with Model Master 70/02 and Aeromaster 76.  The yellow is Tamiya.  I used a oily/grimy black pin wash on the panel lines and wiped off the excess.  The guns are MM metal gun barrrels.  Everything else is OOB.

Thanks

Well done Satch!!!! Really looks good!!!

Sorry for the duplicate photos, fellas.  I've edited the post twice and they still appear.

satch_ip

Sorry for the duplicate photos, fellas.  I've edited the post twice and they still appear.

Oh good thought there was something wrong with my computer there for a few minutes

Satch the 109 looks great, well done. Those decals must have been a pain to work with, I always have trouble with large ones so try and avoid them. The wash worked well on the panel lines, they are there but don't POP out at ya.

Jeaton wow you have a wonderful start going there, the seat belts are really nice. Are they AM ?  I gave my Hurricane to a new builder so will have to dig me up another.

Hans von Hammer can you change my P-51B build from the Tamiya kit to the Revell kit ? I wanna try the newly tooled version as it looks really good. I will be starting it on Monday

Ok, it only took me 3 months but I've finally started on my kit. I'm doing the Special Hobby Grumman F3F-2 "flying barrel", in 1940 this aircraft was assigned VMF-2  and flown by Robert Galer.

In May 1942 Galer become the squadron leader for VMF-224 which was moved to Guadalcanal in August. During the fighting at Guadalcanal he was credited with 11 kills.

During the Korean War he flew strike missions while commanding a Marine Air Group. 

This is the kit

I got the cockpit together, the kit includes a lot of detail for a 1/72 kit with resin and PE bits. The camera is not kind, but this area will not really be visible once its all closed up. I'm amazed by all the detail they provided with the kit, I only used about half of the PE since it just won't be seen.

Aaron, I'm looking forward to seeing more of that lil barrel!!!! Looking good so far!!!! Looking at possibly picking up a Special Hobby kit of something soon. Being limited run kits, how would you rate the fit?

I have a couple of their kits but this is the first I've built so I don't know if this is typical.

I just closed up the fuselage and put the lower wings on so I have some way to go, but first impressions I'd compare it to an Airfix or Matchbox kit with a resin and PE cockpit set added. 

It takes a bit of work to match things up but the fit isn't terrible. It has fine recessed panel lines, not the heavy panels lines you find on some Matchbox kits. Like most East European kits there are no locating pins. It does not have the huge sprues to clean up like many limited run kits.

The one complaint so far is the wheel wells were a real pain (the block in front of the cockpit). It was a real bear to get it set up right and I don't see why they chose to make this a seperate part instead of cast as part of the fuselage as most kits do.

Cool, thank you very much for the info.

Oh man I got my end dates all messed up I gotta get started on my P-51 for this group in the morning and pull a few all nighters !!!!!!!!!!!

Zoom, Zoom...

I'd like to take this time to mention that I'm VERY pleased with the participation here... You guys did great work, and as the last of the sand falls through to the bottom of the glass, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you guys... So...

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