2015 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Group Build

Hi guys, some progress to show. Over this weekend I've been working up the G-2, and I thought I'd grab some pics before joining the main subassemblies. Here she is:

The cockpit and instrument panel were attached with glue from underneath, plus I added some styrene chocks for good measure here and there. Next three photos courtesy of my sister and her incredible new camera.

Note the filled/sanded extraneous fuel filler point. Mustang, now I see what you meant about the straps over the gun breach, they are in fact visible as they stand in front of the IP -- ah well, next time!

There's a small gap below the carb intake -- the Hasegawa cowl design is not as precise as it could have been and fiddling it into place is always a trade off for where you want the gap to show up. This was the least of all evils. I can drop in some filler...

Next major job, mount the wing and dress the joints, then the radiator under the chin, four small intake scoops, add the tail planes, shoulder harness and canopy, and she's structurally done.

Cheers, M/TB379

fightnjoe

So...am I missing anything?  Obvious mistakes that can be corrected?  

Looks great Joe! One thing I would point out is that it looks like you have sanded off the mold lines on the exhaust stubs. This is a very common error on 109 builds. The real parts had a very prominant seam on each one. Could be easily added with stretched sprue or rod and then flattened a little with a file.

Jay

Mustang -- I know the strap you mean, I've seen AM parts with detail in that area. In 1:48 I don't think there's much point in making the addition, it's under the IP and I have a hard enough time seeing the IP itself, let alone other dark grey structures in a dark hole with the canopy closed! But thanks for the offer of info! I *might* go that route when I come to Hartmann's G-6 in 1:32nd scale later on...

I got some work done on the fuselage last night, I need to correct Hasegawa's proportional problem with the guns (they seat too far back so the short barrel is completely inside) and possibly scratch the hinge line down the centre of the cowling, but overall I'm hoping to have a substantially completed airframe shortly. Then it'll be set aside to wait on the masks, with the E-4.

Cheers, M/TB379

Marc, Nice finish! Just a top notch looking build.

70GT, Also Top notch! absolutely love the paint you laid down! As to the Fujimi kit, they, like the Otaki and the Arii kits are over all pretty good base kits to build on, but that's about it. The last Fujimi I did was so lacking in the pit area, there was a seat and a stick with a paper cutout for an instrument panel , No joke. But with a bit of patience and some AM parts they do build up nicely, and yours did just that! Congrats to both of you on excellent builds!

Doug (RR)

Damn, I'm out of action for a couple of days and theres that many completed builds in here already? Amazing work, everybody!

Great looking build 70, love the work on the scheme, nice colours as well.

Looks good, Wingnut. I'll have to try a winter cammo down the road. Like you, I'm considering mine done too. Fujimi 1/48 K4. Not a bad kit, but not a great one either. Very fine panel lines disappear under a few coats of paint and clear gloss and flat, and decals much to thick too. Overall pleased. Still need a new camera.

marc, now I really like that. I am quite a fan of yellow nosed German aircraft, and combined with the white, its a really nice look.

Nice work.

some nice work there Mike.

Joe that engine is looking MY-T-Fine.And since I don't know nuttin' about what side of what and wires is supposed to be on I think it's fine as is

It's as done as I am getting it. I'll likely retake the final photos since white on a white background wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. i had to play with the pictures and they are just OK. I'll try a different camera too.

Thanks for letting me jump into this one 'Stang.

Joe anyone who throws those kind of comments at a build are NOT worth listening to IMO... I would just as soon quit building altogether on forums if it came to that,,, a fellow modeler friend once told me "there is not a right way, to do the wrong thing, and vise versa" when it comes to a build. Your build looks awesome so far!  Keep it up!

70- I love the final product sir!

You are very kind.  

mustang1989

.  

Joe: You crack me up with that hard time thinking I did something right. I spend alot of time in research and have the same problem. Ultimately the details are all just bonus stuff but I put alot of effort into trying to get it done as correct as I can. In short, I can certainly relate to that statement. What you have here so far is top notch and the more I think about it, the more I stick by the belief that I'd move on.

Stang in all honesty when I really began to post my own work on FSM I went quickly from being pretty proud at the comments to wondering if anyone was seeing the same thing I was seeing.  I actually have a pretty low level of confidence in my abilities.  I actually went looking for forums that would rip apart my work.  Funny part is I did not find one.  Everyone seemed to like my work.  

Joe

Thanks for chiming in Bish. I know I have pictures somewhere and was going to look for them yesterday but my computer contracted a dang virus that took me all flippin' day to fix , thus the reason I never came back on all day yesterday. I'm going to have a new computer next week (thank God) so I may be able to pull those pics up off of my Buffies Best 109 CD.  

Joe: You crack me up with that hard time thinking I did something right. I spend alot of time in research and have the same problem. Ultimately the details are all just bonus stuff but I put alot of effort into trying to get it done as correct as I can. In short, I can certainly relate to that statement. What you have here so far is top notch and the more I think about it, the more I stick by the belief that I'd move on.

Mike: Looks like you've got some good progress so far buddy! If you just wanted to , there's a strap that goes over the MG151 cannon cover. I'll see if I can get you a reference if you want to put one on it using tape or something similar. Lemme know.

70gtvert: That K-4 paint work is spot on dude. I like alot of the late war camo schemes used on the K's. Different colors and patterns used to break up the monotony of the usual patterns.

Joe, that engine is jaw-dropping! It shows me how far I have yet to go! Bravo!!

Well, guys, I finally have some progress to show, here is the pre-paint and wing assembly for the G-2. I scratched a few additions, such as the pitch rods in the radiator intakes, stiffeners inside the lower half of the split flaps, and the fuel line on the right cockpit wall, but otherwise everything is OOB. Oh, and a set of Eduard harness:

Here's a close up on the cockpit parts:

I'm now clear to begin construction, which hopefully won't take long.

Cheers, M/TB379

You are very kind.  Thanks.

Chalk my last post up to I am my own worst critic.  I do believe I will move onto the staining and the grime part.  Across the forums I am getting responses about the one engine mount and the colors of the engine mounts being off.  But otherwise it is all very positive to move forward.  

Sometimes I just have a hard time thinking I have done something right.

Joe

Joe, that does look really nice. I only notice one pipe that is missing and that goes over the top of the engine. I had a PM from Mustang about this and like you guys I am finding it hard to get decent clear pics of the engines with all the bits and pieces added. The best ones are of museum engines fitted to the airframe, but the panels hide a lot of stuff.

The pics from my instructions of the completed engine look to be pretty accurate, I will PM joe with those and some others i have tomorrow and can send them to you as well so you can give it a once over.

But, yours is a slightly different engine to mine. My one is a 605A and yours a 605D. Oddly enough, the best mounted engine pics I have are in the Squadron walk around and are of a 605D engine. And there is one thing I notice which seems to be an error in the kit. The right hand mount on the G-10 engine was the same as that on the G-6, only the left one being changed. But as Mustang says, I would not mess with it now, it looks just brilliant.

Joe I think Willy Messerschmitt would love it

Joe I think I'd call that one good. It looks terrific! The coolant hose on the R/H side should go on the inside of the engine mount between the mount and the engine but I can't find the picture reference that I used to build mine. At the risk of messing up any of that beautiful detail you have I'd move on if it were mine. Again, lookin' good dude!

Ok serious time.

I need blunt honesty and help from those with the expertise on these birds.

Here is the engine/pit combo.  I am also going to show how it looks in the fuse.  The IP shroud is not glued into place yet.  (it is still floating a bit in the pictures)  The combo is not glued into the fuse as I still need to weather and stain some.  The guns sit just a bit off as they are glued to the IP shroud but are still "floating" with it.










So...am I missing anything?  Obvious mistakes that can be corrected?  

Honestly I have studied all the pictures I can find, all the drawings I can lay my hands on, everything I can.  Other than some small wires and hoses that I cannot find where they originate or end, I think I have done about all I can.  

Please, all comments, critiques, and criticism are encouraged and requested.



Joe

70, very nice painting. I am really into late war camo and that's a very interesting scheme.

Jay

Lot's of awesome builds going on!

Will try to get more pics up of mine soon. I'm currently doing battle with a ill fitting fuselage and wings. Loads of filling and sanding

And the other side......

In the process of decaling the Fujimi 1/48 K4. I'm using aftermarket EagleCals decals #EC48-75. The 2 color decals (crosses) are out of register, hard to correct after the fact so I soaked it with solveset and finally removed it. Luckily they gave plenty of extras so knowing the problem I took care of the small trimming it need to make them look right. They must have known about this as other then the crosses, the other multicolor decals are made up of multiple parts that you lay down one at a time. Which brings up what I consider another problem. They are thick enough that in 1/48 scale they hide scribed detail pretty well. Single colors are fine, multiple layers/colors just make them too thick. Oh well, live and learn. And thanks to those who had the kind words on my work. I take that as an honor as there are trully some real artists out there with skills far beyond mine.

Nathan, TBolt, Joe... thanks so much guys.

Joe, that is a technique I picked from the... dare I say it aloud... armor guys.  I build lot of that too there are so many technique I find used by armor builders that a lot of aircraft guys don't know about.  If this had been one of those really beat up and peeling WW schemes I would have used the hairspray technique.  Check out the SBS I did in the 7/14 issue of FSM

Are you kidding!   step away for a few days and all of these completed builds!.....I don't know where to start.  

Allen:  That PE looks fine.  Diggin' your cockpit work too, and fuel line.  Just one of those details all late 109s should have.  I do believe that was a luggage door.  I add that to all my Hasegawa 109s too...

Joe (Mustang):  Reference the picture request,  I'll leave that up to you my friend, I think the second picture achieved what I was going for.  Thanks for the info on Stigler's 109 being a G-6.  It has been added to my "to do" list..thanks!

.Wing Nut:  Looking fantastic....I can't wait to dive into the F-2.  I got the QB exhausts and PE set for it.  IIRC, that's one of the differences between the F-2 and F-4, which had wider prop blades.  Cool technique on that yellow nose too..

Bob (Radial) That pit looks great, as does your IP.  I don't see any issues with it.. I use clear 5 minute epoxy to simulate glass.  It works good...

Tempestjohnny:  Two builds....very ambitious...looking great so far

Handi:  Nothing short of spectacular.  You and Herman should be proud...

Fightinjoe:  Holy cow!......impressive DB.  That fuel line trick was well worth it and really stands out.

Matt:  Gorgeous Priller machine.  I did his bird with 1/48 Eduard kit, but I was lazy and used the splinter scheme on the wings.  Your skills are most impressive.  Nice start on that Trumpy F.  

70:  Thanks for sharing your 109s.  I particularly like Hackl's G-6.  

Jay:  Your work is very humbling.  It reminds me of how average I truly am.  Are my eyes deceiving me or is one side whitwashed?  I'm impressed with your patience with that rivet tool.  How long does that take?  Oh......and please build another.  

I hope to get started on that Zveda kit once I wrap up my Spitfire...

Joe

Jay -- superb in every way! That's a winner in anyone's book! Congratulations!

Wingnut -- lookin' GOOD!

Still plodding along on pre-painting for the G-2, work gets in the way -- by which I mean a diorama for a wildlife exhibit I've been building at the university. Today I painted a casting of a snake's head and neck to appear in it!

M/TB379

Hey Nice Marc, perfect paint match on the yellow.

Tucho- Beautifully executed 109. Great painwork and nice, subtle weathering. The rivets look right on for that scale. Hope you build some more 109s here.

A quickie update. Stared the decaling process...

Thanks a lot Radial! Personally I prime with as much together as possible, so on a 109 it would be everything but the gear legs, spinner, and canopy. Part of the purpose of priming is to check all your seams and joints so it needs to be assembled to do so. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Jay

Jay, I just want to climb in and look for the magneto and priming hardware! I had no idea a plastic model could look that beautiful. 

Thought I would check in and update on my progress, or lack there of. First please let me say “kudo’s” to everyone who have posted such excellent work here and elsewhere on the FCM board. What a treasure of information and experience. Thank you to one and all! Hopefully this rookie will learn something along the way! I’m doing more reading and learning than building, but I’m getting the idea that’s a good thing.

I’m undecided as how much to build prior to priming. I have poured over photos here and on a few other GB threads. Still uncertain about the question. I know it can be a mixed bag, but I want to get it right.

Rather than loading up this absolutely great thread with my rookie “how-to” questions and answers I thought I would post the question over in the “techniques” thread where it belongs. If you have a moment and the desire I would sure appreciate any comments on the pros and cons of how far you build before priming. The thread is “Aircraft build progress prior to priming”.

Some builders place the main and tail wheel legs, spinner back plate, ailerons, exhaust ejector hubs, and canopy on prior to priming, or so it appears. Others don’t. Rather than get bogged down in “paralysis by analysis” I thought I would just ask for some comments on what works for you and why.

Feel free to PM if you prefer.

I'll get pictures posted once the paint get on.

Thank You!!