2015 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Group Build

Mike(TB) I think your exactly right on the "E" and the colors, and on your replacement kits, Good choices! Both good kits!

Bish, You know I'll be there (and it sounds like a few others) if you decide on a Messerschmitt build!

Brandon, thanks my friend, I'm trying to keep it to the pictures and paintings I've seen, and so far I think its coming along OK.

Joe (M) Thanks bro... Walk in the park, no, you just get to see the end results! lol... At first the mottle was too light and not dense in coverage as it should be. Instead of starting over (re spraying with 76) I just kept adding color and density until it matched the picture. Took a bit but was worth the effort.

Joe (LD) AMAZING! Again you have given us a level to try to attain! Great finish!

Doug

Good Night!  Man, you guys are rocking this GB!  Spectacular! 

Haven't been able to do too much on the 109, but did order and get a set of 1/48 Eduard spiral masks for the spinners!  I would highly reccommend them!  I was really happy witht he results!  And as you can see, being thrifty...o.k., cheap, I can use this one again!  The set (EX 500) comes with 9 different styles of spinner curves.  Great thing to have!

Eagle90

Dang all the nice work in this GB.  I am really going to have to step up my game to keep up with the great work in this GB.

All great work here guys.

I love the spinners Eagle.  I will be using those on my next German aircraft build.

moose

Eagle, that's great, I must try them. EX500 -- I'll make a note of that. I just went through the traditional process of snugging down a spiral on a Tammy 190 and it's a hair-raising procedure...

109 pics soon,

M/TB379

moose421

Dang all the nice work in this GB.  I am really going to have to step up my game to keep up with the great work in this GB.

All great work here guys.

I love the spinners Eagle.  I will be using those on my next German aircraft build.

moose

Thank you moose!  And I would most definitely get you a set!  They are really nice and it comes with different styles of spirals!  I think it was only $6-$7 at Spruebrothers.

Eagle90

Thunderbolt379

Eagle, that's great, I must try them. EX500 -- I'll make a note of that. I just went through the traditional process of snugging down a spiral on a Tammy 190 and it's a hair-raising procedure...

109 pics soon,

M/TB379

Thank you TB!  It was a breeze to use and it turned out really nice!  I tried the tape thing myself and did a REALLY bad job of it!  But then I found these and life was good! 

Eagle90

Thanks for the compliments guys.  Eagle, that spinner looks great.  Before the GB wraps up, with permission, I may come back with a Tamiya Emil (another one of my favorite kits).  I gotta build some some Mustangs and Thunderbolts first....

Joe  

Nice work there Eagle, those masks seem a real must.

Eagle90: I like the way your spiral came out there. I've become comfortable with either method on those. I used to hate the decal version but tried it a couple of times I actually am more comfortable with the decals now than the paint(even though I go through a lot of Microsol) lol . Looking good buddy!

lawdog: We'll leave the light on for ya!   

Mustang

I haven't forgotten about my entry which I will begin very shortly. I've been tied up with other things around the house.  

Well I have decided to join the party. G-2 on the left will be Hermann Graf's yellow 11. F-4 Jabo on right is Oblt. Frank Liesendahl's blue 1 

Does anyone have a spare control stick. basement monster ate one

PM me commander John.

Thanks Nathan

Great work, TJ, there's nothing like production-lining a couple through together!

M/TB379

lawdog114

Thanks for the compliments guys.  Eagle, that spinner looks great.  Before the GB wraps up, with permission, I may come back with a Tamiya Emil (another one of my favorite kits).  I gotta build some some Mustangs and Thunderbolts first....

Joe  

Thank you Joe!  Those masks are great!

Eagle90

Bish

Nice work there Eagle, those masks seem a real must.

Thank you sir!  I'm a BIG fan of any type of mask now! 

Eagle90

mustang1989

Eagle90: I like the way your spiral came out there. I've become comfortable with either method on those. I used to hate the decal version but tried it a couple of times I actually am more comfortable with the decals now than the paint(even though I go through a lot of Microsol) lol . Looking good buddy!

lawdog: We'll leave the light on for ya!   

Thank you sir!  I can imagine the decals would really be tricky being so thin and all.  It took a try or two to get the mask on right!    So I can't imagine trying a decal yet!

Eagle90

I know I should have been further along on this 109. However, I have a 6 year old grandson, who, while I'm working on it stands next to me watching intently and says: "Grandpa, when are we going to finish my Warthog?". So... I have had to set the 109 aside until this past weekend to finish up the model that started me down this rabbit hole. I won't post pics of the Warthog, here or elsewhere. We will chock it up to experience.

Anyway.. I was able to get it primed. Here are some photos.

The instruction sheet calls for the tail theater band to be maroon, South Africa 1942. One of the more experienced members of our local modeling club says they should be yellow, same as under wing and cowling. Any thoughts or opinions out there?

Cheers,

Bob

Bob - assuming the South Africa is a typo, and should be North Africa.  Mediterranean/Africa based Luftwaffe aircraft should have white theater bands.

regards,

Jack

Jack... My bad.... North Africa.. Hasagawa F4 Trop directions POSITIVELY say maroon. in fact they provide a decal on the sheet for it. Guru at club says yellow. Now white is a contender. I'm sure in the end it'snot going to make or break my grandsons bedroom ceiling decor. I'll see if I can get it right thought.

Cheers,

Bob

Bob - too many pages to look back to see if you posted the model box kit, but is this the one you are building?  Just guessing because your build does have the tropical air filter and you mention Africa.

It's possible the tail rudder with the kill markings is  maroon, but the fuselage theater band is white.  If Hasegawa really instructs for a maroon theater band, it's either a mistake, or they have uncovered something new in the field of Luftwaffe markings.

regards,

Jack

Here are a couple of more picks of the inexpensive 1/48 Revel G10 that I'm doing as a K4. I made a stencil for the 176 numeral. The overall outline is fine but the canopy is poor. It is not wide enough from side to side leaving about a 1 mm step where it sits on the fuselage and it has a gap where the front meets the part that opens. I will fill that with crystal clear and touch it up when I do my finish work on it. Now it just has the cammo and gloss on it.

jack, that's the same kit I am building and hase do say a white tail band. Its just that one version on the box that has a red tail. But I think Bob might be a bit confused. He mention's tail theatre band, but I think he might be meaning the red on the rudder.

Bob, the white markings you have there on the wing undersides and fuselage are correct. Your fiend at the model club has got them mixed up, yellw was for the eastern front.

But, assuming you are doing the kit jack has posted a pic of, it should be yellow under the engine, not white.

Bob... In my Luftwaffe unit markings list There is indeed a maroon band but the kit your building is far too early a build for that. Your white band is proper (as Bish said) for the Med service campaign. Also the under side of the nose (again as was mentioned) should be yellow. The bands your thinking of were the Defense of the Reich bands (I'm pretty sure) and weren't used until the Luftwaffe had been driven back to within its original albeit ever shrinking boarders. At that time most every remaining Group had its own distinctive banding , usually but not always multi colored like red and yellow, blue white blue, white black white and so on. Some were a single solid color like the maroon, some were double colored. It really depended on the group. Hope that helps, and great work so far on the one your doing. Hope its only the first 109 from you!

Doug

By the way, Joe (M) and Clemens, I'm putting together the ingredients for another 109, this time it will be an "F". I have a 1/32 21st century kit in stash I've been wanting to build, and it really looks pretty good as far as detail and such. Kind of unconventional packaging but still kind of nice looking. Any experience with these kits out there?  Still trying to narrow down the subject, but will likely be Eastern front and again likely Jg26. But still not decided.

Thanks Guys!

Doug (RR)

OK all... Some more progress...

Starting the decals... Man, I don't know, Meatballs on a Messerschmitt... Something a bit off there.

Still a tad wrinkled from the micro sol...

The decals are mainly leftovers from past builds.

Being these 5 units were for flight testing only the gun ports were faired over.

Just started the weathering, they were relatively new , so there wont be a lot to do. That's about all for now...

Doug

Doug, your correct about red being used as an RD band. It was use by JG 1.

Nice work there, does look a bt odd seeing those markings on a 109.

Jgeractic... yes, same kit.

Thank you all for the feedback regarding tail color. It would appear that Hasagawa does have it incorrect. The instructions call for either color #41, red brown, or decal #42, which is a decal of the tail band that accompanies the separate  rudder maroon decal, which is indeed curved for the tail and maroon.

I primed the tail, under wings and under cowling white to accept either the white or yellow top coat. 

I have 3 sets of 1/32 decals for this 109, I may decide to use one of the sets rather than the stock kit set. I have been getting some good hours in with the airbrush and might go for a simple camo paint outlined in one of the decal sets.

Here are two pics showing the apparent error in the kit instructions. For prosperity.

Doug, Thank You for your kind words on my first real build. I have another 109 here and may build it after the P51D for the Mustang GB.

Hi Radial9,

the 41 is not indicating the tail band colour but instead, damage from a rock, sustained during one of Marseille's take off.

Regards,

Allen