2015 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Group Build

Yeah, it looks fantastic.

I'm afraid that when I post some more pics of my Avia later today, it will look like a child's toy compared to the work that's going on in here.

I really like Rall, by the way.

Thank  you MC,,, Yeah I like well used, LOL... I read somewhere once in an interview with the German ace Gunther Rall that when asked about what he felt the good points of the captured P51 Mustang he had just flown were, he told his superior ... They don't leak fuel and oil all over you!.  So I just picture German aircraft, given the amount of flying they did and the very harsh environments and use they received, would well used!

Thanks again!

Doug

Doug,

That's a fantastic looking pit and engine, well used.
Great job   

Rivets? Fine job, Tucho. Now, that's above and beyond the call!

Coming along nicely, Doug. I like the powerplant. I know what you mean about PE. At least with the cyberhobby I am doing, the kit parts looks nicer than some of the PE. I used less than half of it, with most of it going to the panel and the belts.

Morning fellow builders! Got some more done this past week on the pit and Fuselage. I had bought a pe set for this but so far have not used it. I have built a few if these kits in the past and while it may dress up the build some, I just like for the most part, the way it was made without too much PE. Any way, heres what I have thus far...

I know I skipped ahead a bit but some times when I get into the :Build Zone" I tend to forget to take pictures... Sorry.

Well that's about all for now. I'm doing something I don't usually do and that's trying to do two builds at once. Gets a tad confusing at times, but so far so good. The seat belts are trimmed and cut down strips of Tamiya masking tape with some left over buckles and scratch made accessories (small shaped and flattened pieces if wire). Most of the levers and cranks are scratch made with white glue knobs. The hydraulic lines of the foot pedals and assorted bits of cable and control wiring are just that, bits of wire and coated wire. I also picked up a sheet of Air Scale  placards and instrument dials and they are the most helpful items I've found yet for dressing up the cabin and cockpit.

Thanks all and more later... Man, there is some awesome work going on here and I'll say again... EPIC build coming over all!

Doug

Thanks for the info jay. I will be doing a 32nd Hase F as well, and given the scale I am thinking detail like this is important, I am more use to 72nd so adding rivets is not so much of an issue. Just looking at the drawings on that site, o boy, lots of rivets.

Lookin' good Thunder.  Jay, that rivet work is crazy.  Looks great.  No worries Joe.  I'm building this thing on the fly.  The instructions are vague when it comes to painting.  That's why I'm constantly asking questions about paint.  Any and all input is appreciated.  I hope to find some time to work on the 109 this weekend.  However, if the weather is nice, I need to start working in my vineyard.

Craig  

One at a time........................Wow! Now that's some dedication to build right there! Outstanding Jay!

I use a beading tool to do the rivets, one at a time. About an hour and a half per wing. It gets pretty tedious. The fuselage is probably three hours worth. If anyone needs rivet patterns, there are some excellent drawings at the 109 Lair as well as much other useful information. Great site.

Jay

tempestjohnny

Jeez mustang (Joe) what time to you get up.  Says you're last post was at 5:15 my time.  Aren't you two hours behind east coast time

This picture was taken 6 years ago but here's Sweet Pea at age 11:

Mike, the pit is looking really good, some nice detail paiting there.

Jay, now that's a lt of riveting. Sorry if I missed it before, what are you using to do those.

Jeez mustang (Joe) what time to you get up.  Says you're last post was at 5:15 my time.  Aren't you two hours behind east coast time

Craig, nice work on the engine, I like the colour you have come up with.

Craig: Cool dude! Hope you don't think I was trying to get all picky, just trying to help you out with the finer engine detail. Lookin' forward to the progress!

U2 Milo: Thanks bud. Say........grab a kit and jump in here.

Jay: Man that is some real detail you've got there.  What's the riveting technique and tool?

Thunder: Very good progress and scratchbuilding!

I finally received my kit today.  Went to the LHS and picked up a few RLM paints to get me started and see how this goes.  I hope to have some pictures of my progress up tomorrow.

Looking amazing, Jay, very fine-scale work!

Some progress today, I've got these cockpits nearly ready. I'm happy to say the Airfix control stick separated from the sprue okay, unlike that of the Mustang I did recently, and is now installed. Moulded harness has been highlighted and washed with oils on both kits and awaits only a speck of silver to suggest hardware.

Gunsights are installed, though the Hobbycraft item called for scratch building. I cannot imagine any other company attaching a gunsight unit to the sprue by the very optical glass itself, and it was carved away in the belief the part went the other way up. Ahem, clear sheet to the rescue...

Airfix first:

The instrument decals were, as usual, much too large for the panels they go on, so I did my standard trick of locating the decals more or less centrally, then when they were dry slicing away the excess with a blade. Now Hobbycraft:

My next task is the buckles, then I can start getting them together -- mounting the cockpit walls to the tub for the big one, and mounting the panel to the tub in the small, then closing the fuselage. I'm aiming to have the Airfix item assembled completely to the pre-painting stage tomorrow.

Cheers, M/TB379

Thanks, Milo. Was able to finish the riveting on the wings today. Fuselage is next.

Jay

Wow.  That cockpit is stunning, tucohoward.

Lot's of great work here in this thread.  Thanks for sharing.  Keep it coming!

Yes sir it looks good!

Doug

You are right Joe.  I hit the block with some MM semi-gloss.  It has a slight sheen to it now.

Very nice cockpit Tom.

Lookin good so far Tom! Nice and "used".

Ready to close up the halves now...

Heya Craig. Good start so far on the engine. If I remember right and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, I think the engine block black paint had a small amount of shine to it.

Looking good. Sounds like you have a good plan!

I finally received the PE set for the cockpit.  So I can get moving on that.  I also completely assembled the engine and painted it.  I used 90% RLM 66 and 10% flat black (both Vallejo).  It's not quite black, but it's not gray either.  Now I'm going to shoot the engine with Vallejo Satin Varnish.  See what kind of finish I get.  Then apply a wash and dry brush.

Craig

Okay, glad to report I found both the sheet above and an Eduard E data sheet in stock at a firm here in Aus and ordered both at once, so I'll have my options in hand before long!

M/TB379

Thanks, Jack! This reinforces my own observations -- the D stencilling looks very close to that of the E, close enough perhaps to get by with E, which is more commonly available, however I'll certainly try for that sheet, it looks excellent. I guess with the early marks only really addressed by Hobbycraft there has been little call for them, but as Hobbycraft does not include stencils, and Academy barely included any on its sheet, you would think that stencils for this family of aircraft were worth a production run by some manufacturer out there.

I have also observed that profile art, typically based on good research, sometimes depicts the aircraft without data at all, which raises the question of whether in the late 30s data was always carried. My own understanding was that things were simplified over time, in the late 30s things were at their most complex and wasteful of resources, so I would have expected more data, not less...

It's a most interesting point! I have some time to make a decision on how to proceed -- I've ordered replacement wheels for the D and they'll no doubt take their sweet time finding their way to me, so I can expect the model to sit a month after completion of building before I can get to the paintwork. Hopefully I can either source a sheet featuring stencils, or go with E data. I'll go look for both right away!

Cheers, hope to have progress pics over the weekend,

Mike/TB379

Some great work there guys. This is getting off to a great start.

Guys, impressive work - keep it going!

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M/TB379 - good question about the 109D stencils.  I had to look at some profiles and what the decal manufacturers have available.  After some comparison, I'd say there are some differences, on the assumption that everyone's research is on the ball.

Here's what I noticed:

On the fuselage side, the 109D has the octane 87 stencil in another location (below the canopy) and it looks a bit larger too.  There is also another triangular stencil more forward (behind the port intake on the Emil) which is similar size, but slightly different  location.  On the wing tops, there are prominent lines in red, but are segmented or dotted?  Emil decals have these solid, either red or black.

I did not come across any 109D decal sets that has just stencils.  So if you are looking to purchase a set, it will have to include the balkenkreuz, etc.

regards,

Jack

There was supposed to be a picture.