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John Richards
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BF 109 E-3 Tamiya 1/48 scale

January 17, 2015 · in Aviation · · 16 · 2.9K

This is a E-3. German 109s are a bit of an obsession with me. I love them all. I built and brush painted this one by hand using Model Master enamels. I did not follow the recommended call outs for the camo. I used RLM 70/71 sides 02, over 65. The reason I did this is because I saw a plane online that had so much mottling on the sides, it looked like solid RLM 02, and I liked it. I used a wash made with acrylic paint, water, and dish liquid to weather and bring out the panel lines. I used 's weather master kit to put some soot on the sides to mimic exhaust stains. Originally it got away from me and was too dark and garish looking, so I stripped the sides, and repainted and weathered them again with only a slight application.

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16 responses

  1. Very nice rendition, John...and brush painted to boot. I've seen 32nd scale 109's that weren't as nicely done (mine spring to mind). Great to have you back "in the game" (and on iModeler). 🙂 You'll like it here.

    • Thank you Craig, and thanks for the friend request. I am about to venture into building my first Armor. I have just purchased three kits, all Tamiya 1/35 scale. I have the SDKFZ 251 Hanomag, Tiger 1 early, and Tiger 1 mid production. I am currently building a 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire MK VB Tropical version.

  2. John: Welcome back!
    Looks like you retained your skills, good choice of color scheme, avoiding that mottle, which is difficult,at least to me.
    If you like WW I, the Eduard EV is simplicity itself, available as a weekend kit.

  3. So nice, the weathering effects are awesome. Great build and pleasure to watch it. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Very nice Emil. Well done!

  5. Good build John. You definitely have the knack for brush painting.

  6. Thanks for all the kind comments.

  7. This 109 looks really neat, good job!

  8. Lovely 109 the John.
    Brush painted too, better than I can do.
    Well done mate.

  9. Thank you 🙂

  10. said on August 17, 2015

    John, your build looks great, good job and fine work on hand brushing. If you don't mind me asking I have a couple questions.

    1. Do you paint straight from the Testors bottle or do you thin the paint? If so how much thinner?
    2. How many coats do you apply? How long do you allow to dry before adding another coat?
    3. What brush do you use?
      Thank you very much.
  11. !. Yes, I paint strait from the bottle without thinner. The only time I use thinner is if after the bottle stays open a while and the paint becomes sludgy.

    1. I use however many coats it takes until I am satisfied with the coverage. Most times it is at least 2 coats, but no more than 4.
    2. I use a 1/4 inch brush for most painting, and 000 for detail work.
      You are welcome. I hope you enjoy your model building and painting.
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