Messerschmitt Bf110E "Wespen" Winter 1942
The 110's from the Wespen geschwader are one of my favorite German aircraft, unfortunately I never did build one, till now.
This kit is the Eduard 8203 from 2007 in 1/48 scale. It does include a lot of extra PE parts which are very detailed.
The kit did build quite well except for the fitting of nacelles to the wings and the nose cone. A lot of grinding and filling was needed there. Furthermore some small flash remains were present on a most of the parts.
Also a set of canopy masks were added and that really helped in painting the large canopy.
Before starting I was a bit worried about the camouflage, it would be my first ever winterscheme. After applying the primer, I used a combination of black and darkgrey pre-shading on various locations. After that I finished the entire surface with white in small amounts till I got the result which to me looked correct.
Exhaust stains were created with airbrush which was also the first time I did it in this way. Before I was always afraid to spray to much and ruining the build. Really had to step outside my comfort zone this time.
Decals were applied after a gloss coat and did come on pretty well, except for the Wespe. I was really struggling to get them on without wrinckles, even decal softener was not helping a lot. In the end I think they look quite ok. At the end a satin coat was applied.
Although there are some points which can definitely be improved, I'm pretty happy with how the winterscheme and the exhaust stains turned out.
John, @johnb
You did a magnificent job here with your 110. It's very hard for me to pick a favorite picture of your model. The cockpit work is exceptionally good, and then I noticed the sight ring on the rear firing MG...
Each time I look at this build, I find something new.
I have several unbuilt Revell / Monogram kits in the stash, and a few of the Fujimi kits of the 110, all in 1/48 scale. I am very tempted to start the Luftwaffe group build, especially after I have seen some fantastic Luftwaffe machines here in the headlines section lately.
Thanks for sharing this beauty with us. You have done a fine job with your Bf-110.
I definitely pressed the "liked" button !
Thanks Louis, @lgardner
That sight gun was one of the last parts to be added but took quite some time to get it in place.
More of these PE parts are present but all covered in the fuselage.
Well done John, this is a exquisite result! The winter scheme is very nice and well done on the exhaust stains, they really look authentic. The interior/ machine guns are also outstanding. The detail you have achieved on the instrument panel is incredible, what method did you use?
Thanks, Adrian @adrianstarling
The IP is made up of multiple PE parts and they are very detailed.
Sidepanels and levers are handpainted using a sharpened toothpick.
John: you really nailed it with your 110. One of nicest builds of this kit I’ve seen yet. The instrument panel, seatbelt arrangements and interior details are awesome. Stepping out of your comfortable zone really paid off. Did you do a build blog on this?
“Liked” very much.
Thanks, Eric @eb801
Unfortunetaly no blog on this one.
I will do that for my next project, a Supermarine Walrus.
That will be again a step outside of the comfort zone because it will be my first ever bi-plane.
This is a spectacular result, my friend @johnb, and I strongly echo our friends above comments!
Please, step out of your comfort zone more often: we love!
Thanks my friend @fiveten
Always trying to do things a bit differently but that also leads sometimes to unexpected problems.
When all sets together and looks nice at the end, it feels like a sort of victory.
Nice work on this, John. By all accounts that’s not a pleasant kit to build.
Thank you, John @j-healy
My first Eduard kit was an easy build so at firs I though this one would be moreless the same.
It was not. Some points for sure needed quite some attention.
Typical modern kit eh? A zillion parts but the major ones don't fit.
Yours is a battle well-won though, with no signs of a struggle.
Great pictures, I especially like the eye-level ones.
Thanks @krukowskijohn
Indeed, opening the box gives a nice feeling to see all these parts.
But at some stages, it was a fight to get these parts together.
Usually that counts for the smaller parts, but this time it were some of the bigger parts.
I've always liked the 110 and have the Pro Modeller in the stash, love everything about this build. Well done!
@robgenev665
Thanks, eagerly waiting the build of your 110.
Such stunning details and a great paint finish makes this Zerstörer a winner. Well done!
Thanks a lot, Morne @mornem
Scratch building is reserved for the next buidl.
I'll join the choir here @johnb - this is really excellent on all levels - the details, the general assembly, the very realistic paint job, the whole megilla. Definitely liked a lot!
"liked" (a whole lot!)
Thanks, Tom @tcinla.
Appreciate your kind words.
Very nice and well done, John. It's very eye catching.
Thanks @gwskat
Beautiful job on your 110, John. You have really nailed both the details and the overall finish! Love the cockpit and careful application of color etch. This is one of the most attractive versions of the Wespen scheme I have yet seen. The relative evenness of the winter mottle finish really helps to focus attention on the intricate nose art, which is a plus. Nice layered approach you took to pre-shading. I have been looking at all the variations of Wespens for my Dragon 32nd scale Bf-110C. Your success with the winter version really inspires me to go that route. Did you do the Wasp on the nose as all decal or a combo of decal and painting? Either way, it looks really good.
One other detail that kind of jumps out for me in your paintwork is the red tips on the prop hubs. Somehow that color accent really adds interest to the overall scheme.
I understand you anxiety about airbrushing exhaust stains and risking "ruining" the paintwork. Yours turned out great,. BTW. One thing I have done with exhaust stains in the past is to mask around the area of the stain to avoid slipping and overdoing it. That helps reduce my own worries about slipping with the airbrush. I have also used pastels and charcoal to do the stains by brush painting and a paper blending stick. That way is fairly reversible in that the charcoal dust/pastel can be removed with a pencil eraser. All can be sealed with flat clear in the end.
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Colin @coling
The Wasp is a decal consisting of three parts.
The bottom half, main part of the white wasp wings and the top left half.
I really had a struggle with the bottom half because of the nose roundings.
Quite some decal softener was used to get it flattened.
Those tips for applying exhaust stains are very helpful, thanks for that.
Beautiful job on a terrible kit. I started one in 2007, and the nacelles had me box it all back up. It's been sitting on a shelf for the last 14 years, and it'll be there another 14.
@jkelleycrna
It would be a pity to leave it boxed.
I'm sure you can turn it into a great 110.
Great work John. The cockpit detail is outstanding!
Thanks Dale, @dtravis
Excellent finish on this, the winter scheme really suits it, one of my favourite aircraft, too. Definitely liked.
Thanks, George @chinesegeorge
Those wintercamos indeed look nice, fully agreed.
Very catching scheme. I've built this kit so I know what kind of pain you went through to build it. However, like most models, the final result (which is very good) is what matters.
Thanks, Dan @dbdlee
The end result is indeed what counts and when satisfied, you will forget the paint/frustation you had during the process.
All the praise you have received is well deserved John, @johnb, I think you really did an excellent job with this build and makes me want to build a "Wespen" Bf-110 of my own, but I will finish my other one first. Thanks for sharing your "in progress" with me, really nice build and most definitely liked.
Thanks my friend, @luftwaffe-birdman
Looking at the progress of your 110, it will for sure be a winner.
A beautiful build, John (@johnb),
I've only ever done one winter/white scheme and that was a factory applied version on a MiG 3.
Yours looks to be a recently field applied scheme on the verge of wearing off. Very well done!
I must try one like this too.
I have three of these kits (C-6, G-2 and G-4) to build one day. I hope they turn out as good as this one.
Liked!
Thanks for your compliment, Michael @michaelt
At the beginning I was worried to get it done, but at the end it turned out not too bad.
It was a nice learning session for getting more airbrush experience.
Looking forward to one of your 110's.
Well done John, and excellent work on that cockpit. You deserve all the above praise for a well executed model build.
Thanks, Tom @tom-bebout
Nice work John. I like the 110 and you gave it the « look » very nice.
Thanks a lot Bernard @bernardbedeur
Nicely done winter Wespe! I think I have to convince my dad to build an Eduard 110 too, to see if this kit is really that tough to build.
Thanks Reinhard @grimreaper
Looking to your dad's modelling expertise, this might be an easy build for him.
The biggest struggle I had was with the nacelles, which seems to be a common issue, the nose and the large Wespe decal. The rest of the kit is quite ok.
beautiful work on the winter scheme - excellent result! The whole build is nicely done.
Thanks Greg @gkittinger
🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
A very befitting and extravagant build John.
This is a very notable Messerschmitt Bf110E, your work in the cockpit is well done.
The winter scheme is nicely achieved .
The photography is a total show of joy.
Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for liking this build, @de4ever
Excellent result with this Bf110. She looks fantastic! Nice work!
Thanks for your compliments, Yann @yann