Otaki 1/48th scale Bf-109G-6
Hello fellow modellers!
It has been a long time since my last article, too long. Seeing this box art always evokes memories of me as a young (12 years old) and impressionable lad, circa 1976, in my now long-gone local hobby shop wanting it so much! The history of this particular copy goes back to "The Year 2000". I bought at the first model contest/swap meet I attended. Paid all of $10 with every intention of starting it ASAP. Well...things happen and only in the year 2024 did I make a promise to build it. As with every Otaki kit I have built it is a product of it's time, nothing wrong with that at all! Recessed panel lines, one-piece wheels/tires, nice clear parts, overall a very good kit out of the box and easy to assemble. Added a few external details, including the cannon barrels made from brass tubing, and drilled out some intakes for a bit more scale realism. I build 48th scale airplanes to paint them. This particular scheme & markings has been on my "to do list" for a long time. Love the yellow nose and rudder with the classic mid-war German splinter & mottled camouflage pattern, a challenge to get just right, but definitely worth the effort. Decals were a combination of what kit-supplied items worked & aftermarket for the rest. Much thanks to my good friend and Imodeler regular John Healy for the aftermarket decals. The spiral black stripe on the spinner was a puzzler for me, thought about painting it on, but my shaky hands couldn't do the job. Then John shows up at a swap meet with decal sheets to sell and I find this one amongst his collection. New life!, and now she is complete...finally. Many thanks for viewing, any questions/comments are always welcome. Take care & keep modelling, Jim
Well done. Love these markings
Thank you George 👍
Knew all along that was the scheme I wanted. More than pleased with the results. Thanks for your compliments!
Excellent result and very interesting story of the model, Jim!
Well done!
Thank you Spiros 🙂
I have almost all of this Otaki 48th scale series of aircraft. There are 17 in all, I'm sure I can find the ones needed to complete the collection on ebay. I have found a few at swap meets, mostly for $5 to $8.
A very nice result, Jim @jaltergott6
I really like hoe the mottling turned out.
Thank you John. Took a few painting sessions to get the mottling just the way I wanted it. Used the box art for a guide. The splinter pattern was done using a post-it note for masking the edges of the colors. Paints are Hataka and Mr Color lacquers
Hello Jim,
You did a very nice job with the Otaki 109. The mottling is very well done. Seeing the box art evokes memories of seeing Otaki kits at a local hobby shop in the 1970s-1980s for me as well. That shop too is gone now, but fortunately I still have one shop very close to where I live, so I go there often.
Russ
Thank you Russ 🙂
Yes indeed, seeing these original Otaki kit boxes takes me back a long way! Definitely part nostalgia build for me. Of course these Otaki kits build into some pretty good looking models, a little bit of external details added here & there to liven them up. Glad to know you still have a brick and mortar hobby shop to visit. Almost all the old hobby shops are gone from the NW side of Chicago, where I was born & raised.
Great box art is part of the game. I cut this one out (this "eyeball" 109 is a fave of mine) and it still hangs above my workbench. Still have the built model too, about 25 years now. Also did a Hasegawa in 1/32. Have a 1/24 decal sheet also.
Great job on that, the mottling and spiralschnauze are really sharp.
Thanks Bill 🙂
This scheme was my intention all along. So very cool for an aviation/modelling geek like myself. I too have saved this box cover, and I will for all the original Otaki kits in my stash. The mottling turned out very well, and my friend's decal sheet made finishing this possible. I couldn't think of a way to get the spiral painted on by hand.
Wonderful job on this fine kit, Jim. I've long had the same build and scheme on my shelf. Even with its minor inaccuracies and being overshadowed by the new and improved Eduard kits, the Otaki in its various reboxings still makes a fine 'coat rack' to hang 109 G schemes on. You've done yours up proud. Congratulations!
Thank you very much Chris 🙂 Yes indeed, these Otaki kits hold up well, easy to build and just a good basic kit to assemble and paint. Thanks again 👍
Very nice work on that one! Otaki made some pretty advanced kits for their time. They had fairly accurate outlines, engraved panel lines, and actually fit pretty well. I must have built all of their Japanese 1/48 line up, as well as the Hellcat, Corsair, and of course this 109. brings back great memories!
Thanks Paul 🙂 Otaki offered a great kit for the time, no doubt. I have almost all 17 of this series, intend on building them all.
That turned out excellent. You did a nice job building & painting it.
Thank you Jay. Your compliments are much appreciated 🙂
As others have said, for their time the Otaki kits were quite good. Your fine paintwork enhanced it well.
Thank you Dale. This was a fun build & paint model. Need to insert these between the high detail kits and the "headache" models 🤯 A very relaxing kit to build
You did a really nice job on the Bf109, Jim (@jaltergott6). You proved that those old Otaki kits are still a ton of fun to build and display. Who cares if the cockpits seem to be made up and the fine details are not there? The engraved panel lines and other surface details look great, the shapes are right on, and they provide an excellent medium for using the bazillions decal markings available for them. They make quick projects to keep your modeling mojo going. I still love them. Thank you for sharing yours with us.
Thank you Matt! I agree top to bottom with your message, every point of it! Thank you again
Great job on an old classic. Superb painting and decals.
Thank you so much Bob! I love the challenge of painting these German camouflage schemes. They look so good when done right.
Love those classic kits Jim, great job !
Thank you Paul. The box art carries me back to my childhood everytime I see it.
It turned out great, Jim! Glad to help and it was great seeing you guys up there! See you next year.
Thank you John! Great to see you too and spend the day together at NIMCON. Coming across that decal sheet was a big morale boost! It motivated me to finally finish this bird, photograph it and post the article. Thanks again 🙂
Wow 😮 Your 109 looks awesome Jim. Good work 😎
Thank you Scott! This one really stands out in my finished model collection
Well done, Jim (@jaltergott6). This is proof that the old kits can still be made into great models with great patience and great modeling skills. You obviously have both. Very cool.
Thank you George. I totally agree. Most airplane models I keep the internals basic and do minor modifications to exterior parts/areas. Painting them is the real fun for me
The Otaki kits were in their way ahead of their time, and with some aftermarket (like the old True Details resin cockpits for the Hellcat and Corsair) can come up to contemporary standards. You have done a nice bit of work on this kit and turned it into a very respectable model that can hold its own for quality of the work.
However, the plastic in the box was not the only "product of its time." the boxart was too. This kit came out in the mid-70s, shortly after it was admitted that all Luftwaffe airplanes weren't painted "two greens and a blue." And the scheme for the "eyeball" was as big a guess (and as "accurate") as the guy who wrote the Airfix book on the then-new 1/24 Hurricane kit, in which he said that the Sea Hurricane IIc "Nicki" was all white overall and that the overspray of the upper insignia was just "out of focus" (when everything else in the photo was in focus). People were guessing and many of the "leading intellectuals" of scale modeling were later found to be making it up (I knew too many of them). The idea that the Germans had actual schemes for their camouflage, that differed from factory to factory was a good 30+ years in the future, and the result of the hobby maturing and attracting people who liked doing actual research. Our hobby is the better for their work.
(FWIW, most photos of 109s from this unit with those markings tell us it was the MTT Regensburg pattern.)
Thanks for the memory of why I am a happier modeler these days with the kits and the knowledge we've gained.
Thank you Tom, your compliments are greatly appreciated! And thank you for the information and history. That's why I like reading your posts, there is so much to learn. I do recall seeing the Eduard color guide for this marking option and telling myself: so...that is the actual paint scheme. I have almost all 17 kits of the Otaki aircraft series, want to buy and build them all. Thank you again for the compliments Tom!
A great-looking 109! Well done.
Thanks Greg 🙂👍
This model turned out close to how to I envisioned it
I agree with TC and the others: Otaki kits are terrific considering their age but with extra work plus some exterior aftermarket items, can be turned into an excellent model as you have shown here with your 109, Jim @jaltergott6. Which Otaki kit will you tackle next?
Thank you Eric. Most likely the Hellcat or Corsair, perhaps the Ki-84 'Frank' or the Zero 52. I have my choices, that's for sure.
I have heard from other modelers that Otaki’s F4U is one of their best but have yet to build it. I enjoyed the Hellcat F6F-3 but it needs a bit tweaking and updated wheels.
Well done, like the others said, Otaki made some good stuff back in their day. Some still look good sitting on the shelf next to today's wonder kits.
Thanks Chas 🙂
I totally agree, still holds up well in 2024
After reading this it occurred to me that I could have written this. We are the same age and I too remember when this kit came out in the 70’s. I bought my kit from my now defunct but beloved hobby shop and built it in high school. This was the best kit I had ever encountered at that time. The model still exists in my childhood home’s basement in a glass case. Thanks for the memories Jim!
My pleasure Jim 🙂
Great that you still have your model, and sealed from the elements! I recently bought another original Otaki issue of this kit at a swap meet. So, with the decal sheet I bought last weekend, I can make yet another Bf-109G-6! Certainly there are plenty of versions to choose from.