Messerschmitt Me109E-3a L-52, Yugoslavia 1/48
This article is part of a series:
- Tamiya Bf 109E-3 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10 Revell 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-7 Trop 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2, Finnish Air Force “MT-225” 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-5, Wilde Sau, Eduard, 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 “Yellow 14”, Hans Joachim Marseille
- Messerschmitt Me109E-3a L-52, Yugoslavia 1/48
- Japanese Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4, Tamiya 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4, Italian Air Force, Eduard, 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf109E-1, Legion Condor, Eduard 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf109 E-3a, Swiss, Tamiya 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf109G-6, MT-422, Finnish Air Force, Eduard 1/48
- Messerschmitt Bf109 G-6 WNr 161742, Slowak, Eduard 1/48
Relaxing with an (almost) OOB 109
In order to get a build done fast, I bought the Airfix Emil. The plan was to get it done fast(?) and OOB(?)
OK – things took a turn at the very beginning of the build. Having been spoilt by eduard 109's the Airfix item is a bit simple and somewhat lacking in detail. Not that it is a bad kit, it is just not an expensive kit.
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- 1. eduard belts from the sparesbox
First off, I had a resin seat from SBS-model, relatively inexpensive, but looks a million. And it comes in a 2-pack. The handle on one of them had broken off, and so it was used for this build as it was planned to be with a closed canopy anyway.
Some putty has been added here and there, some of it due to my own clumsiness in this accelerated build.
RLM65 and RLM71 were Xtracolor gloss to skip a layer of clear gloss.
Having said that I did have trouble with the quality of the kit (and admitted it is great compared to the price 🙂 ) I think it may be in order to express my high regard for the decals!
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- 1. should read "VAZDHU" (thank you to Sebastian Videc for pointing this out when first posted in work in progress
These pictures were taken with a Olympus TG4 in “Macro”-mode and the addition of a flash-ring that just channels the LED-light to a ring around the lens.
Now, that is some AWESOME decals, and if I had taken some more time with the build, it would have been a great model. But alas – I wanted a OOB quick build.
Decals added and the plane had a layer of clear matt
With all the decals added (they worked like a dream!) the plane has received a coat of matt (Tamiya acrylic)
And today the sun was out, and so was I – here you have the endresult. I had bought a pair of Quickboost exhausts to replace the kit-parts, a relatively cheap option, and looks a lot better that the kit ones. (OK – they could be fiddled with to make some nice ones)
This is what came from a few minutes out in the sun;
The antenna wire is Uschi van der Rosten fine rigging wire.
Thank you all for comments on this build in the work in progress section.
Regarding the Me designation, I believe that that was actually the designation used by BFW for export planes, the Bf being a RLM designation.
Been a great little speed build, at least it was a speed build for me, trying to keep mods to a minimum was a bit tough, but I think I managed?
Nicely done!
Thank you.
Nice result Erik!
Thanx David
Great build of Royal Yugoslav Airforce, this particular machine belonged to the fighter pilot Milutin Grozdanovic. He flew few sorites for two days and claimed one Ju87 destroyed, but during the landing he was severely wounded, fortunately he survived and lived until 1995.
There is a story about Me and Bf signature of the plane. Original name was BF 109 and it rooted from the factory name Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. After it bankrupted it was bought in 1932. by designer and manufacturer Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt. It took some time before he changed the name of the plane from original BF to Me which was named after his surnames first two letters 🙂
Here's mine attempt at the same plane 🙂
It is very obvious that you spent the time on yours that I didn't. Regarding Bf / Me it has long been a debate. Having recently bought a book on the swiss 109's and yesterday the two Jeroplan Books on (Yugoslav) 109's, it is obvious that the export designation must have been Me, and the german ones by decree of RLM were still Bf, with the 110 being the first to use Me in german parlor.
I am sure there are room for a lot of debate on the matter.
Another thing that has come to my attention is that Yugoslavia had at least 9 two-seaters that internally were UME109. That will have to be built, perhaps as a Bulgarian version? Are you up to a challenge 🙂 Nah just fooling, but it is on my bucketlist now!
that's a sweet build
Nice, clean lil' Emil, sir...those outdoor shots really make it "pop".
🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
Erik … when one see's this model … seeing more in-depth, it has history written all over it.
No matter what short comings you had in this kit, the end results are very keen.
Simple in it's painting … true, but for some reason that is what stands out.
Nicely done Erik. Good job for a speed build.
Nice work. That kit delivers good value for its price (half that of an Eduard, and dimensionally accurate, which the Eduard isn't). Excellent result here.
Nice job, Erik. It certainly looks drab next to your Swiss 109.
Another fine-looking 109! Is it just me, or does it seem the engraved lines on the new Airfix kits are a tad on the heavy side?
@gkittinger, youre right. it is a bit heavy here and there, and had this not been a relaxing speedbuild I might have dimmed them a bit. Anyway, it is an inexpensive kit, and in my opinion if that is the amount you are prepared to pay, then it is quite an acceptable kit. Now, the Tamiys is not all that expensive, a bit older, but nonetheless it will be the one I will use in the future when it is not going to be an Eduard kit (or a set of their overtrees, quite often they have a sale on their website, and if buying something else I always throw a few overtrees in the basket)
Thanx for all the kind words and comments - appreciate them all!
Great looking oddball scheme Erik. I have just started using Uschi van der Rosten for my 1:48 antennae though I use the Super Fine. I think it is closer to scale but that's just a personal opinion
@blackadder57 - thanx. Super Fine is in the toolbox - will check for size when I get to finishing on the next build 🙂
(on my first 109 I used a hair from my girlfriend. . it reacts to moisture, and is not really to be recommended)
Here are the two I've used it on...
2 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Hey Erik @airbum! Just came across this build of yours. Looks great, even more so as it is a quick OOB build. I might try one someday.
All the best!
@fiveten thanks my friend. It is, as I've mentioned, not a bad kit - it is fine at the price you pay, and best of all is that marking option! The spelling error apart it incorporates stencils in the correct language and that large text-segment on the tail.