Dora Wings 1/48 Bf-109A
First, a little background:
The Spanish Civil War was fought between 1936 and 1939, between the Nationalists (supported by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany) and the Republicans (supported by the Soviet Union and Mexico). The Republicans were recognized by France, the US, and the UK, but officially they all were non-interventionist. Thousands of volunteers from these and other countries joined the fight in what were called International Brigades. Russia, Italy, and Germany all used the war as a place to test their military equipment and personnel.
The Germans sent several different types of airplanes to fight in the war. The first Bf-109s arrived in 1936. Three prototypes, V3, V4, and V6, along with their pilots, were sent to participate in the war. Two of these planes were lost. In March of 1937, 14 Bf-109As (coded 6x3 through 6x16) were sent to fly in the war. These planes were continuously upgraded, and eventually they were virtually the same as the Bf-109Bs that arrived in June, 1937. One of these planes (code 6 x 15) was forced down behind Republican lines. This plane still had a wooden, two-bladed prop when captured. Otherwise, it was virtually the same as a 109B. The plane was repaired and test flown by a French test pilot, and then later taken to Russia for further tests.
-
- 1. 6x15 after being forced down
-
- 1. Colorized photo of 6x15. Notice the left flap isn't as far down as the right. This is also just after it was forced down.
-
- 1. 6x15 during testing in Spain. Notice the start of the red band covering the markings.
I wanted to build a model of the captured Bf-109A while it was being tested in Spain. When the plane was captured, the Nationalist markings were covered with broad bands of "Republican" red paint. I couldn't find any photos showing the size and configuration of these bands, and there are four or five different interpretations of what the plane looked like. Photos of the plane in Russia show that the plane was apparently stripped of all paint, including the bands and all markings. At this time, the plane appears to be natural metal. When the Germans invaded Russia, they found and reclaimed their missing Bf-109A.
There is a lot of confusion concerning the color of these planes, as well as the type of plane. Some sources say 6x15 was a Bf-109A, while others say it was a Bf-109B-1. I found a great resource (German Eagles in Spanish Skies by David Johnston, 2018), whose information is based on newly discovered maintenance and aircraft logs. These records confirm that these 14 aircraft were all Bf-109As. The author believes that the confusion comes from the fact the planes were indistinguishable from the later B models due to their upgrades. The color of these "Antons" is also very confused. Some sources say they were in natural metal, others say they were natural metal with a protective sealer, while others say the color was gray. The maintenance records confirm that these planes were painted in Silberweiss, basically RLM 01. When looking at photos of these planes, it is impossible to tell the difference between a worn, faded silver paint and a worn, faded light gray paint.
The Model:
This Dora Wings model is terrific. I don't build a lot of 109s, especially limited run kits. This plane went together like a Tamiya kit, as long as you remembered to read the instructions and test fit everything. The only place I used any filler was underneath the plane where the rear portion of the wing joined the fuselage. I had read some build reviews of this kit before I started, and some builders said that it was a nightmare getting things to fit. I didn't seem to have any problems. The kit also has a nice set of photoetch, some resin, and masks for the canopy. I used Tamiya Aluminum mixed with about 20% light gray to produce the worn finish, and then sprayed Vallejo ModelAir RLM 01 on selected panels to produce the varied appearance you see in photos. I used Vallejo ModelAir Ferrari Red to paint the bands. I am definitely not an expert on 109s, but I think the model looks like a 109. I built this model as part of the Bf-109E Combo Build over in Groups. I didn't realize until I was done that I was supposed to be building a 109E. It was very enjoyable building along with the others, so thanks to the other "Combo" builders who provided the inspiration to build this plane. At some point I may even get around to building a 109E. Cheers everyone.
-
- 1. Paint on leading edge of prop was worn, exposing the wood underneath.
An exceptional build, George! A subject not often seen modeled. Amazing research and equally amazing write-up.
It was a pure pleasure to follow your build and, indeed, participate in this multi 109 thread created by our friend @johnb!
Very nice build of a mostly forgotten piece of history, George!
Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten) and Sebastijan (@inflames). I appreciate the kind words. Taking part in another Combo Build was fun. I hate to say it, but as a retired history instructor, the research is almost as much fun as the build. I am really starting to be interested in the other planes used in the Spanish Civil War, especially the Republican side that had a huge variety of airplanes that they pressed into service.
Why do you hate to say it? I find the research and thus becoming a hobby historian a big part of the fun during model building. I don't think I have build a model in the last 20 years that I haven't put at least a few hours into research, and many more for most of them. Lately I am becoming obsessed with Finnish WW2 history - Winter and Continuation War. And I don't think you've got any fighting force in the whole world that used so many different pieces of equipment from all around the world in such a short time span. Not to mention I am also trying to learn (with a limited success) Finnish language.
You are right, Sebastijan (@inflames). For a long time, I built models straight from the box and didn't concern myself much with the accuracy of the paint, decals, etc. I am still that way sometimes, but I have had a lot of fun researching my last several planes. I taught college history for almost 20 years, so I really enjoy the research aspect when the answer isn't necessarily evident. Thanks to this build, I have discovered that there is a lot that I don't know about the aircraft in the Spanish Civil War. If you Google the planes used by the Nationalists, you get a list of 9 or 10 planes, all Italian or German. If you Google the planes used by the Republicans, you get a list of 8 types of attack aircraft, 13 types of bombers, 19 types of fighters, 11 types of patrol aircraft, 8 types of reconnaissance aircraft, about 30 types of trainers, about 20 transports, and 2 autogyros. Of course, only one or two of most of these was ever used, but the choices for builds is almost limitless. The biggest problem is that photos and documentation for most of these are non-existent. I am already planning my next Spanish Civil War build.
I can tell you that it was asking "what was that airplane used for?" that led to my life's career.
I suspect a lot of aviation writers and photographers started with a sense of wonder about the planes and what they were used for. I was never much of a writer, but I always had my camera in my helmet bag whenever I flew missions.
" And I don't think you've got any fighting force in the whole world that used so many different pieces of equipment from all around the world in such a short time span." Ooh ooh China! 1937-1942. That's why I'm interested in that particular era. Talk about lack of documentation-pics are scarce and poor quality. Not that I'm not a Finnophile (is that a word?) by any means. They were quite the amazing bunch. I even have a decent collection of Finnish rifles from WW2, most of which are very accurate.
I am always looking for something a little bit unusual to build, and the late 1930 and early 1940s in both China and Spain are literally crawling with unusual planes and paint schemes. I am already lining a couple up in the queue. I will be watching for your Chinese goodies.
Nice work and an unusual scheme results in a very interesting model, @gblair. I like it a lot.
Thanks for the kind words. I have always hesitated to build 109s because there are a lot of modelers who know a lot more about 109s than I ever will. I always worry about embarrassing myself doing something on a 109 that everyone else knows not to do.
If I thought I had to have everything lined up right, I'd probably never get anything built! Close enough is close enough for a representation!
You really did an amazing job on this A variant, George @gblair.
It was a pleasure to have you in the combo build and we all did learn a lot, especially from your thorough research. Not important what version is being build in that thread. The more 109's the better.
Thanks, John. It was a pleasure to join your Combo Build, even if I did build the wrong variant. I will be following yours, as well as your airliner.
Thanks for the history lesson, great work! I've done a couple of obscure schemes and in doing the research I've found myself falling into a rabbit hole, info on "newer" subjects often is hard to find.@gblair
Thanks, Robert. I went down the rabbit hole on my last two builds, but the research was fun and the models came out OK. Can't ask for more. :o)
Cool looking 109, George, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the combo build as well.
Sharp 109 George. I've always liked this paint scheme.
Nice work on this, George. I’m a fan of SCW aviation too.
Thanks, George (@chinesegeorge), Dale (@dtravis), and John (@j-healy). This was an interesting paint scheme to try to replicate. I have never really had much interest in the Spanish Civil War, but my research for this kit has made me a fan.
Lovely build, and as always, I love the selection of an unusual scheme! Well done.
Thanks, Greg (@gkittinger). With this kit, I discovered there are a bunch of unusual builds from the Spanish Civil War. I have at least one more in the queue.
Very nice model and write up! That is on my 'to do someday in that scheme' list! I really appreciated your summary of the usage/paintjob for the Anton - makes my research a little less difficult! I agree with you as well - sometimes the research is more fun than the building, especially with obscure subjects. I would love to eventually work my way through the types used by the Republicans - but I am trying desperately to restrict myself to 1/48, so that narrows the field of what is available. I have plans to do a P-26 that was (if I read correctly) brought to Spain as a demo aircraft by Boeing and left/abandoned/donated/nationalized one way or another. Finding markings for that one is proving very elusive!
We have jumped down the same rabbit hole, Paul (@feroc). The Nationalists and the Condor Legion are relatively well-documented. I found several books that document the Condor Legion very well. You couple that with the fact that the Nationalists really used very few different types of aircraft and you can reliably find info on paint schemes, etc. The Republican side basically used whatever they could get their hands on, and their forces were not well-documented, making the search for info on planes and their paint schemes really tough. You are right that many of them are not available in 1/48, and many of the planes used by the Republicans were biplanes, which is one too many wings for me. I am gathering info to do a couple of Republican planes. I also found a Miniart 1/35 autogyro on Ebay in Republican colors. I haven't pulled the trigger on the autogyro yet, but it is calling to me. Looking forward to your Spanish Civil War planes. Cheers.
and the fact that they aren't so well documented is part of the appeal to me - a good research challenge ! (That, and my grandfather fought on that side... but that is a long story for another time 🙂 )
As an old history instructor, I also like the challenge of doing a little extra to find info on something that is off the beaten track. A lot of people fought in the International Brigades, and I am looking forward to hearing your grandfather's story sometime.
Great job on your build, very few 109’s are painted in the Republican scheme.
Thanks, Bob (@v1pro). I'm always looking for something a little different, and this one worked perfectly.