1/32 Spanish Bf-109F-4

Started by George R Blair Jr · 98 · 2 years ago
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    Louis Gardner said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    George, @gblair
    The progress you made on the "office" looks really good. I especially like how you painted it with different colors, and the seat belts are like icing on the cake. I have used an Eduard "Look" IP on one of the Revell P-51D's I have, and it is a very nice upgrade. The other IP's I have used in the past with good luck, are the ones from Yahu. However, the new 3D decals look like they will be the next "hot" item on the market. They have produced some excellent upgrades, and are available for different aircraft at a price that will not break the bank.

    Stay safe brother.

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Thanks, John (@j-healy) and Louis (@lgardner). I really wanted to see what I could do with a kit that probably wouldn't be most modelers first choice. It has been fun, so far. I have some "Look" sets for several models, but haven't really used them yet. I'm saving the panel from this build for a 109G. I haven't purchased any 3-D decal sets yet, but I am really interested in trying them out. Maybe soon.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    That's some woderful cockpit, my friend @gblair!
    Looking forward to your progress!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    I fully agree with the previous comments, George @gblair
    Beautiful instrumentation.

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten) and John (@johnb).

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    Colin Gomez said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Really nice work, George. You are definitely getting the most out of the Aires Cockpit. The wash and drybrushing techniques make the detail stand out perfectly. I am following your build closely as I work on my two 109 Gs.

    I have long been tempted to do the 20th Century Toys MC 202 in 1/32. It's pretty expensive on EBay now, though. Did you like it? I had the Pacific Coast Hobbies 202 but couldn't get over the shape issues around the nose and spinner and ended up selling it.

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    Erik Gjørup said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    George @gblair, I have been diggin' into my library, and here you have a small update; Spain did indeed get 14 109F's and they were picked up by Spanish pilots in France. They were a mix of F-2 and F-4, but no trop were in this batch. However one crashed and were replaced by - you guessed it - a Bf 109 F-4 Trop, WNr 10062, first serial in Spain, 6-145, then C.10-145 and finally C.4F-145, with the numbers 23 51 painted on (and being the 15th F transferred to Spain but the 14th taken on charge). That is where SBS-decals comes into the picture, and the ones you have chosen. So actually this plane were the only Trop, and it may not have used the filter after all I'm sorry to report. The jury is still out on that matter though, and untill some new evidence surfaces, I think you would be safe to chose what you prefer regarding the use of filter. So far I have not been able to locate a picture with the filter installed though.

    Regarding 3D decals I still haven't used them, but they will be on my list too.

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Thanks for the info, Erik (@airbum). I have also been doing some reading and came to the same conclusion that the 109Fs given to Spain were never used with the tropical filters. The resin filters I got are really cool, but I think I will save them for another model.

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    Greg Kittinger said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    this is going to be a great project, and a nice reference for my 1/72 version of this same scheme (but for my longer-term 109 project, not necessarily for this Luftwaffe build). I love the desert scheme with the Spanish roundels and markings. Keep it coming...!

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Thanks, Greg (@gkittinger). I was counting on your build leading the way for mine.

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    After finding that the resin cockpit floor fit perfectly, I was looking forward to an easy building session installing the cockpit in the fuselage. I taped the side walls to the floor of the cockpit and slipped them into the fuselage halves for a final check, and discovered they didn't come close to fitting. The side walls fit into recesses in the floor, so I figured they would fit into the fuselage correctly, but they didn't. I got out my trusty Dremel again and started grinding away the plastic on the inside of the fuselage. I got to the point that you could easily see light through the plastic, but the cockpit still wouldn't quite fit.

    I decided to go big or go home, so I glued the side walls to the floor and then started grinding the resin cockpit walls from the outside. Eventually the cockpit fit correctly in the fuselage. I glued the cockpit into the fuselage and then closed it up using Testor's glue.

    I also prepped the tail for the tail wheel. The kit has the well for the tail wheel depicted as a solid area, so I used my Dremel to open it up. The tail wheel will still fit snugly in position. The tail section is molded separately. I have seen other modelers glue each half of the tail section to its corresponding fuselage half, and then build the fuselage as a complete assembly. I have heard that you can get a better fuselage fit by doing this, but it looks like the completed tail assembly will fit perfectly into the completed fuselage, so I will add the tail later.

    I plan to let the fuselage dry overnight, and then I can get started fitting the wings. Everyone stay safe.

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    Erik Gjørup said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    That was a very nice session on the tub George! It looks quite good.

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    John vd Biggelaar said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    A delicate grinding session, George.
    In the end it created a perfect fit.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Looking really wonderful, my friend @gblair!
    Ahhhh, the Dremel! Life would be lesser without it!

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 11 months ago:

    Thanks, Erik (@airbum), John (@johnb), and Spiros (@fiveten). A Dremel is one of those tools that you don't think you need until you get one, and then you can't do without them. I have been using the same one for 30 years or so, but I think it is on its last leg.