I don't build many 109s, and I have never built one that required a mottled finish. A few weeks ago, I was reading a story about a Me-109 pilot in Flypast magazine, and it was such a cool story that I decided to give it a shot.
First, a little background. Hasso von Wedel enlisted as a cadet in a Dragoon Regiment in Germany in 1912. In 1914, von Wedel was injured during a skirmish with Russian cavalry and spent some time in the hospital. While he was there, he applied for flight duty. He became an aerial observer and was credited with shooting down a French airplane in 1916. In 1917, he applied for pilot training, which he completed in early 1918. Flying combat missions in a Fokker D.VII, he quickly became the commander of Jasta 75. He was severely wounded during a dogfight, flying an Albatros D.Va, and spent a month in the hospital. He requested an early release from the hospital and returned to flying, only to come down with appendicitis shortly after his return. When he again returned to combat, he was given command of Jasta 24. By the end of the war, von Wedel had achieved ace status. Following the end of the war, von Wedel went back to college and received his Doctorate Degree in medieval and modern history. He eventually became a professor at Berlin University. In 1935, von Wedel was researching the history of the Luftwaffe, when he realized that another war was coming. He again offered his services to the Luftwaffe, and in 1939, at the age of 46, he went to pilot training. Upon graduation, he joined JG3 as a pilot. He saw extensive combat in the Battle for France and later in the Battle of Britain. On Sept 15, 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, Von Wedel led a formation of 12 Me-109s protecting a flight of Dornier bombers over England. Leaving the target, von Wedel's group was jumped by Hurricanes from 3 different RCAF Squadrons. His plane severely damaged, he attempted to make a forced landing in England. He was attempting to put the plane down in a farmer's field when the engine seized and he lost control of the plane and crashed into a farmhouse, killing the farmer's wife and her child. Von Wedel was taken prisoner, but was later repatriated back to Germany, possibly due to his injuries and advanced age. An interesting side note is the fact that von Wedel was extremely near-sighted, but never wore glasses. Due to his vision, he never saw the plane that shot him down. The records are a sketchy about what happened to von Wedel after his return to Germany, but it appears that he was killed trying to defend Berlin against the advancing Russians at the end of the war.
Once I read the story, I decided wanted to create a model of the plane he was flying on his last mission. There are photos of this plane, as well as the description by the British soldiers who evaluated the wreckage of this plane. I happened to have a 1/32 Trumpeter Me-109E-4 in my stash, so it was just a matter of getting some masks and decals for the plane. I know there are some shape issues with this model, but I think in the end it will still look like a 109. The real challenge will be replicating the paint scheme, as well as creating the correct markings. Hopefully I won't embarrass myself too much on this build, but I think it may be fun.
I will be also build an FW-189 at the same time, so I hope it won't get too confusing. I hope to get started on this tomorrow or Friday.
Cheers.
13 attached images. Click to enlarge.
