Thanks Anders, but...
Although my last decalling session was technically a success, it left me somewhat disconcerted about the large fuselage cross as shown on the model. Although it was placed as per reference colour profiles, it looked markedly out of place to me compared with the other markings on this a/c.
It should perhaps be mentioned that the formats and sizes of German national markings varied rather wildly during the period 1939-1940. When in doubt, many profile artists employ what they think was "standard" or "factory" placement of the crosses which in fact wasn't really standardised on the unit level until 1941. A good tip is to always double-check your Bf 109E markings with the available photos. You might be surprised by what you find.
Fortunately, I was able to locate a photo of Herwig Knuppel's aircraft. This is the same photo that formed a basis for the colour profiles. It also demonstrates that the profiles were not perfect, showing a white band on the top hat marking where in fact it should be red.
It would seem that the fuselage cross is entirely hidden by the mat covering the rear fuselage. But...
...looking closely, one can actually discern its lower contours. Since the fuselage panels lines are also evident in this view, calculating the exact size of the cross was a rather easy matter. As it turned out, it was markedly smaller and placed lower down on the fuselage than the late-1940 marking shown in the profiles.
A correction was dry-tested...
...then the old decals removed and smaller crosses applied, resulting in a different (and I think more coherent) look of this area of the aircraft.
The rest of the evening was spent applying additonal stencils, wing walkways etc. After this the model is finally ready for a wash. And the builder is pleased!
Before & after view. What do you think?
