Airfix 1:48 Bf109 (New Tool)

[Guest]

Cheers guys. Scott, if you are after one,I promise you would not be disappointed, I believe John still has it in stock to.

Mike, yep, see what you mean about the happy pilot lol. Thankfully the moulded one is not posing for the camera as the one in the line drawings....... Sadly, I have to admit to my first (probably not last) mistake on this. I have got the fuselage and basic wings together, really nice fit with an invisible wing root join. However, I now find that the pilot has to be in the cockpit before the fuselage is glued up........ Oh poo........ May be able to squeeze him in later with a bit of surgery.

[Ian M]

Hm.. looks a good un. I have actually got one on ordre to be a combattant to my Zumbach spit.

Good review Graham.

Ian M

[Guest]

Sounds about right to me, not like the americans with their sick yellow and red showing through lol.

Looks like a good kit. The new tooled kits are pretty good. I've got a few of the old and new one's. Pretty big difference, the old one's are Arrggghhh... a little more challenging

[Guest]

Sounds about right to me, not like the americans with their sick yellow and red showing through lol.

This looks like a pretty good kit. The new toold Airfix are quite nice. I've got a few of the new and old kits. The old one's are Arrggghhh... a little more challenging :-)

[stona]

Looking good Graham. I just read through this thread and saw the bit about behind the slats. Like Tony I usually go with 02 as well. I think there is a possibility of the camo colour as well,it's one of those that we'll never be sure of every aircraft a bit like Spitfire wheel wells!

During the "sitzkrieg" some Bf109s still sported oversized balkenkreuz on the upper wings and I have a picture (somewhere) of one with the slats deployed and the painter has continued the black,and white edge, of the cross into the area covered by the slat when up.

This is not "normal" as that marking would not usually be big enough to overlap the slats.

I think I saw a drop tank on the sprues, Please NOT on an E-4. This is obviously meant for a later dash number. The first one with the internal plumbing for the tank was the E-9. Aircraft were retro-fitted but not during your time frame. A viable drop tank on Bf109s during the BOB is another great "what if"

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Cheers for that Steve, especially as I have put the 'bracket' on for the drop tank :laughing: I am doing the E4, the Galland plane and it is that and the E3 that the instructions call for the tank. Ohhhh Deeeeeeer. Not much chance of getting the bracket of without damage so i may just leave that on and not fit the tank. Lesser of two evils?

[stona]

Hi again Graham, if by "bracket" you mean the ETC rack that's fine. The earlier dash numbers could take the rack to carry a bomb in their jabo (fighter bomber) role. They lacked the plumbing to access fuel carried in a drop tank. Airfix have definitely made a boo boo with that instruction. The Luftwaffe played with a wooden disposable tank for the Bf109 at this time but it proved very unpopular. Some test pilots seem to have seen fitting it as equivalent to lighting a fuse to blow up their aircraft! I've never seen a BOB era Bf109 with a drop tank. Infact they don't really seem to appear regularly until much later (1942) on the F series and Fw190A-4s. These aircraft came out of the factory with the relevant plumbing and of course the familiar aluminium tank(s) had been developed.

I'm going to have a quick look on my HD for a piccy of an E-4 (ish) BOB era Bf109 with the rack on to make you feel better!!! Then I'll try and find a Galland one with rack!

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

Here's a nice one of a fighter bombing Bf109-E c/w rack and bomb.That should cheer you up chap!

Steve

[Guest]

Totally different racking system Tony. It does come with the bomb rack which is an elongated flat box shape. The drop tank rack is smaller and rounded, bit of a tear drop shape with the pointed end facing aft. May try to unglue it with liquid polly later but I am not convinced it will not leave some damage.

[stona]

I'm going from only what I have on my computer Graham but I think Airfix have got that correct. I thought it was essentially the same rack bolted to the aircraft with different fairings and sway braces, but that may have been later. It's frustrating not having access to my books! I managed to find a few of images showing the two systems on the -E.

The source says that the drop tank is on an E-7, which is brave,but as I said before they were retrofitted. It's hard to say exactly what specification many aircraft were supposed to be from a piccy!

Imagine the consequences of the Bf109s flying in the BOB having had a drop tank. They may have been serious. Until the BOB the limited range of the fighter had not been an issue as it only had to secure air superiority immiediately ahead of the army to allow the medium/dive bombers to operate effectively as long range artillery. (Why were the Germans so obsessed with dive bombing?....maybe another time.)They never achieved this over England which may be just as well.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Yep, That top image is the one Steve. I think it will have to stay on but no tank fitted, no one will notice lol. As always, great info bud

[stona]

Yep, That top image is the one Steve. I think it will have to stay on but no tank fitted, no one will notice lol.

And why not? Missions must have been flown with the rack on and no bomb! The rack is fairly easy to remove but I don't believe they would have done it every time it wasn't required.

You've got a nice build going on there,looking forward to seeing the finished result.

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

Here's a good one of a drop tank on a Bf109E-7 of JG26. It is from late 1940 or early 1941 making this very early use of the aluminium tank. I now think that maybe the E-7 was the first to have the plumbing rather than the E-9 as I have found several such references. I'l know for sure when I get home in a couple of weeks!

According to my notes this is from volume 1 of the Kagero JG26 books.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Managed to get a bit more done tonight. No modelling all weekend again, getting behind with everything. Roll on winter......

The tabs sticking out of the canopy are to enable a strong open position, you would cut them off if having the canopy closed. Cowling not glued on and rudder missing as it will be yellow and a pig to mask in place. All primed up and ready to go.

The underside with the, sadly, erroneous drop tank rack which resisted all attempts to get it off.

Painting the camo will be a first for me as it is straight edged sharp pattern so for the first time, I will have to mask the pattern off Should be fun......

[Guest]

OK, you've done it now sonny, was 'shall I, Shan't I' ing this one since you started the thread and thinking, well i've got an older one to build anyway but the latest pics are just too much, gone and ordered one and it's all your fault, (that's what i'll tell the missis)

Just hope mine will be as nice as yours is starting to look, that engine looks cracking, a nice patina to it, (oo-er big words at this time of night)