Messerschmitt Bf 109D-1 Mölders

Steffen Arndt
As always you have to start with the cockpit ... "my favorite" ... though the kit cockpit ist not bad. Fine plastic parts, PE and Decals. I need to clean up the instrument panel as there are some decal residues.

Steffen Arndt
The lower part of the IP got a little damaged when fitting it in, but it all looks o.k. from a little distance

Steffen Arndt
WIth the cockpit almost done I could progress quite a bit yesterday (the pit took a whole week)

All in all the fit is good, but I do not like how the cowling is designed. It is probably done to get the best detail out of the tool though there is a lot of work required to get it sit right ... I still have to do some filling and sanding. The chin cooler is similar. I am not fully satisfied with the tail, but the struts are better (positive fit and longer) than on Hasegawas and Eduards Bf 109E kits... Tamiya is premium here.

Sadly the tail wheel fork broke during handling. I need to fix that somehow but lacking good ideas at the moment. The rod is thin so no chance for a wire reinforcement .. thought about using tube to fix the two parts together...

wilky
What about a dress makers pin. Heated up and shoved into it

Steffen Arndt
No chance, the strut is about 0.2-0.3mm in diameter and it broke just outside the lower attachment point. I hope there is enough that I can fix a 0.5 tube over the leftovers. Problem is that it can only be 1-2mm long ... fiddly bits + cyano glue is not my friend

Steffen Arndt
So the stump was a bit thicker than I thought (about half a mm), still I went with the tube. It worked out o.k. but I am not sure if this is stable or will break at a glance...

Steffen Arndt
I have ordered some AK Interactive prewar colours last week which hopefully arrive tomorrow

Steffen Arndt
I tried AK RLM 02 (1938), over RLM 65 (1938) and just for a comparison RLM 63 (which I thought to be a lighter colour) .. I have no idea what I should use for this early grey color, so I will go with RLM 02 over 65.

Meanwhile I also have further completed the fuselage and the wing. I drilled out the exhaust stubs before glueing these parts in .. this is a very tight fit! Again: the cowl fit is pretty bad compared to the rest of the fuselage, but should be o.k. under a coat of paint. BTW the bright spot on the wing is light shining through the wheel well... (and sorry for the bad pic ... light conditions were already challenging when I too the photo)

Steffen Arndt
I hav applied the first layer of RLM 02 (1938) just to see how it looks. The cockpit areas was masked and then the bare plastic was painted with the same paint. with a very good result! The only difference is a slightly shinier finish (which is hidden by the camera).

I have added the gun sight which needs a little more work as you can see in the pic. Also the control column was glued in slightly off center to match the elevators and ailerons. Some pe levers on the rhs cockpit wall are still not attached.. all in all the pit is pretty decent.

Steffen Arndt
I have built in some more levers in teh pit and reworked the Revi gun sight (including attaching a acetate piece as a reflector). Then I have attached the canopy and masked it with Eduards masks for the Bf 109C-3 (which is actually the same kit with a different wing). Finally I resprayed the RLM 02 (1938) where necessary

Steffen Arndt
After some sessions masking and airbrushing the kit got its blue underside and white wing tips and rudder (not shown) .. luckily this is a very easy pattern, though one could probably discuss ages on the correct hues and colours...

Steffen Arndt
After I had masked and painted the exhaust panels I gave the whole kit a gloss coat with Tamiyas X-22. This evening I started apllying the decals .. luckily there are not many of them but sadly I broke the tail wheel again. For teh next kit I will replace the whole strut with brass or steel tubing and maybe even make the fork from sheet metal soldering the two together...

Steffen Arndt
after the decals were dry I have added another gloss coat yesterday (X-22) and this morning I put on a wash with water colours (mix of uber and black). in my lunch break I have wiped down the excess and this is what it looked like afterwards

Steffen Arndt
Slowly getting there. After a flat coat I started to add some more details, like gun barrel tips, undercarriage doors... there are still a few parts missing. I also demasked the canopy and glued it open. I will add a short bit of wire to simulate the real one that holds the canopy

Roberto Rocat
It looks really great!

Steffen Arndt
Thanks Roberto! I am pretty happy with the model and considering this is kind of a short run kit it was a pleasant build.

Steffen Arndt
SOO, with the final bits and pieces added I call this one done. I am not happy with the tail wheel but else it turned out pretty good for an Ukrainian short run kit. Having started a Yak-9D conversion recently i must say that the Bf 109D is much better designed (fit) and with the PE and Masks also better equipped. Furthermore to finish a project in under a month is speed of light for me, especially compare to my normal glacial speed.

Wim van der Luijt
Final result looks really nice! I have the academy (ex hobbycraft) in my stash with the same markings, wonder how it compares to this one

Steffen Arndt
Thanks Wim! I do not think you can compare the two. One is a 30+ year old mainstream kit and the other a new shortrun "multimedia" kit. If you are more after accuracy and details I would go with the Modelsvit if you prefer ease of construction stick with Academy/Hobbycraft.