Stigler's Bf109 G6

Thomas Bischoff
Great story! I take a seat

Andy Ball
@Hans: that is the plan....at some stage in the future. Both to be built in flight situ.

Andy Ball
@Thomas: beware I'm a slow builder...this one is in parallel with Do-17z

Łukasz Gliński
Oh, the new Tamiya boxing, I have to see the end result

Jim J
I love the Franz Stigler - Charlie Brown story! Great choice for a project. 👍 Following along.

Andy Ball
I'm waiting for some RLM02 for the interior. It forced me to try some black pre-shading to see if I can add depth to the interior.

Andy Ball
Can anyone advise me on the wheel wells' RLM colour?...not sure if Tamiya's recommendation is correct.

Maciej Bellos
Following! I read the story somewhere and watched a video of their common interview. Thrilling!

Dave Flitton
Watching!!

Andy Ball
We now have a delivery of RLM02...so may the construction move along apace!....

Andy Ball
On the other hand.... the cockpit of this Bf109 is surgically precise! Everything fits beautifully. Tamiya's reputation is deserved

Alec K
Great project and progress, taking a seat. I read the book, very moving. Not 100%, but I recall Bf 109 wheel wells and gear were RLM02, wheel discs RLM66.

Andy Ball
@Bob, great pictorial! Every time I watch their documentary it brings a tear to ones eye, including the fact that they both died of natural causes within months of each other. Brothers from different mothers .

Guy Rump
Great story. 🙂

Andy Ball
@Alec K, many thanks, got the necessary RLMs now!

Alec K
👍

Guy Rump
Good progress Andy 🙂

Andy Ball
Thanks Guy and wilky- lockdown focuses the modelling-mind again!

Thomas Kolb
Great to see that you resume this project again (*takes a glance at my shelf-of-shame*)

Nikolaos Kouzinis
I see Andy that you open "modelling simoultane war "making different models. I am following. Good luck

Andy Ball
@ Thomas: no shame in the last two challenges of builds you've had!, maybe do a Tamiya next?

Andy Ball
@ Nikolaos: I call it "a war on two fronts"... what could possibly go wrong!?????????

Frederick Meccia
My 16 year old son read the book and wants to build the Me-109 and the B-17 are there any kits or decals for this subject. My son attends a military academy and wants to do a project on this topic

Andy Ball
@BlackTulip109: if you're thinking 1:72nd- the Tamiya G6 is best, but many others available from manufacturers. The B-17F is probably best served by Hasegawa, Revell or Airfix I think with some modifications. The decals for both are available- check my project inventory for a link. No picture exists of the damaged B-17, but a couple of paintings depict artists impressions. Hope that helps?.

Frederick Meccia
Thank you Andy Ball for the help, we will get on it as my son and I are taking advantage of the time off to do modeling projects together and it is incredible family bondint time and a lot of fun.

Andy Ball
You go for it!! Father and son modelling time is SO precious!

Frederick Meccia
Thank you Andy Ball. As you probably know this hobby has so much to offer in so many different ways. The modeling time together is time so well spent. We will post if we have questions about this project.

Andy Ball
a few 'nearly there' shots....someday soon.....

Guy Rump
Very nice, looking good Andy

Andy Ball
Thanks Guy....it's one I'll build again I reckon, and would heartily recommend to anyone....best G6 in town in 72nd....

Andy Ball
Well, that's one half of the Charlie Brown/Franz Stigler encounter completed. I hope to build the B-17 and display both in mid air over the Dutch coast......

Thomas Kolb
That's some master class weathering there - the mottling looks excellent with some dirt and grime! How do you plan on posing them in the diorama?

Guy Rump
Really impressive build Andy. I really like the way you seem to have seamlessly incorporated the mottling. Some hints on how to do it would be gratefully received! 🙂

Thomas Bischoff
Well done! Hope to see the full dio soon

Andy Ball
@Thomas: on reading the story I'll have Stigler alongside Brown, slightly higher as he inspects the wrecked B-17, Brown's mid turret gunner swung his guns onto him in case he was about to dispatch the'17. There are no photos of the B-17, but descriptions from Stigler and Brown give an idea of the destruction wrought from flak and fighters.

Thomas Kolb
Ah, I love historical re-acting dioramas - I am so looking forward to following your project!

Andy Ball
@Roland: thanks - often the weathering just works out that way!, more luck than judgement!

Slavo Hazucha
Take care you don't catch a 72/1 fly in the aerial! 🙂

109 looks very 109-ish indeed in the sunlit pictures - good job 👍

Looking forward to the B-17, or whatever will be left of it. Real stories in model form are good stuff!

James C
Well done Andy. I read the book "A Higher Call" a while back. Fascinating reading and you've done an awesome job. I have the same decals to use on an Academy kit, with Charlie Brown's B-17 by Revell. 👍

Andy Ball
@Slavo haha!, I wish...all my builds have this issue, (I have lean-to-the-house brick room that passes for my studio which is semi-insulated but sadly attracts all sorts of invertebrates). I will invest in a glass display case sometime in the future!.......As for "Ye Olde Pub", I'll work off a couple of paintings that are published and get that Dremel to rough up the B-17.....

Andy Ball
@James C: many thanks for your sentiments... I'd be interested if you're thinking of building the '17 too on what your approach may be?, will you do in 72nd or 48th...or even 32nd?...I think their story deserves a bit of plastic representation!

Andy Ball
@Thomas...like you, I'm a bit of a slow builder...they're all in my head...and will commit one day! (soon!), yours in procrastination.

James C
The Decal sheet is for a 1/48 scale B-17 and 109-G, so that is what it will be (with the Revell (ex-Monogram) kit... when the time comes. Again, thanks for posting this. It's a great looking build of a very interesting subject. 👍

Something that everyone should take their time to look into and investigate for themselves.

Youtube Video

Łukasz Gliński
"Yours in procrastination" - I have to remember that one! Made my day 😄

Andy Ball
maybe you'll remember one day to procrastinate Łukasz, or just put it off for another day.....

Choppa Nutta
Nicely done Andy but forgive me for asking but didn't the Me 109 G series have a different rudder on it ?
The rudder on this model looks like the Me 109 E or F version ...
Have Tamiya made a mistake in the tooling of this kit or am I mistaken here ? 🙂

Andy Ball
Hmmm @Choppa Nutta: you maybe right?, I'm not as meticulous as some regarding references- but I take Brett Green's endorsement that Tamiya's G6 is the best in town in 72nd, alongside the out-of-production Fine Molds one. Perhaps this will come to light elsewhere?

Choppa Nutta
I've just had a quick rummage through Eduard's offerings as they tend to be the most accurate and a number of their G6 models have the same rudder as yours but the Bf 109G-6/AS has the newer rudder like most G10's but some G10's have the older rudder too... seems I was a bit wrong then 🙂

Andy Ball
@ James C, yeh you can't be human if you don't feel for what those two warriors went through on that day

Andy Ball
@Choppa Nutta: glad we've resolved that!

Choppa Nutta
Haha, indeed !! 😄
always nice to have dispelled a misconception 🙂
Anyhow, always nice to build something with a good back story to it and it is a testament to the bravery and humanity of those brave warriors 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Well you had to sort it for the 109, on the B-17 it's way easier - any questionable or version-uncertain parts may just be "shot off"... Imagine the coolness/boss factor on a show with someone tellong you that a part is wrong & you just break it off 😄

I've heard the story, but not that specific video... In the war, they were proud of victories & aircraft kill numbers, years after the most valuable action to cling to is the one time not pulling the trigger...

Andy Ball
@Slavo: yes, I would have a huge latitude of artistic licence on Brown's B-17....and I could play some sort of styrene-god too!
What does strike you when listening to Stigler (and I guess all warriors) is the 'natural' approach of de-humanising the target..it's a piece of metal- I have to take it down.
It makes me wonder what the US ground attack guys would have thought when obliterating the Iraqis on the highway out of Kuwait City in GW1...was it almost like a computer-game turkey shoot for them?...what if they'd seen the faces in the dark?
War IS Hell.

Łukasz Gliński
True - "War. War never changes"