GazzaS

You've done a beautiful job on the model, Rob! Thank you for the outside pics! Some will disagree with me... but I think model photos in natural light are much better and creditable than those taken in electric light.

Thank you, Harv!

Quite impressive detailing, Wolf. I never would have thought to use small decals for small details. I really like that altimeter. Thanks for the tip!

Anyway... enough about Eduard's crappy 109... Let's get back to Revell's less crappy 109. Yesterday I joined the control surfaces and let them dry overnight. Then, this morning I started a final thinning of the trailing edges, followed by painting them to see how they looked. They looked horrible. It was patently obvious that they were still too thick in profile with a too-steep taper at the last 2-3MM. So, all of that masking and painting I did with them on the sprue was a waste of time. I should have glued them together from the beginning and then mowed them down with files until I was close. Let that be a lesson to any of you with a Revell 109 to build. Now, they are much thinner... Bright light comes through them, now. But I will have to re-mask the stitching lines. The AMUR REAVER spinner and propeller blades arrived yesterday. I've got them primed-sanded-painted and then wet sanded with 6000 grit micromesh. The blades are just dry-fitted. Now... I'm still still waiting on three pieces of resin from Barracuda... Happy modelling!

Now....I never said it was perfectly straight on the real thing. Of course there is a gentle curve. But on the Eduard kit it is far and away too big AND in the wrong places. Anyway... it's up to you... mine is already in a landfill somewhere. I certainly won't ever buy another.

We're too stunned to notice a lack of windows. Keep on going!

Thank you, Peter. I think I've taken a $50 kit and paid at least another $150 for it on this one. It'll be worth it if I like it when done.

Be-U-ti-FUL!

Thank you, Kai! Yeah... I have great hopes for the ZM kit, too. But... they won;t be as nearly inexpensive as the Hasegawa or Revell kits.

Rob, I can understand not wanting to bin it with so much investment. The only other suggestion I might make is to avoid a scheme like mine where there is a sharp demarcation through the offending area. I too wondered how they could get it so wrong. Yet, they still keep selling it.

Excellent looking MiG!

Ah I see... he admitted to stuffing it up and decided not to fix it or do other 1/32 planes in case they stuff those up too? Problem is... they're still flogging the stuffed up kit.

That is an awesome looking slat! It's all about proper thickness, and you nailed it.

Who is Mr. Sulc?

It is amazing what can b done with card. Nice work, Rich!

Molotow clear pens surely have improved the lights on models. Well done, Rob. And it's certainly easier than using aluminum foil... which works nicely when the foil sticks.

That looks fantastic!

Rob, While I was building the Eduard 109E, I had this feeling that something wasn't right. Like it was trying to draw my eye, but I couldn't focus on it. That all changed when I added the early BoB vintage camo scheme to it. The following two photos are my build and show an early aircraft of 10. NJG 1. You'll notice some red lines along the curved, bloated area of the dorsal spine. This is a huge area, and once you see it... you can't un-see it. Instead of a relatively straight taper from the cockpit to the empennage, you have a shape that is quite whale-like. It is truly the Quasimodo of bf 109 models.

Thank you, Kevin!

Thank you, Martin!

Thank you!

I don't mind a little effort. Making improvements make me feel better than just slapping a kit together. But I do resent having to buy shitloads of GM. I built the Eduard 109 a few years ago, and was appalled by the shape of the thing. Immediately after taking my RFI pics, I threw it in the bin. I recently bought the HGW kit. It has the Dragon plastic and is quite drool worthy. The 109 is my favorite machine full stop. But most of the available kits are trash. Revell and Trumpeter... more trouble than they are worth. Hasegawa isn't bad.... but it ain't perfect, either. So... what is your favorite plane?

I'm coming down with a cold. Pretty sure I got it from the grand kid. No matter. It slows me down some, but I'll still keep plodding. It's update time. One of the things that kills me about this kit is the surface detail on the control surfaces: Last time I tried to overcome bad detail on the control surfaces, I used decals to portray rib tapes. This time I went for an even finer option. After sanding away the offending surfaces, I painted very thin lines to portray the faint details you can see on close up photos of 109's. Once concern I see voiced often is whether the resin cockpit fits or not. Dry fitting showed a perfect fit. I also started preparing other AM. These Brassin brass landing gear replace the kit gear which are prone to breaking. The come with resin landing gear covers. Now... there is another option from a newish company called Scale Ordnance works. They make landing gear with guitar wire molded into ABS plastic with a shiny real metal oleo... I used a set for my FW190A1. I cleaned up the Eduard Brassin weighted wheels and exhaust a little. Then I dry-fitted some parts to check the 109's stance. I've probably spent four times what the kit is worth just on aftermarket. Which is a shame. Some people say we don't need another 1/32 scale 109. But the fact is... all of the 1/32 scale 109's out there excluding the Dragon 109E's... are pretty screwed up. Happy modelling!

Ugh! Paint lift! I've gotten to the point where if I know I'm using masking... I lightly sand the area and then use Tamiya paint as primer. The technique rarely ever fails.

Thank you, Kai!