Zoukei-Mura Bf109 G-14/U4 SWS-18

[Clunkmeister]

13 hours ago, Jim H said:

I really don't know what to say about the engineering choices on this kit, except that you'd think ZM would learn a little from previous kits which were over-fussy to assemble, going right back to the dog turd that's the P-51D.

I really, really was thinking about the forthcoming Henschel Hs 129B-3, but don't know if I should be spending hard-earned cash at a time like this. 

Kudos in cracking on with this build.

I have the first edition Hs-129, and it seems much simpler than other kits of theirs.

BUT, they used tan plastic in the kit. NOT my first choice

[JohnB]

On 10/5/2022 at 8:48 AM, BlrwestSiR said:

The engine oil tank has a couple of hard line that are attached to the back of it. 

Once in place, the tank is glued to the gear housing. The fit is nice and tight.

There's more plumbing to be added to the engine. Here, I suffered my first broken part. I suspect the cat slept on it. 

Take your time attaching them. Some of the connections are not that clear in the instructions so here's a couple pics of the engine to help with placement. 

With that done, I gave it a light wash using Tamiya panel line wash. 

 

 

Thanks for these pics Carl! I'm sure thy will come in handy whenever I get around to building mine.

[GazzaS]

Nice work Carl. 

Dammit...   You've almost caught up to me.  I think on my next one...   I'll tackle the tail by separating the main halves of the stabilizer and bring them in closer, cleaning up the inside so the outside looks less 'messed with'.  Of course that will mean separating the one-piece elevator.

 

[Redshift]

On 10/6/2022 at 8:09 PM, BlrwestSiR said:

 

Very few companies have in fact ever provided a wiring diagram with their kits. WNW is the only one that comes to mind. When the Tamiya Spitfire and all their subsequent prop kits came out, no one complained that they didn't have an engine wiring diagram. 
 

Eduard does - I was clear in my prior comment

Those with the skill and patience to do the wiring would most likely scoff at anything moulded in place much less done in IM plastic.

I can understand that to a point - but sometimes moulded on wiring is the only way - else it’s sand it off and add your own cable - nothing too difficult for you gentlemen.

The manufacturer has to draw the line somewhere. (Pun intended?)

And that’s all it is - just a few lines drawn - Eduards resin instructions are excellent - they also pdf them and if you zoom in the detail (like minute stencils unseen when zoomed out) is amazing.

Sorry I wasn’t clear enough about the closing up aspect - but my points seem not to have been regarded.  Again;

Airfix (Ref the excellent car door 1/24 Typhoon) instructions tell you to leave parts off if you wish to close up a 1000 piece model to make it a 75 piece.  As I said I would do that to a 48 that is meant to be built closed up.

The issue just so you know that I am very much aware - is that the scale thickness of the cowling cannot be replicated unless it’s fine resin (high 5 Eduard!) or it’s PE (?)

For the sake of discussion - I have a 1/48 Bf 109 with the just the ammo cowlings off - so then paradoxically you have both issues to deal with; the clunky Tiger tank thickness cowling cover 😅 and you can’t disregard the details and slap the cowling on.

Bottom line if you close it up - you can stuff cotton wool in there and stick that cowling down! If it’s open then depending on your talents and proclivity toward high detail - everything has to be there.  Whether the model kit helps you here with diagrams etc or not is the crux.

I am a modeller - I’m crazy about interiors on tanks both real and models so perhaps I’m an exception but I spend hours comparing highly specialised detailed kits (enter especially ZM whose whole philosophy is about the insides of a kit) with all my reference materials.  
 

It’s a testament to ZM that I spend so much time researching the kit.  I don’t discount ZM growing and improving as a company to produce extraordinary ground breaking kits - because they already have.  The hit and miss is part and parcel of a model kit company.  I pick out the faults because I love modelling (when I have time) and talking about it with like minded people.  
 
I find it sad when people are banned from a site because they are not making sycophantic or hagiographic comments.

 

 

On 10/6/2022 at 8:09 PM, BlrwestSiR said:

Me, I'm not a fan of wiring engines and really only do it when it's extremely visible like on a a radial engine. 

I do wish that ZM had included an engine blank and then I would have considered wiring the engine to display beside the finished plane. Which GWH has with their P-40. 

 

[Bomber_County]

Carl, brilliant review, thank you for taking the time to show this……..and yes I will buy one……….

[BlrwestSiR]

Time for an over due update. 

The IP is done now. I applied the decals to the backside of the clear panel. I used some Tamiya Super Strong decal solvent and it did a great job making them stick and conform. I also applied a decal not on the instructions to the left side of the panel. This had some markings on it that helped to spruce up the IP a bit more. 

 

@DocRob, the IP details are a bit on the soft side but not that bad. They could be sharper, but I think with a wash and dry brush they're ok. 

As there are no seat belts provided in the kit, I elected to use a set from Wako/Feeling. Each pack has two full sets of seatbelts and are about $6 from Japan. 

The belts are a similar material to HGW ones but come unpainted.

The best part of these belts is that Wako has laid out the buckles so that you can not only thread the belts through them while they are still attached, but even fold over and glue the tabs down before removing the buckles. You can see this in the larger spaces to one side of some of the buckles.

Also, they have a full routing diagram so you know how to thread the buckles and where they go.  

Here's the belts and buckles with a coat of paint. One last thing to note. The buckles are made from plastic and not PE so they need a bit more care in handling. 

[BlrwestSiR]

Prior to installing the belts, I did a bit of weathering to the cockpit. 

I then installed the lap belts. 

It would have been easier to install the left side belt either before you put the seat in or before the wheels on the left side are attached. 

I then finished the cockpit assembly. First I added the fuel line. 

Then the cockpit side panels were each attached in place. 

[BlrwestSiR]

While this was drying, I continued on the wings. The interior was sprayed in RLM 02. 

Leaving the MLG bay walls until now was the right choice in my opinion. It not only made them easier to paint but also allowed me to better line them up with the bay opening in the lower wing. They also have to be aligned with an upper part that fits against the top. 

When you add the upper wing skin, don't forget to have the slat in place. If you're careful with the glue, the slat will work after assembly.

 

[BlrwestSiR]

The cockpit coaming needs some holes drilled in it for the battery. This is clearly marked in the instructions.

Time to close up the fuselage. The cockpit was glued to the right side.

The fit is very good. It is best to scrape paint off any joints to keep it that way. 

I left the fuselage tank out for the movement as this allowed me to apply cement from the underside and keep all the joints tight. The tank can go in after the fuselage is together. 

All closed up. 

There are a couple very small seams that took a quick sanding to remove. The tailplanes are one piece so a quick sanding off of mould lines and it was ready to go.  I then attached them followed by the vertical tail.

[Martinnfb]

Looking really good Carl. 
 

[Clunkmeister]

Great review, and this is coming together nicely. 

[Bill_S]

You're cruising at warp speed here, Carl. It's looking great; I like the idea of leaving the fuel tank off to cement the cockpit. I opted to leave the landing gear mounts off - it wasn't really clear to me what areas need to remain bare plastic. I cemented the struts to the mounts and painted them as a subassembly.

[nmayhew]

Awesome progress and definitely saving this down for when I build mine

but have to say yikes that tail plane pic looks ugly when you zoom in (looks like a very ‘industrial’ grit sandpaper was used?)

sorry, but thank you again - this is invaluable work 

cheers

Nick

[Clunkmeister]

5 hours ago, nmayhew said:

Awesome progress and definitely saving this down for when I build mine

but have to say yikes that tail plane pic looks ugly when you zoom in (looks like a very ‘industrial’ grit sandpaper was used?)

sorry, but thank you again - this is invaluable work 

cheers

Nick

Yeah the tailplane is rugged looking, but it’ll clean up I’m sure. 

[Redshift]

12 hours ago, Bill_S said:

You're cruising at warp speed here, Carl. It's looking great; I like the idea of leaving the fuel tank off to cement the cockpit. I opted to leave the landing gear mounts off - it wasn't really clear to me what areas need to remain bare plastic. I cemented the struts to the mounts and painted them as a subassembly.

Looks like the fuel tank could be left out permanently! 

[BlrwestSiR]

19 hours ago, Bill_S said:

You're cruising at warp speed here, Carl. It's looking great; I like the idea of leaving the fuel tank off to cement the cockpit. I opted to leave the landing gear mounts off - it wasn't really clear to me what areas need to remain bare plastic. I cemented the struts to the mounts and painted them as a subassembly.

Thanks Bill! Like I said earlier I'm slowly catching up to your build. 

As for the gear mounts, hopefully this pic helps you out. 

You can see the tabs on the mounts and where they connect to the firewall.

[BlrwestSiR]

18 hours ago, nmayhew said:

Awesome progress and definitely saving this down for when I build mine

but have to say yikes that tail plane pic looks ugly when you zoom in (looks like a very ‘industrial’ grit sandpaper was used?)

sorry, but thank you again - this is invaluable work 

cheers

Nick

I'm glad the build review is being so helpful. 

As for the.tailplane, it's been given a further sanding so it doesn't look so rough. Otherwise it would look like they used zimmerit on the tail. 

[BlrwestSiR]

6 hours ago, Redshift said:

Looks like the fuel tank could be left out permanently! 

It definitely could be left out. Along with a lot of other parts but I want to see how it all fits together. 

 

[Bill_S]

8 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Thanks Bill! Like I said earlier I'm slowly catching up to your build. 

As for the gear mounts, hopefully this pic helps you out. 

You can see the tabs on the mounts and where they connect to the firewall.

Thanks, Carl. Here is where I strayed from the instructions. If you look at the photo, you can see that the leg is cemented to the mount prior to cementing the mount to the fuselage.

[BlrwestSiR]

Time for a very belated update. 

I ran into quite the issue on the build. Totally my fault and not a design error on the part of the kit.  Unless complicating things is a design flaw. 

I was focused on making sure I got the engine bearers lined up correctly that I didn't notice that when I glued the fuselage halves on, the left side shifted. As a result, the firewall instead of lining up and being flush with the fuselage side is slightly forward. Ignore the lower wing root fairing as it's not actually glued in place. 

This is only on the left side, the right side lines up correctly. As a result, there's now a gap in the engine cowl fit. 

I've spent a couple days trying to figure out if there was a simple solution or fix but can't come up with anything. There's no way to separate the fuselage. It's on solid. I think I can either live with the gap or do it with the cowls open. 

Hopefully once I'm over my cold I can get back to this and be a bit more productive. But that really knocked the wind out of my sails. 

 

[GazzaS]

I had a similar problem. 😪

[DocRob]

Hope you feel better soon Carl. Bad thing with the gap. Where is the contact point between the cowling and the engine?, struts?, fuselage? Maybe you can do something on the inside of the cowl, to close the gap.

Cheers Rob

[belugawhaleman]

On 11/6/2022 at 6:39 PM, BlrwestSiR said:

Time for a very belated update. 

I ran into quite the issue on the build. Totally my fault and not a design error on the part of the kit.  Unless complicating things is a design flaw. 

I was focused on making sure I got the engine bearers lined up correctly that I didn't notice that when I glued the fuselage halves on, the left side shifted. As a result, the firewall instead of lining up and being flush with the fuselage side is slightly forward. Ignore the lower wing root fairing as it's not actually glued in place. 

This is only on the left side, the right side lines up correctly. As a result, there's now a gap in the engine cowl fit. 

I've spent a couple days trying to figure out if there was a simple solution or fix but can't come up with anything. There's no way to separate the fuselage. It's on solid. I think I can either live with the gap or do it with the cowls open. 

Hopefully once I'm over my cold I can get back to this and be a bit more productive. But that really knocked the wind out of my sails. 

 

That must be frustrating as hell! Imagine paying a lot for a kit and having those problems with bad fit! Never with Tamiya!

[CANicoll]

Hmmm, no way to shave down the proud part of the firewall on the left side to help close up the cover?  A flat file?  It would be ugly, but might allow the cover to close?

[Redshift]

And that’s all she wrote.  Let this be a lesson to us all! Even the most experienced modellers can kill a kit if they take their eye off the ball for even a moment.  I honestly think that doing a build log is massively valuable to humble builders like me but the pressure in doing so can cause a rush to get the report out there.