Page 1 of 1

Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:47 pm
by heel
Maybe not the most exciting subject matter as this one has been around since 1998, but my second project back into the hobby, looking to avoid a sophomore slump. It looks like there's a couple other 109s being done right now so it will be neat to see how the kits compare.

Image


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

no flash on the kit. A few sink marks that I'll attempt to tidy up. Quite a few ejector pin marks, but nothing that needs attention other than one in the cockpit seat.

I have a few aftermarket pieces on the way. Quick boost exhausts and guns and a canopy masking template.

I've started minor cockpit assembly and the pieces actually fit - a far cry from the Revell p47n I just finished. Now I know what it means to "fall together. "

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:44 pm
by mincemeat
Please keep us updated!

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 3:25 pm
by heel
No major updates yet as things have been busy. I did get a spray booth and paints needed. I also got the aftermarket parts today. A primer of tamiya micro gray applied also to the cockpit.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Need to go back and clean up the seat pin mark. I think I'm going with the desert paint scheme.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 9:32 pm
by db41073
looking forward to this

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:57 pm
by heel
Moving at a snail's pace but got a few things done. Primer on the control stick and inner fuselage. Base coat on the main cockpit.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 4:45 pm
by heel
A little more progress. Some dry brushing done and color added to fuel line and oxygen parts. I'll be adding a custom fuel line hose with 22 Gauge metal wire primed and painted. I'll also try to make a custom piece to connect the respirator to the oxygen regulator.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

yes they paint inside the fuselage sprayed horribly but I think the exposed sections are passable. Unintentional weathering.

thanks for looking

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 5:15 pm
by heel
Instrument panel and line added. Close up of resin aftermarket pieces.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:54 am
by JohnModeller
Looks great mate. Ever tried using decals for the dial faces? They are a cheap alternative to photo etch. Attention is always drawn to the seat belts and the dials in terms of cockpits, so it is worth putting some effort there.
Cheers, John

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:04 pm
by heel
Thanks John!

I'm going to put a clear coat down today before work and will definitely consider using the decals on the panel. I wanted to see if I could freehand the dials, but those bottom ones are just too small for my 00 brush and hand control.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 1:07 pm
by heel
Thanks for the tip, John. You were right about the instrument decals. They add a lot, even if these are slightly out of register in a couple spots. I added these with coffee hands so it was a little tricky, just nicking up the bottom right dial on the top panel a bit.

Image

Hoping to get a wash done today.

Update:

Did a light wash this morning of umber/od. Took out some ejector pin marks (should have done that about 20 steps ago)

I then went back this evening for a final flat clear and mixed a drop of buff to give the interior a sandy look since I'm going with a desert scheme. Some might call it frosty - not sure if I love the outcome - but it is kind of what I was going for...

Image

Image

Image

I also threw on the seatbelt decals. Probably wouldn't use them again, at least not without a dimensional backing, but this is a practice bird. Cheers.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 2:59 pm
by heel
Fuselage halves joined together then minimal amount of putty needed, sanded, and scribed. Gunsight got added at the end which will get a dab of future on the lens.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Will need to clean up a little excess before any primer goes down. It all seems pretty flush to my untrained eye.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:36 pm
by JediBoer
Awesome job with the cockpit! :th:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 12:02 am
by heel
Thanks Jedi!

I'm going to see how the pilot comes out. He may cover up those seatbelts or I may have to scratch build some. Those current decals aren't going to work.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 8:16 pm
by heel
Some more progress. Canopy took a future bath and cured for 4 days. I'm not sure if that was enough, maybe because of cool Temps in the basement, but I went ahead and masked it off, inside and out, with the masks and primed. Wings and horizontal stabilizers applied and then filled. Still need to clean up some excess. Flaps will be down for this model.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:34 pm
by gustavlekstal
Looks great. I'm a afv modeller and when you say bath... Do you soak them in gloss varnish?

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:45 pm
by heel
Thanks gustav. I'm definitely not the one to be asking, but it is a quick dip in future floor after rinsing in windex. At least, that's how I've done it. When the masking comes off I'm not sure what we'll see honestly. This future didn't quite cure like the last canopy I did.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 7:16 pm
by heel
Some more done on the 109.

Undercowl

Image

attached along with the nose

Image

Radiator grills that go under the wings

Image

Image

A decent fit. Took this off and sanded the front edges a little

Image

canopy masking

Image

Image

masking started to peel up on the top front and back piece. I took them off and traced new ones with tamiya tape.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Excellent. Only... a seam opened up on the nose and right wing during test fitting/gluing everything. Sealed back up and taken outside and laid down some primer.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:16 pm
by heel
Thanks. Here we go with some more:

Tamiya fine surface primer

Image

Image

Image

Image

My first attempt at preshading. Plenty of room for improvement. Used a thinned xf1.

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 5:01 pm
by m0rce
Hi
Tamiya's canopy has lovely rivet detail.
Cant say same bout airfix's.
Overall tamiya's seems a nicer kit. Especially the rudder area.
Love what you're doin' with it.
Looking forward to more ;)
Regards
S.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 8:14 pm
by heel
Thanks m0rce.

I have another update. I masked off and sprayed xf2 for the rear fuselage stripe. I wanted to avoid using the decal for that stripe and it turned out well. I then masked it back up.

Image

Image

Image

Then I went ahead with the spinner.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

and finally some black on the propellers

Image

Image

Enjoying this one.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:49 pm
by heel
I finished the "spinner base."

Image

Image

Then went down with some aluminum on the prop casing. This will get a wash later to give it some grime.

Image

Image

The exhausts had a spray of gunmetal as a basecoat.

Image

Then I took the leftover red, white and aluminum, added some red brown, and did a heavy dry brushing of the exhausts. I have no idea if it looks accurate, but I like the outcome. A wash will finish them off and then some weathering later.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

That's all for now. Thanks for looking in.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:36 pm
by heel
A wash to the spinner, exhausts and prop.

Image

Image

Image

Sprayed the underbelly and sides with a custom AS-5 (RLM76) of XF-2, XF-23, and XF-7 mixed 50/50 with Ultimate thinner. I hope to soften the line that runs along the top.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

A few other parts that need the RLM76 got painted as well.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:42 pm
by heel
Now I put down the brown on the wings and on top of the fuselage. The paint went down nicely. I sprayed some darker areas on a few panels and then went back with lighter coats. I was trying to simulate a plane that has been baking in the sun. Overall I like how it turned out. There were a few mistakes. The bottom paint needed another coat so I laid down a top coat with a little but of over spray with both coats to soften the divide. This will be a "three footer" as you can definitely see too much over spray if you get enough. The mottling should help some.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Thanks for looking.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:08 pm
by heel
All mottled up freehand.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

First time trying that technique. It's a lot of work!

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:57 pm
by peppie
Great result on the painting :th:
Mottling is one off the hardest things to do.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:04 pm
by heel
peppie wrote:Great result on the painting :th:
Mottling is one off the hardest things to do.
Thank you! It was a battle the whole way

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:31 am
by Goose
rubegoldberg wrote:that some very solid paint work, sir. good job!
+1 love your panelling effects

good job!

Goose

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:33 pm
by m0rce
Looks great mate

:thumb2:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:47 pm
by heel
Thank you guys. Having studied all of your craftsmanship, it's much appreciated.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:19 pm
by heel
I lost a landing gear strut while doing a wash/dry brush. It literally disappeared into thin air. I ripped the basement apart looking for it. Called in to Tamiya customer support and they were able to find the part (and another tiny piece that goes under the wing) and are shipping replacement parts free of charge. Great customer service from Tamiya.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:25 pm
by AndreFerro
Very nice work, I should say!! :clap: :clap: :clap:
And U did the spots without masking?? :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:
Man, U R BOLD!!! :bow:: :bow:: :bow::

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:59 pm
by Puj
Wow - That's a stunner !!

Can't wait to see the finished item

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:08 am
by UKguyInUSA
Cracking paint work so far mate, she's looking a beaut! :) :thumb1: :thumb1: :clap:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 1:17 am
by heel
Thank you all. Glad you like the looks and it's much appreciated. I hope I will continue to do it justice. Updates will be slow for the next bit as I get into some decaling/weathering.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:54 pm
by heel
The decals went down but didn't settle into all the panel lines as hoped, even after multiple applications of microsol. They are thick and glossy, as I've read about. I should have used hotter water to lessen the glue effect. A touch of silvering but nothing too bad. I didn't apply every one, as some are minute.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Had some microsol eat into the paint a little. Not too bad though.

Image

Image

I did a panel line of Payne''s gray on the rlm76 and burnt umber on the green brown. I cut the decals to get them to conform better, but I'll have to touch them up again as it's a little sloppy in some places.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:54 pm
by Puj
That is very tasty..... likey likey :drool:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:45 pm
by heel
:cheers2: thanks puj! It's been a great build and should be finishing up just in time for the Navy GB. I plan on putting together a little dio for this one.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 4:24 pm
by heel
Hey guys just a quick update. This one is nearing completion. Not perfect but I know next time some things to avoid. Also, the nose guns were unusable as they became too brittle after I painted them. Had to revert to oob. A few more steps to finish, but here's a look at where it stands now.

Image

Image

I should have the final reveal up within the week.
Thanks for stopping by and all comments.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:08 pm
by Nige201980
Cracking build mate she is coming up a treat.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:26 pm
by shortCummins
great build

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:01 am
by heel
Thanks Nige and John. Much appreciated.

I have a dilemma that I realized about halfway into the paintwork. There is a piece of armor plating that goes directly behind the pilot that I failed to attach before closing up the canopy. Do I risk damaging the paintwork around it in order to open it up and attach? Truthfully the cockpit looks a little barren without it, but I'm afraid I'll get some cracks or chips, or worse, should I perform surgery. If you notice in the first picture above, the paint looks connected from the center canopy to the fuselage.

Any comments or ideas are welcome. Thanks again to all for the support during the build.

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 4:12 pm
by patrickroos
Nice build!
just had good look through.
Nice overall work onthis one, cockpit, paintjob and the exhausts look perfect.
Reg the canopy there is only one way Im afraid.
Good sharp blade, carefully cutting the canopy loose.
Damage to paintwork would be minimal if the blade is new and sharp.
However careful You are there will be some touching up to do.

Nice 109! :th:

:cheers2:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:43 pm
by UKguyInUSA
Pardon me, I just drooled! :) :thumb1: :thumb1: :clap:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 9:02 pm
by heel
Hey guys thanks for the kind comments.

I promised a dio and it is under way. I'm going to ignore the canopy conundrum for now.

Image

I started with a shadow box and some mod podge, masking off the frame.

Image

Image

Then added some texture. Cat litter, pastel shavings. Down with cheap primer.

Now, there was supposed to be a large rock, as you could see in the above photo. It didn't like the primer and shriveled. Looked a bit like cat poop, if you will. So I took that off. At first I thought I made a huge mistake, as the podge began peeling back. But the end result was great, as it gave it a different texture of dried dirt and runoff.

Image

Image

I made a jerry can out of a beer can a few weeks ago.

Image

and this dead German thyme will represent some desert foliage

Image

Cheers fellas

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 3:07 pm
by heel
Painted the base.
Image

Image

And a look at how it will rest. Just a few more details before it is done. I'll probably keep the jerry can but scrap the tree for fit reasons.

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 4:43 pm
by DaveTheMinion
Very Nice, love it...

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 12:51 pm
by patrickroos
Very nice! :th:

:cheers2:

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:41 pm
by ThomasBrown
Excellent work!

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 3:56 am
by heel
Thanks very much Dave, Patrick, and Thomas!

The compliments and feedback I've gotten from the ISM community pushes me to try harder than I might if I was the only one to see the results. Special thanks to rubegoldberg and everyone who commented as it came together. I will have the finished gallery up in Air Gallery sometime by Thursday, with natural sunlight shots included.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Re: Tamiya BF109e4/7 1/48

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:49 pm
by patrickroos
Great looking "Emil" in a classic paint scheme, well done! :th:
Also like the "desert floor" dio base, very realistic.

:cheers2: