Eduard 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "FINAL REVEAL" (8.17.15)

[UKguyInUSA]

Hello Guys,

Because I have to wait 8 weeks now for the missing part and damaged part to arrive from Revell Germany for my Revell 1/32 Spitfire Mk.IIa, I'm now going to start a new kit that will be my 4th entry into Eightfooticeman's (Jermaine's) "1/32 Big Bird Buddy Build". This is also my second entry into a YouTube modeling GB- "Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary GB" hosted by Ukscalemodeller and CharlesScaleModelling.

This is Eduard's "Weekend Edition" of this model. You can buy what is called a "Profi-Pak" version that is more glitzier, that includes a full color booklet, photo-etch and more color/marking options.

This kit was kindly given to me by a modeling buddy and so the sprues had already been taken out of their bags and some parts had been removed from their sprues.

The Box is made from a two-ply card base and a single-ply lid making it very sturdy, which I prefer moreso than the single ply Revell boxes that open at one end.





The box contains a 8 page black and white instruction/assembly/painting and decaling booklet. Only one option of color/markings is offered, that of Major Otto Bertram's aircraft who was a Luftwaffe ace fighter pilot with 22 kills credited to him that earned him the "Knights Cross of the Iron Cross"....





The instructions look straight-forward and the color call outs are for Mr. Color and Hobby Color only, so conversions to your preferred paint will be necessary.

Front Page 1 and Back Page 8





Pages 2 and 3





Pages 4 and 5





Pages 6 and 7





There are two sheets of decals/stencils that are very thin, nicely registered, almost zero carrier film around the edges and they are a nice satin/matt finish.

Decal Sheet





Stencil Sheet





The kit comes with 6 olive colored sprues and one clear sprue, but as mentioned earlier, because this kit was given to me, the sprues had been taken apart. But, here are photos of all the parts on their sprues or removed with some close ups too, to show the nice fine panel line and rivet details and also how nicely molded these parts are. There is zero flash on the majority of these parts, with the tiniest amount in a few places. The parts are crisp and clean with zero warping/distortion and ejector pin marks are absent from seen surfaces. One thing that I'm excited about is that this kit includes a Daimler-Benz DB601N engine and removable cowlings to display it if you wish to do so, unlike the Revell 1/32 BF109G-10 build I did recently that didn't include one...












































The Clear Sprue is very clear with thin molded parts that include riveted frame details. They are free of any aberrations and very little distortion of image when looking through them...













At first sight, this kit looks like a really nice kit, well engineered and excellently molded, although it would have been nice to have one or two more options of color/markings.

This kit is available from on-line USA distributors for $35.85, which is about 24.00 quid in the UK, which is $12.00 (8.00 quid) more than I paid for the Revell 1/32 BF109G-10, although the Revell kit didn't have an engine and open cowling options. At the end of this build, I'll let you know my thoughts on how well it goes together and compare it to the Revell kit I built to establish my personal opinion on whether it is good value for money.

Okay, with that out of the way, I can now go and wash the parts in readiness to make a start on her next Monday! I have the grandson coming soon and he's here until Sunday evening!

In the meantime, if you'd like to see my YouTube "In-Box-Review" video for this kit, here is the link:


[youtube]H23GCnQS9os[/youtube]


Happy modelling and have fun!

Cheers

Martin : )

[CJSomerset]

Another one? Are you planning a 1/32 squadron?

[UKguyInUSA]

Another one? Are you planning a 1/32 squadron?

Ha ha!! No, I'm just really enjoying building the larger scale planes that are easier on my eyes, come with more details and produce pleasing results!

Cheers
Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Eduard "Weekend Edition" 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #1"


Hello Guys,

Well, I made a start on this baby on Tuesday and managed to get a few sub-assemblies built up and painted!

I started by washing the parts as always and let them air-dry. Once dry, I removed parts for the inner fuselage wall assemblies from the sprues laid them on my table, then assembled the inner walls and glued them into their corresponding fuselage halves. I also assembled the fuselage radiator housing that fits beneath the engine and then glued it into the starboard fuselage half;














Next, I removed the rear wheel location inserts from the sprues and glued tem into the tail ends of the fuselage halves;








I then moved onto the Engine assembly, by first, removing the parts from the sprues and preparing/sanding the gate vestiges smooth, then gluing everything together;

















Next was the engine bulkhead/firewall/electrical cabinet and machine gun mount assembly;











Following that sub-assembly, I then got all the pieces together for the wing assembly and put those together:














This was followed by assembling the drop tank, horizontal stabilizers and elevators:








It was now time to assemble all the parts within the cockpit:

















Lastly, I assembled the flaps:








It was now time to begin painting! I started off by airbrushing a black base coat onto all the interior parts and some of the external sub-assembly components, then followed that by airbrushing a RLM 02 onto all internal parts:











I then airbrushed aluminum onto the propeller assembly components, the oil tank and engine support mounts;





After that, I allowed everything to dry on my table and checked how it was looking so far:





I could begin detailing the sub-assemblies now everything had dried, and so, I started with the engine, painting it, then adding the exhaust stubs, coolant tank and some hoses:























Following the engine, I detail painted the cockpit interior, then using some stretched sprue, I fabricated and fitted a hose for the Oxygen regulator and painted that blue. I added some delicate aluminum chipping to weather it a little;

















Next, I detail painted the engine bulkhead/firewall/electrical cabinets and machine gun mount assembly, followed by detailing the internal walls of the fuselage halves;














And, after all that, I laid everything out on my table to check the progress achieved for this update and took some photos;




















Well, that's it for this update, more to come soon! In the meantime, if you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #1" video for this project, here is the link to that:


[youtube]qU5THOYU-MQ[/youtube]


Thanks in advance for taking a look and leaving comments, much appreciated!

Until "Build Update #2", take care, happy modeling, have fun and enjoy this coming weekend!

Cheers
Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Eduard "Weekend Edition" 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #2"

After a few days, I managed to get some more done on this "baby", but, things happened that I didn't expect to happen with a kit who's reviews that I had read about it were positive and praiseful...hmm?

Anyway, leading off from where I finished with "Build Update #1", it was time to airbrush a gloss clear coat over the previously painted parts so that I could add the instrument panel decals, a dirt wash and some delicate wear and tear/chipping....








First, I applied the decal to the lower instrument panel, which was followed by applying the decal to the upper instrument panel:














I then mixed a dirt wash using a small pea sized amount of black oil paint, a smidgeon of white oil paint thinned down with odorless mineral spirits. I then brushed it liberally over all of the painted and clear coated parts and left it to dry for 30 minutes;








I then rubbed the excess of using cotton buds/Q-Tips, but left enough on to give a nice worn, dirty appearance. I then laid everything out on the table to see how it all looked before I moved on to the next step which was to be some delicate chipping effects using Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum...














I was happy with how the sub-assemblies looked, and so I moved onto assembling the engine to the bulkhead/firewall, using the engine mounting brackets, I also fitted a hose to the filler cap. Super-glue is recommended for doing this to achieve a fast and solid bond;

















It was now time to assemble the engine into the bay, and here is where my problems began!!! Aaarrggghhhhh! I recommend that if you build this kit, you hide sharp objects so that you don't slash your wrists, you shave your head to prevent you pulling your hair out, and, you line the walls with soft padding so it doesn't hurt when you bang your head against them!
Anyway....the instructions direct you to fit the engine into the starboard side fuselage, pushing the exhaust stack through the aperture that they locate into. Well...that wasn't happening! The rectangular aperture is both too short in length and shallow on the width. I took a flat swiss file and gently worked at all 4 sides until the exhausts slipped through. Beneath the engine is the radiator housing that one assumes the engine rests onto and is glued onto it as a point of location to set the height of the engine. Well, again, the top of the radiator is too low and leaves a space, so the only support the engine has is the slot the exhausts are slid through. I put a couple of piece of cocktail sticks on top of the radiator housing and used super-glue to fix them there, then filed them until the engine sat on them and the exhausts lined up with the aperture they are to slide through.





That worked and I was happy the engine had some support beneath it to prevent it accidentally being pressed down and breaking off the exhausts. The next fit issue that came to light was that the distance from the front of the oil cooler tank to the back face of the bulkhead was around 1.5mm too long, and therefore, the bulkhead wall didn't locate into the recess on the side of the fuselage to position the assembly in the correct place. I therefore had to file the location recess back about 0.5-0.75mm, and, file down the front of the oil cooler tank until the engine/bulkhead assembly fitted into the fuselage:








Now that I had got the engine/bulkhead assembly to fit into it's intended location, presently by dry-fitting until I was certain I had covered everything before I glued it into position, I dry-fitted the portside fuselage half around it, and, discovered another issue; the fuselage halves would not close together at the front end beneath the engine/nose area, and a gap of around 2.0mm was present. I therefore had to file down the sides of the oil cooler tank, the inside walls of the fuselage, and, the first exhaust pipe on both sides of the engine.














After all of the filing, and, filing off as much as I dare before parts fail, I put the fuselage halves back together and I was happier with the fit. The gap closed up from around 2.0mm to about 0.5/0.75mm, which I felt was a more comfortable gap to work with when filling;











I then permanently glued the engine, the bulkhead and cockpit into the starboard fuselage half. This is where I ended for this update; the next update- #3, will be the plane fully assembled, filled, filed smooth, washed, primed and pre-shaded.








If you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #2" video that outlines the above more clearly in a step by step fashion, then here is the link to that:


[youtube]54TGIdJMXTc[/youtube]


Thanks in advance to those that view this thread, leave comments and follow my build on YouTube, much appreciated!

Have a good week!

Cheers

Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Eduard "Weekend Edition" 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #3"


Well, the last few days, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and so, guess what I did to utilize that time?! You got it...I got back onto this build.

In "Build Update #2" I left off with the cockpit and engine finally fitted and glued into the starboard side fuselage. Here are some images of that, which weren't included in "Build Update #2":

Engine and bulkhead glued in place:





Time to glue in the cockpit:


























After those sub-assemblies had set in place, I laid out all the parts that I was going to assemble next:





I started by assembling the portside fuselage half to the starboard side and clamped and taped that until it had set. After that, I assembled the wing assembly to the fuselage assembly and taped it until the glue had set. I then removed the tape:














There was a gap around the rear end of where the wing assembly joins the underside of the fuselage and a gap at the propeller end of the fuselage, and so, I had to get the filler out- the first time in about 12 builds.








When the filler had set, I smoothed the joints down, then fitted the two underwing radiator covers:








I then moved onto assembling the ailerons, flaps, horizontal stabilizer/elevators and finally the rudder:














With the main assembly now completed, the plane was ready to be primed, but before I did, I cleaned her down with Isopropyl Alcohol, masked the cockpit, engine and exhausts with tape, then masked the wheel wells and air intakes with damp tissue. I also temporarily located the wheel bay doors with putty so that they act as masks, but also get painted at the same time as the plane:











I then primed the plane and some peripheral parts with Model Masters Grey Primer:








When the primer was dry, I then pre-shaded the plane and peripheral parts:








Once the pre-shade was dry, it was time to move on with the first of the three exterior camouflage colors, the light blue for the underside and fuselage sides. There is a contradiction on the paint instructions, the color call out is for RLM 76 Lichtblau, but at the top of the page there is a description of the aircraft wherein it states the color was RLM 65 Hellblau. I wanted a pale blue, so I used the RLM 76 with a small amount of the RLM 65 to add a pale bluish hue. After airbrushing that mix on, I then added some white to what was left in the airbrush cup, to tone it down so that I could airbrush some highlights on top of the blue color:











It was now time to start preparing for masking the plane to airbrush the two upper camo colors. I therefore, as I always do, measured the width of the wings on both the plane and the plan view of the painting instructions and calculated a scale factor by dividing the actual plane measurement by the measurement taken from the painting guide. It calculated to a scale factor of 2.31, and using this factor, I photocopied the painting instructions plan view and scaled it up by 2.31 using the zoom option on my photo-copier. I took a copy of the starboard side and the portside:











I then cut out the darker of the two colors and used those to mask the plane in readiness to airbrush the lighter RLM 02 Grau color. After airbrushing it onto the exposed areas, I then added some white to tone the color down for airbrushing some highlights:











I removed those masks and checked how it looked:





I let that dry for a few hours and then cut out the lighter colored areas on the masks and used those to mask over the previously airbrushed RLM 02. After completing the masking, I then airbrushed RLM 71 Dunkelgrun onto the exposed areas, then added white to tone it down for airbrushing some highlights:











This was as far as I had gotten for this update and so I removed the masks and checked everything. A little area of paint peeled from the underside of the starboard horizontal stabilizer and I had some bleed through onto a couple of small areas of the engine. I then put everything that I completed so far onto my table and took some photos:























Well, that's it for this update guys! From hereon, I will touch up the few areas where paint peeled and I got some bleed through, then
give everything a gloss clear coat in readiness to add my decals. After decaling, I will then move onto weathering.

In the meantime, if you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #3" video, here is the link to that:


[youtube]McUxVQiCQKo[/youtube]


Thanks in advance for following this build, leaving comments and watching my video, greatly appreciated!

Until the next update, have a great weekend and happy modeling!

Cheers

Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Eduard 1/32 Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Build Update #4"

Hello Guys,

I've been away taking a few days break with the missus, visiting family in Augusta, Maine and just got home, so, now it's time to play catch up. The following images are where I had got to before we left, but, I didn't have time to post, so here goes....


I started off by masking the central hub of the propeller assembly, then airbrushing RLM 70 Schwarzgrun onto the propellers and the spinner. When dry, I removed the masking and assembled the spinner around the propeller:








Next, I moved onto the canopy and windscreen section. First, I masked the three separate sections, then airbrushed the internal color of RLM 02 Grau. I let that dry, then I airbrushed the RLM 71 Dunkelgrun top-coat onto them. When that had dried, I airbrushed a coat of matt/flat varnish to seal the paint. When the clear coat was touch dry, I carefully removed the masking tape, but, there were a couple of spots where paint peeled that would require some touch-up:




















It was now time to give the plane and peripeheral parts a gloss clear coat in preparation for decaling. I allowed that to dry overnight, then started to apply decals. I began by applying the main decals, followed by the smaller stencils, onto the upper and lower wings, the portside fuselage, the starboard side fuselage, the cowlings, the drop tank and lastly, the propeller blades:



































When the decals and stencils were completed, I sealed them in with a gloss clear coat and allowed that to dry overnight. I was then ready to move forward with the weathering stage, and first, I applied some delicate chipping with XF-16 Flat Aluminum to the plane, cowling and wheel bay doors. I then removed paint from the propeller assembly to reveal the aluminum paint beneath the topcoat.

















After completing the chipping, I then mixed a dark dirt wash using a pea sized amount of black oil paint, a smidgeon of white and odorless mineral spirits, ensuring it was a nice water consistency. This was then brushed liberally over all parts and allowed to dry for 30 minutes. I then removed the excess with Q-Tips/Cotton buds to leave an amount on the surfaces that provided the weathered appearance that I liked:

















This was followed by mixing three different color washes for applying oil, dirt and fuel streaks onto everything:





























I then applied a mud wash to the main wheels and painted the rear wheel. Everything was then given a final matt/flat clear coat:














When the final matt flat clear coat had dried overnight, I then mixed a wash for applying the exhaust and oil stains with using a black and a tan acrylic wash mixed together, then I scraped the end of a 6B pencil to produce some graphite dust which I used in the mix to simulate soot. This was also used to apply the gun powder residue stains around the two wing mounted machine guns.














Next, I assembled and fitted the wheels onto the plane, followed by the propeller assembly and then the wing mounted machine guns:














Next, I painted the gun-sight and super-glued it into its location:









After fitting the gun-sight, I glued the windscreen into location to protect the gun-sight from accidentally being knocked off. I then assembled the bullet-proof head-rest into the center canopy and glued that in the open position:











Now, I moved onto fitting the smaller fiddly pieces- the pitot tube and the aileron counter-balance weights:





And, finally for this update, I fitted the aerial onto the rear canopy section...





The only thing that I had left to do to complete my build was to add the open canopy tie-cable and antenna cables. I did this using 1.010" EZ-Line fixed with super-glue applied with the tip of a cocktail stick.


So, that's it for this build update! If you'd like to watch my YouTube "Build Update #4" video then here is the link for that:


[youtube]IUE6BTVeqX8[/youtube]


The "Final Reveal" photos will be coming soon!

In the meantime, thanks for following this build, thanks for watching the update videos and thanks for leaving comments, greatly appreciated!


Enjoy the rest of your weekend, happy modeling and have fun!

Cheers
Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Eduard 1/32 "Weekend Edition" Messerschmitt BF109E-3 "Final Reveal" (8.17.15)

Hello Chaps,

So, she's finally completed and here are my "Final Reveal" photos of her. I hope you like?!

























































































If you've followed my build updates for this kit, you'll be aware of the fit issues that were present when trying to assemble the engine, bulkhead and firewall into the space provided, having to file around 2.0mm away on the width and length of the engine assembly and fuselage internal walls combined, along with filing down the length of the internal assembly and its location points within the fuselage to get it to fit. I also had to jack up the engine with spacers to ensure the exhausts stacks lined up with the apertures that they go through, as well as file the exhaust aperture to make them wider and longer due to the exhausts being larger and not going through.

Regarding whether I think this is a VFM kit - "Value For Money" kit, the answer would be an unequivocal and resounding "No"!

I base this on the cost of the kit compared to the newly tooled Revell Germany 1/32 BF109G-10 that I modelled. Although the Revell kit doesn't come with a Daimler-Benz DB601A engine, it does have nice cockpit and external details and goes together extremely well without the need for filler. The Eduard kit is 50% more expensive than the Revell Germany kit and one has to ask oneself..."Do I want to pay 50% more just to include an engine that is problematic to fit?". Also, if you chose not to display the engine with the Eduard kit, then I would say that you'd be wasting your money paying the extra for a kit that includes an engine, for it not to be used...you definitely should choose the Revell kit if you take that option and save yourself $12.00.

The Revell Germany 1/32 BF109G-10 was $23.95 and the Eduard 1/32 BF109E-3 was $35.95.

Regarding providing my scores for the overall quality of engineering, quality of molded product, quality of details included, quality of the instruction manual and the decals and packaging, I score as follows:


Quality of Engineering Fits: 4/10 based on how badly engineered the internal assemblies were when fitting inside the fuselage halves. Filler was required in a few places. The worst gap was at the underside front end of the two fuselage halves. The gap was around 2.0mm, which led me to file down the front exhaust stacks and the inside faces of the fuselage halves where they mated. Without destroying the exhaust stacks, there was still a gap of around 0.75mm that I filled. There were also gaps all around the rear area of the wing assembly where it joins the fuselage on the belly of the plane. I had to fill these areas, too.

Quality of molded product: 9/10- the product is very nicely molded, parts are crisp and clean with just a few spots of flash. No warp was present on any of the parts and ejector pin witness marks were away from visual area. I didn't have any sink marks to contend with and the canopy parts were nice and clear with minimal distortion when looking through. There are finely recessed panel lines and rivet details, although some of the rivet details are too fine for them to show when the plane is given a dirt wash during the finishing stage. A good rivet forming tool would cure that, should you have one and want to attempt improving them.

Quality of details included: 8/10- The included engine, bulkhead and firewall have nice details that look good at the end of the build, but they require a lot of patience to get them to fit. The undercarriage is nicely detailed too and includes brake lines and treaded tyres. The cockpit is very nicely detailed and would e enhanced more with after-market seatbelts and foot pedals, but as always, I build "Out of Box" to establish a fair assessment of what you're getting for you money compared to similar kits.

Quality of the instruction manual: 9/10- I thought it was very easy to follow, but, it would be nice if the painting instructions were in color. They are if you chose to buy the "Profi-Pak" version instead of this "Weekend Edition" version.

Quality of Decals: 8/10- There is only one option for color and markings. The main decals are very good and go down well onto a gloss clear coat in combination with a good decal setting solution, adhering to recesses and surfaces features. However, some of the smaller stencils had a tendency to "Silver" which I hid with weathering and painting ove the silver areas.

Quality of packaging: 9/10- the box is a two part base and lid construction with the base being very sturdy cardboard. I prefer the base and lid style rather than the open end version provided by Revell. Sprues are packaged in clear polythene bags.

Further notes: I wouldn't recommend this kit to a beginner because of the fit issues, it's definitely a kit for the more experienced modeler who has patience to overcome the fit issues.

Did I enjoy the build?- I did up until the fit issues arose, then it was a "Debbie downer" until those were overcome. Then after that, the rest of the build was smooth sailing.

Would I buy this kit again? NO! I'd hope that Revell Germany would Introduce the engine details into their kits for an extra $5.00 which I'd pay willingly, as long as there were no issues. Or, I'd recommend the Trumpeter 1/32 BF109E models that come complete with engine details, a fret of PE and rubber tyres.


If you'd like to see my "Final Reveal" video for this update, here is the link to that:


[youtube]ej54LH-n8iY[/youtube]


Thanks for following along and for your comments, much appreciated!

Happy modeling and have fun!

Cheers
Martin

[AdamLuscombe]

Fantastic work, looks great

[Homerlovesbeer]

Beautiful work Martin. I thoroughly enjoyed following your progress. Thanks for taking the time to do the build thread and youtube vids, they are much appreciated!

[Stokesy44]

Another fine effort. brilliantly done.

[UKguyInUSA]

Fantastic work, looks great

Thanks mate, greatly appreciated!

Cheers
Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Beautiful work Martin. I thoroughly enjoyed following your progress. Thanks for taking the time to do the build thread and youtube vids, they are much appreciated!

Thanks again mate, and you're welcome for the build threads and videos, I really enjoy doing them; they help fill my days doing "nothing" in my retirement!

Cheers
Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Another fine effort. brilliantly done.

Thanks again, Stokesy, greatly appreciated!

Cheers
Martin