Eduard 1/48 Bf.109E-4 Weekend edition

[Tarasdad]

I've been wanting to try Eduard kits for a long time so when I was at the local hobby shop picking up paint for other projects I decided to bring this home as well:



Since it's the weekend edition there is no photo-etch, resin, or masks and it only has one set of markings. In this case the markings are for W.Nr. 5819, Obstlt. Adolf Galland, Geschwaderkommodore JG 26, Audembert, France – December 1940. If I could have had my choice of markings these would have been the ones.

The detail on the plastic parts is far better than any I've seen before, especially the recessed panel lines.

Right side cockpit wall


Left side cockpit wall


Close up of panel line detail


One place where photo-etch would have been nice is the oil cooler. The plastic part are smooth, with no radiator detail. Then again it's a very small area in a hard to see spot so it's not that big a lack.

Oil cooler bits - 4 parts, one already glued into the cooler body


Assembled and painted - instructions call for brass on the grill faces but I may change that to dark iron as per the 1/32 kit's instructions


The cockpit wall were painted as was the cockpit tub and seat, and the seat glued into place.


That's where I chose to stop tonight. I need to find some cockpit photos for reference before I do much more. I also need to decide whether to try and paint the raised detail instrument panel or use the supplied decal on the smooth one. Offering the choice of two methods is a bonus for those who have trouble painting tiny details.

I did have one minor glitch. When I was at the hobby shop and decided to get this kit I also decided to get the appropriate paints for it. Fortunately this shop is well stocked with Model Master Acryl paints, including the international colors so I used the list on the box to get the ones I needed. It wasn't until I got home that I discovered that one jar was the wrong color - instead of RLM 02 I ended up with Royal Navy Light Gray. The bad part is that RLM 02 is a primary color not just for the interior but for a significant part of the camouflage scheme. Since it was too late to go back and exchange the paint I thought I'd have to wait until Monday, but then I remembered that I had a 20 year ol jar of Tamiya XF-22 RLM Grey in my paint collection. I pulled it out expecting a dried up mess but lo and behold it was still good! Saved by being a pack rat where model paints are concerned!

[SyntaxModels]

Looks good mate, I love the 109, especially the E and G series, can't wait to see how this Eduard kit goes together because then I might have to get one myself .

[Tarasdad]

A bit more progress tonight. Did a bit of detail painting and got a bit more of the cockpit done.



I cheated a bit on the instrument panels. My hands are nowhere near steady enough to hand paint a 1/48 panel and do it justice and I just don't like a decal on a flat panel. What I did in the end is...cheat. I put the decals on the raised panels using plenty of Micro-Sol to get them to lay down. They're still curing so I'm going to leave them overnight to snug down tight. I'll have to hit them with a shot of Dullcote before they go into the fuselage.

Used to be I could see well enough and had hands steady enough to paint instrument details by hand. I could paint the pointers of altimeters, airspeed indicators, and other instruments without need of a magnfier or steady brace. Now I need to use my Optivisor just to be able to SEE the darned instruments, and forget painting tiny details! Ah, the "joys" of growing older.

After much waffling and self-debate I also decided to pass on the open cowling. I realized that I just don't have a safe enough place to display what would end up being a rather fragile model. Besides, this way I can avoid the temptation of putting the kit aside while I order Eduard's Brassin engine and cockpit kits....

[SyntaxModels]

Looks like some good progress mate, bit of a cheeky way to do the cockpit panel though (joking). Can't wait to see it come together!

[Tarasdad]

Wish I could get more done each session but the arthritis in my back and hands limits how much I can do. I just can't build as fast as I once could. Once upon a time I could have had this kit done in just a couple of days. Right now it looks like it might take me two weeks or more.

[SteveW]

Nice progress Barry. I Know what you mean about steady hands and dodgy eyes. I almost always take the Edaurd route now but even then the fiddly little bits can be a pain. Look forward to the next update

[JayCub]

Looks a really nicely molded kit and one I will follow
Tom

[Tarasdad]

Here's a closeup of the instrument panels. I've since sprayed them with Testors Dullcote to kill the gloss:



I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. The lower panel isn't perfect but eh. Much better results than I would have gotten trying to paint them by hand and far better looking than a flat decal panel.

And here's the rest of the progress so far today:



The seams on the fuselage almost disappear. Very little sanding or filling will need to be done. The exception is the area around the chin oil cooler which will need a bit of delicate attention. The wings also go together almost flawlessly.

One thing for sure, I had forgotten just how tiny a 1/48-scale Bf.109 really is!

[SyntaxModels]

Looks great Tarasdad! Good thing that the fuselage seam disappears! Can't wait to see the result!

[Tarasdad]

Just a bit pissed off at myself right now. Managed to send a part flying across the room and while trying to see which way it went I knocked over my bottle of liquid cement. Managed to not get any on the model but everything else on the damned work mat got thoroughly covered. What a reeking, choking mess. Took the paint right off my building mat and left the surface sticky. Fortunately I have another that I can use.

No sign of the part and of course it's a fairly prominent exterior one. Trying my luck with Eduard for a replacement. Other than that I'll have to try and carve one out of something. Just my blasted luck.

[SyntaxModels]

Just a bit pissed off at myself right now. Managed to send a part flying across the room and while trying to see which way it went I knocked over my bottle of liquid cement. Managed to not get any on the model but everything else on the damned work mat got thoroughly covered. What a reeking, choking mess. Took the paint right off my building mat and left the surface sticky. Fortunately I have another that I can use.

No sign of the part and of course it's a fairly prominent exterior one. Trying my luck with Eduard for a replacement. Other than that I'll have to try and carve one out of something. Just my blasted luck.

Ah thats crap man! Best of luck getting a replacement part from Eduard!

[Tarasdad]

A bit more progress today:



(You can also see the result of yesterday's toxic spill - my poor building mat!)

Cleaned up seams and put a little Squadron White Putty where needed on the fuselage. Wings are perfect after the seams were very gently scraped. There's a teeny gap where the wings meet the fuselage but once it's primed and painted I think you'll have a hard time telling it's there. There's a slightly larger gap where the cover over the machine guns fits just in front of the fuselage that I'm trying to decide whether to fix or just leave alone. The only real seam issues on the entire kit were under the chin area in front of the oil cooler and the oil cooler cover itself. Both needed a bit of attention and may get more yet.

Pretty much all that's left is the control surfaces for the wings and the rudder. I plan to leave the rudder off until after painting since it's yellow with RLM 65 Lichtblau where the kill markings decal goes. I think it would just be easier to deal with those with it still detached. There are some miniscule detail parts that won't be put on until just before she goes into the paint booth, such as the counterbalances. I've already nearly wiped off one of the wing cannon and those are far larger parts!

This kit has moved Eduard to the top of my list for aircraft models, that's for certain.

[SyntaxModels]

Looks good, that toxic spill does look pretty nasty painting and decaling the rudder while detached sounds like a good idea. I've heard Eduard is very respectable and I'll have to give their kits a go in the future, good luck with the rest!

[Tarasdad]

Got an email asking for my address so I should have the part soon.

[Tarasdad]

Another email stating that they process replacement orders every 10-14 days, so it could be a few weeks before I see the part.

[Tarasdad]

So I'm sitting at my bench working on another kit when I drop a paintbrush that I'd just cleaned. As I bend down to pick it up I notice a shiny bit of silver plastic. I reach to pick it up...and notice another bit of plastic between the feet of my compressor. Yep, you guessed it, the part I thought had flown across the room to parts unknown was sitting not 6 inches from my right foot the entire time. It is now attached to the model where it's supposed to be.

Grr.

[Tarasdad]

tex, that instrument panel looks great!

Thanks! I'm quite pleased with how it came out. Sometimes I have an idea that works, sometimes not. This one happened to work quite well!

[Tarasdad]

Progress has slowed quite a bit due to the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US. With all the house cleaning, errand running, shopping, and other honey-dos, not to mention pre-cooking and pre-pre-cooking, there just hasn't been more than a spare minute or two for modeling. I have started to prep the Emil for primer by masking the canopy and prop but that's it. Oh, yeah, I also Futured/Kleered the canopy parts.

Once the insanity of Thanksgiving (and the requisite recovery period following) is past I'll have a bit more time to work on the model. Of course Christmas is just around the corner but our family is a lot more sedate where that's involved. Thanksgiving is our really big holiday and involves a LOT more food prep. Christmas is a time to gather and share our faith and our love of family, much quieter. Well, sometimes...

Grandma and the bikini

[SyntaxModels]

Progress has slowed quite a bit due to the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US. With all the house cleaning, errand running, shopping, and other honey-dos, not to mention pre-cooking and pre-pre-cooking, there just hasn't been more than a spare minute or two for modeling. I have started to prep the Emil for primer by masking the canopy and prop but that's it. Oh, yeah, I also Futured/Kleered the canopy parts.

Once the insanity of Thanksgiving (and the requisite recovery period following) is past I'll have a bit more time to work on the model. Of course Christmas is just around the corner but our family is a lot more sedate where that's involved. Thanksgiving is our really big holiday and involves a LOT more food prep. Christmas is a time to gather and share our faith and our love of family, much quieter. Well, sometimes...

Grandma and the bikini

I'm just glad (or not glad?) that Thanksgiving isn't celebrated by most people here in Australia!
P.S. I'm a bit scared to click that link lol...

[Tarasdad]

Finally, a little more progress to report. Rain finally quit so I was able to get out in the garage and put down some primer. Now all I need is to start laying colors!



First thing will be to spray white on the nose, bottom surfaces of wings and stabilizers, and sides of the fuselage and fin. That will give me a good base for the yellow on the nose and Hellblau for the rest. Would have been easier if I'd just had some more white Tamiya primer, darn it!

I'm using two references to help me paint and weather this one. First is Verlinden's WWII Aircraft Vol. 1, the second is Osprey Masterclass World War 2 Luftwaffe Fighter Modeling by Geoff Coughlin. Both have some excellent information and photos. Each has models of various Bf 109 variants that I can study.

To tell you the truth, the camo on this one scares me! Not the basic splinter pattern but the haze on the fuselage sides!

[UKguyInUSA]

That's a great looking kit by Eduard, the cockpit looks fab. Looking forward to seeing you put clothes on her now

[Tarasdad]

Preshading done. Ish. Missed one spot.



Badger Air Opaque black used, came out...okay, I guess. Lines are a bit uneven in thickness and not as straight as I'd like. Shaky hands had a lot to do with it, not to mention this is my first ever preshading attempt. With a brand new airbrush to boot

Next up will be colors!