Messerschmitt
Bf 109G-10

"Type 110" Cowling

by Floyd S. Werner Jr.

Hasegawa's 1/48 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 is available online from Squadron.com

The 1/48th Hasegawa G-10 has been reviewed by others and myself to the Nth degree so I will not talk about the kit, but about the simple conversion. I hope to spark some conversation about this particular aircraft.

The "Type 110" Cowling Variant

The most noticeable characteristic of “Type 110” cowlings is a flat plate on the left side below the cockpit on some G-10s. The two most famous examples are Erich Hartmann’s G-10 in which he scored his last victories and the subject of my model, an enigma from JG2. Mermet states that in conjunction with the flat plate the gun troughs were lengthened at the front.

The oil cooler had a small side section, similar to a standard G-6, but was in fact wider giving it more area. These aircraft usually have small wing teardrop bulges due to smaller main wheels. These aircraft were built in two werknummer blocks, 491XXX and 150XXX. Because of the many similarities with the G-6-14/AS many experts call these aircraft G-10/AS, but they in fact are just G-10s with earlier models of the DB 605AS/ASM or DB605D engines.

The Subject Aircraft

Why did I pick this aircraft to model? Well there is a lot of controversy over this particular machine. It was found in Langensalza at the end of the war. It wore light colored RVD bands that have been interpreted to be JG2 (Yellow-White-Yellow). Some feel strongly that it belongs to JG300 (Light Blue-White-Light Blue). One thing is sure, neither unit had G-10s on strength at this time of the war, so where did it come from and who owned it? What you see is my interpretation of the three photos that I know of.

Will this solve the issue? No way, but it may stir up some conversation.

The Luftwaffe Verband discussed this particular aircraft for an entire year and sort of came to the conclusion you see before you. You will notice some other peculiarities with this aircraft. The wing crosses are smaller and further out than usual. Why? Who knows? Typical of photo interpretations is the never ending and constantly evolving question are those the right colors? More food for thought, but I think it is very close.

The conversion process was quite easy. Use a razor saw, files, sand paper and cut the nose off. Square everything off and cement the new nose.

Before you put the new nose on I made a vertical line in the elliptical cowl bulge on the left side just in front of the windscreen panel. Don’t cut too deep. Flat sand the cut to smooth the area aft of the cut. Then take two part epoxy putty utilizing tape for masks and build up the area forward of the cut below the cowl bump.

Be careful not to obliterate the wing fairing, but the panel must meet this fairing.

Prime and re-sand as necessary and you're done with the hardest work.

I also scribed a new oil filler port above the one on the kit/conversion. I intentionally left the lower port visible as some aircraft did. I elongated the upper gun troughs with a fine needle file. They look real nice and when placed against a normal G-10 you can notice the difference. I’m not sure what the difference is between the conversion set and the standard G-10 nose section, but I elected to use the resin replacement for the purpose of learning. I built the kit normally with the sets and detail parts below.

Model Master acrylic paints were used throughout.

Eduard Messerschmitt Bf-109G-10 Set 48-390

As far as I know Eduard has been at the forefront of photo etch parts since the process was introduced to modelers in the late 1980s. They continue to put out sets for every modern kit release. Having built their earlier 109 sets I was very happy to get my hands on this one. What I got was a shock. You get two large photo etch sheets, one clear sheet for the gun sight and one painted paper which has the instrument faces painted. The instruction sheet is SIX pages long, SIX pages. The set covers every aspect of the model, inside and out.

I was leery of the photo etch cockpit area which utilizes some of the kit parts, notably the floor panel. I built the cockpit set up slowly and was very surprised that everything, and I mean everything, fit like a glove. Careful bending and rolling of some parts made for a quite convincing interior. It was noticeably wider than the resin tubs I usually use. I think I could put a pilot in there if I wanted to, but to hide the exquisite detail would be a shame. You will have to have some sprue stock but it looked great. The only thing you really have to add is the fuel line and wires on the right panel. I made my lines from .025 and .010 leaded fly-fishing wire. The clear part was made from stretched clear sprue. The armored plate on the canopy is nice but there is no clear part for it. The kit part is way too small. Overall, I was very happy with the cockpit.

The weakest part of the Hasegawa kit is the wing radiator area. Eduard has a unique approach to this area that is beautiful in its execution. Eduard has you make the front and back pieces that cover the openings and allows the flaps to be positioned open. There is no see through and the delicate hinges are a nice touch. The only issue on this kit is the lack of doublers on the bottom side of the lower flap. I must say who cares? It looks great. Don’t forget to thin down the trailing edge as per the instruction set, this allows the flaps to be wedged in between the wing and the enclosed back areas. This provides plenty of strength.

The landing gear is not forgotten either. The wheel well is enclosed with your choice of end pieces. The top of the wheel well is large enough for the area and this takes care of the gap in the Hasegawa kit. I did have to thin my upper wing slightly. The strut gets a thin piece that I lost so I ended up replacing it with some solder.

I also elected not to use the under wing antenna as I thought it was too thin, but that is just my thought. It fit like a champ. One minor thing is the instruction sheet has you put the canopy release handle on the wrong side so be careful. A tip for the DF Loop antenna, I cut it out and rolled it around a paintbrush handle. When I got to the end I used a razor to straighten out a little bit for mounting. I love the results.

Bottom line, I loved this set. I highly recommend it. Thanks to Eduard for supplying the review copy. Eduard is widely available and this set retails for $19.99. Well worth the money.

Adeco MD480016 Bf-109G-6/AS Conversion

This set consists of a resin forward cowling to replace the kit one. It also has a resin oil cooler, flattened main wheels, prop blades and small wing bulges. The resin plug is a good fit if you are careful and test fit constantly. All the other parts are drop replacements for the kit parts.

I was very happy with the end result. It has the proper bulge that the G-10 kit is missing. The resin nose does have a “grainy” surface but after painting and priming it is not really noticeable. This set made my Type 110 cowling conversion very easy. The set comes recommended to anyone who has to have a G-6/AS. It is an easy conversion set.

Recommended.

The set can be obtained through www.ModelDesignConstruction.com. The review copy was courtesy of my wallet.

Cooper Details CD4817 Bf-109G-6 and G-14 upgrade

Cooper Detail is the standard I judge other 109 products by. With that said, Roy Sutherland developed this set to address some of the minor problems with the Hasegawa kits, namely the bulbous nose. The set also includes replacement tails for either the regular or tall tail and new bulged main wheels. All the parts, with exception of the tails, are drop in replacements. This set has been incorporated into the Bf-109 set from Jaguar. Highly recommended. Review copy supplied by my wallet.

Cutting Edge Black Magic Camouflage Masks CEBM48288

I’ve been using Black Magic masks for quite some time and I find them indispensable. The set is very easy to use. I do one thing different, I use Silly Putty under the masks to raise them off the model 1/8 inch and get a slightly softer edge. The best use of these masks is on the scalloped leading edge areas. These masks are reusable if you are careful so they are well worth the money. Highly recommended. Review copy again supplied by my 109 driven wallet.

Aeromaster Reich Defense Bf-109G/K 48-004

This set is long out of production but is the only sheet with the decals for my aircraft including the smaller wing crosses. A word of caution on the camouflage in the drawings, check your references.

I enjoyed this model a lot and it looks exactly like I envisioned it. All the sets were very helpful in building up a Type 110 G-10. I hope this model will stimulate some conversation on the original aircraft’s origin.

• Messerschmitt Bf109 G-1 through K-4 Engines and Fittings. Mermet, Jean-Claude Available only through Mr. Mermet. This is one of the reasons to belong to the Luftwaffe Verband. (Some of the information is also in Eagle Files #3: “Augsburg's Last Eagles” by Brett Green)

• Broken Eagles 3; Bf-109 G/K Part II; Hildebrandt, Carl

• Luftwaffe Vol 2, Warbirds Photo Album, ISBN T1005706112308,

• Aero Detail 5 Messerschmitt Bf109G, ISBN 4-499-20589-1

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2003 by Floyd S. Werner Jr. 
Page Created 21 March, 2003
Last Updated 17 March, 2004

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