Hasegawa's 1/48 scale
Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4B

by Jan Levitner

Tamiya's 1/48 scale Bf 109E-4/7 is available online from Squadron

I have just finished my 1/48 Hasegawa Me 109E/4/B Trop. What is remarkable about the kit is that I bought it as a 14 years old boy in 1994.

I almost finished it at the time - only the decals were missing - straight from the box.

In the same year I lost my interest in scale modelling and I started again this spring.

I found the great pages of Jakub Vilingr - in Czech only - sorry - and I tried to apply the technics I found there. The result is my remake "conejo de Indias" from Hasegawa in the brown-blue coat, which nobody seems to choose building this kit.

The only aftermarket product is cockpit from AIRES. As the kit was already assembled I had to cut out the whole central part. The interior is painted with Tamiya RLM02 - thats what I thought. I spent so much time making a hand made canopy - later I realized that I could have bought one made by Squadron.

The kit received a lot of hand-made details. Almost one plastic cup from yougurt was used for warious parts of the kit. The landing flaps were flattened and airbrushed with Mr. Surfacer using a foil as mask. The result is a more realistic look.

The decals were a real nightmare. It was the first time that I used Mr. Mark Softer. Nobody told me what was going to happen. The sounds I was making and words I was saying are unpublishable. Than I realised that after 10 years some of the decals were overdried and in many pieces. Neither the other decals were invisible. So I used a drastic method of applying the Gunze Super Clear in the same way as Mr. Surfacer - airbrushing and sanding. The result is that no decal film is visible, even if you try your best.

Weathering is made with oil paints and Agama star dust. The exhausts stains are a little bit exaggerated, I know. And for a stupid reason - doing the right side I was just about to sneeze. I didn't want to leave it asymmetrical, so I had to do it on the other side as well.

Well, I cannot say I had fun with the Hasegawa kit.

As I am a desert freak I have bought the Tamyia kit recently as well. Now I am working on the Tamyia 1/48 Kubelwagen - simply wonderful!

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Bf 109D/E Aces 1939–41 Aircraft of the Aces 11 Author: John Weal Illustrator: John Weal US Price: $19.95 UK Price: £12.99 Publisher: Osprey Publishing Publish Date:  November 15, 1996 Details: 96 pages; ISBN: 1855325969 Shop Buy it from Osprey Publishing

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2004 by Jan Levitner
Page Created 08 December, 2004
Last Updated 08 December, 2004

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