1/32 scale Erla-build conversion
Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10

by Maurizio Di Terlizzi

Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Bf 109K-4 is available online from Squadron.com

Of all the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10s in late-war Italian ANR service, only three were “standard” G-10s with the left curved panel. Frustratingly, there are no complete photos of these planes.

On the other hand, there are plenty of photos of the many Erla-built ANR Bf 109G-10s. These Erla-built Bf 109G-10 had several unique attributes, including a flat panel under the port side windscreen (replacing the more usual curved fairing), modified lower cowl and several other details..

In practice then, if you want to build a referenced ANR Bf 109G-10, you'll need to convert the model to the Erla built version!

Here is my conversion of Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109K-4 into an Erla built Bf 109G-10.

I wanted to finish my model as Adriano Visconti’s G-10, Wnr. 491356 depicted at least in 10 pictures in various publications. Some specific details of this plane are:

• short tailwheel,

• small size wheel and upper wing bulges,

• small but deeper oil radiator,

• bigger prop blades,

• G-10 style (with some variation) colour scheme,

• a little white “G” painted inside the cockpit and

• the underwing crosses different from each other.

The addition of 300 litres aux fuel tank makes this plane unusual and interesting, as I prefer.

For this project I opted to convert the Hasegawa Bf 109K-4 because the G-10 was basically the same except for tail wheel bay and panel details and, at the time of construction, there were no firm plans for an Erla G-10 conversion.

I cut away the curved panel replaced it with a suitably shaped rectangular piece of plasticard, carefully glued in place and puttied. The sanding operation was lengthy because of the need to eliminate the large, curved fairing.

These planes also had the lower cowl without the two bulges in the chin, so I eliminated them with a sharp knife, then vacuuformed the lower cowl with thin plasticard, because it seems that in place of the bulges, the lower cowl was a little wider. I needed many attempts to adapt it to the cowl.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Finally, the triangular lower partof the windscreen, only at left, was covered by a panel riveted in the reality. Then I close the tail wheel bay, filled all the unnecessary panel lines and rescribe the correct ones for the G-10.

The cockpit is from MDC.

All the colours are from Gunze acrylics range.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Messerschmitt Bf 109 Modelling Manuals 17 US Price: $17.95 UK Price: £12.99 Publisher: Osprey Publishing Publish Date:  January 25, 2002 Details: 64 pages; ISBN: 1841762652 Shop Buy it from Osprey Publishing

Model and Images Copyright 2004 by Maurizio Di Terlizzi
Page Created 24 August, 2004
Last Updated 23 August, 2004

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