BF 109 E4 Trop, Tamiya 1/48

Submitted by admin on Tue, 07/23/2013 - 09:30

 

The Messerschmitt BF 109 is one of the most famous fighter of the WWII, and one of the combat planes with the greates number of planes ever produces. It was in service since 1937 to 1947, thanks to many upgrades.

It was the fighter of some of the best aces worldwide, from Erich Hartmann (the best ace of ever, with 352 kills) to Hans-Joachim Marseille, credited to the highest numbers of kills on the wester front.
It was piloted also by the aces of many other countries, like Finland, Hungary, Romania, Croatia. It was also the plane used by the JC52, the unit with the highest number of kills of all aviation history.

THE KIT
The kit is the classic Tamiya one, in 1/48 scale, Tropical version E4.
This kit is a little jewel: fine recessed panel lines, plenty of option, a nice busy cockpit the requires only the seat belts to look wonderful. On my build I scratchbuilt the straps, using some masking tape and lead wire, and letting them hanging down from the outside of the fuselage.
I opted for a classic mottled camo scheme of the Tropical version, airbrushed by hand. Special care was reserved to the weathering process: I wanted a plane that reproduces the have condition of use of the time. So I used AK Interactive rust streaks and some oil colors to give to my 109 a worn look.

The base is made with a junk piece of wood, some Vallejo sandpaste and balsa wood stripes.

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