Bf109F-2

[stevegallacci]

While waiting for molds to set, I've been noodling away at converting a Hasegawa 1/32 '109G into a 'F-2. Other than building a new blower intake and modifying the oil cooler, its mostly just rescribing and such. I'm going to try simply polishing out the kit canopies to have the thinner frames and one quarterlight. When done, I could have copies of the 'F-2 blower available for brave souls to do simular things.

[mattlow]

Steve

 

What about the cockpit? Quite a difference as far as I'm aware between F-2 and G-6. Are you thinking of doing that? Not sure if the MDC 109G-2 cockpit set would cover most of the differences (it would give cockpit without air vents at least). Suppose Has/Revell 109G-4 is good starting point as it has the MG 17 gun troughs (will use this as basis for 109F-4 conv, using aires set).

 

Not knitpicking, just wondering about this other main area?

 

Blower intake would be useful addition to aires set anyway as they (as far as I'm aware) only provide the latter, larger F-4 intake.

 

Do appreciate you making your work available to us all.

 

Matt

[francky]

Hello Steve,

one question how do you represent the black joint on the back of the engine cowlings??

 

Thank you,in advance FRANCK.

[stevegallacci]

From what I can tell so far, the 'F-2 cockpit isn't so far away from the kit 'G cockpit. Mostly just removing things, like the side vents, map holder straps, and anything else you-all can help me with. I'm going to go with the common F/G/K seat bucket instead of the E seat (though I suppose I could use an E seat...) I'm not going to sweat this build too much, no atomic superdetailing, just a good basic 'F-2, with a yellow nose. I wanna yellow nose, and an early F seems most appropriate. That's why I converted the Airfix '190A-5 to an 'A-3, for the cool Eagle decal and the RLM02/70 color scheme.

 

The rear edge of the early F had the rolled down metal instead of the sealing strip, and I'll be doing that too, no biggy. I'll also be using the abbriviated left upper exhaust deflector instead of the full covering style used later.

What I'll have available would be the blower intake and the narrow propellor blades.

 

I'm also in the process of doing a 1/24 'F-2 as well, though this will be a full replacement nose in order to address a bunch of bugs with the Trumpeter kit (under-diameter spinner due to too long oil tank cover section, recontoured forward section, reworked upper cowl and gun troughs, reworked engine exhaust ports and new correctly spaced exhaust stacks, along with the blower and oil cooler).

[mattlow]

Steve

 

One thing I forgot about on the F which even Aires missed on their conversion is the radiator flaps. On the F the upper flap incorporated a vent (for want of a better description) which took boundary layer (?) air past the radiator.

 

Rather than try to explain, here's a link to what I mean:

 

109 Lair - 109F flap details

 

This is certainly worth doing as its quite prominent and unique to the F versions.

 

Matt

 

PS will have a look see for F-2 cockpit pics/drawings

[stevegallacci]

Talked to Jerry Crandall today and he'd be keen on a full 1/32 'F-2 and 'F-4 conversion nose, not unlike the ERLA 'G-10. And possibly full conversion noses in 1/24 too. And he'd be all hot on decals for everything!!!

But I've got to get the Fw190D-11/13 sets done first.

[mattlow]

Steve

 

I think that this would be a great idea, despite the existing Aires set (which won't do an F-2 out of the box).

 

If you covered the nose, props, flaps (as mentioned above), tailwheel (Aires tailwheel is too large for F-2 and maybe F-4?) and cockpit - I think you'd have something which would probably be superior to any future release from Hasegawa themselves (we know how many add-ons/corrections can be applied to the G-6).

 

This means that it could either fill the void left by Has or act as an upgrade to any F they may eventually release.

 

Finally, thinking about a resin set/decal combination, a set covering Adolf Galland's modified Fs would be nice.

 

If you designed the nose so that alternative parts for the MG 131 armed plane could be fitted and made parts for the MG FF wing armed version (just some 109 E style underwing bulges and maybe detail on re-scribing access panels on upperwing). Jerry could do a nice decal & resin set covering Galland's 109 Fs????

 

No idea as to whether this would be economically viable, but I'd certainly buy a set.

 

Matt

[LSP_Mike]

Steve, I was thinking of a Freidrich conversion for my 1/24th G-2..... so I'm with Jerry!

[stevegallacci]

The 1/24 version would include the whole nose with blower intake in place, new spinner, new propellors, exhaust stacks, oil cooler cover. As for canopy, maybe vac, maybe clear resin. The cockpit is another thing entirely. Mostly what is needed are things removed, though there are also some general accuracy issues too.

 

A consumer question - in so large a scale, would you rather have side wall detail as a whole panel, or just the hardware to be added to the inside surface once the kit part has had all the molded in details removed?

 

For me personally, I'd rather go with individual pieces on a smoothed over surface rather than laying in a big slab (both as a modeler and as a patternmaker/caster) but I'm doing this for you-all, so would like to hear back.

[LSP_Ray]

Iwould prefer separate pieces, especially on that large of a scale!!