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Bf109 E-4/B "Yellow 6" Oblt. Otto Hintze 3./ Erpr.Gr210 1940


nmayhew

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hi

 

i got the fuselage together, with the aid of my various clamps

 

i was careful not to use superglue AND misalign the pieces, like i did last time unsure.gif

 

IMG_9180.jpg

 

as you probably know, the pins / holes on the kit pieces are woefully small, verging on the non-existent, and you should view it as a good limited run kit really - at least that way you know what to expect

 

everything lines up...Tamiya extra fine cement just touched over the join and capillary action takes care of the rest - that's the beauty of using clamps

 

IMG_9183.jpg

 

i glued the pieces from tail / behind the cockpit first, and worked my way forward from there

 

IMG_9184.jpg

 

 

the cocktail stick is not a hangover from a dinner party sadly cool.gif, but in place to keep the gap between the cockpit instrument panel and the top of the gun deck - for some reason it didn't line up straight on its own

no drama, as long as you dry fit and check before you apply the glue!

 

IMG_9185.jpg

 

in the 2 pics above you can see the large gap still present at the nose

 

don't be worried if you have this -only minimal force is required to bring them together

 

i am leaving mine "open" whilst i work out what i am going to do with the engine.

 

more in a mo

Edited by nmayhew
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despite the use of the plasticard insert along the kit spine, i still wasn't 100% happy with the join...here it is after i sprayed with mr surfacer 1200 (rattle can)

 

IMG_9186.jpg

 

this close up shows what i mean - there is almost a furrow at the join

 

IMG_9198.jpg

 

a bit of gentle sanding with 600 grit helps things out

 

IMG_9206.jpg

 

IMG_9210.jpg

 

however, once you do this, you lose all the fine rivet detail

 

now on my previous 109 build i just ignored it - indeed i erroneously sanded away the spine join completely! doh.gif

 

so, i set about re-doing rivets with my "beading tool", using nearly the finest "point", along the seam line...

 

and then for some insane reason started to go over all of the other rivets whilst i was at it!!blink.gif

 

this wasn't very hard actually, as you have the kit once there as a guide, and i must admit it was strangely therapeutic, if cramp-inducing!

 

i hope that the reivets will therefore show up a bit more once all the primer and pain goes on; we'll see i guess!

 

before rivets:

 

IMG_9212.jpg

 

after re-rivetting:

 

IMG_9214.jpg

 

not a massive difference, but i'm still learning :)

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ok more gripes with eduard again

 

the gun deck just sits too high - there is no other way to put it - and i remember this being an issue from Frank Crenshaw's build, but obviously only once i had already glued everything in there doh.gif hmmm.gif

 

IMG_9221.jpg

 

IMG_9224.jpg

 

it is the ammo feeders that i now remember snipping off in my last build!

 

IMG_9225.jpg

 

note that this is the case irrespective of whether the main cowling goes on or not;; the only way around it if you don't cut the parts down is to have everything exposed forward of the cockpit, which certainly wasn't what i set out to do

apart from that, i think it will be pretty obvious that everything is too high when viewed side on

 

i shall return to this problem later...

 

engine next...

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right now to the good bit

 

with my sincerest thanks to the team at Eduard, i am now the proud owner of one of their Brassin range DB601 engines

 

IMG_9226.jpg

 

i will post a few pics and thoughts, but JamesH has just reviewed it on Scale Plastic and Rail if you want the full low-down...

 

the moulding is exquisite in its detail

 

IMG_9230.jpg

 

IMG_9234.jpg

 

IMG_9236.jpg

 

and Eduard finally give you a nice resin supercharger intake

 

IMG_9237.jpg

 

i'm not sure if you can seem but in real life the intake grills are angled inwards (thank you Mattlow for highlighting this! coolio.gif) and i think Eduard have captured this:

 

IMG_9241.jpg

 

all my parts were pretty much as pictured in Jim's review apart from the cowling itself, which has a bit of inward warping

 

IMG_9229.jpg

 

i'm not fussed about the warp as i will dip it in hot water and wedge it open with something when the time comes

 

my main question concerns whether this cowling is meant to fit on top of the engine "closed"? i still don't know if it will

ideally i would like to be able to just wiggle the cowling off, just like they did in real life (it is not a straight liftm as the MG barrels protrude the openings very slightly), in order to show off the nice engine

 

if it won't fit over, then we are heading into PhilB diorama territory, which i really didn't plan on doing!! ph34r.gif

 

so, at this stage, i am looking for help.gif

 

1. thoughts on what to do with that gun deck

my default option will be to chop it down and, if the main cowling if off, hope that you can't peak underneath and see too much damage!

2. detail pics of the DB601 - preferably maintenance shots of the engine still on / in the plane with just the cowling off

3. colour call outs of the DB601 parts and in particular the wiring and pipes etc (this is the bit that i struggle with)

4. help with whether there should be large stencilled lettering on the engine, and if so where to source...

 

all suggestions much appreciated!

 

cheers

 

Nick

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ok a few bits and bobs to add over the past week or so

 

first up corecting the fuel hatch that is moulded in the wrong place and wrong shape - see screen grab from Frank Crenshaw build on Arc:

 

IMG_9272.jpg

 

here is my plane with what we started with

 

IMG_9276.jpg

 

i used my hasegawa template, which is beautiful, but not so friendly on curved surfaces

sadly last time i checked, airplanes were not square boxes! BANGHEAD2.jpg

 

IMG_9280.jpg

 

had to use real heavy tape to get it conform

 

IMG_9282.jpg

 

the first scribing was done GENTLY (i cannot emphasize this enough) with a needle / sewing pin, and once i had the faintest of grooves (just like me on the dance floor! ninja.gif) i used Radu's scribing tool

 

IMG_9283.jpg

 

hopefully this pic shows it a bit better...

 

IMG_9288.jpg

 

more in a moment

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i should add that i have gone rivet crazy, and re-done the whole fuselage, over the past few days

 

strangely therapeutic, and also a good indicator of whether you need to get your eyes tested, which, indeed, i do notworking.gif

 

anyway, some early fumblings with the engine

 

it is doubtful if the engine will fit into the lower cowling "tub"

 

IMG_9261.jpg

 

you can see how much the sides splay out

 

IMG_9262.jpg

 

to get a more accurate idea i glued the cowling together

 

IMG_9265.jpg

 

the covering piece you see here needed quite a bit of sanding to make it fit - on my previous kit i glued it on first i think and had problems - this way is much easier

 

IMG_9270.jpg

 

this kit is NOT hasegawa or tamiya!!

 

IMG_9271.jpg

 

BUT the above ugliness is relatively easy to fix, so if you are prepared for a little work, you will still have a nice looking bird! speak_cool.gif

 

sanding, or should that be excavations, next!

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i used a rotor tool with various attachments to help me sand out the area as recommended by Eduard

 

IMG_9338.jpg

 

IMG_9339.jpg

 

i went as far as i dared - holding the fuselage up to the light and parts of the cowling are virtually translucentninja.gif!

 

the fit is still nonsense BANGHEAD2.jpg (sorry no pic, i forgot)

 

i would love to be proven wrong, but sadly the only way (i can see) to fit this beautiful resin engine into the kit is to butcher some of the casting on the undersides crying.gif

 

IMG_9340.jpg

 

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finally you can see we have a fit, as the exhaust intakes line up (this is a good guide, and how i kknew that we were WAAAY off beforehand)

 

IMG_9343.jpg

 

IMG_9344.jpg

 

IMG_9345.jpg

 

 

more in mo

 

 

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ok final post on this for tonight

 

once i had a ball-park fit, i set about thinning the edges of the cowling so that it no longer resembles a Tiger tank mantlet!

 

IMG_9349.jpg

 

i also thinned the gun deck cover (this is actually only 1 piece of 3 kit parts which on the real thing was just one part, but you probably all knew that anyway!)

 

IMG_9355.jpg

 

ok i'm done now

 

next i will remove most the engine strusts from their casting blocks and see whether i attach them first, and insert the engine afterwards - i am leaning towards that solution, but we'll see

 

cheers for looking

 

Nick

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Hi Mark,

I think that they maybe missed a trick by not providing a new radiator (or is it oil cooler, I never know, but i mean the bit underneath!) and also new lower cowling panels.

I don't think given what the master pattern maker did already for this set that it would too much extra work and it would have the advantage of removing any fit issues whilst providing more detail, and actually you would get to see the detail they already give you in that gorgeous but otherwise unseen detail on the underside of the engine.

Cheers,

Nick

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Pity about having to grind down that engine. It is one nice piece of casting. One would think it would fit their own kit.

 

 

Ummmmm... ? I just bought that kit too and had been pouring over the four pages of pictured instructions. The page which shows the blower attachment and Engine block fit to the Gun bay, Clearly shows a Tear drop shaped Orange area w/ their symbol for "Grinding" ?

 

I 'd assume that it is suposed to fit it maybe though that you have to either grind that area out very well with your dremel and/or slice that Bubble in the forward lower nose off and grind away onthe inside of it to mkae it cover back over again ?

 

I'd scan it here but Id have to post it somewhare else before I could post it and I am short for time just now.

 

YOurs Mike

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Ummmmm... ? I just bought that kit too and had been pouring over the four pages of pictured instructions. The page which shows the blower attachment and Engine block fit to the Gun bay, Clearly shows a Tear drop shaped Orange area w/ their symbol for "Grinding" ?

 

I 'd assume that it is suposed to fit it maybe though that you have to either grind that area out very well with your dremel and/or slice that Bubble in the forward lower nose off and grind away onthe inside of it to mkae it cover back over again ?

 

I'd scan it here but Id have to post it somewhare else before I could post it and I am short for time just now.

 

YOurs Mike

 

hi Mike

 

i am happy to say that if someone can indeed grind out the cowling so that it fits without any chopping of the engine, i would be genuinely pleased to see it!

 

note also i got it to fit BEFORE i added the big tubing underneath

 

PM me if you want details

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Lovely work as usual there Nick!

Brings back happy memories of grinding off all that lovely detail on my Aires DB605 for my 109 build.

I had exactly the same problems.

The only thing I can think of is that the default setting for these am engines is to have all the detail there.

I think they presume that all the cowlings including the lower one will be displayed open.

I know that my Aires upper cowlings including the one over the Mgs would not fit over the engine/mg's at all.

When the likes of thee and me decide to have the lower cowling closed then its out with the grinder.

 

Just a thought though, if these am engines/cowling sets are accurate then shouldn't all the cowlings fit over them just like the real thing?????

 

Still it looks great and you are doing a terrific job! :thumbsup:

 

Phil

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hi Phil,

 

thanks for your interest - your recent build is for me the benchmark on how to tackle these projects and come up with a very realistic diorama

 

 

at present i am fiddling with the gun deck, where only part of the detail will be visible, anyway...

 

the point is that you have (i presume) an accurate engine, but an injection mould lower cowling, therefore i would not expect a fit; no big deal, but my guess is that even if you thinned the lower cowling to molecular level, it still wouldn't go in there

 

the upper cowling is a different kettle of fish - that is very thin indeed, but with all that internal rib detail, i think the intention is that it is left upside down to one side

 

whilst we are on the cowling, there is a glaring error, albeit a small one: the holes for the MGs are almost upright as they are on the original kit cowling, whereas they should be sloped quite appreciably - the little collar pieces, even though chunky and over sized (PE would be better here), should illustrate what i mean if you have a kit to hand

 

bottom line, this set s very very nice indeed BUT, it could have been SOOO much better if they had given you a resin lower cowling and all the radiator gubbins as well

that way you'd get a real show stopper of a set which would actually be MUCH easier to construct, and one which would likely draw modellers in who otherwise perhaps would be a bit wary of all chopping and grinding

 

just my 2 new pence...

 

:)

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