Günther Rall's Black 13, Bf 109G-2, 1:24

[FlorinM]

Naturally it's Trumpeter's kit of the Bf 109G-2. Quite decent in my opinion. Shape-wise quite OK, good fit of parts, but it has four (more or less) major accuracy issues : Cowlings that do not open following a natural line (shortcut to ease the way the kit goes together), the DB605 engine way too undersized (by 2 cm in length and 2 mm in width), multiple cockpit issues (again due to engineering shortcuts), and a wrong rudder outline.

This will be a lengthy build log, trying to make this G-2 early as accurate as possible, so PLEASE  feedback is more than welcome!

 

That being said, let the fun begin!

 

In order to correct the cowling shape, the fuselage halves were cut right where the exhaust stacks end. Then another careful cut was made to separate this sort of triangular shape...

 

 

... and the resulting pieces were then attached to the cowlings. Now the rough shape is accurate!

 

 

Can't fix the engine, but the bird will be built buttoned up anyway, so no big loss, really...

[Sparzanza]

Cool. I'll be following along for sure.

[Thomas Lund]

Very interesting Florin, especially since I have a dream of converting one of those into an F - my favorite.

 

Was it a typo when you wrote the engine was 2 CENTI meter too short ? Quite a bit :-)

[FlorinM]

Not a typo, sorry. In real life the DB605 had a length of 2,158 mm. That would mean a tad under 90 mm in 1:24th. We are provided with a replica that is just under 70 mm...  Width compares better - 760 mm life size, equals 31.6 mm while Trumpeter engine has 29 mm. Can't fix that, and no aftermarket engine is available. If you have an Emil from Airfix you could try to convert its DB 601 into a 605.

Edited February 4, 2014 by FlorinM

[Thomas Lund]

Not a typo, sorry. In real life the DB605 had a length of 2,158 mm. That would mean a tad under 9 cm in 1:24th. We are provided with a replica that is under 7 cm...  Width compares better - 760 mm life size, equals 31.6 mm while Trumpeter engine has 29 mm. Can't fix that, and no aftermarket engine is available. If you have an Emil from Airfix you could try to convert its DB 601 into a 605.

 

LOL - that is terrible. Ok - no open cowl then :-)

[FlorinM]

You said that you plan to convert a G into an F, right? You would not need the DB 605 anyway since it was first introduced in the G-2! If you really want an engine into that Friedrich of yours just  get the 601 from the Airfix Emil, remove the ammo boxes and you're good to go.

 

The cockpit is another area with problems. If you look at the transparent fuselage halves you immediately notice that all the molded on details do not correspond with their counterpart details on the exterior (rivet lines, cooling vent), but are set by approximately 4 mm to the back. No big deal, shave off and redo. But a shortcut that was taken in order to save a little plastic affects the accuracy of the cockpit more seriously. The fuselage wall does not go all the way down to the wing bottom, but follows the wing airfoil instead. This means that the cockpit floor was raised by three millimeters because otherwise it would sit in a hole . This cascades to a seat pan that is too shallow (looks nasty, has to be redone anyway), all the horizontal details that need to be lowered  (not a problem really since they had to come off). The rear panel has to be lengthened by adding a strip of styrene to it.

 

Stage one: add styrene to the wall, putty over and redo the details as per Ersatzteil-Liste BF 109 G, the March 1942 edition.

 

 

Stage two: address the cockpit floor sits too high issue by adding a strip of styrene to the rear bulkhead/wall. The foot rest plate was removed as it sat between the rails, instead of being on top of them:

 

[Jamme]

Wow, that's a lot of scratch building in perspective.....

Nice start anyway.

Congrats,

Jamme

[Azgaron]

Good start Florin! Love to see more!

 

HÃ¥kan

[JRutman]

  Let me get my pop corn ready!!

J

[FlorinM]

Glad that you find this humble attempt worthy of watching!

 

The left cockpit wall is mostly done (leather strap is missing). Of notice is the fact that the rectangular air inlet is missing from this early G-2

 

.

[Thomas Lund]

You said that you plan to convert a G into an F, right? You would not need the DB 605 anyway since it was first introduced in the G-2! If you really want an engine into that Friedrich of yours just  get the 601 from the Airfix Emil, remove the ammo boxes and you're good to go.

 

Yeah I know, it was not in that connection I was interested in the engine. For the F conversion it is the kit in general.

 

Super work, it looks like you are going all the way - love that !!

[FlorinM]

A kit bash with the Emil wouldn't be such a bad idea, since it is much easier to use the E-4 windshield and canopy instead of the heavier, reinforced ones on the Gustav...

[Thomas Lund]

You know, I've just given this a superficial thought until now. It seems like a VERY good idea to kitbash an E-4 and a G-2. Apart from the canopy as you say, the wheels should be the same and the prop at least closer than a broad G - I dont know what wheels and prop is in the Trumpy G kit...

 

And then you actually get the right engine and a relatively nice one at that

[FlorinM]

(I apologize to for the digression from the build log) Do it! This is how the Trumpeter G fuselage looks when married to the Airfix  E-4 windshield and canopy, rearmost clear section being Trumpeter:

 

 

As you can see, the fit is almost perfect, and with a little work it should be perfect. Wheels from Airfix like you said, prop blades from Trumpeter, eventually carved a little and you're good to go!

 

And now back to the early Gustav cockpit: The first impression of the throttle quadrant being undernourished was immediately confirmed when test fitted to the improved fuselage, so its thickness was doubled:

 

[FlorinM]

The footrest sat between the rails instead of on top of them. As a result it was removed, cut in half and one millimeter of styrene sandwiched between the halves. A semicircular notch was filed into the piece as well.

 

 

 

The end result is not to be used in the cockpit however, but an aluminum copy that looks more natural as a stamped metal sheet