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My 109 Addiction: Bf109G6 in 1/48: Build-off! Complete


Gazzas

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Heh...  After what I pad for this puppy, it ain't getting nothing but my most ardent affections.  I have chucked a more expensive project, but only after it letting it sit on the shelf of denial for over a year.

I don't blame you Gaz. Money is just one of the things that factors to consider in with a decision to strive for near perfection. The other is the amount of work we put into our project. If it's only a two day project then it's no big deal.................a project spanned out over the course of several months......................................is an entirely different situation. It almost mandates the very best we can do throughout the whole build. The leaning engine in my "Demon II" F-100 was too much for me to handle after everything I'd put into that truck. It almost becomes an "All or Nothing" deal in the quest to get it right. Very nice recovery friend.

Edited by mustang1989
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Joe,

   There's not only that.  This Tamiya build is completely new to me with many advanced engineering features.  But it's still a Tamiya kit, and I'd hate to be one of the few who were defeated by an otherwise perfect model. 

 

Gaz

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Actually, I sympathize with you Gaz.

 

I actually had the same thing happen with a Hobbycraft 1/48 F4U.

 

The mistake I made was actually trying to follow a very badly written instruction sheet, which gave an incorrect placement of the firewall/engine in respect to the cowling.

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Guys,

    Thank you for all of the likes and positive responses.  I'm still waiting on the Eduard wings to arrive...probably held up in customs...or something.

 

Today I've been polishing canopies prior to masking and trying to re-fuze the bearer arm with a large blob of glue while tape holds everything in place externally.  And now I'm here to show you some details that may sway you one way or another.

 

This image is pretty self-explanatory.  And I'm pretty disappointed that Tamiya didn't hollow these scoops out.

ZHulZM.jpg

Of course...  this is macro-vision.  But still.

 

And then there are the handholds.  One in front of each windscreen and one behind each canopy.

HcDrDK.jpg

On the Tamiya kit, they are just depressions in the plastic, lower than their surrounding surfaces. 

On the Eduard kit at the bottom, they are in the standard configuration of flush panels with grooves all-round.  With rivets added.

 

Both kits required a little putty between clear and colored plastic.  For the Eduard kit, it was along the back seam of the rearmost clear piece...the triangular shaped one.

 

For Tamiya kit, it was on the sides of the center-piece of the canopy.  The part was made to be built in the open position and comes with attaching lugs.  I've made a crude diagram to show why some putty was required to attach the canopy in the closed position.

Ry7Zi7.jpg

You'll notice that the bottom edges of the canopy are lower on the insides than on the out.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Gaz

Edited by Gazzas
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I'm sure Tamiya had to draw the line somewhere, and that seems to have been it. Vector makes some nice resin scoops for the Zvezda kit, but honestly, in 1/48 they're so small I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

I have tried to hollow them out with both drill bit and knife but never satisfactorily.  That being said, once the model is completed I forget all about them.  But it still it is a nice improvement in molding techniques. 

 

Both kits have so much going for them.  But...the weekend edition is much cheaper than the only-edition Tamiya kit.  And, even if you go profipack you're still spending less money than the Tamiya kit. 

 

Gaz

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I just can't get past the big toothy looking exhausts on the Eduard kit.  It's one of those visual keys to the 109, and once you see it, to me it sticks out like a sore thumb.  Given how much effort Eduard put into completely re-doing their 109 tooling, it astounds me that nobody thought to measure the exhaust pipes and the opening in the cowling when they did the new design.  I think that's what happens when you get so deep into something - you can't see the forest for the trees.

 

Interesting.  I've never noticed this before.  I don't measure parts, but I do notice the lack of seams on the Eduard exhausts. 

 

An amazing thing is that there are size differences in the canopies.  The Eduard canopy is around 1mm longer than the Tamiya canopy.  I discovered this by making a copy of the Tamiya masks and overlaying the copy with a clear sheet of plastic, then laying kabuki tape over that.  I then traced the Tamiya masks on the kabuki tape.  I laid the masks starting from rear to front and was able to observe that not only is there a size difference, but also that there is a profile difference on the side panels of the windscreen.

 

So, who is right?  Really...I don't want to know.

 

Gaz

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Thanks, Gaz, for doing this thread. I just started throwing a Tamiya 109 together last night so now I know what to look out for. It's been a while since I have done a 109 in this scale. Seems very small. I have liked everything about it so far except the seatbelt decal. Used it anyway as I am building it straight OOB. Really hope they do one in 1/32.

 

Jay

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Thank you, John!  I'm really bumming on this one as Eduard hasn't sent the replacement upper wings as of yet.  After waiting a month, I sent a request to see if they've mailed the parts to me, yet. 

 

Airfix, when I was missing a complete sprue, sent the missing sprue quickly which landed at my door only two weeks after my original complaint.

 

Unusually, the L/G of the Eduard kit attaches to the upper wing instead of the more common lower wing.  I'm fighting the urge to whack on with the Tamiya kit which is nearly ready for main painting.  Both kits have their canopies polished and painted.

 

Gaz

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