MikeC Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 (edited) I'm not good at posting WIPs as I go, but I thought this might be of benefit to anyone with one of Eduard's 1:32 Bf 109Es. When I started, I had a look at (among other things) Thierry Laurent's "Tweak List" on the LSP site ( https://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/article.php?aid=2924 ) which is, of course, generally applicable across the range. It mentions something I had already though of: if the engine is omitted to do a model with the cowlings closed, there is a big void which is potentially visible through the cooling slots in the cowlings. It is difficult to fit the engine and close the cowlings. But here's my solution. 1: Fit E24 & G16 as per the instructions, then fix G25 to E24. The position is approximately correct (I checked by dry-fitting the engine block etc). This puts something in the lower cooling vent. Assemble the basic engine block with the top panel and front portion: parts G27, G32, G8 and G24. Remove the top front portion of this assembly; you don't need the main block any more. Fix packing pieces of sprue to the sides of what's left of the block, so that this can be fitted inside the top cowling (A6). The wooden stirrer is attached using white glue as a handle for painting. If you're wondering why the cowling is a different colour, I messed up the original kit cowling. The replacement was "robbed" from an E-1 in the stash which is earmarked for an Alley Cat Bf 109C conversion. The plan is now to spray the whole lot suitable dark colours. The exhausts etc can now be fitted as per the instructions for a closed cowling. Note also that I've filed down the interior of the gun compartment (so that the cover for that will fit) and added a spreader bar as Thierry suggests to the cowling. Hope this is useful. Edited April 4, 2020 by MikeC Fanes, Gerhard, Out2gtcha and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 Nice to see another 109 wip Mike, how did you find the fit of the fuselage halves as there is no real location points on my copy. Fortunately as I'm doing an Alley Cat B conversion I not having to deal with the kits nose fit issues etc. Hiwever I do have an E-3 boxing as well I think so taking notes. Regards. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted September 18, 2019 Author Share Posted September 18, 2019 (edited) https://brexitmodeller.com/forums/topic/2838-bf109e-3/?tab=comments#comment-32008 2 hours ago, monthebiff said: Nice to see another 109 wip Mike, how did you find the fit of the fuselage halves as there is no real location points on my copy. Fortunately as I'm doing an Alley Cat B conversion I not having to deal with the kits nose fit issues etc. Hiwever I do have an E-3 boxing as well I think so taking notes. Regards. Andy As you say Andy, the locating points aren't particularly effective. I had been forewarned by a thread on another forum (https://brexitmodeller.com/forums/topic/2838-bf109e-3/?tab=comments#comment-32008) about how the sidewalls, instrument panel, and oil cooler can all affect the fit, so took care to do lots of dry fitting and fettling before closing up. When I did, I glued in stages and took great care over alignment. All this care was well repaid, it fitted fine. The filler you can see just behind the cockpit is purely down to my being a little too heavy-handed cleaning up the seam. Note away, I'll be doing the same with your B for when I come to do my C. Edited September 18, 2019 by MikeC Found the link to the thread I mentioned monthebiff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted September 18, 2019 Author Share Posted September 18, 2019 Incidentally, I'm breaking my usual rule and doing the box-top scheme for Priller's aircraft. Out2gtcha, D.B. Andrus, monthebiff and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Just out of interest Mike, did you glue the upper and lower wings together as an assembly before attaching to the fuselage? Regards.Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 9 hours ago, monthebiff said: Just out of interest Mike, did you glue the upper and lower wings together as an assembly before attaching to the fuselage? Regards.Andy I did; again I had to adjust the fit somewhat, but with care it slotted in well. I glued the lower wing, when that was dry adjusted and clamped the top wing and glued that seam. There's a small gap that will need filling with Perfect Plastic Putty, but it's quite acceptable. Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 That looks great! I know some kits require going "out of box" (so-to-speak) on the assembly steps. I know some have recommended gluing the upper wings to the fuse before gluing the wings together on some kits.............the Fly Hurricane comes to mind IIRC. Looking forward to more! MikeC and monthebiff 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 So has this little trick been effective? Here's the inside painted And placed in position, albeit not fixed yet: Without the light, it's not 100% apparent there's anything there, but without the engine block it is apparent there's nothing there. In the meantime, here's the wing seams Andy inquired about, before any filler: Finally, a couple of cockpit shots and an overall view of progress so far. Thanks for all the interest so far: more to come soon I hope. LSP_Kevin, Gazzas, MikeMaben and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadBaron Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 Very nice progress! MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Looks peachy from here Mike MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Looking good Mike! Regards.Andy MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 A bit more progress on this one recently. Firstly, checking the fit of the cowling showed that the spreader bar was not quite the correct length - it was a small amount short and left a noticeable step. So I thought that plastic card tabs on the airframe would be a better solution and guarantee the correct width. I also thought that "Pips" might need a map, so I found a suitable image online, scanned it and scaled it down to various percentyages in a Word document: here's where I was playing with various sizes. Brits (and others) may well recognise it as the northeast corner of Kent, including Ramsgate and Margate: very much Battle of Britain country. And here it is in the map case: you can't really see the image itself, but it does look a bit like a folded map - more so in reality than the photo. Hoping to get going on painting fairly soon. Thanks for all the interest so far. nmayhew, TorbenD and LSP_Kevin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmayhew Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 ah, many unhappy memories of making a couple of Eduard 109s some years back but you are certainly making a better fist of it than i did love the maps! MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 I believe the new tool is excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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