Bf 109 G-2 of Johannes "Macky" Steinhoff - REVELL - 1/32

[D.B. Andrus]

This is an old 21st Century Models F-4 used as a paint mule to see what an over-painted yellow cowl might look like. Not sure it will help, but here it is:

 

 

 

 

HTH,

Damian

[Furie]

Hi Damian, thanks for sharing.
Very nice model, very nice realization that already gives me a small idea of the final look of my G-2.
And in addition it is a camouflage that I did not know, very original.

[Greif8]

You are making good progress Denis and are obviously thinking through construction steps to minimize potential fit issues.  Very well done indeed!  Like others, I too enjoy your writing style and how you document the build.

 

Ernest

[Furie]

The MG17 machine guns!
A few things to know and to modify:
-the barrels of the MG17 are not drilled: to do. I located the center of each barrel with the blade of a scalpel, then I dig with mini drills.
-you can't mount the MG17s after gluing the upper engine cover, or else risk dropping them by mistake at the bottom of the fuselage, without any hope of recovering them (bad karma). Knowing me, I didn't even try to do that (Ooops, it fell!). So I'll glue them in advance on the engine cowling, then glue the engine cowling and I'll paint these MG17s at the end.
-The 2 MG17 were not placed side by side. Because of the cartridge feeding system, they were staggered, with the left MG17 advanced (its end was protruding from the engine cover) while the right MG17 was placed further back and it was flush with the engine cover opening.
The REVELL manual does not mention it, so beware!

 

 

MG17 non-drilled/drilled :

 

 

 

 

 

The manufacturer's manual with the shifted position of the MG17 :

 

 

 

 

The good positions of the 2 MG17:

 

 

 

 

The final result :

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Furie

[Furie]

 

• Note there is no panel line between the top cowl and the cowl sides, or at the front and rear of the parts 36 & 38 side inserts. Fill and sand smooth the seam between the nose inserts and the cowl and fuselage parts. Take your time checking the location of each part and dry-fit more than once as the fit is not absolutely perfect. To ease the process, glue first the rear of each insert, let it dry and then glue the front section.
• Positioning correctly the top cowl asks either for heavy sanding of the supporting structure under that part or for adding very fine strips along the lower edges of part 40. A more brutal option simply asks for removing that structure but this is not recommended as this will weaken that area of the model. It is important to get a very good mating of such parts because – as aforementioned- the actual engine top was made of only two parts (top left and top right).

Revell 1/32 Bf 109G-2/4 Tweak List | Large Scale Planes

 

I confirm Thierry's analysis: the upper engine cover assembly is totally crappy...
My little finger predicts me long sessions of putty/sanding/engraving to get a correct result...
I had anticipated this problem by buying MIG putty surfacer "thin" + "medium".

 

Vraiment, ça fait chier...

Edited March 23, 2023 by Furie

[Ryan]

@Furie Plastic strip is also a good filler as well as super glue.

 

Putty always shrinks over time.

[Greif8]

Very nice work on the MG-17s Denis.  I built the Hasegawa Bf-109 F4 a few years ago and the kit had the same panel line problem that the Revell kit apparently does.  I used a combo of streched sprue basically melted into place usinf Tamiya Extra Thin glue and after it had cured for a day touched up the spots that needed them with super glue.

 

Ernest

[Furie]

14 hours ago, Ryan said:

@Furie Plastic strip is also a good filler as well as super glue.

 

Putty always shrinks over time.

 

22 minutes ago, Greif8 said:

Very nice work on the MG-17s Denis.  I built the Hasegawa Bf-109 F4 a few years ago and the kit had the same panel line problem that the Revell kit apparently does.  I used a combo of streched sprue basically melted into place usinf Tamiya Extra Thin glue and after it had cured for a day touched up the spots that needed them with super glue.

 

Ernest

 

 

Good idea Ryan and Ernest.
At first I stopped the assembly because I was extremely disappointed with the final result (although I was warned by Thierry's article).
I just put a piece of soft foam in the whole cockpit to protect it, and now I'm going to paint with my airbrush the whole front of this fuselage to get a better idea of the defects and start the rectification work.
The advantage of using pieces of plastic from the model is that it's the same material and in the end you can't see the difference. 
Thank you both for the advice.
I'm going back.

[Furie]

I think I found a solution for my putty: I cut a lot of small pieces of plastic sprue from the model in a jar, then I poured some Tamiya liquid glue on it to cover it all.
Normally, tomorrow this plastic filler will be ready to use, liquid enough to be applied with a brush (goodbye little brush left too soon!), I let it dry and sand it.

That way I won't have to worry about compatibility between different materials.

 

Denis, apprentice chemist in spite of himself.

[LSP_Kevin]

7 hours ago, Furie said:

I think I found a solution for my putty: I cut a lot of small pieces of plastic sprue from the model in a jar, then I poured some Tamiya liquid glue on it to cover it all.
Normally, tomorrow this plastic filler will be ready to use, liquid enough to be applied with a brush (goodbye little brush left too soon!), I let it dry and sand it.

That way I won't have to worry about compatibility between different materials.

 

Denis, apprentice chemist in spite of himself.

 

Just be careful with how soon you start to sand this concoction (normally known as "sprue goo") after you've applied it. Depending on how thickly it's applied, it can stay soft for days, or even weeks. And if there's too much liquid cement in the mixture, it can damage the plastic and even weaken the joint it's applied over.

 

Kev

[Greif8]

Kevin's advice is very good Denis.  Another technique using sprue is to heat stretch a section over a candle until you have a very thin length.  Cut that to size and place it onto/into the area you want to fill and run a small amount of Tamiya Extra Thin glue along its length to set it in place.  You can than use successive applications of the glue, always using very small amounts, to soften the sprue enough to cover the seam you want filled.  You can use a toothpick, tip of a Xacto blade or something simliar to shape the softened sprue and get the coverage you want by gently pushing it where needed.  Let that harden for a day and sand it smooth.

 

Ernest  

[Furie]

Thank you both for your advice.
Actually, I have different widths to fill.
So I'm thinking of using these 2 methods: for the large widths I would use stretch sprue + goo sprue for the finish. For the small widths I would only use sprue goo.
I took good note of the drying time of the whole and especially for the sprue goo technique.

[Furie]

Some news about the engine cover: no, I didn't drown my sorrows in Redbreast!
I sparingly applied sprue goo in the left/right/upper junction of the 3 engine covers.
I let it dry for 2 days, masked everything I could with strong tape and sanded that joint.

Of course, the result is crappy (you don't change a winning team!): indeed, "small air bubbles" appear in the sprue goo!

Small bubbles but very present and visible when painting quickly with my airbrush.
So I will have to put in these "bubbles" a little CA and sand it all down.
And of course etch the structure lines that have partially disappeared.

 

Denis who prefers one-piece engine covers!

[Ryan]

Yeah, that’s too much effort for me Denis. Super glue is my go to filler.

it’s fast and easy.

 

Of course it behaves differently and a little care must be taken when scribing.

 

Another reason I like it is that the low spots present themselves as shiny cured super glue that you can observe at an oblique angle. Once all the shiny is gone you should be level!

[Furie]

The gluing/puttying/sanding/engraving operations are almost finished but only on the engine part.

 

I just glued the radiator under the nose of the plane, and, as if by magic, the part doesn't fit and leaves a gap to fill.

 

 

Before making mistakes that are difficult to repair (I have some dexterity in this area...) i come to ask you for advice to make a clean and if possible easy job.

 

What glue or other material would you advise me to apply to fill this San Andreas fault? 

-I would not use sprue goo, because once dry and sanded, micro-bubbles appeared, forcing me to fill them with CA and then sand.
-I would like to not use CA (cyano glue) because it is difficult to sand (unless I have no choice). For your information, I have liquid CA and gel CA.
-white glue for wood
-MIG putty surfacer

-Sprue hot drawn and glued with Tamiya liquid glue
- ?

 

I thank you in advance to give me the best possible solution.

 

Denis, who will only buy Tamiya models from now on...

Edited March 30, 2023 by Furie