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


Gazzas

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Hi everyone,

    I didn't get as much done tonight as hoped.  Tired after a week's work. 

 

The Eduard Cockpit parts.

qkxX0L.jpg

 

Clear fuel tube.  A few small decals instead of paint.  Both kits have decal seat belts.  The molded-on detail of the access hatch behind the pilot is much better on the Tamiya kit, IMHO.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Gaz

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Hi Everyone,

   Essentially, I've completed the interior of the cockpits.  The Tamiya pit is inserted into the completed fuselage before the wings are added.

 

Here are the two seats with their decal seat belts:

nwl9CR.jpg

It's a bad picture, I know.  Sorry.  The Eduard belts on the left are four separate pieces with simulated white metal buckles and darker brown lap belts.

The Tamiya seatbelts on the right are a single piece decal with black-ish looking hardware.  Amazingly, though these Tamiya decals are seemingly thin and flexible.  My hopes are up.

N7JmHh.jpg

The completed Eduard pit.  Minus gunsight.  I usually don't add the gunsight until I'm ready to add the canopy.  I hafta say that the Eduard interior decals are a nice touch.  But for some reason, the instrument faces on the IP decal are white.  I didn't take a picture of that before I painted it.

Inset of Eduard pit to show decals better:

0TXaHa.jpg

 

The completed Tamiya pit:

pJhz8x.jpg

This is only painted by the call-outs on the directions.  I think a few more decals would have looked better than my hand painting.

 

Both pits were given a black/brown acrylic wash and drybrushed with white enamel paints to raise details.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Gaz

Edited by Gazzas
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...more...

Working on the Tamiya engine assembly.  The Eduard Weekend Edition has no engine, so I'll steam along with Big T until they mesh again.

 

Some of you are possibly interested in the structure of the engine bay.  As I've mentioned before, there is an engine bearer arm built into a fuselage half.  This bearer arm adds an amount of certainty to where you're going as the Tamiya parts quickly mesh into place. 

 

Usually, I move around the instructions until I get to the point where I have to put assemblies together.  But with this kit, I'm going step-by-step.  I'm also using Tamiya enamel paints to speed me through the process. 

 

I'm up to the point where two magnets were added to the engine bearer structure.

5sH9WX.jpg

There is one underneath the center of the arm, and one at the front, shown below:

nXe67k.jpg

There are also serial number decals for the engine.  They are available in white or yellow.

 

I'm still struggling along with the phone camera.  If I take the picture too close, it's out of focus.  If I take a picture of a small object from far away, I think the camera isn't focusing on the point I'm trying to get it to focus on.  anyway...

 

Gaz

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...more...

 

I'm still struggling along with the phone camera.  If I take the picture too close, it's out of focus.  If I take a picture of a small object from far away, I think the camera isn't focusing on the point I'm trying to get it to focus on.  anyway...

 

Gaz

Mate, try tapping on the screen on the centre of the as you compose the shot, it “should†then focus on that point. With my iPhone, the yellow box appears. Also you can compose the shot and then use the digital zoom to get closer.

 

Best of luck and enjoying the build from here.

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Thank you very much, fellas!

Mate, try tapping on the screen on the centre of the as you compose the shot, it “should†then focus on that point. With my iPhone, the yellow box appears. Also you can compose the shot and then use the digital zoom to get closer.

Best of luck and enjoying the build from here.

I do that, but the focus area (on my phone a green circle) is sometimes bigger than the object I want to photograph.  It makes me think that it's focusing on something else in the circle.

 

Gaz

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Just a small update before I go do some errands.

 

You guys know those pesky seams at the top and bottom of the 109's fuselage that we always have to sand smooth and then replace?  Well...  Tamiya has fixed the problem for us with a nice little feature. 

 

The glue joint is below the surface, so that when you have the halves assembled, the dorsal and ventral seam need almost no attention.  I show the next photos taken prior to cleanup.

g6LlVE.jpg

 

YWXlv1.jpg

 

The line rivets on the Eduard 109 seem to correspond to the .75mm wheel on my Rivet-R tool.

DcCup9.jpg

Now I'll have to restore the rivets lost on the dorsal and ventral seams.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Gaz

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The more I look at this thread ..............the less likely I am to build an Eduard 109 and go with the Tamiya one. I've gotta hand it to ya Gaz, this is a very useful thread.

 

Well Joe,

    we're nowhere near the finish line.  The Eduard kit has a lot to show in surface detail I haven't shown.  But I know it has nothing on the engineering of the Tamiya kit.  You can get the Eduard kit with more extras, including engine, too.  Doing that will bring it closer to the Tamiya kit in price.

 

Gaz

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Everyone!

   Lately, work and family has curtailed my modelling.  Further, I was wanting to complete the Roden Albatros D.III I had been working on.  http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=74083

 

But here is a small update:

 

 

A couple shots of the empennage:

NXeFjr.jpg

 

Y5ORvt.jpg

 

Nice detail for both tails.  Downers for the Tamiya kit are fixed elevators and single piece wheel and strut.  Eduard has a separate wheel and strut arrangement I'll add later.  Eduard's empennage is pretty fragile.  I broke off one stabilizer already.  I pinned it with brass when I put it back on.

 

I moved to the wing as it's the next step in the directions.  Speaking of directions, I'll show you the cooling flap and main flap page of the Tamiya directions.  This will show you how they are engineered to be easily built up or down:

mwuCur.jpg

 

The Eduard kit has small tabs that will allow the builder to make them open or closed.  But keeping them open will involve the time-honored ritual of holding them in-place until the glue hardens.

Here is my progress on the Tamiya Wing:

 

The bottle cap is where I put my CA puddle.  The rough brush-painting isn't my best.  But as I've done a fair few 1/48 109's, I'm pretty sure it'll be difficult to see without magnification and added light..

 

The upper wings of the Eduard kit look to have been pulled from the molds too quickly, holding that area of the build up.  I've already been in-touch with Eduard support and they've agreed to send replacement parts.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Gaz

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Working on the landing gear for both models.

 

y4Ve9g.jpg

There isn't much novel about the Eduard gear other than it fits into a lug in the upper wing instead of the usual hole in the lower wing.

 

The Tamiya gear have two novel features and better detail.  One novel feature is the L-shape indicating a much larger gluing surface and rigidity.  The second is the wheel mounting area.  Instead of the usual pin that allows the builder to decide/guess on the wheel angle, it has a large, slotted oval.  This oval fits one wheel only, so the wheels are not interchangeable.  The tire area is molded to the inner hub.  There is a separate outer hub.

 

The Eduard tires and hubs are all separate parts. 

 

The tires of both kits are molded in single pieces instead of the usual halves.

 

mWQNIo.jpg

The Tamiya L/G leg is fitted into a hole in the back of the L/G receptacle area at a 45 degree angle.  Then pivoted into place.

 

oXi32c.jpg

The Dry-fitted result.  No wiggle whatsoever.

 

iv2VpK.jpg

From the side.

 

Looking at the directions I noticed another feature.  The drop tank is held on by a poly cap arrangement allowing you to add or remove it easily.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Gaz

Edited by Gazzas
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Hi Everyone,

     While I wait on the Eduard replacement wings, I've been slowly moving ahead on the Tamiya kit, though I did the Eduard wheels at the same time.

 

MVJDxK.jpg

I used an  HGW transfer on the Eduard wheel just to add something to break up the black field.

 

amjdTy.jpg

A plus for the Eduard tire is it's raised lettering detail.

 

jXqoiJ.jpg

A departure from my normal procedure was to make wing-tip light covers from clear sprue.

 

YcOk7y.jpg

The Tamiya Pitot tube fits into a large, square receptacle whereas the Eduard Pitot is molded to the wing.  I have some AM Pitots around somewhere.

 

I'm sure most of you have seen the Tamiya video where the thing is assembled and disassembled.  So, I won't do that.  I rarely do engines, but I did my best on this occasion despite a few boo-boos.

Here are the constituent parts.
fTMuvM.jpg

And another view.

SWIzMR.jpg

The only disappointment in the engine bay to me was the lack of perforations on the barrel jackets of the MG131's.  You'll also notice that I haven't added the gun troughs to the engine cover, yet.

 

Here it is put together:

QiBFL7.jpg

 

2flDki.jpg

 

IVpkyJ.jpg

 

oFca4U.jpg

 

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Gaz

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