Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10/U4

Click on any picture to see it bigger

This is a quite old kit, moulds dating back from 1978.... Nevertheless this is a good, and cheap, kit from Revell. With some effort it can equal or even surpass most recent offerings. Moreover, at its release tima it was the only late-war 109. The kit builds as a G-10 from the box, but a K can also be built making some modifications.

The kit is made up of 35 light grey and 4 clear parts, and a very basic (useless) decal sheet. Detail is engraved, a bit on the heavy side. I just wanted to build a late-war 109 in a different livery. The Monogram book was my salvation... This is a real gem, like all Monogram Publications books.

I bought this kit long time ago. With the arrival of the then new offerings by Fujimi I decided it was high time I built it. I had got the True Details Photo Etched set and Resin Wheels. So in order to update it, I bought the Eduard 109 K PE. As I also had got the Verlinden 109 E detail set I decides to open the radio compartment and use the radio and internals resin parts.

Although old the kit is really good. I used no putty at all. But first of all lets go to the cockpit.

I used the True Details PE set which was designed for that kit. I filled the raised detail on the kit instrument panel in order to glue the PE bezels and dials. Unlike the now famous Eduard film + PE system, the True Details set comes all in photo etched parts. So first of all I painted the appropriate detail on the back panel : dials white and details in red, yellow and black. The front panel was painted RLM 66 (Tamiya XF 63) with details in red, yellow and white. Then I super-glued the the front and back PE parts and filled the dial holes with Kristral Kleer to simulate glass. Other details like radio panels, extra side dials, oxygen regulator, tail plane trim wheels, rudder pedals and anti slip panel were added from the True Details PE set. Kit seat was used, but in retrospect I think I should have improved its edges. PE shoulder straps where buff painted and glued. Some levers from stretched sprue were added. These levers were made rotating a small length of stretched srpue near a candle flame. This way a rounded tip is formed.

Some details are to be tackled for before closing the fuselage halves. First of all an under nose oil cooler PE screen was added. Then the radio compartment from the Verlinden set was added. The Verlinden set is designed for the E model but it can be used with pretty little modifications. The whole radio compartment was painted RLM 02 Aeromaster enamel with radios and details in black. The fuselage side panel was carefully cut with a sharp knife. Afterwards the cut was cleaned (refined) with files and the edges thinned to scale appereance. The the PE frame was glued. Engine exhausts stacks were also added. Individual exhausts were hollowed out with a small drill an then opened to a square form. This was done by carefully cutting them with a sharp num. 11 X-Acto blade. Rudder was cut and left apart. Now we can join the fuselage halves.

Now wings are tackled for. Flaps and ailerons were cut, wings were glued to fuselage ans then using PE Eduard kit new flaps/radiator exhausts were made. They really look the part, having the appropriate scale thikness instead of the kit parts. Insides were painted Aeromaster RLM 02 enamel. I also added front an rear radiator PE screens (front True Details nad rear Eduard). Then some detailing was added to the fuselage. Compressor intake was hollowed with a drill and refined with an X-Acto knife. Machine gun thrus were hollowed with a small drill, but now I would have changed them with Minimeca tubing. The engine cowling hinge was made from stretched sprue.

At this point I must state that the kit is really good. Akmost no putty was needed, just a bit on the under-nose joint. Some panels were rescribed using Verlinden templates. Elevators were cut repositioned and glued to the tail plane.

The model was thoroughly washed in soapy lukewarm water and let to dry for a day ... remember, Spain (that's where I live) is a warm country.... On cloder climates aloow at least 3 days to fully dry. Now canopy, radio panel and wheel well doors were masked and glued with diluted PVA glue in order to paint de model. Basecoat and under surface colour was done with a Badger 200 airbrush. Paint used was RLM 76 Aeromaster enamel with a of 3 parts paint 1 part Humbrol thinner ratio. Aeromaster paints were a (nice) surprise to me. REALLY GOOD, very good airbrush covering, thin, and accurate hues.... Saddly defunct like its deca line. Let's hope that it's new owners will restart its production. Then under colour was masked with Tamiya tape and on went the upper colours. First colour was RLM 83 (the lighter of both greens). I used up an old Compucolor tin ref CG 27 at ratio 1 paint to 1 Humbrol thinner + triclore mix. Afterwards I realised that there was too much triclore on that mix. Paint dried too fast and leaved a rough surface. I didn't had the aim to remove the paint and start it all over so it was left that way. Then the dark colour, RLM 81 Compucolor CG 25 at 1 paint to 1 Humbrol thinner ratio. This time it all went smooth.... Mottling was done in RLM 83 (CG27) and (CG35) a bit more thinned, and was airbrushed with a De Vilbiss Sprite with a fine tip. Then dark blotches were painted where German Crosses were supposed to be. Colours are as follows : RLM 75 CG18 1 paint to 1 Humbrol thinner ratio on wings, and RLM 70 Aeromaster at 3 paint to 1 Humbrol thinner ratio on the fuselage sides. Under wings German Crosses were retained. Then the whole plane was gloss coated in order to apply decals. As the green had left a rather rough surface, the gloss top coat wasn't able cover it poperly. After the satin top coat some decals showed silvering. Tough luck. Decals came from Hasegawa F and E kits, MicroScale stencils and airscrw spiral (really great !!!). Italian fascios, numerals and nose emblem came from the Tauro Macchi 202 kit.

And now the latest details.

Version : Bf 109 G10/U4 Werk Num. 490265 built at Erla. Flown by Sotto Tenente Alessandro Gallone from the 2ª Squadriglia "Marco Marinone", 1º Gruppo di Caccia "Assi di Bastoni", Lonate Pozzolo, April 1945. This plane crashed and was destroyed the 11th Abril 1945 by A. Gallone.

Back to Modelling Page