Messerschmitt Bf 109C

by Thomas Bautch

Hobbycraft's 1/48 scale Bf 109C is available online from Squadron.com

I wanted to submit this just to see if I am making any progress in my modeling skills.

The last time I built a plastic model was about 35 years ago at the age of about 14. I gave up the hobby because of other interests that naturally occur in the teen years. The modeling bug hit me again at around age 40 when I stopped at hobby shop on the way home from work one day. I ended up buying a complete RC starting set, plane, engine and radio gear. I’ve been building and flying RC ever since.

Last summer I started researching for a Grumman F3F that I was going to scratch build in 1/5 scale and bought a couple of plastic kits to use for reference, one of which was the Accurate Miniatures version. I started following links on the internet from the AM site and saw the amazing detail results from the kits on the market today. I was hooked again!

In the past three months I have managed to accumulate 75 kits, two airbrushes, and about 50 bottles of model paints, as well as the tools and other regalia needed to produce a reasonably acceptable model.

This plane represents the first completion of the kits I have started (that would be six so far!). It is a Hobbycraft Messerschmitt Bf 109C - or at least that’s what the box says. After finding more pictures especially at the Falcon’s Messerschmitt BF109 Hanger site I realized that in particular the gas filler should be directly below the cockpit. It wasn’t until the D or E model that the filler was located behind the cockpit. But the model was virtually complete so I just finished it up. Maybe it’s a D model that lasted through to 1940.

In building the model this is the first time I:

• Used an air brush

• Applied an oil wash on the interior and exterior

• Used pastels for weathering and panel shading

• Dry brushed

Some additions I made to the kit:

• Flattened the wheels with an iron

• Added the canopy release handle made from stretched sprue

• Made the antenna wire form invisible thread with white glue insulators

• Added brake lines made from some wire I found at Radio Shack

• Attached the flaps and landing gear with copper to prevent easy breakage

• Added some detail to the radiator

• Drilled and filed out all the cowl openings

• Used a Squadron canopy

• Added a piece of clear plastic to the gunsight

• Used Aeromaster decals

As you might see form the photos, I got a little carried away in the exhaust staining. I was trying out the pastel technique and then ended up having to cover up some mistakes by adding more shading. Other areas that I managed to hide in the photos are a very bad canopy join at the rear of the cockpit, my omission of a backing for the exhaust ports (I’ve got to find a way to stuff something in there!), a not very clear canopy in general and some silvering on the decals. Actually the model photographs better that I think it really looks.

I might gratefully add that almost all the techniques I used I learned from the Gallery and Forum Articles on HyperScale. My thanks for a truly great site.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2002 by Thomas Bautch
Page Created 08 June, 2002
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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