Hello, I have been tragically stuck in a Luftwaffe mood for quite some time now. I don’t foresee an end anytime soon. While I have been waiting for a Hasegawa FW 190 A-5 that I bought on E-bay to arrive, I decided to yank this guy out of the stash and give it a whirl. Besides, I haven’t done an “Emil” in eons
I’ve heard good things about this kit. I did build the Tamiya E-4 a few years ago so I’m curious to see how this one measures up. In the box, this one looks fantastic. Being a huge fan of the “Emil”, I can’t wait to dive in.
I started with the cockpit. Its very nice and the kit comes with photoetch to dress it up. I did however start off with some confusion. I was under the impression that early 109 cockpits were done in RLM 02 and RLM 66 wasn’t used in the pit until the E-4 variant. For some reason, the photo etch instrument panels and such were done in something that resembles RLM 66. I couldn’t find a definitive answer one way or the other, and the detail on the PE instrument panel was fantastic, so I just went with the RLM 66. I do generally try for accuracy, but I don’t let it ruin my day if I don’t “get it right”. We’ll just say they made a mistake at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke and used the wrong paint on this plane. Anyways, I painted it XF-1 Flat Black then concocted my own RLM 66 with XF-63 German Grey and a touch of XF-66 Light Grey. Once I sprayed the cockpit, I added the various photoetch which really brought the area alive. The color of the photoetch and RLM 66 paint is a bit off, but I’m hoping it will look ok once it it all tucked into the fuselage. It was all sprayed with Testor’s Gloss clearcoat, given a black/brown Detailer wash, then given a Testor’s dull coat. Everything then got a light drybrushing of Model Master Silver to simulate wear.
I also assembled the lower chin intake, painted it with Gunze RLM 02, then added it to the starboard fuselage.
A test fit to the fuselage. I don’t foresee any issues. I hope to get the engine and cowl gun area completed soon.
I haven’t decided on a scheme yet, but it will definitely be a Battle of Britain machine though. It is after all my favorite era to model. I’m leaning towards Priller’s machine but we’ll see what’s out there.
Looking very nice so far. I was also under the impression that the interior was RLM 02. I’m working on Tamiya’s E3 right now, with a lot of resin additions. I’m just finishing up my pit at the moment, and have an engine painted and built. Next it’s onto the fire wall while I wait for paint masks to arrive. I think mine is going to be marked out for Adolph Galland in the end.
and seems I’m mistaken, the deck of the cockpit and the instrument panel were normally done in 66, the rest in 02, from what I can see. Could be wrong on that…
Alright Joe, bring on the Luftwaffe! Andrew is right, most cockpits up til early 41 were 02, but instrument panels were always 66. But I’ve seen emil pics and also BOB era Bf110s with dark 66 cockpits overall. So nothing is written in stone. Thats a pretty good looking kit cockpit.
Thanks guys. So the Instrument panel was RLM 66 but the rest 02…hummm. Why did they include a PE side panel for the starboard side wall that is also RLM 66?. It would be reasonable to think this should be RLM 02. Ahhh shucks…who cares…lol. They ran out of RLM 02 on the day this plane was built.
I did manage to get a little more work done last night. I have intent to build this thing closed up so I skipped to page 10 of the instructions which shows you how to button it up. You have to omit a few pieces, trim this…shave that and then the panels should fit in place. I assembled the engine and painted it XF-1 Flat Black. I added the exhaust stubs and painted them XF-64 Red Brown. The whole thing was then drybrushed with Model Master Chrome Silver. I like how it turned out and was almost sad that it would be hidden…almost.
The firewall and gun tray were assembled and painted RLM 02. I painted everything because I wasn’t sure what would or would not be seen on the final product. I then began installing the assemblies into the starboard fuselage. So far so good…
I added the tail wheel, upper insrtument cluster and then engine. How about that detail on the instrument panel. Its certainly better than anything I could paint. Its almost too easy so far.
I sealed the fuselage without issue. Again, everything seems to be where it’s supposed to be.
I then started test fitting the engine and cowl panels. No surprise that there will be issues here. It appears that the upper gun cover will be short shot, just like their 190 kits. I don’t know if I will need a spacer bar or what. I don’t understand why Eduard can’t get this area right? Its the Achilles heel of these oherwise beautiful kits. Newsflash Eduard, most modelers, except for diorama builders, like their planes buttoned up. They just look better on the shelf. So how about designging them accordingly. They must have finally caught on since their Spitfire MK. IX is designed in the conventional manner…and is a breeze to build (shocker).
Is it possible for you to scoot the cockpit back a hair? I’ve built 2 of these 109s buttoned up and haven’t run into that fit issue. I’m wondering, just based on your pic, if the IP coaming is getting in the way? I can’t remember if I omitted that part or not when I did mine.
I’ll try it. The pit is only spot glued in anticipation of “issues”. I’m still in the test fitting stage so hopefully its just something I have misaligned. Your success is encouraging though Stu…
From what I can see your problem is your upper IP looks like it is sitting too high which would affect the sit of the upper gunbay cover. would it be possible to try to get the IP to sit a little lower in the cockpit by sanding the part the upper IP attaches to till the cowling finally sits flush?
Joe, she’s looking outstanding. I’ve a few of these in my stash, actually the Royal boxing. Just like you, BoB era is a fav topic.
For interior cockpit colour I’m finding the same as others have stated, with Nov. '41 being the date that mandated RLM 66 for interior.
One author/researcher has stated that 109’s shot down over Britain were found to have some darker sections in the cockpit, namely the areas above the pilots shoulders. This was possibly to eliminate glare, and also to facilitate the darker camouflage when viewed from above. Complete 66 cockpits also existed on 109e frames, but this was likely dependent on the sub-contractor.
Whether this is what Eduard intended, or was just a cost saving measure on their part, only they know for certain.
HA! I can totally relate. Eduard kits are gorgeous to the point that there’s almost nothing to scratch build or pioneer your own with your build. I’d say they’re definitely not for your novice modeler either. I always find some kind of spot around the MG/cockpit/Engine area that gets off it’s mark and starts to go awry.
Good to hear about the Spitfire. All the press about it looked as though they really did their homework on it. This build is looking pretty sharp as always. I did this one back almost a year ago. I really enjoyed it. Definitely helped challenge my painting abilities with the camo along the sides. Looking forward to what you go with.
Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement everyone. I must have fiddled with the gun cover for an hour before plan B popped into my head. I removed the cockpit and gun deck assembly (which was only spot glued in anyways) through the bottom. I then assembled the front end, consisting of the engine cover, side pieces, and gun cover which now went together like a glove. I actually like how all the panels are slightly misaligned with different panel line widths, which to me adds more realism. I don’t think all of these fit perfectly on the real machine anyways. I then pushed the pit assembly back through the bottom and it almost clicked into place…problem solved (hopefully). Remember this sequence should one build this kit. It will save some aggravation. The hollowed out MG barrels are a nice touch from Eduard, something not done on their 190 series.
It was smooth sailing from here and I had the frame together in no time. The wing roots were a nice fit and there was no need for any filler or trickery. It reminded me of my blissful experience with their Spitfire MK. IX.
I scribed in the upper and lower fuselage panel line (which I hate but am aware its supposed to be there) that runs the length of the fuselage. It was then dusted with a coat of Alclad Grey primer to check for imperfections.
I used XF-1 Flat Black to preshade the panel lines. Did the mad riveter at Trumpeter jump ship and join the Eduard design team? The preshading was certainly a chore on this airframe leaving my airbrush hand throbbing (my arm fell asleep twice). Kidding aside, the surface detail on this frame is breathtaking and it is without a doubt the best looking Emil in this scale.
