Hello all, well I wasn’t going to, but I decided I’d share the second Hasegawa 109 build too. The Hasegawa F-4 and G2 are essentially the same kit I believe, with the chin radiator being larger on the G-2 I think (I’m no 109 expert). The build will be identical to the F-4 regarding AM stuff, to include the PE seatbelts as the only addition.
The scheme will be the unique JG 5 “yellow 3” markings of Rudolph Muller on the Eastern Front. Muller, a 92 kill ace was shot down on April 19th 1943 after combat with Soviet fighters. What happened to him after that is unclear. Some sources say he was shot trying to escape a POW camp, others say he was seen alive in 1947.
I scratch built the starboard fuel line which is missing on the Hasegawa kit.
I did the cockpit in Gunze RLM 66. I added a set of Eduard seatbelts to spruce it up. I used Airscale decals or the instrument dials. These work great.
I test fitted the pit to the fuselage. It fits great.
Thanks, I just grabbed that kit myself. It’s on my short list. I’m still pondering the right scheme for it. I need something in a defense of the Reich scheme.
I decided I was stretching myself too thin and decided to bench the Spitfire for a while. I want to get the 109s done first. Anyways, I got this assembled without issue. The engine cowls on don’t fit that great, but it’s nothing major. I added the top hinge with styrene strip then added the door behind the pilot’s head with styrene card.
I decided to try some new weathering techniques, similar to my recent Mk. V tank. I wanted to show some chipping, so after I sprayed everything flat black, I sprayed down some Alclad Aluminum then AK worn effects in the areas I intend to chip, like the nose, prop and wing roots.
I sprayed the areas supposed to be yellow then taped them off. I then used Mission Models RLM 76 underneath. I really like this paint.
It then got the RLM 75.
Reference material on this plane is sketchy. I found a profile that Techmod decals did that seems to indicate the standard 74/75 over 76 with a spotty white wash and some RLM 70 mixed in (below). This was good enough for me and I kind of like it.
I started with the normal splinter camo pattern, by adding RLM 74
I added the white wash with XF-2 Flat White cut with a touch of XF-19 Sky Grey. I did this free hand since this was field applied. I decided to forego the 70 as it just looked to busy to me. I’m pleased with how it turned out.
After a coat or two of Alclad Aqua Gloss, I put down the decals. I still need to add the stencils.
I wasn’t thrilled with the worn effects fluid. Perhaps the Alclad was too smooth as the paint peeled right off under the taping in the silver areas. That’s fine for a Japanese plane, but this was not the effect I was going for. Now I know. I will be trying the AK enamel washes soon.
Joe, glad to see you found Mission Models paint. I love it so far (used it on my Spitfire), but I do have a bit of a warning. The primer is nearly impossible to clean up. Paint seems to dry, then is removed by flaking rather than dissolving. I haven’t found a suitable thinner to clean it with, Mission Models included. I’d much rather use Alclad primer.
The plane is visually very interesting. Not something you see everyday!
I like MM, particularly the RLM stuff, but still prefer Tamiya and Gunze. I’ve yet to try MM’s primer. I’m happy with Alclad’s grey primer and have had no reason to switch. Maybe with Tamiya’s release of their new 109 G-6 they will come out with the RLM specific colors.
Well, I spent the last few days finishing this turkey up. You may recall that I wanted to try some of the same weathering techniques that I used on my MK V tank. This would involve the AK interactive washes. I did like the brown wash in the panel lines but had mixed feelings on the streaking. I thought it looked good on the lower cowl and underside, but it didn’t look right on the fuselage and wings. I ended up taking most of it off. Maybe I just need to experiment more with other colors. I had the Dark Brown for Green Vehicles and Streaking for Panzer Grey. I was much happier with how it turned out on this one than on the F-4. It’s safe to say I won’t be parting with my Flory washes just yet.
So here’s the finished pics. To recap, It’s the good old Hasegawa kit done mostly out of the box with some scratch building here and there. I added the cockpit fuel line and luggage door. I robbed a G-6 kit in the stash for the cannon pods then made the barrels out of brass tubing. This was also my first attempt at a white-wash and must say I was pleased with how it turned out.
The plane is in the JG 5 markings of 94 kill ace Rudolph Muller on the Eastern front in early 1943.
