Christmas Build Challenge. Revell 1/32 Bf 109 G-6

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I have decided to start a little earlier as I have come across a new (to me) product and I am fired up over trying it out!

Revell is on the easy end of the 1/32 aircraft build kits and without adding detailing sets and paint it is easy to knock these out build wise in a day or so as especially with this kit there is no engine. I was toying with the idea of adding Eduards Brassin sets (cockpit, nose cowl gun and engine) but this would end up costing roughly the same amount as the forthcoming pre-order price of Zoukei-Mura’s 109 G-14 (January) and as theirs comes with a complete interior I decided that the Revell will be built just out of the box with seatbelts added.

I will be building this as Franz Steiger’s “Yellow 2” involved in the now famous “Ye Olde Pub” incident. I have done much research into the markings of Steigers’ aircraft on this day and am pretty confident that I can get it correct. The marking set I have bought from Kits World is incorrect with the “squiggle”. It should be just a line at this particular time. I have bought several masking sets to recreate the aircraft and the one I am most excited about is 1 man army’s G-6 stencil Masking set which gives me (more or less) a complete set of paint masks of stencils. Looking over it I am surprised that no other provider has done this, although HGW’s Wet Transfers are the best alternative to decal stencils but they don’t have a G6 set, but I have a set of the E-3/4/7 stencils.

Anyway… this is what I have to play with!

Kit Decals

Steigers 109 was build at the WNF factory and so I am using Top Notch’s camo masks to reproduce that with the RLM 74/75/76 scheme.

1 man army stencil mask set…

This is a type of masking paper I have not seen before and the instructions are very comprehensive.

Now, for those who know the size of the drop tank that the 109 carried in 1/32 scale and the decals that you put on,

I am interested in seeing how these turn out so I will be working on some exterior stuff first! I think that this is going to be fun!!

James

2

Looks like a great project-my LHS has both the 109 & P-51d 1/32 kits at more than reasonable prices-will be following your build and maybe I’ll have to try one.

3

Thanks for looking in bobbaily.

I will admit to spending more on paint and masks than the kit itself, but the Maketar masks I will be able to get more than one me 109 insignia painting masks out the sets and the paints (all vallejo Model Air Chipset accurate) will also do more than one aircraft.

For your information, the new Zoukei-Mura Me 109 G-14 (there are other marks in the works) is going to pre-order directly from them in Japan in January. To see the pre-production test shots and the amount of detail go here:

The Old Man Blog No.113 - With Engines Roaring!! | ZOUKEI-MURA (zoukeimura.co.jp)

You will have to do some reading, but the pre-order price even with tax and shipping is one of those prices that has you filling in the form and placing an order. You will not regret getting one of these ZM kits as they are at the top end of the market and it is both a learning and building experience that will have you going back for more.

James

4

Excellent subject and kit. I’m looking forward to your build. I’ve built a couple of the Revell 1/32 G-6’s and it certainly makes for a nice build. I really like the way they engineered the wings, ensuring a perfect wing root join. Enjoy!

5

I have started and run into issues. I am not sure how much of the kit will be affected but the issue is caused by the cheap oily styrene that both Revell and Airfix use and I have experienced this with the big airfix 1/24 kits.

Here is progress…

I primed the parts using Stylenrez which is a top grade primer.

Once the primer has cured the droptank, props, nose boss and rudder parts were painted.

The prop was built up and is ready to go on

While using the new stencil masks I needed to reposition one and this happened…

I continued…

On removing the masks both paint and primer were pulled off the plastic. Now this seems to be only in certain areas but is due to the cheap styrene that both Revell and Airfix use. I have never had this problem with the high end kits from Zoukei-mura, Tamiya and other decent quality producers. I am not knocking revells designs or kits, just the quality of the plastic they use. If they used a better grade then I am sure that there would be much better kits to work with.

I have already primed quite a few parts, but I am changing my methods and going primer free as the primer doesn’t seem to like areas of the kit and it is never apparent which bit. I had this issue with the Hellcat from Airfix and I moved to no primer and it worked and I was able to use masks with no issues. There is no mold release agent on the parts as I de-greased them before starting.

The 1 man army stencil masks work really well and I am looking forwards to seeing the full results which is dependent on the revell plastic. I have the HGW wet transfers for the E series 109’s which I can use as a backup or in this case, use of the drop tank!

6

Love the masks, especially on the larger scale kit. Bummer on the oily plastic and paint pull.

Do you wash your kits prior to priming? And what paint are you using?

I’ve used the Badger primer before and happy with the results, but haven’t built any recent Airfix/Revell releases.

7

Those stencil masks look great, James, it must be infuriating to have the paint & primer lift off. It happened to me (also a Revell kit), but that was down to the Vallejo primer - I found out later that others had the same problem with it, on other manufacturers’ kits. Like I said - infuriating. Stick with it, mate, the results look terrific.

8

The kit was fully degreased and air dried for at least a week The paint for this kit is Vallejo all the way with badger Stylnrez.

I am impressed with 1 man army Stencil masks. In fact there are also the insignia (crosses, swasticker) too.

I only seem to get the paint and primer pull on Revell and Airfix which is because their plastic is the really cheap, soft and nasty stuff.

Trumpeter, Meng, Tamiya, RFM, Zoukei-Mura HK models etc. I have no problems with masks at all!

Maybe as a community we should make our voices heard about manufacturing standards. Sure, Airfix and Revell would put prices up a bit with using better quality plastic (and maybe manufacturers too) but that would be expected along with better kits and detail from them.

I will be ordering Zoukei-Muras new G-14 when the pre-order starts and others when released. Their kits are a totally different experience than Revell. Yes. there is a price difference too but as with most things. You get what you pay for!

As an aside, Although the pre-order starts in January, ZM’s G-14 will ship in June. There will be releases of the G-2, G-4 and G-6.

Also they wil be releasing FW 190 butcher birds too. The list mentions A3/4 Early, A5 to 8 and other production versions too. I think they want to produce all the A series. Maybe we could see a D and F variant too.

Anyway, judging by the photos here:

The Old Man Blog No.113 - Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of SWS!! Thank you for supporting our 34 releases!! | ZOUKEI-MURA (zoukeimura.co.jp)

When the final product is released we will be in for a treat!

James

9

Hmmm… :-to

Do you think maybe a long soaking of all the parts (couple hours or so) in 91 ISO might help to leach out some of that oil?

10

Not sure. It seems to be a feature of the “Cheaper” end of the kits particulaly with Revell and Airfix.

I would love to see those companies use a better quality of plastic but until we make them see that using this cheap and nasty plastic is hitting sales and therefore profit then they will continue.

The hardest thing is to make them see this without impacting business. The best way would to impact sales because of the plastic, but then they would go out of business, so we have to find another way.

Of course prices will go up, BUT the quality of the kit will be much better and might make them look at what they are providing us with!

11

Now I remember why I avoid Revell!

The wings are split into 3 on each side. There is no need for this and it complicates what should be a simple build. it also leavesa noticeable gap.

I am glad that I didn’t spend a lot on AM parts and this is a test bed for stencil painting

12

Great progress James-looking forward to the finished build.

Any pros/cons to the three piece wings?

13

In my view and opinion there are no pros.

It makes the wings harder to put together and leaves a gap between the two upper parts. There are no or little interior bracing to help fix this issue or prevent it and in reality as this aircraft does not, like the Stuka or Corsair have a gull wing design there is absolutly no need for this kind of design and many other companies have done the 109 without this kind of design.

Whoever did the design of this kit tried to be clever without probably thinking things through and instead has turned what could be a really good large scale beginners kit into one that could because of the wing design cause issues and discourage large scale beginners.

I do look forwards to the G series that Zoukei-Mura are going to release (starting with the G-14) as for about 20-odd quid (in my money) or so extra (not including taxes and shipping from Japan) it is going to be a much better and educational experience and much better quality plastic.

At this moment I cannot recommend this kit due to the poor plastic quality and some design issues.

However, from a practice kit point of view, it would make a really good one for trying out new paint techniques, masking etc.

14

Thank you James-my LHS has one on the shelf that I’ve looked at several times-your input will make it easier to avoid on my next visit.

15

Hi Bob… Thanks for the reply. It is only my opinion though.

Before you go hunting around your LHS you might want to take a look at these two Old Man blog entries.

The Old Man Blog No.113 - Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of SWS!! Thank you for supporting our 34 releases!! | ZOUKEI-MURA (zoukeimura.co.jp)

The Old Man Blog No.113 - With Engines Roaring!! | ZOUKEI-MURA (zoukeimura.co.jp)

The photos of the FW190 and the Me 109 kits are development photos and include test shots and 3d printed parts. ZM do this to make sure that all the design elements go together correctly and I have never had to use any gap filler or anything like that.

I am sure that both the FW 190 (when it appears) and the 109 series will be the definitive kits with plenty of detail and also be an educational one as to the design and build of the original aircraft which is their mantra.

Pre-Order cost is 9,000 Yen ($78.20) plus taxes and shipping from Japan for the G-14 which for what you get in the kit is a really good price and the kits are really top of the tree and in fact, given the standard of the instructions and the information presented suited for any builder at any level, even one with only a few kits experience.

I will be putting my money where my mouth is and pre-ordering one myself and the build will be going up on here when I start. I may not do the figure included and I am not so good painting them!

I believe that the only extra parts I will need will be metal barrels for the armaments and probably stuff for the instrument panel plus HGW seatbelts. The paint job will be probably custom masks from Top Notch and Maketar plus stencils from 1 man army. Most of those I already have, so not much an issue. My brain is currently working at figuring out how to do the black tulip nose markings by mask and paint rather than decals although an email to Top Notch may solve this for me!

I tend to approach my builds on here with the outlook… if this idiot can do this then so can you! All my paint jobs can be done easily and the only expense is paint masks and plenty of masking tape!

Never be frightened by Tamiya, ZM etc when it comes to opening a box and seeing all those parts looking back at you. Trust in your skills you have. Always be prepared to learn or create new ones and think outside the box. Also you have this bunch on here to help you along!

Yes. Decent kits are more expensive as they take longer to research, develop and produce and are of a much better quality plastic and so give a much better experience. Sometimes a step back to something cheap and nasty is needed to try something new or develop a skill. This means that no matter how the kit builds up and the skill or new product you are trying/developing means that something good comes out the other end which you can transfer to a better kit… making THAT kit so much better.

With this kit, it was meant to be a build of Franz Steigers’ Yellow 2 which it will be, but also a test bed for 1 man armys Stencil mask set and also a practice and development of my mottling techniques.

1ManArmy high definition airbrush paint masks scale models

16

Before giving up on Revell, which make nice moulds, try a different primer. Tamiya super fine is my go-to.

Bill

17

Thanks Bill. My normal primer is Stylenrez which normally sticks to anything but both Airfix and Revell plastic defeats it. It is touch and go as it sticks in parts but not in others and you can’t tell until you start masking. I have got around it by using undiluted Vallejo paints directly onto the plastic! Recent Airfix 1/24 new tool kits have been fantastic in detail etc but the plastic lets them down.

Here we go with the last instalment and finished pictures… well, as far as I want to take this!

There are mixed results with the 1 man army stencil masks as you will see but I think that that is my fault. Un thinned Vallejo may not be the right thing on the small text so on the spares I will be trying MRP paints. They are like painting with ink and are good quality. Excellent results were obtained with the Lancaster.

I do recommend 1 man army. It is a new start up and Hannants are the main vendors here in the UK but they don’t have the full range. I will look at my usage technique and on my next build (HK’s B25H) cover in detail.

Revell’s cheap plastic and somewhat of a mixed fit and wing design spoil what could be a good large scale beginners kit. It proved to be a good test subject for trying a new product and developing techniques. Time to move on and use this in the future as a test bed for paints etc.

18

Sorry to hear about the paint and other issues with the kit. In any event - nice overall paint job and markings.

19

I have to agree-even though the kit fought you, you ended up with a great looking 109.

20

Great job. I really like all the painted stencil work