This is the Bf 109 that appears in Hergé’s ‘Le sceptre d’Ottokar’ (‘King Ottokar’s Sceptre’ in English), the 8th published adventure of Tintin.
The original publication was in black and white during 1938, and the aircraft stolen by Tintin was a Bordurian (a fictional country in the Balkans, ruled by nazi-like people) Heinkel He 100. The post WWII edition, in colour, introduced Bf 109s, though this was a particular and fictional variant of the famed German fighter. Obviously, the info available to Hergé then was not as good as the one we have now!
The model is based on the 1/72 AZ Model’s Bf 109F onto which I grafted a Heller Bf 109B nose, though the engine only has 5 exhaust pipes per side, instead of 6.. ; the wing radiators were also removed to comply with Hergé’s drawings. Having said that, Edgar P. Jacobs (the ‘father’ of the Blake & Mortimer graphic novel series) was actually then working for Hergé and drew the Bordurian Bf 109s.
The highly recognizable outline of the Bf 109 and the far more esoteric colour scheme and Bordurian markings are a highly talked about topic when I take this model to shows.
