Scale Aviation Modeller International — February 2018

(Jacob Rumans) #1
are supplied, so you will end up with
some spares for your next project.
Now it is time to think about
the final paint scheme, but first,
using a sharp scalpel blade, you
cut out the kabuki tape masks for
the canopy. It is a shame that these
are not pre-cut (as Eduard does
with their masks). Though I used
the one for the front windshield,
I found it easier to use my normal
method, using Tamiya tape, a new
scalpel blade, and a toothpick: lay
a small section of tape down over
the canopy, and use the toothpick to
ensure a tight fit over the moulded
detail. Next, run the scalpel blade
lightly along the engraved detail
to make your mask, removing the
excess tape with a pair of tweezers.

PAINTING AND DECALS
I am sorry to disappoint, but I
decided early on that I wanted
something different from the
three attractive options that
Tamiya supplies. I had purchased
the SBS sheet for Hungarian
Bf109s (as in certain countries
the use of the swastika is not
allowed in magazines), and the
attractive white cross on a black
square, plus the Hungarian flag
on the tail, is just so attractive.
The scheme on many 109Gs
is the classic RLM 76/75/74
camouflage, with yellow areas
under the nose and wingtips,
as well as a yellow tail band. For
this scheme I used the MR Paint
range from Slovakia. This is an
acrylic lacquer which a number
of my club members have been
raving about since picking up
samples on a club trip to Eday in
Prague. The trick with this paint

is to shake the bottle and lower
the pressure on your compressor
to between 10 and 14 psi.
I must say I was very impressed
with the coverage that this paint
achieves and the ease with which
I could produce a mottle effect –
something that frequently eludes
me. And the nice satin finish
made it very simple to apply the
decals, as well as the new Tamiya
panel liners (to add a subtle effect
to all the engraved detail).
The kit decals I did use
performed well, and for the items
on the nose area Tamiya supply
two of everything, so you can decal
both open and closed panels the
same. If like me, you are using
an aftermarket sheet you may
need to purchase two, or again
like me, leave something off the
open cowling panel (as it may
not be noticed by most viewers
that something is missing).

The SBS decals worked well,
although I did find the white areas
to be slightly translucent, especially
on the white crosses where they
cross a demarcation between two
colours. Fortunately, spares are
supplied, so overlaying a second
cross easily resolves the problem.

FINAL STEPS AND
CONCLUSION
With the aerial wires added and all
the bits I normally knock of (like the
counterweights under the wings
and pitot tubes) firmly attached, it
was time for me to assess the kit.
In many ways, this is a classic
Tamiya kit. The fit of parts,
engineering, and production are all of
the highest quality. The addition of the
optional parts does make it somewhat
more complicated than the average
kit, and to be honest this caught me a
bit by surprise. Normally I can finish a

Tamiya kit in a week if I am on holiday.
This kit took me that, plus an extra
two weeks working around my shifts
in the day job. In fact, it took this build
perilously close to our deadline.
Was this a bad thing? Certainly
not – have you ever had a kit that you
wished you would not finish? This
is one of those, a really enjoyable
experience that I hope to repeat
sooner rather than later. I will not go
into the discussion of “Do we really
need another Bf109?”, but if you only
want one you could do no better than
the new Tamiya kit. You can change
its appearance quite dramatically if
the fancy takes you, so you almost
have two kits for the price of one.
The new Tamiya Messerschmitt
Bf109G-6 should be available about
the time this issue appears on the
bookshelf. We thank The Hobby
Company, Tamiya’s UK importer,
for supplying a test shot in advance
of the kit’s worldwide release.

“THE FIT OF PARTS, ENGINEERING,


AND PRODUCTION ARE ALL OF


THE HIGHEST QUALITY”


WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • FEBRUARY 2018 • 41


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