Messerschmitt Bf-109E-4 by ccoyle - FINISHED - Halinski - 1/33 - CARD

[mtaylor]

Hmm.... maybe it's my eyes... but I count 5 pipes on the starboard side.   

[Dave_E]

The first pipe is under the front shroud.

[mtaylor]

9 minutes ago, Dave_E said:

The first pipe is under the front shroud.

Thanks for pointing that out.  I guess I need new glasses.

[ccoyle]

Getting the nose done . . .

 

The air filter (port) and a small scoop (starboard) finish off the last of the lumpy bumpy features.

 

 

To mix things up a bit, I decided to build the propeller. Here are some of the parts and sub-assemblies.

 

 

And the finished propeller dry-fitted to the fuselage.

 

 

Basically we are now down to the wing control surfaces, landing gear, canopy, and a few odds and ends.

 

Cheers!

[ccoyle]

Next we move on to the canopy. I do things a little differently than called for in the diagrams. First, I tend to not use the internal framing, for a couple of reasons. The 'glass' of the molded canopy is not the correct scale thickness, and adding two layers of framing seems to make that fact more noticeable, at least to my eye. Also, I find it nearly impossible to get the internal and external frames to align correctly. To disguise the fact that I'm only using the outer layer, I paint the back of the frames with the correct internal color; when seen through the canopy, it is difficult to see that the internal frames are not used. Second, the canopy framing comes in three pieces. I find it much, much easier to work with the parts after cutting the framing into smaller sections -- seven in this instance.

 

The framing is glued with canopy glue. I'm getting better at this process, but I still had a few minor smears to clean up.

 

Here is the canopy with its framing:

 

 

I did not notice until AFTER I had completed this work that I had got the main left- and right-side panels swapped. 😬 There is a very slight difference between them, which hopefully will not create a fit issue later.

 

The canopy glue requires 24 hours to fully set, and I will give it the full cure time before cutting the canopy free of the surrounding plastic, otherwise the bending and flexing that inevitable occurs during that task tends to work the frames loose. Oh, almost forgot to mention that I plan to complete this model with the canopy closed, not because I wish to hide the cockpit detail, but because of the 109's odd distinction of having a hinged canopy that swings open to one side instead of sliding back on rails. Displaying the canopy open would inevitably create a part that just begs to get knocked loose.

 

Cheers!

[ccoyle]

Tonight's work involved a bit of squinting. The tiny gun sight contains 14 parts.

 

[ccoyle]

Okay, as you can see in this photo, I had to abandon the plan to install the canopy as a single piece -- it just wouldn't fit properly. Instead, I had to cut the canopy into five pieces and juggle them around a bit. One of the reasons I like biplanes is the general lack of canopies on them!

 

[CDW]

Wow, that canopy looks great from where I'm watching. Nice work, Chris. 

By the way, I received that Japanese Nieuport we discussed. Two pages of parts and one half sheet for frames.

[ccoyle]

7 minutes ago, CDW said:

By the way, I received that Japanese Nieuport we discussed.

 

Great! I'd be interested to see pictures of that kit when it arrives. The only photos I've seen of the printed parts were taken it what appeared to be poor lighting.

 

I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the two Answer kits I spoke of earlier, the Nimrod and the Nieuport 28 -- they're both incredibly nice-looking biplanes -- I couldn't resist (don't tell the missus)! I also added a Stearman PT-17 Kaydet to the order and laser-cut frames for all three kits, plus resin wheels for the Nimrod and some frames for a Fiat G.50 Freccia I have in the stash (the desert camo on that kit matches the livery of my CR.42 Falco).

[ccoyle]

Flaps and ailerons built and installed.

 

[CDW]

Is there a “go-to” glue for paper models?

[ccoyle]

2 hours ago, CDW said:

Is there a “go-to” glue for paper models?

 

Not really. These days I'm using mainly Evergreen Canopy Glue, but I have used lots of others over the years. I still use CA (thin & medium), Aleen's Clear Tacky Glue, and contact cement for various tasks.

[ccoyle]

Landing gear under construction.

 

First are the main wheels -- 20 parts each.

 

 

Wheels mounted to struts and gear doors.

 

 

And finally main gear mounted to fuselage.

 

 

My goal is to finish this by the 4th, to make it an even two months since the start of construction.

[ccoyle]

The Big Reveal!

 

So, one day shy of two months from the beginning of construction on this project (though it felt like longer), the Bf-109E-4 is complete. The final bits of construction consisted of small parts that needed to wait until the final stage in order to avoid getting knocked off repeatedly: tail wheel, antenna masts, gun barrels, aileron counterweights, pitot tube, and canopy. All in all, a challenging project without too many issues, though I did find some post facto construction errors and did wind up with a few tiny "mystery parts" left over. Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Keith Black]

I'm blown away that's paper. 

 

[CDW]

That is drop dead gorgeous. Beautiful model Chris. Halinski rocks.

[Paul Le Wol]

Superb Chris. Glad you are able to display it with the canopy open.

[Jack12477]

Beautiful ! Cannot believe it's paper! Very impressive Chris ! 

[Danstream]

Gorgeous, cool Emil. Masterfully done.

Cheers,

Dan

[Old Collingwood]

Same as everyone   -  can't believe it made from paper.

 

OC.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Old Collingwood

[HardeeHarHar]

I have never seen a paper kit like that.  Impressive to say the least.  Well done Chris!

[Dave_E]

Another MASTERPIECE! 😀

[Canute]

Superb build. Knocks your socks off.!

[mtaylor]

An amazing result.  Who knew paper would be so good for this.   That is one impressive bird.

[Egilman]

Wonderful build brother, another masterpiece...

 

It's absolutely amazing what can be done with paper.... 

 

I'm impressed....

[Edwardkenway]

😲😲.....

[AJohnson]

Another Masterclass Chris! 👏

[Landlubber Mike]

Another stunner from you Chris - great job!  Beautiful work on a really sweet plane.  I particularly love those with the yellow noses.

 

Do these kits come with the clear parts for the canopy, or do you have to make them yourself?

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Do these kits come with the clear parts for the canopy, or do you have to make them yourself?

 

The kits come with templates for cutting the glazing from the modeler's choice of material. In this instance, I used a molded after-market canopy. Such canopies are usually kit-specific, meaning that a canopy for one kit may not fit a kit from another publisher, even if it's the same subject. However, in my experience, even the fit with the intended kit (i.e. a Halinski canopy with a Halinski kit) can be problematic and depends greatly on the skill of the builder in getting the cockpit dimensions just right; get the dimensions off a millimeter here and there and all sorts of fit trouble follows. I have had to 'fudge' the fits on more than one molded canopy.

[ccoyle]

9 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Another Masterclass Chris!

 

More like a "journeyman class," but I appreciate the accolade! I think one of the biggest take-aways from this build for me personally is that I now feel less intimidated by Halinski kits, having completed three of them. I have to qualify that statement with the observation that Halinski kits tended to get even more complex after the 2007 publication date of this kit. Some of the newer ones that I have in my stash (e.g. Fw-190D-9, Ki-61) make this one look rather tame. And Card Army, whose chief artist, Marcin Dworzecki, did the artwork on many of the Halinski kits, has ratcheted up the detail on card kits to an even higher degree, if you can believe it. When I look at the Card Army kits and coolly assess my skills against what would be required to build one of them, I have to realistically conclude that they are really only suitable for a very tiny minority of modelers.