This is the Airfix 1978 release of their Bf 109F kit. The kit is showing its age by now and there are lots of other options out there to choose from, so I won't go into much detail here, and instead just cover the finished product.
Notable Kit Features:
Good overall shape of airframe
Basic cockpit
Armoured windscreen molded into canopy
Mix of recessed and raised details
Few kit parts
Build Inspiration:
I have covered a few of the Luftwaffe Aces aircraft in my collection and in this case, selected one of the top contenders, Maj. Heinrich Ehrler. His Bf 109F-4 displayed yet another variant of paint camouflage that was utilized by the Luftwaffe in WWII. This finished aircraft would provide a further assortment of aircraft camouflage in my display cabinet.
Heads-Up Report:
Armoured windscreen molded into canopy
Thick parts in general
Pin ejector marks present on parts
Panel lines on wings are a bit wide
Raised panels on fuselage
Kit Additions / Modifications:
This kit was built out of the box with the exception of the decals which were from the excellent AeroMaster Decals (SP 48-01) "Luftwaffe Top Guns".
End Result:
The paint scheme for this aircraft is another interesting variation of the multitude of finishes applied to the Bf109 series. It is finished in RLM 75 (Gray Violet) and RLM 70 (Black Olive) over RLM 76 (Light Blue), with RLM 02 Staffeln markings.
The After-Build Report:
I built this quite a number of years ago side-by-side with a Hasegawa kit and the Hasegawa kit is much better for both detail and fit. Considering the other kits that have been released since, such as the ICM, Zvezda and Eduard, the old Airfix kit isn't really a current contender anymore.
Note: that examples of Bf 109F-2 and F-4 aircraft have been found to have both squared and round wheel wells so one is not incorrect (as has been reported with kits of this type) rather it would depend on the airframe.
Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is suppose to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers
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