Hasegawa

1/48 Bf-109F-2 "Esquadrilla Azul"

Kit Number: 09794

Reviewed by  Floyd S. Werner, Jr., IPMS# 26266

MSRP: $38.95 Thanks to Dragon USA for the review kit. (www.dragonmodelsusa.com) Building this kit was like visiting an old friend. First released in the 80s, this little gem is a wonderful kit of a marvelous airplane. So what is new and what is old? Molded in light grey plastic with some slight flash on various parts the kit still stands the test of time. The flash was nothing bad and the model surface was free of blemishes. There is a sprue of clear plastic that is perfectly clear. There is a beautiful decal sheet that is for the two Spanish aircraft. Some things that are nit picks about the kit. I've always thought the spinner was too bulbous and the cockpit is a little sparse but quite useable. On the plus side, it fits like a champ and looks every bit of a 109. I decided to use some resin to fix these small nit picks. Let's get started Using an Aires resin cockpit (stock # 4028) replaces the kit cockpit with great results. The Aires set is a beautifully detailed resin with a fret of photo etch and a clear acetate sheet for the instruments. There were no bubbles or flaws anywhere. After washing the parts in warm soapy water I painted flat black in the recesses and then used Model Master RLM 66 to paint the whole cockpit. A dry brushing of Model Master RLM 02 and detail painting with Apple Barrel paints add life to the cockpit. I folded the seatbelts to show some life in the cockpit and left them out until the end of construction so they wouldn't get lost. Fuselage The fit of the fuselage is really perfect. I didn't have to use any filler anywhere on the model. I think the best thing to do is to add the cowl guns now and add the forward cowlings to each fuselage half before you assemble the fuselage halves. This will allow you to align each side without anything in the way. Once they have dried you can then flat sand and get a perfect fit of the fuselage halves. Something strange is the instructions call out for parts D10 and 11 for the supercharger intake. I think this may be wrong. I used parts E3 and 4. This is up to you, but the D intake is for a G model and the E3 is for a F model, especially an early one. I added the horizontal stabilizers at this time and the fit was perfect. You can add the cockpit from the bottom any time before you add the lower wing. Wings Here is a big hint on these kits-attach the upper wings to the fuselage with superglue. What does this do for you? It gets a perfect fit at the root and it establishes the perfect dihedral of the wings. My research showed that the wheel wells were "squared" off and not the round type as Hasegawa would have you believe. Again this depends on the aircraft so check your references. Don't forget to add the cockpit and offer up the lower wing. Again the fit was near perfect. I did need a little filler at the aft end of the wing to fuselage but it was really minimal. I wish Hasegawa had used a natural panel line for this join. As a note, the aircraft from the Esquadrilla Azul did not have drop tanks or fitting for them that I was able tell from the reference photos. The flaps and slats are added. The outboard flaps did need some filler on top and bottom as there is some shrinkage but this has been an issue since the kit was first released and is still an issue in the newer G-6 and later kits. I added the landing gear at this time to elevate the model while painting. Paint I added the front and rear cockpit sections. I masked off the canopy with Cutting Edge cockpit masks. I hate masking cockpits. A quick coat of RLM 66 and it was off to the paint shop. A quick wash with grease cutting dish detergent and a swipe with Polly-S Plastic Prep and the model was ready to paint. I used Alclad Grey Primer and Micro Filler to check for flaws and surprisingly there were only two little things that needed a touch up. Model Master Flat Black was used to pre-shade the model. Tamiya Flat Yellow was painted on the wingtips and the fuselage band. After masking this off with Tamiya tape Model Master RLM 76 was sprayed on the bottom and sides. The camouflage was based on the few photos that I had and used Model Master RLM 75 and Floquil RLM 74. The wing camouflage was free handed. A coat of Alclad Clear Gloss prepped the model for decals. Hasegawa decals have been criticized for being too thick. Well since this is an old kit with new decals I had to use them. Boy was I disappointed, THEY WORK GREAT. I used Mr Mark Setter and Mr Mark Softer. They worked as well as, and in some cases better than some aftermarket decals. Too thick, no way. The wheels were painted Gunze Tire Black and Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black on the hubs. A coat of gloss seals the decals in and this was followed up by a coat of Testors Dullcoat. Weathering A light wash of Burnt Umber artist oils thinned with turpenoid is applied to the panel lines. The next step of the weathering was to use a sponge with some Model Master Aluminum to represent the chipped paint. After that I added the exhaust stains with Tamiya Red Brown and Flat Black highly thinned. I used this mixture thinned even more to areas that would be dirty. On the bottom, I used Gunze Oil and some Burnt Umber artist oils to represent the grime under the belly. A light overspray of Tamiya Buff was added from overhead to blend everything together. The final bit of weathering was some Mig Pigments European Dirt added to the wheels, doors, wing root area and on the tail to represent the mud splattered. Odds and Ends With the weathering done it was time to wrap this baby up. A Cutting Edge prop and spinner replaced the bulbous one from the kit. It was an easy upgrade. The spinner was painted Black Green and a third white. The blades were the same black green. Quickboost provided hollowed exhausts that were drop in fit for the kit parts and they look more realistic and add to the nose area considerably. Painted Model Master Metalizer Burnt Metal with a wash of burnt umber and drybrushed with an orange. The armored windscreen was added to the front windscreen with Future. I applied it with a brush on both surfaces and attached them. Adding the hinged section, the antenna and an EZ Line antenna was the final touch to make this beautiful airplane.

Conclusions The model itself holds up remarkably well for its age. The near perfect fit was a pleasant surprise. I had forgotten how much fun these little kits were. As for the decals, THE DECALS ARE GREAT. They reacted well with the Mr Mark system, even better than some aftermarket decals. They were not as thick as they look on the paper. I may have to rethink some of the other kits that Hasegawa has put out lately and pick them up. The price of kits is up from the initial release but still this is a very nice kit for the price. It was a lot of fun to build and I'm quite happy with the results. I hope Hasegawa continues to put out more of these kits. The aftermarket stuff I used was really nice and added to the models looks. Are they essential? I think they are, but the kit would still build up nicely without them. The Aires cockpit is a perfect fit and an exceptional upgrade to the cockpit. The spinner and props are very nice although out of production. The Ultracast exhausts are everything they are touted to be. Inexpensive, realistic and hollowed out. They fit perfectly and are a drop in replacement for the kit items. Highly recommended. The kit itself- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Remember-Modeling is fun! References · The Messerschmitt Bf-109: Modellers Datafile No. 9, Lynn Ritger, SAM Publications, ISBN 0-9551858-0-7. · Messerschmitt Bf-109 F, G, & K, Prien & Rodeike, Schiffer Publications, 1993, ISBN 0-88740-424-3 (The best book ever written on the 109, IMHO). · Messerschmitt Bf-109F Vol 1, Marek J. Murawski, Kagero, 2008, ISBN 978-83-60445-50-1. · Model Art No 290, Messerschmitt Bf-109G/K Augsburg Eagle. · Lock on No 28 Messerschmitt Bf-109G-2, Verlinden, 1997. · Monographie Lotnicze 43 Messerschmitt Me-109 cz.2, Robert Michulec, AJ Press, ISBN 83-86209-66-X, (now available in English).

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