1/144 Zevzda Messerschmitt Bf-109 F2

Gallery Article by S K Loh on Aug 8 2013

 

 

The Me 109 is considered the ubiquitous German Fighter in WWII although it was supplemented by the induction of the Focke-Wulf FW190 fighter in 1942 till the end of WWII. There were many variants of this fighter built over the span of the war assuming various roles in the missions of the Luftwaffe. The “F” or “Friedrich” series underwent major structural changes in the wings, cooling system and the fuselage aerodynamics. Most notable is the removal of the wing guns and the installation of a pair synchronised guns in the forward fuselage and a 15 or 20 mm cannon behind the engine firing through the propeller hub.

The kit is a 1/144 Zvezda kit. It is essentially a snap-fit kit with only 8 parts to assemble. It measures about 6.2cm in length and 6.6cm in wingspan. As a matter of fact the kit is meant for a tactical board game. Decals were very simple with only the Balkenkreuz and white with black outline numbers to apply. I did a search on Me 109 F2s and came across a F2 flown by one of the German aces, Hans Philipp in the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa – Invasion of the Soviet Union starting in late June 1941. He flew with Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 54. In total, he was credited with 206 kills of which 178 was chalked up on the Eastern Front. ( Zvezda produced the same kit in1/72 scale). 

Enhancement like the addition of pitot tube, muzzle of the cannon on the propeller hub, aileron mass balance, aerial mast and aerial were added using scratch-built parts to improve its look. I drilled out the air intake to add further realism. As the fuselage and canopy are one-piece molding, I had to dispense with the pilot. The panel lines were scribed to give it a better depth. 

 

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I had it painted it in white upper surfaces and light blue underside during the winter operations. I used a mix of Tamiya and Mr Hobby basic colours for the paint scheme by airbrush and hand-brushed thinned down mix for the fairly heavy weathering as evident from the harsh weather and rough terrain at the Eastern Front. This was followed by the flat coat to give it a dull finish.

Self made decals were added to depict the Grunherz (Green Heart) emblem and the coat-of-arms of Stab I/JG 54. 

Shown alongside the Zvezda kit is a Dragon 1/72 die-cast metal Me Bf 109 G2, a gift from my brother some years ago. I added the decals on the display stand as this was flown by another German ace fighter, Reinhard Seiler from Stab III/JG54 . 

Enjoy the photos.

S K Loh

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Photos and text © by S K Loh