1/48 Airfix Bf-109 F-4 Trop

by Raul Corral

--------------------

 

Airfix's Bf 109 F "Trop" is around thirty years old, but once finished you will see that "old" does not mean bad nor old fashioned. I was surprised by the good reviews this kit is still getting from all modelers and there you go, this is another one.

Of course there are few things to improve but come on... this kit came on the market in the 70's!! Some raised panel lines, short of detail in certain areas (like with the machine guns mounted in the engine cowling)... but nothing we can not fix easily. And do not forget the price is a bargain in some cases. I got this kit for just 10.00 euro!

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

The decals are from the JG 27 and JG 54. At the end I decided to use my own decal set and got some different decals from my drawer to get a Bf 109 F-4 in the Luftwaffe desert camouflage (I love it!) with white fuselage band and wings tips, yellow cowling and rudder, and the lovely African unit badge used by the JG 27. The model I built represents the Bf 109 of "Edu" Neumann, Kommodore of the German fighter wing 27 who flew this plane with the same markings in Gazala, Libya, during December 1941.

If you want to follow up all the construction and painting I have a step by step article in my small homemade website www.webmodelismo.com

I opted against finishing the model almost out of the box (apart from the decals) and did not change/fix any parts of the kit. All the weathering has been done by just dry brushing yellow sand, red brown, white and black (all from Humbrol) on the surface colours (RLM 78-79 and RLM 04 from Gunze Sangyo).

I was very happy to see the final result. It is an old kit but looks great once finished and I am sure I will get more in the future, specially if I see them for just 10.00 euro! My congratulations to Airfix

Cheers!

Raul Corral

Photos and text © by Raul Corral