Early Bf-109 1/48 scale aftermarket seats

Yes, I make mistakes sometimes. I've noticed my mistake in this blogpost stating:

"...but we still don't have a decent early modification Bf-109 seat.."

It's not true, Ultracast makes early Bf-109 1/48 scale resin seats. Here's even a pic from their site:

Rise of Flight

Here's the game for all you World War 1 aviation enthusiasts - "Rise of Flight". Found their site today. It's WW1 aviation simulator - it means you get the opportunity to fly early aviation! Just check out those videos and in-game pics:





What do you think? Looks terrific, right? I guess I'll need new PC anyway (specially for this game) :) Don't tell my girlfriend ;)

Anyway, here are the videos:

Pics of Eduard's latest Bf-109

Eduard has updated the pics of their latest 1/32 (isn't it their first kit in this scale?) Bf-109E-1. It's quite obvious that aviation scale modellers will like it. Especially knowing Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Bf-109G/K success.

Although Eduard's Bf-109E-1 kit has everything to outrun Hasegawa's Gustav/Kurfurst sales (photoetch and flamboyant decals) and also in terms of attention to details (check out those rivets!!), I still guess Czech manufacturer lobbies interests of their home boys :) You know what I'm talking about? Quickboost, Aires, etc.

You see, the kit has magnificat engine and cockpit area, as shown on this pics:

The first thing that I would change (if leaving canopy left opened) is the seat itself. Actually speaking in defense of Eduard, none of the model kits (at least those I've seen) got early bf-109 seat shape and form right. None. Here's how the seat actually looked like:

You can see that the seat was deeper and little bit more "curvy" in outline. I guess here's a very good idea for next aftermarket replacement seat for "resin guys" ;) We have plenty of F-18 and F-16, etc. seats, but we still don't have a decent early modification Bf-109 seat! Take a look at Tamiya's 1/48 Bf-109E-3/4 kit seats and compare it with the original photos - I hope you understand me. Although, is it so critical in 1/48 scale? Especially if the canopy is closed :)

So, what's next? Next thing I'm not sure of are the kit wheels. I mean the form and, once again, the depth. You can see here that the disc too shallow and oversimplified:

And here's the photo of original early Bf-109 wheel and the disc:

Anyway, I guess it's too difficult to manufacture such details in plastic or am I wrong? On the other hand, it's a very good idea for the next aftermarket sales hit, isn't it? ;) For example, Ultracast makes beautiful wheels for early 109 Messerchmitts in 1/48 scale (although some rivetcounters may find its tread little bit overdone and too deep):


Well, those were just my 50 cents ;) But what are your thoughts and ideas about the kit? Anyway, just post your comments below.

Vector news

Sergey from "Vector" made another superb item to detail your model. This time it's 1/48 resin wheel wells for Tamiya's/ICM P-51D. Here're the pics of the replacement wheel wells fitted in:


And the resin item as it's sold:

The 2nd February news update

I've got so much news that I would like to share with you that this blogpost will also offer the list of aircraft scale modelling news from me. Are you ready? Let's go:

1. Found great site of Portugeese modeller Rogério "Rato" Marczak. Here you go - www.ratomodeling.com The site is full with helpful scale modelling information. Including "how-to" section, which is my favourite. Go to www.ratomodeling.com and scroll down to the Articles section. Every item in this section is just extraordinary - very helpful and innovative. I also liked in-progress pages on different models. Including ship modelling items. Be sure to read Heller Fieseler Fi-156 'Tracked' Storch in 1/72 building article here. So many innovative scratchbuilding techniques! Bravo, "Rato"!
   I wish the author could have RSS feed installed on his site so we can enjoy update right after he publishes them. Anyway, very interesting site and highly recommended!
   
   
2. Very talented Australian modeller Brad Cancian goes on building WW1 aircrafts. This time he builds Roden's 1/48 SE.5a. As always as you may expect from Brad, attention to details is extraordinary and you can see that this in-progress is no exception.
   I got to admit that I was so impressed by Brad's 1/48 Eduard's Sopwith Camel build that I've purchased the kit. I know I have so many unbuilt kit on the shelf, but I got so interested with the subject that I couldn't handle the temptation. Although Zoomomani.com sells profipack kit for only $13.52.
   
   
3. As you can also see I've changed blog design settings little bit. I hope it helps visitors and regular readers. I've also changed blog RSS feed settings, so now you can subscribe to it and read blog updates from your favourite Feed Reader (e.g. Google Reader). It means that instead of only blog post header you will also be able to read the whole post. Enjoy! :)
   
   PS. Feel free to post you comments or advices.
   

News update

Here's a little update of what's going on in aviation scale modelling. At least what news I found interesting and inspirational. Of course, scale modelling is huge and it's getting more and more prominent online.

Anyway, here's small news update from me:

• Jun Temma goes on (scratch) building his Tamiya's 1/48 Zero. Absolutelly fantastic and very inspirational. Now, where's my Evergreen, knife and twizzers ;) Can you believe it's 1/48 scale? Hope Jun will translate this feature article into English one day..
  
• Chuck Wojtkiewicz aka chukw1 finished his amazing ProModeller's 1/48 SB2C Helldiver build. Surf and read through his building progress forum posts and find out many interesting and useful scratchbuilding and detailing techniques.
  
• Czech manufacturer Eduard, best known with their comprehensive line of WW1 1/48 scale airfighter models, now shifts their focus on WW2 aircrafts. We all have seen and read lots of online builds and reviews of their 1/48 Hellcats, Spitfires or even Taifuns. Now Eduard is planning an impact on 1/32 scale WW2 airfighter market with fairly known and beloved players like Tamiya, Trumpeter or Hasegawa. Anyway, less talk - more action, in Feb'09 Eduard will release their 1/32 Bf-109E-1. Here are some pics of the kit sprues:
  
  
  Here're the profiles for the kit decals:
  
  
  
  Here're the contents of the kit:
  - Quantity of plastic parts not determined yet
  - Color photo-etched details
  - 4 camouflage variants
  - Express mask
  
  Click the pics above to find out more about the kit or find out more on Eduard's official January 2009 newsletter here.
  
  

5 Best WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft modelling books

I'd like to share some book titles that will always assist you in WW2 aircraft modelling. The best to do improve your building, painting and weathering techniques is to follow advice of more experienced colleagues. 

Nowadays you just google the needed aircraft and watch online blog or forum build. But I guess most of you will agree that it's much more better to watch printed version of builds - full with high quality photos and articles. 

As you might have noticed I'm into WW2 military subject modelling. Aircraft mostly. That's why I spend some time of life searching for trustworthy sources of information about WW2 fighters and their modifications. 

Although sometimes I feel I need to build something different - there's built (but not painted and weathered yet) Tamiya's 1/48 scale Hetzer. 

I guess most of us during our scale modelling career experienced the need for a good trustworthy book about the certain subject. The one with colourful reference walkarounds, black/white photos and detailed scale drawings. The book that will always be there to answer and address most of your questions about your current model build. But it's much more useful if you have the book that assists you in building certain company kits: which problems kit has, how to solve them and how to weather the model. 

I guess you've already understood - I'm talking about Osprey Modelling books. Here are the best books that will help you while building the most popular WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft models (according to me :) ):

1. Modelling the Messerschmitt Bf-109F and early G series (Osprey Modelling)

Very good book with detailed in-progress build photos and amazing Brett Green's features articles about building Messerschmitt Bf-109 in different scales. Here's a small description from Amazon:

"Detailing six different builds across the scales from 1/44 to 1/24, and featuring aircraft in camouflage schemes and markings from the Western Desert to the Russian Steppes, this book is an excellent source of reference for both the beginner and expert modeler, on one of the most effective killing machines of World War II."

Book consists of 80 pages with rich and colourful high quality pictures and world known top scale aircraft modeller Brett Green feature articles. Highly recommended! ;)

2. Modelling the Messerschmitt Bf-109B/C/D/E (Osprey Modelling)

Another Brett's masterpiece covering building earliest Messerschmitt Bf-109 modifications - Breda, Cesar, Dora and Emil. Author uncovers full information about different kits in different scales as well as historical information on various modifications. Here's the description featured on Amazon's subject review: 

"Brett starts off with a well-focused and very useful summary of pluses and minuses on available kits from 1/24 to 1/72 scale. It was refreshing to get this information in a concise package. Some useful color detail photos of a restored Bf-109E-4 are followed up by six sample projects that cover 1/72 to 1/32 scale, including a great essay on the Berta." - Aerospace Modeler (No.9 Volume 3, Number 9)

Highly recommended to all Bf-109 fans.

3. Modelling the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 A, F and G (Osprey Modelling) 

This is a book by another well know scale modelling expert Geoff Coughlin. It has all the knowledge and information about building Fw-190 Adolph, Fridrich and Gustav scale models. Here's the quote on Amazon's review page:

"Overall, another really great addition to the Osprey series of manuals... Well written, super photography, and excellent instruction all combines into a definite thumbs up1 Highly recommended from this modelers' point of view." -Mark Smith, AeroScale

One small note - books does not cover later Fw-190 modifications - Fw-190D (Dora) and Ta-152. Otherwise, this is the perfect scale model building manual for every Focke-Wulf Fw-190 enthusiast.

4. Modelling the Messerschmitt Me-262 (Osprey Modelling)

As well as all the books mentioned above this one brings top quality historical photos of the Messerscmitt Me-262 (named "Schwalbe"). Apart from that, as you might expect from the book of Osprey's kind, it gives all the information you'll need when building Me-262 scale models (no matter which kit you have). Here's the part from Aeroscale's review on Amazon:

"Overall, this new manual from Osprey Publishing does not disappoint in any manner. It's skillfully written, with accurate build reproductions, unique and interesting variants, superb step-by-step color photography and detailed instructional text. Definitely a two thumbs up, and highly recommended from this modeler's point of view." -Mark Smith, AeroScale

So where's my 1/72 scale "Schwalbe"? ;)

5. Modelling the Messerschmitt Bf-110 (Osprey Modelling)

This, I would call it a modeller's manual, is about building scale models of Luftwaffe's twin engine fighter Messerschmitt Bf-110. You've might already seen some preview extract of this book on Brett's article here. So what's Amazon says about the book?:

"While this volume obviously deals specifically with the Messerschmitt Bf 110, the pages are filled with hints and tips which will be of value for all aircraft projects. As regards coverage of the models, it's hard to find fault: the photography throughout the book is superb and each project is shown in detail at every stage." -Rowan Baylis, AeroScale

Thing you should know that this kit has nothing about the recent Eduard's 1/48 Bf-110 kit. The book was published before the mentioned kit came out. But Modelling the Messerschmitt Bf-110 (Osprey Modelling) still worth every penny.

So what do we have? 5 excellent reference book for all your WW Luftwaffe scale modellers. If you're really into building building Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs - these 5 are meant for your. 

Stunning works of Wojtek Fojga

I've noticed him for the first time on Aeroscale with his simply fantastic Eduard's 1/48 Nieupoet 16. He built a very naturally looking Ni-16. His name was Wojtek Fojga.
Next time I was browsing Aeroscale.co.uk for the references on Eduard's 1/48 scale Fokker Dr.1 and found Stephen T. Lawson reference on Eduard's latest 1/48 fokker dual kombo kit. I Googled little bit deeper and found Wojtek's original forum build thread on Dr.1. Check this out here:

I've surfed that forum little bit more and found another astonishing 1/48 Lloyd C.V s.46 build forum thread by Wojtek. Here you go:

Favorite scale poll result

Saved the print screen of the favorite scale poll results. For the future generations :)

Poll closed - favorite scale of 2008

Well, the poll on the favorite scale is closed. I'm glad to announce the winner - 1/48 is the most popular scale amongst the visitors of this blog (113 votes - 52% of 100% of all votes). The second popular scale is..... 1/72! That's a suprise! At least for me - I thought 1/32 would win the first or at least the second position.
Anyway, 1/72 scale got (55 votes or 25% of all votes). Third place got 32's scale with 27 votes.
I've also noticed that armour scale colleagues also like to visit my blog - 8 visitors (or 3% of all votes) voted for 1/35 as they favorite scale. 5 votes for 1/16 scale, 4 voted for 1/144 scale and 3 visitors like 1/1 sclae models :)

Thanx for voting anyone!

Feel free to post your ideas on the next poll in this post comments.

Hasegawa news in December 2008

Here're some of Hasegawa's hottest kits in December 2008. "Hottest" according to my clasification of hotteness ;)

1/72 E-2C HAWKEYE 2000 "U.S. NAVY"

1/48 FOCKE-WULF Fw190A-8/R8

1/48 MITSUBISHI A6M1 12-SHI EXPERIMENTAL ZERO FIGHTER
1/72 JUNKERS Ju88A-4 "FINNISH AIR FORCE"
1/48 F/A-18E SUPER HORNET "VFA-137 KESTRELS"
1/32 KAWASAKI KI61-I HIEN (TONY) "68TH FLIGHT REGIMENT"
1/48 MESSERSCHMITT Bf109G-6/14 "HARTMANN"

1/72 F-14B TOMCAT "VF-103 JOLLY ROGERS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL"
1/48 RF-4B PHANTOM II "VMFP-3 SPECIAL"
1/48 P-40M WARHAWK "FINNISH AIR FORCE"

Chris Wauchop's Bf-109G-10/R3 1:32 Hasegawa

Here's Chris Wauchop lates model - Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Messerschmitt Bf-109G-10/R3.

Funny coexidense is that I'm in the process of building of the same subject from Hasegawa's kit in 1/48 scale with EagleCals decals!

Here're more pics from LIFE archives - Thunderbolt P-47

Also found some big pictures of big Jugs - WW2 USAF P-47 thunderbolts. Enjoy!

This one here looks like a good idea for my first diorama:

Some gorgeous WW2 pics

Found today on Hyperscale's forum - USAF during WW2 in Pacific. I guess it's Devastator, right?

other pics can be found here.
This photos shows the real condition of the worn out paint - really helpful for understanding of weathering.

USA modern aviation photos

You should see these pics - USA modern aviation. You can find F-15, F-16, Osprey, A-10 and helicopter photos as well. What differs those pics from other ones - high resolution quality. All USAF fans - must see! Browse the site to find more.

Talented modeller Pierre aka Scalephantomphixer does it again!

Just another mind blowing in-progress build from Pierre aka Scalephantomphixer. This time it's Roden's Felixstowe F.2A in 1/72 scale. Well, very inspiring and truelly breathtaking build.

Click the thumbnail to see the whole thread yet:

Focke Wolf FW-190A-8 Sturmbock in progress

It's time to update my Tamiya's 1/48 FW-190A-8 in-progress blog. As you can see Sturmbock is almost ready - it lacks only canopy... Actually the build stopped because of canopy which is ruined - it has a crack that quite visible and I really can't do anything about..

Feel free to comment and post your critique.