IJAAF 航空技術研究研究所 - Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3, 1/72

[MaxHeadroom]

Hello friends!

Building a Messerschmitt Me 109 is nothing unusual, I know.
Strictly speaking, it's either no "what if", except someone makes a fictional version, perhaps a "Q"-type with a jet engine and a ski-undercarriage in a "Neu-Schwabenland"-camo-scheme... LOL
Now, I have decided two things:
On the one hand: to make a non-fictional, but very exotic Me 109 and
on the other hand: because of it's very rare status to show it HERE.
I hope, it is granted.

Now:
(IJAAF) 航... (transcripted: Kōkū gijutsu kenkyū kenkyūjo) means: Aviation Technical Research Laboratory (of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force).

A little bit of history:
Technical research labs were and are known everywhere in the armies, airforces and navies. So the japanese did have also such facilities.
Some of these prooving grounds were of private property, just like the airfield of Tashikawa Inc. in Singapore, where captured alliied planes were tested.
Now, in 1940 the IJAAF gets a number of german Me 109 to test them and some of the results were flown into the later Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien" ("Toni").

One of these aircrafts and it's build, I will show to you.

(A historical footnote:
Here http://www.pacificwrecks.com/history/messerschmitt/ you can find a number of tables with silhouettes of german warplanes, the US armed forces before Pearl Harbour supposed to be used by Japan, because they couldn't imagine the japanese were skilled enough to build high-performance warplanes by their own engineers!
Definately a question of racism, I think.)

Here is the kit, I will use:


And this is one of the pics, I have as a source for building my japanese Me 109 E:


Next week, I will start.

Norbert

[rickshaw]

Racism continued through the whole war.  The Ki-61 was identified continually as a "Japanese aircraft of German or Italian in origin" or even just as a "Messerschimdt"...

[MaxHeadroom]

That's right, rickshaw..., and test versions of the Heinkel He 100 and He 112 had given to the Ki-61 it's shape.
(The Japanese had seen, the aerodynamics of the Heinkel was muuuch better, than of the Messerschmitt.)

To the surprise of the US armed forces and the other alliies, the japanese had proved to be skilled, building their own powerful warplanes used at Pearl Harbour, the Phillippines, South East Asia, Hongkong, Singapore...!
Japanese engineers never were simple copyists!
(Often engineers copy, but the next step is to develop, because simple copies are mostly bad!!!)

Norbert

[Weaver]

Nice project.

As a matter of interest, one of the Airfix Club special edition kits at the moment is a 1/48th Bf.109 with a choice of Japanese or RAF (captured) markings: http://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/airfix-club-exclusive-kits/messerschmitt-bf109e-3-e-7-1-48-airfix-club-special.html

[zenrat]

I love the Academy box art.  It's halfway between real world and egg plane.

[Dizzyfugu]

IIRC, Hasegawa even did a set with this test Bf 109. Horrendous price, as usual, so "scratching" it is the smarter option. It's also easy, since the machine kept its original paint scheme in RLM 74/75/76.



There were also a Me 210 and a Ju 87 for evaluation.

[Captain Canada]

That's going to look good. Defo looks a different aeroplane with meatballs on it !

[MaxHeadroom]

Ooops, some had stolen my idea!! LOL
Nevertheless, I will do my japanized Me 109 by my own resources.

Yes, zenrat, the boxart of the Academy box looks like the Me 109 suffers by mumps!  

Norbert

[zenrat]

I'd buy one if it actually looked like that.  It appeals to me in a warped and comical way.

[MaxHeadroom]

Let's go now!
First of all about the content of the box:
3 grey sprues and 1 clear sprue, a sheet with decals and an instruction.
Two of the grey sprues with in total 39 parts (6 of them are marked as "obsolete") together with the seperate packed clear sprue is the kit of the Me 109.
The clear sprue is for the canopies of the E-3- and the E-4-versions (each 3 parts).
By the third grey sprue you can build a Kettenkrad (tracked motorcycle) and there are a lot of accessoires: 3 different jerry-cans (5 pieces of each), 5 barrels for oil and each 3 big and small wodden boxes.
The decals are perfectly printed and you can find a lot of real tiny little decals for detailing 2 different E-3- and 2 different E-4-versions. Very nice are the very small edges of clear decal material around the motives. So there is no need to use a scissor to cut off the edges. Just a big "13" (there are 4 of) you can/should cut out between the digits.
The instruction is easy understandable and at the end you see 2 camo-schemes for the two different E-3s. On an additional sheet, you find two schemes for the two E-4-versions.
The parts in the sprues are real good in my opinion; the details are up to date, related to the 1/72-scale very fine and the engravings are immaculately.
Gratifyingly you don't find any ejecting marks at a later viewable place, so there is no need to revise!

If this positive impression will be continued by building the model..., we will see.

Norbert

[MaxHeadroom]

Next step:

The nicely detailled cockpit, inner side, left (in flight direction --->):


and inner side, right (f. d. <---):

Sorry for the blurry photographs; I have to practicing focusing.
Nevertheless, you can see, it's not necessary to buy expensive additional attachments, because if you close the canopy, the details are enough.

Same to the pilot's seat (from the front):

inclusive molded seatbelts and it's locks.

And also the pilot's pedals:

No matter, they are a bit too thick.
The kit contains each a E-3 and a E-4 dashboard and they will make the pedals invisibly.
But, thanks to Academy adding the pedals to the kit.

The one-part underside of the wings:

and the two parts of the wings' upper side:

Securing the congruency of underside and  upper side you can use a file (for fingernails) or a fine sandpaper, but perfect fixing the parts by glueing makes this bother obsolete.
The (not shown) fighter's fuselage fits to 97% into the gap between the Wings.
A very tiny cleft on the right and the left can be filled by glueing or painting, I think, and the very, very careful use of sandpaper makes the wing's roots at all 4 edges perfect.
The intake of the cooler also doesn't fit for 100%. But a careful scraping with a scalpel will solve the problem immedeately.

You see, the positive impression is to be continued!

A little bit about the ejection marks:
If you don't build a upside-down wreck with extended undercarriage, you won't see the ejection marks of the underside of the upper wings sections. Using fine sandpaper will erase the marks in 5 or 10 seconds each!
And: The pilot's seat and its platform have ejection marks vica-versa.
They will rise the seat for roundabout 1.5 milimeter...: unacceptable!
The seat's mark can be vanished by a few cuts with a scalpel and the platform's mark I'd removed by a finger twisted drill...: easy, fast, works!
The tires of the undercarriage aren't engraved evenly, but you won't see it without using enlarging spectacles.

That's all for today.


Postscript: Please be patient; I'm not a fast modelbuilder and in addition, I'm busy at home. So, I beg for pardon and please excuse me.

[Dizzyfugu]

No need to excuse! Everybody has his/her own pace and building style - it's supposed to be fun (after all). 

[zenrat]

Hi Max.
  Any chance of some pictures of the Kettenkraftrad parts please?

[MaxHeadroom]

Of course, zenrat!

Here's sprue "C" with the parts of the Kettenkrad and the accessoirs (front):

and the backside:

Btw; the decals include a tiny little Luftwaffe-licenseplate for the Kettenkrad (WL - xxxxxxx).

I hope, I could satisfy your curiosity.

cu, friends!

Norbert