1/72 BF-113 Totenkampfer

[Brian da Basher]

During 1940 and 1941, the Republic P-47 was in development. Rumors of its heavy armament and incredible performance tempted many foreign powers to try and get their hands on the top-secret plans. The Nazi government mounted an effort through their master spy and American Embassy Air Attache, Col. Franz Von Krammp. Col. Von Krammp was able to get a copy of the plans for the P-47 which were quickly sent to Germany. Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering, hearing about the amazing P-47, immediately ordered the Messerschmitt works to drop everything and produce a Nazi copy of the P-47 in large numbers. Fortunately for the Free World, the Nazis got it all wrong. The Americans had managed to mix  plans for the Grenville Bros.' Gee-Bee racer in with the detail work on the P-47 that Nazi agents had stolen. By 1942, the Luftwaffe found its fighter squadrons armed with the new aircraft, the Messerschmitt B(ig)F(at) 113. This aircraft (like Goering) was horribly overweight, and while very heavily armed with eight .50 caliber guns, it was terribly unmanoeverable and a virtual deathtrap in combat for those who flew it. Reichsmarschall Goering refused to see the error of his decision and even greater numbers of B(ig)F(at)-113 were produced in 1943. This aircraft was universally hated by its pilots and crews and earned the name "Totenkampfer" or "Death Struggle". The example pictured here was flown by Uffz. Heinrich Verschlunken who defected in disgust and landed his B(ig)F(at)-113 on a British coastal airfield in early 1944. Only one example exists today, in pieces in an old shed near the remains of the Messerschmitt works.  

1st of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The base kit for this is a 1/48 scale Testor's Gee Bee racer that Mr Howling Mouse was generous enough to send me all the way from Canada. Of course, I'm saving the waay cool spats for something else, but in the meantime, what to do with the rest of the kit? Well, after looking it over and holding parts of it near an old P-47 build, an idea came to me...scale-o-rama it to 1/72 scale!

2nd of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

This is one of those fun little quick projects we all love, but put in my hands, there were of course a few glitches. The Testor's Co. in their wisdom have all the decal placements for the Gee Bee etched into the kit so you can't go wrong should you actually want to build it to look like the picture on the box. First I attempted to fill in the engraved areas with Elmer's™ white glue. I was astonished to discover that my Testor's Acrylic paints reacted with the dried white glue and cracked badly. I had to scrape off the paint and the glue and try something else. A bottle of correction fluid "liberated" from the office came to the rescue and I was able to fill in the offending etched markings. The markings on the wings were raised oddly enough and I was able to sand them off with no trouble. The only other modifications I made to this kit were adding retracted landing gear, swapping out the prop with a 4 bladed one from spares, and adding the wing guns and a rudimentary cockpit which for some reason I decided to paint black.  :dum:

3rd of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The kit was painted by hand using mostly the afore mentioned Testor's Acrylics. The undersides were painted in Light Gull Gray and my ham-handed attempt at splinter camo on the uppers was painted in Dark Gull and Dark Ghost Gray. I used Tamiya Aluminum on the prop and Tamiya Gunmetal on the engine and guns. The tires and cockpit were painted with Windsor-Newton Artist Acrylics Mars Black. The decals were all from my collection of spares.

4th of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Tophe]

This is a kinda egg-Bolt. Funny...

[Brian da Basher]

Here's the last pic, a box-shot showing what this airplane is supposed to look like. I built this as a tribute to our resident Luft '46 expert and master craftsman, Matrixone. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed building it.

Last of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Sisko]

Looks like a P-47 that has had one to many dohnuts

fantastic fun build!!!

[BlackOps]

Well I'm pretty sure the Germans stole that design from the Russians but it looks pretty good anyway    

I"ve been wanting to do a Russian GeeBee but haven't found one in 1/72.

I like what you did with the landing gear.

My Sea GeeBee could land on the wing of your BF-113

 

[dragon]

Well I'm pretty sure the Germans stole that design from the Russians but it looks pretty good anyway    

I"ve been wanting to do a Russian GeeBee but haven't found one in 1/72.

I like what you did with the landing gear.

My Sea GeeBee could land on the wing of your BF-113

...and it has spats!

Which Brian da Basher likes! B)  

[Tophe]

...and it has spats!
Which Brian da Basher likes! B)

If the Gee Bee's spats have been removed, they will for sure not go to the garbage but will be used somewhere else. Let's wait and enjoy...

[Archibald]

Very funny! Well done, Brian!    

[B777LR]

Very funny! BUT YOU FORGOT THE SPATS!!!!!!!!

 

[Runway ? ...]

Groovy stuff dudes  
Black Ops,  Amodel do a 1/72 Gee Bee. I got one intending to up engine it but decided it'd be easier to fit fit the sticky out bits to whatever motor I ended up choosing    so it's waiting for a Kuznetsov NK-12 or something similar to become  spare. It might end up being 1/200 but there you go      

[NARSES2]

So the Germans updated the WWI Flea ?

DFW Flea

[Brian da Basher]

Well I'm pretty sure the Germans stole that design from the Russians but it looks pretty good anyway    

I"ve been wanting to do a Russian GeeBee but haven't found one in 1/72.

I like what you did with the landing gear.

My Sea GeeBee could land on the wing of your BF-113

Woah Jeff that tiny little Navy Gee Bee is waaay impressive! I love that paint scheme, the tinted canopy, the bombs, and of course, the spats! Excellent stuff! I'm totally amazed...you even rigged it! Yowsa!

Did I mention that I love spats?

Brian da Basher

P.S. I am saving the spats from mine for another project...hehehehehe...