Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; 'A-334' of No. 5 Eskadrilia, Lithuanian Air Force, 1937

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, unfortunately this does not qualify for the BoB GB (would have been a nice addition, though), so here this retrograded Bf 109 goes separately:

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
The Messerschmitt Bf 94 was a fighter aircraft built in Germany shortly before World War II. It was designed to meet a 1935 requirement by the Czechoslovakian Air Force for a replacement for their B-534 fighter biplanes. It was  developed by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (at which the engineer Messerschmitt led the development of the plane), primarily intended for export customers since the German Luftwaffe already planned more advanced types. It was actually built on a level inferior to the tactical requirements for a single-seat fighter that the RLM had issued in the document L.A. 1432/33 in late March 1933.

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Bf 94 was a sleek, low-wing monoplane with a fixed, spatted landing gear. As with the earlier Bf 108, the aircraft was based on Messerschmitt's "lightweight construction" principle, which aimed to minimise the number of separate parts in the aircraft. Examples of this could be found in the use of two large, complex brackets which were fitted to the firewall. These brackets incorporated the lower engine mounts and landing gear pivot point into one unit. A large forging attached to the firewall housed the main spar pick-up points, and carried most of the wing loads. Contemporary design practice was usually to have these main load-bearing structures mounted on different parts of the airframe, with the loads being distributed through the structure via a series of strong-points. By concentrating the loads in the firewall, the structure of the Bf 94 could be made relatively light and uncomplicated, and this principle was later also found in the famous Bf 109 fighter.

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Bf 94's fuselage was constructed from welded steel tube, covered in metal. Only the rudders were covered with fabric. The cockpit was not completely closed - the windscreen was fixed and two side panels could be lowered for access or taxiing, but a roof was missing. Power was to be provided by the new Junkers Jumo 210 engine of about 522 kW (700 hp), driving a wooden 2 blade propeller with fixed pitch.

Despite the rather outdated overall layout, the first prototype, the Bf 94 A-0, displayed excellent flying characteristics and high speed. Testing continued with a total of three prototypes until 22 November 1937. Until then, several orders had been placed, e. g. from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Estonia and Lithuania. The Czechoslovakian Air Force had lost interest, though, preferring the indigenous Avia B.35 instead.

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Total production numbers remained low, since more modern aircraft with retractable landing gear and and more powerful engines and armament were steadily introduced - only about eighty aircraft were produced and entered service with smaller European air forces during the advent of WWII.

The Lithuanian Air Force operated a single squadron with Bf 94 A-1 (a total of 16 aircraft), which were to replace the Gloster Gladiators. The German machines received locally a modified armament consisting of a pair of 0.303" Browning machine guns, so that the standard ammunition could be used. In 1940, the Lithuanian Air Force consisted of eight Air Squadrons, including reconnaissance, fighter, bomber and training units. Air Force bases had been established in the cities and towns of Kaunas /Žagariškės, Šiauliai /Zokniai (Zokniai airfield), Panevėžys /Pajuostis. In the summer time, airports in the cities of Palanga and Rukla were also used. A total of 117 aircraft and 230 pilots and observers were listed in the books at that time.

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr






General characteristics:
   Crew: One
   Length: 8.70 m (28 ft 6 in)
   Wingspan: 9,9 m (32 ft 5 in)
   Height: 2,45 m (8 ft 1 in)
   Wing area: 16,35 m² (175.41 ft²)
   Empty weight: 1,510 kg (3,325 lb)
   Loaded weight: 1,940 kg (4,273 lb)
   Max. takeoff weight: 2,150 kg (4,735 lb)

Powerplant:
   1× Jumo 210 D inverted V12 engine, rated at 700 hp (522 kW),
   driving a wooden two-blade, fixed pitch propeller

Performance:
   Maximum speed: 495 km/h (308 mph)
   Range: 500 km (311 miles)
   Rate of climb: 13.0 m/s (2,560 ft/min)

Armament:
   2× 7,92 mm MG17 on top of the engine, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc
   (In Lithuanian machines replaced with a pair of 0.303" (7,7mm) Browning machine guns)



The kit and its assembly:
This whif kit was inspired by a similar build at whatifmodelers.com: an early Bf 109 with spats (an in rather odd Mexican markings, IIRC)! This looked so nice and convincing that I had to "try this at home". As donation parts for the landing gear I also had a pair of Avia B.35 spats from a vintage KP at hand – easy and straightforward.

Basis is the Bf 109 B/C Heller kit, which is rare but available at affordable prices if you are patient. It was mostly built OOB, the only major mod were the closed landing gear wells, using the original covers and some putty, the addition of the B.35 spat, and for an even more retrograded look I also exchanged the canopy. The original, closed cockpit was replaced by an open alternative, taken from a Macchi C.200. This screen is consideraly shorter and not as deep as the Bf 109 parts, so the cockpit walls had to be raised, too, and the spine elongated forward. But it works and adds to the retro look. A HUMA pilot was added in the cockpit, too.

Et voilà, a simple German export aircraft!

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


As a side note: the "94" is one of the RLM type numbers that had not been used in Germany. It had been allocated to Heinkel though, but I wanted to use the highest possible number before the "109" for this whif, so the manufacturer switch is IMHO acceptable.


Painting and markings:
Finding a potential user was a bit more tricky. I finally settled for Lithuania – exotic, but with a colorful air force before WWII. The whiffy Bf 94 could have been the country's first monoplane fighter!

For the paint scheme I kept things simple, partly inspired by contemporary Bf 109 during the Spanish Civil War and  Lithuanian Gloster Gladiators of the pre WWII era. I combined a light grey (RLM 63) upper fuselage, fin and spats with light blue undersides (RLM 65), together with dark Green (FS 34079) upper wing surfaces. This green was also used for the contrast background under the national insignia under the wings, while the rudder became white. It's actually not bright and colorful, but different from typical cammo paint schemes or bare metal, and Lithuanian aircraft appear to have carried such dry schemes.

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The decals were puzzled together. The Lithuanian insignia come from a Blue Rider sheet, the tactical code actually belongs to a Hobby Boss F-86 in Luftwaffe markings, and the horse emblem is from an Italian Fiat C.32. The white stripes on the wings are a personal addition, I wanted to add some more contrast to the national insignia, since the overall livery is rather simple and subdued.

The interior was painted in dark grey (Humbrol 111), but the canopy is so tight that you cannot see anything inside except for the pilot's head. For some contrast, all trim tabs were painted in a reddish brown (Humbrol 100), and the two-blade propeller reveiced an aluminum front and a black back side.



1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 94 A-1; aircraft "A-334" of No. 5 Eskadrilia, II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Air Force; Šiauliai, late 1937 (Whif/Heller kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A simple conversion, but again it's one less on the long idea an project list. Realized in just three days from box to dry varnish, plus some additional time for the pics.  

[KiwiZac]

That is very cool! Bravo! The spats look excellent on it. Very Thirties.

[MaxHeadroom]

WOW, excellent work with a real good finish! (Brush or airbrush?)

I must confess, I'd googled for "Messerschmitt Bf 94"!       Yes, your model looks so realistic!

Norbert

[TomZ]

Absolutely stunning. Great model and perfect photography! 


TomZ

[Hotte]

Nice Messerschmitt 


Hotte

[dumaniac]

Yes - nice build - nice conversion

well done

[Dizzyfugu]

WOW, excellent work with a real good finish! (Brush or airbrush?)

I must confess, I'd googled for "Messerschmitt Bf 94"!       Yes, your model looks so realistic!

Norbert

Thank you very much for the positive feedback on this simple one.  The livery does not look exciting, but overall it has become a nice aircraft, with the right 30ies feeling, I think.

And, yes, everything (as usual) has been done with brushes and the "active integration" of imperfections.

[Bungle]

That is superb.

Would you have any objection to me 'stealing' your idea for my 109 project ? I'm planning to be what-iffing a lot of later versions but never thought to what-if a prequel. Outstanding !

[Dizzyfugu]

Please go ahead. This model is also not truly original - as mentioned in the description, a spatted Bf 109 (in Mexican colors!) has been built and posted here before, but I think it was an E as basis and not one of the earlier models like mine that has the more vintage look. The open cockpit also adds a lot to the overall impression, I think, and the Heller kit is a very nice basis.

[Rheged]

I like it.  Modelling a precursor instead of a successor is a fascinating thought....I shall ( if I may, please) borrow the concept...........and I really do appreciate your delicate and thoughtful use of English:-  the "active integration" of imperfections    is a delightful idea, wonderfully phrased

[Dizzyfugu]

Just as with Bungle, please go ahead. If the model is inspiring, I am curious what comes up from other points of view. 

BTW, retrograding is a funny thing, and an interesting challenge. Did that several times, including biplane versions of more modern designs, and it's a funny experience.

[NARSES2]

You've posted some great models this year Dizzy but that really says something to me. Wonderfull 

[Dizzyfugu]

If you hear voices, better consult a doctor...? 

Thank you very much, too!

[The Big Gimper]

Here is a belated WOW Thomas!!! Love the spats. 

[Flyer]

Looks surprisingly good with fixed gear, I think it's the wider stance. Well done