Bf 109G - Scourge of the Sky Pirates - Finished Pics Page 2

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.
Painted on Southern Air Patrol recognition stripes today on the left wing and rudder.
The wing stripes seem to have partially obscured the rego on the underside.  Oh dear what a shame.  How could that have happened. 

In order to give her the range needed to properly patrol the Nullarbor she'll be carrying three drop tanks.

[Old Wombat]

Bloody zenrat industries, they're everywhere!

[zenrat]

 

[zenrat]

This is done other than a touch of weathering and washing and I need to write some words to accompany it.

[zenrat]

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G6.  Southern Air Patrol.  Iron Knob Air Station.  SAFS.  December 1949.

Bf 109G Southern Air Patrol 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
By early 1949 it had become apparent to even the most insular political apparatchik that ignoring the piracy in the Great Australian Bight wasn't making it go away.
An extraordinary TriSSeC (Tri-State Security Committee) meeting resulted in the signing of the Southern Military Treaty (SMiT) between the People's Democratic Republic of Victoria, the South Australian Free State and Tasmania.  Under the treaty a combined military organisation was formed, known as SMiTForce, consisting of detachments from each of the member states.
By autumn the paperwork had been filed, chains of command forged, reporting lines run out and materiel allocated for SMiTForce's first operations.
Bf 109G Southern Air Patrol 2 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Based at the SAFS town of Iron Knob the Southern Air Patrol's mission to target Sky Piracy with each member country providing combat aircraft and support services.  While Tasmania and the SAFS sent regular air force units the PDRV outsourced their contribution to zenrat industries, which since the end of WW2 had been buying up surplus military aircraft.
Flown by mercenary pilots from all four corners of the world zi's contribution to the SAP consisted of fighters, photoreconnaissance aircraft, bombers and freighters.  All refurbished by one of number of zi's many subsidiaries, some modified, all civilian registered and most armed (legal under the terms of the SMiT so long as zi remained under contract to the PDRV government).
Bf 109G Southern Air Patrol 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The aircraft shown here is a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G6 acquired by zi in 1946 and refurbished by Jenkins Engineering based at Walwa on the South bank of the Murray river.  It carries three drop tanks in order to have the range required for extended patrols over the Nullarbor Plain and retains the original armament of twin 13mm machine guns mounted above the engine and a single 20mm cannon firing through the propeller hub.
Bf 109G Southern Air Patrol 4 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
At the time the aircraft was photographed the SAP had yet to decide upon a common roundel design for their aircraft and so interim identification marks were in use consisting of a single white band around the left wing and a horizontal white stripe on the rudder.  Unfortunately the placement of the white stripe in many cases obscured the underwing registrations that on PDRV aircraft were also painted on the left wing.  Oddly, these identification marks were suggested by zi who you would have thought would have realised that they would render their aircraft unidentifiable from below...
Bf 109G Southern Air Patrol 5 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The model
1/72 Hasegawa Messerschmitt BF 109 G5 or 6 (although someone has written 8 on the box lid with texter).
Additional drop tanks from Eduard Bf 110 C.
Painted with car paint and Vallejo acrylics.
Home made decals.
Simple construction but it's not a bad kit fit wise and its got engraved panel lines which is good considering the mould dates from 1977.  Cockpit is basic but does have a floor, control panel, stick, seat and pilot.
Bf 109G Southern Air Patrol 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[NARSES2]

That suits the colour scheme really well  Very good 

[Old Wombat]

Great job, there, Fred!

[rickshaw]

Nice! Iron Knob, hey?  Bit desolate out that way...   

[TheChronicOne]

Glorious!!  I love it...   that finish... those colors.. the oddball interim identification stuff...  Neat!!   

I admit to a soft spot for 109s and love seeing variations...  I don't think I ever seen one quite like this. 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

That looks different - very neat.

[Librarian]

Another perfect little model. No fan of the 109 but that's lovely

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

Iron Knob has stuck in my mind (if you'll pardon the expression) ever since we stopped there for fuel when we were driving from Perth to Melbourne.  I have a picture somewhere of me standing in front of the "welcome to..." sign.

I am also not a massive Bf 109 fan but somehow have seemed to have ended up with another two of them.
The Tamiya Emil I got because I kitbashed one for the BoB GB and felt it was too good a kit not to build one OOB.  The other is an Airfix Gustav which my father gave me and which I may build RL using the Finnish markings as I like the look of the box art.

[strobez]

Iron Knob does kinda stick in the mind...

That's one good looking model there, Fred.  As others have said, looks like flawless construction and an eye-catching paint job.  I quite like the Zenrat Industries markings down the side.  For some reason, that really sells it for me.  I love it!

[comrade harps]

I've been to Iron Knob. Funny, it's a big hole in the ground. Not so much knob-like, but.... like something else, really: https://goo.gl/maps/JapNmEgXEWL2
A nice shiny Gustav there for frying an egg on 

[Modelling_Mushi]

Very nice indeed.

zi wouldn't be feeding both sides of the conflict now would they