Hasegawa BF 109 F-4 Trop "Yellow 14"

[ChrisRRR]

Finished this today :)

It's Hase's well-known representation of Marseille's ride. As usual there are some "happy little accidents" in the build, but I try to improve the results with every model.

The bad parts I can already point out are the weathering on the underside again came out a bit too heavy. Also I had a little accident with the "14" decal on the right side and had to fix that with an emergency surgery. And last but not least: Dust. I always have to fight dust when painting my models. They are clean and pristine, and while spraying I can already see dust settling on the model. But with two cats and the spray booth in the room where the jackets and shoes are stored, what can you do ;)

This is also the first time that I did some serious riveting on the wings and fuselage. I tried to stay somewhat close to the real deal, but you better not count the rivets :)

I added the following aftermarket parts:

- Resing Wheel wells (that was some serious butchering which I won't repeat in the near future)

- Metal gun barrels

- Aires resin cockpit

- Resin wheels

- Resin exhaust pipes

- Eduard exterior photoetch

Weathered with oil wash, pastel chalks for the african desert dust settled on the plane and MiG's streaking grime for the oil and fuel stains.

I would very much appreciate any helpful hints what can be done better/more realistic for my next build ;)/>

Edited May 17, 2015 by ChrisRRR

[Don]

That's a great looking 109 in my books. I like the weathering myself. Not overdone but done enough to make the aircraft look like its seen some action in the heat and dust of the desert. The dust in the wheel wells was a nice touch and often forgotten about. Fuel streaks look great. I do see the odd tiny speck of dust, but to be honest only because you brought it to our attention so I went looking for it. Had you not said anything I doubt that I would have picked them up. If you do get some specks of dust here and there they can be carefully removed with the tip of your xacto blade (go easy and work slow), or fine sanding stick (again gentle and slow) and the affected area can be "weathered away" as faded, chipped, or dirty paint.

Honestly though, you have an awesome looking 109F Trop ! Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Don.

[ChrisRRR]

Thanks, Don! Very much appreciated.

EDIT: Had to edit out the "rudder markings" so that I can use the pictures in german modelling forums. Just in case anyone wondered...