1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

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jkim
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1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by jkim »

Hello Spammers! I'm going to see if I can keep two builds going at once. I'm almost to the halfway point on the Corsair build and once the wings are complete, painting will begin and I think that is a good time to have another project going.

This is the Hasegawa Bf109K-4 kit. I've not built this one yet but having built the Hasegawa Fw190D-9 three times, I feel a sense of familiarity as I look at the sprues on this kit.
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I'll be adding quite a bit of aftermarket to this build including, in no particular order:

1. Eagle Editions 109K-4 Resin Cockpit Set
2. Henri Daehne 109G/K Resin Prop Set
3. RB Productions 109K-4 Wheel Well Detail Set
4. RB Productions 109G/K Erla Canopy
5. Barracuda Studios 109G/K Resin Wheels
6. AIMS Late War 109s Decal Sheet
7. Eagle Cals 109K-4 Decal Sheet
8. Airscale Luftwaffe Instrument and Placard Decal Sheets

The aircraft I will be modeling is White 8, Werk Nummer 332884, which was captured on this striking color photo:
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It's represented in this profile painting by Claes Sundin:
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And also recently by AIMS Models on their Late War 109s decal sheet:
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Since I have Silhouette Portrait cutter, I will be using the AIMS decal sheet to produce masks for the major markings. The only decal I will be using from the AIMS sheet will probably be the "Gabi" inscription below the canopy.

The Eagle Cals 109K-4 sheet will be available for stencils. I am going to try and use the AIMS and Eagle Cals decal sheets to produce masks for the spinner spiral.
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mostrich
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by mostrich »

I can sense some awesomeness coming up right here!
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jkim
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by jkim »

Not sure about awesomeness but hopefully it will be an interesting build!

Here's a look at some of the sprues that Hasegawa supplies with the Bf109K-4 kit.

Hasegawa usually employs a modular approach to offering different sub-types of the same aircraft. For the Bf109 family, the fuselage is cut in the middle, just aft of the cockpit. The Kurfurst-specific rear fuselage with the tall tail and revised fuel filler and radio compartment locations is supplied on a separate sprue. This maximizes mold efficiency but creates more work for the modeler.
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Here is that K-4 sprue. Not only the rear fuselage, the sprue also provides K-specific wheel well doors and instrument panel.
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The molding detail is fine and recessed with no rivets portrayed.
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The instrument panel has some good detail but this kind of molded dial surfacel has taken a back seat in favor of pre-painted photoetch or resin.
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The Bf109 wing did not change significantly after the F series. I think this is probably the same wing sprue that is offered with any Hasegawa F, G or K boxing. Hasegawa bags multiple sprues into a single plastic baggie so some of the larger parts exhibit scratching and scuffing.
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The old style circular wheel well openings will need to be opened up manually.
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Hasegawa 1/32 kits are relatively simple and have a correspondingly low parts count. They don't offer engines or interior detail that won't be seen and cater to modelers that like to show their aircraft buttoned up and ready for take-off.
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The clear parts illustrate one issue with the Hasegawa kit. The profile of the upper fuselage spine aft of the cockpit is overly flat. You can see the results of this squashed shape when comparing the rear edge of the kit canopy with the canopy from the Revell 109G-10 kit.
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The kit decals won't be used so it will go into the spares box.
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The kit decals some with a decent representation of the instrument panel dials so I have a back-up if there is an issue with the size of the Airscale decals.
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by KennyX »

I cannot wait to see you paint this bad-boy!
Kenny X
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by Floki »

I'll be watching, wow so you now have three builds going I couldn't imagine having two at the same time.
March as one, Don't look back
Odin's sons... Attack!
Unleash hell! Do not repent! Warfare grants us no lament
Let your weapons slash and tear This is no place for fear
Hold the lines! Move as one! In unity our victory's won
Our shields will form a mighty wall
United we shall never fall
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jkim
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by jkim »

Three builds? Oh yeah but I haven't really started on the Tiger II so I'm not counting that one!

Here are some of the aftermarket goodies that I'll be using on the K-4. First up is the Eagle Editions resin cockpit set. There are 3-4 different colored resins here, indicating different pours... a little unusual but hopefully that doesn't affect fit.
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Detail on the resin parts are good. A little softer than what I typically find on an Aires or Brassin set but still way beyond the kit plastic.
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The instrument panel dials do not have any molded relief, which is what I prefer since I like to use either pre-printed acetate sheets or decals for the dials. Eagle Editions doesn't supply either so you can either use the kit decals or in my case, the Airscale decals.
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The one area where Eagle Editions consistently scores higher than Aires are the instructions. There are four pages of detailed instructions, including photos so this should make assembly less traumatic.
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A couple of photoetch sets from RB Productions to help supply extra detail. I'm not sure how the photoetch canopy will work out as I've never worked with anything like this but it comes with some notes about the squared-off fuselage profile on the Hasegawa kit and how to go about correcting it.
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I picked up a set of Barracuda resin wheels for the K-4. I'm still open to using the kit wheels if they offer a better fit. Sometimes, there is too much play between the wheel hub and landing gear axle on these resin wheels.
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Finally, we have the beautiful resin prop assembly from Henri Daehne. This one has a cannon firing through the hub so I don't think I can do the magnet trick on this one.
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by jkim »

I played around with the exhausts on the K-4. The kit parts do not have hollowed out ends. Because of their shape and orientation, hollowing them out manually can be difficult.
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I had some time on my hands so I decided to see if it would be worthwhile to hollow out the exhausts myself or order an aftermarket set. Hmmm... not too bad.
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For these exhausts, I used a sharp x-acto to bore out three holes across the face of each exhaust pipe. I then use the knife to dig out the plastic between the holes
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It takes a bit of time but with that finished, I can move on without having to invest in a resin replacement.
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by speedgraflex »

I am always excited to see exhaust stacks drilled out, John. That’s a wonderful feeling of both familiarity and expectation of something new. What’s the history behind your choice of subject?
Bruce / SPEEDGRAFLEX
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jkim
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by jkim »

I don't know if there is much known about White 8. Found abandoned, possibly at Leck and may be from 9./KG3. I like doing subjects that are visually interesting and this one fits the bill. Hopefully, I'll learn more about White 8 during the build.

I started toying with the Eagle Editions resin cockpit, sawing off the pour stubs and fitting the components together.
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The different colors of resin bothers me for some reason. I may shoot the components with primer just to have that uniform "pre-painted" look. :shocked: I'll be looking at the necessary modifications to the fuselage parts next.
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Re: 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109K-4 Weisse 8

Post by Thomas_M »

Saw this one at "another place" today, from a guy named Tunnus... :quotes: :tongue:

This AGAIN will be an awesome build, John! No doubt about that!
I have read about a pigment wash you used on your Corsair. How does this work? The results seen there are stunning!
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