Building Zoukei-Mura's 1/32 Bf-109 G4: Part 4 FINALE!

Done at last! Here follows is the last part of assembling the 1/32 Zoukei-Mura Bf-109 G4.

I try to make the painting process so that I have to do as little thinking as possible. I do this by putting a colored stickers on the paint bottles to make them stand out from all the others I am not using. I also have black floor matting cut into sections that I use to separate parts into color groups for painting.

I built the kit as subassemblies. 

Rear portion of the engine and cannon which shoots through the hollow crankshaft. All of the pipes of the engine (of which there are many) went together smoothly. They must be put on in order, as they overlap.

Fuselage interior detail.

Cockpit detail. The 20 mm gun cover will be left off.

I built this model differently than I normally do. Most everything was painted first and then I used liquid cement and a brush to assemble all the parts. 

This aircraft is supposed to represent one during assembly at the factory. A five digit code was chalked onto the Balkenkreuz for identification. I cut a stencil and airbrushed onto the fuselage.

Being able to attach the wings (using modified connectors in the main spar) made building the kit much easier.

A build up of the model was printed in the January/February issue of the IPMS/USA Journal.

Here follows are my gallery images. I upgraded my photo taking abilities with a new background and lights. I used my Android phone attached to a stand to take all the images. I took about six images for each shot, with different areas of the model in focus. The images were then put into a "stack" in Photoshop where the best part of each was blended together. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed building this a lot. I really need to pull out my other Zoukei-Mura kits and get to building them! Stay tuned for:

Building Zoukei-Mura's 1/32 Bf-109 G4: Part 3

Here is the "skeleton" build up from the modeler's guide. Thus inspired, I decided I would also build a "skeleton" model. This served as invaluable reference.

I decided to paint my G4 in the process of being constructed using the factory colors shown here.

Double checking the filling of the knock out marks using a Sharpie.

I made a tiny spatula to apply putty.

The almost complete wings. I am skipping all the pics of filling and sanding. Who wants to see or do all that?

Let's get painting!

This is my set up for air-brushing. I have an exhaust built into the back of my work space.

The results of several days of masking and painting. 

The fuselage...tomorrow I will be assembling the aircraft!

The top of the base will be covered by this felt-like material. I will use the cover pages of the instruction manual to cover the sides.

This gives an idea of what the finished model will look like on the base.

I spend a lot of time here. The model will come together in part four. I need to read some OMG before bedtime. What games will Urd and Skuld play this time to decide who gets to watch their favorite show? 

Building Zoukei-Mura's 1/32 Bf-109 G4: Part 2

 

This aircraft is being built as a skeleton model. This means the main spar under the pilot's seat will be the only connection between the fuselage and wings. The builder of the skeleton model in the book mentioned that this makes the model a bit wobbly. I have decided to use either wood or brass as an additional support between the wings and main spar. This pic shows my initial thinking process on how to solve this.

Here are the actual parts. I decide to use a brass tube and rod that fits inside it. It occurs to me that by doing this I can make the wings removable. This will make it easier to paint.

A channel is made for the brass tube.

The main spar for the kit is made of two sides. I soldered a chunk of brass to the tube so that when the two halves are glued together the brass rod will be trapped inside.

A view of the spar and the channel cut in the wing connector.

Another view showing the basic arrangement.

The brass rod has a 90 degree bend that fits into a sleeve to hold

it in place. Below the rod is the top plate to the wing spar which

has a channel cut into the top. When glued in place the brass rod

will be mechanically trapped in place. This is more reliable than

using glue. 

Completed. Wings are removable.

I want to attach the model to a round base. This is a mock up.

The base will be made out of cardboard.

Here is the basic shape. This will get covered.

I use stretched sprue to fill in the unwanted panels. 

Once dry, file the surface flush.

Eyeglass screw used to attach the wheel.

A plug is made of sprue to fill the hollow wheel.

A tapped plastic insert is glued in at the correct angle. This will

allow me to easily attach the model to the base.

So much to do and so little time!

Fortunately, my actual progress is greater than what I have posted. See you in a few days!

Building Zoukei-Mura's 1/32 Bf-109 G4: Part 1

 

Most excellent box art! The kit comes with fuselage and wing
interior parts and I will be building it with much of the outer
skin removed to show all the interior details.

The kit is fairly complex and has lots of runners.

Parts removal from sprues. This is a trick I use to breakdown the
perceived complexity of a kit to make it easier to build.
The next order of business is to clean up the parts. 

Delicate parts remain on sprue "handles" for easier clean up.

Seam removal with ZM scraper tool.

0000 steel wool.

Wrap steel wool around bamboo skewer and chuck into a motor tool.

Additional seam removal.

Gets hard to reach areas easily.

Using Liquid cement to remove mold seams with a brush.

I will be building this without the other fuselage side so that the interior will be visible. This means that these pesky knock out
marks will need to be filled or removed.

I have a homemade punch, but not with a punch the size I need.
I drilled a new hole using a drill press. I then used the drill
bit as a punch by filing the shank end flat. 

I put a .005 styrene sheet in and punched a few. 

Basic instructions on making your own punch.

.005 thick by .150 diameter discs.

The discs are put in with liquid glue.

For me this process is less work than using putty.

Gluing the engine block together.

Another pesky mold seam.

Stretched sprue is used with liquid cement to fill the gap.

Once dry, the area is sanded.

I will be posting in-progress images regularly as the kit needs to get done quickly so that I can photograph it. I haven't built a military kit in a while and I will be building it as "skeleton" model. Everything will be pristine and not weathered, which is also a different way than I typically build. Having a lot of fun so far!