1:24 Bf-109G10

The late Gustav from three production lines

The tenth was the answer to the situation at the end of 1944, when as many machines as possible had to be got into the air with a more powerful engine while production was not interrupted. Airframes were therefore made in parallel at several works and individual examples differed from each other in details: in the outline of the upper cowling, in the shape of the tail wheel fairing and in whether the machine received a wooden or a metal fin. Collectors who deal with this type therefore work from a specific works number rather than from a general description of the version.

What stays common is the glazing. Behind the pilot's head sits no sheet-metal plate but a thick transparent pane held in a frame, and the hinged section is a single large part with a minimum of bars. That pane is the most sensitive place on the whole model during painting, because anyone who looks the model over from behind looks into it, and a mark left by glue or paint that has run is impossible to miss there.

What the sheet covers

The stencils are cut in two matching sets, for the outer and the inner side of the framing. The usual procedure is that the inside is painted first and the outer masking is added only for the final camouflage. The four masks of national insignia allow the crosses to be sprayed with a sharp edge and without the glossy edge of a carrier film, which on decals gives away the position of a marking even after matting.

Anyone building a specific machine from a photograph should check the outline of the cowling and the fin in advance, because the differences between the individual production series are greater on this version than on any earlier one. That does not concern the stencils for the glazing, which are common to the whole version. Only the stencils are in the package; the kit and the paints are obtained separately.