1:32 BF 109F-2

From the angular Emil to the clean Friedrich

The Bf 109F-2 was the first series-built machine of the Friedrich line and brought perhaps the most striking change of appearance in the whole history of the type. The tail bracing struts disappeared, the wingtips took on a rounded outline, the engine cowling was refined and a 15 mm cannon appeared firing through the propeller hub. It entered service in the spring of 1941.

Fewer bars, but longer ones

The change affected the glazing too. The older form had many short frames that divided the canopy into small panels. The new shape is simpler by comparison: there are fewer bars, but each is longer and carries a larger area of glass. For masking that is not simply a relief. A short frame is fiddly, but a long frame forgives not the slightest deviation, because the eye picks out a departure from a straight line at first glance precisely on a long one. A die-cut mask guarantees that straightness along the whole length.

Insignia, decals and their division of labor

The box is richer than most comparable sets. Three national insignia masks cover the crosses, which were painted in large areas, and the decals enclosed supply what a stencil cannot do, that is small markings and unit emblems. This two-track approach makes sense: the large shapes arise in paint and merge with the surface, the small motifs come from the sheet, where the artwork is finer than could be sprayed.

A small tip about the decals

The sheet comes into its own only on a gloss intermediate coat. On a matte surface air is held under the film and the edge then stands out as a silvery outline.