1:48 BF 109G-14

A late Gustav and its lightened cockpit

The G-14 version came about at the moment when it was necessary to unify a series of partial modifications that were getting into production piece by piece. In production it received injection of a methanol mixture for a short-term increase in power and above all a new cockpit canopy with a minimum of bracing, which finally allowed the pilot to look around properly. It is exactly that new glazing that makes the G-14 version one of the clearest shapes of the whole family and at the same time a rewarding target for masking. Machines of this version flew until the last weeks of the war and carried very varied late camouflage.

When a mask and a decal complement each other

The division of work tends to be simple. Large shapes with a sharp outline, that is the crosses on the wing and the fuselage, look better sprayed, because they have no glossy film and carry the traces of the structure of the paint beneath them. Small technical lettering, warning triangles and the markings of filler ports, by contrast, are beyond any stencil in this scale and belong on a decal sheet. The best result therefore arises when a modeler uses both and leaves each technique to what it is strong at.

Working with the films

The die-cut pieces overlap with the framing of the canopy from a particular kit; the parts for the inner side make it possible to paint the frame from inside. The stencils of the markings are stuck onto a finished base shade. Spray the paint from the edge toward the middle, so that air does not push under the edge of the film. In the envelope are films only; the model and the shades the modeler obtains for himself. The scraps of the sheet come in handy for covering the wheels and the exhausts.