1:48 Bf 109G-6 & G-6/R-6

The Gustav whose engine shaped the cowling

The G-6 sub-version was built from the spring of 1943 and became the most numerous of all Bf 109 versions. Above the engine it received a pair of 13 mm MG 131 machine guns, whose breeches simply would not fit under the smooth skin. The designers therefore covered them with two conspicuous fairings and among the mechanics the nickname Beule, meaning bulge, took hold for them. The R-6 suffix denotes a kit of additional armament: a gondola with a 20 mm MG 151 cannon was added under each wing half. The machine gained firepower against bombers by it, but paid for it in agility.

The cross that grew thinner during the war

Under the regulation of 1935 the German fuselage cross had a black core and a wide white border. By 1944, however, it turned out that such a marking gave the aircraft away even on the ground and held the painters up on a machine under repair. The national marking was therefore simplified: the white area narrowed, the black filling faded away and on many machines at the end of the war only a thin outline in four arms was left. For the modeler that is a significant decision, because the outline variant calls for masking narrow strips, whereas a solid cross is sprayed as a continuous area.

How the set works

The masks are applied to degreased and dry glazing, pressed down with a wooden stick, and the spraying is done in thin coats. The inner set covers the frame from the inside as well, so once the masks come off no bare transparent plastic is visible in the cockpit.