1:48 Stencils for Messerschmitt Bf 109E

Emil and his service lettering

The Messerschmitt Bf 109E was in the summer of 1940 the main single-seat fighter of the Luftwaffe and in this form became one of the most frequently built models of all. The E version differs from the later ones in the squared-off outlines of the wing, in the protruding radiators beneath it and in a canopy with a great many frames. Precisely such an airframe offers plenty of areas on which service lettering was visible in use.

German practice was thorough in this respect. By the filler neck stood the prescribed kind of fuel, by the oil tank its capacity, on the covers stood bans on stepping and notices for the ground crew, a separate marking denoted the place to break into the fuselage in a crash, and beside the cockpit the first-aid kit tended to be marked. A model without these details looks like a freshly made example from the production hall, not like a machine in operational use.

The scope of the sheet

The set concentrates exclusively on these small things and does not replace national insignia or personal emblems. Thanks to that it can be combined with any color variant you choose, whether it is a machine fighting over the Channel or an example handed over to the army of an allied state. One sheet will therefore cover several models built one after another, because only part of the items is used up on each machine.

Recommendation for working with it

The lettering is by its nature tiny, so it pays to work with tweezers with smoothed jaws and with sufficient light. The film will stand being moved over the base as long as there is a layer of water under it; after that it is advisable not to interfere with the position.