1:24 Bf 109E-4

The Emil in the E-4 variant

The E-4 version differed from the older E-3 above all in the armament in the wing, where the cannons gave way to a newer model with a higher rate of fire, and in the more angular armor behind the pilot's head. It was on the E-4 that the Luftwaffe flew most of the fighting over the Channel in the autumn of 1940. Characteristic is the angular cockpit canopy made up of flat panes, which hinged to the side and could not be opened by the pilot in flight.

Flat surfaces are the easy case for a mask

The Emil's angular canopy is rewarding from the point of view of masking: every window is a flat pane bounded by straight frames, so a mask sits down over its whole area and does not have to be stretched anywhere. The doubly curved hoods of British machines are the difficult ones instead. On this aircraft the result is therefore good even for a modeler trying masks for the first time.

In the package you will find

• glazing masks for the view from outside and from the cockpit
• three masks for the national insignia
• a decal sheet

The frames of the armored windscreen deserve attention, because on them the paint forms a sharp edge which in one twenty-fourth is visible from a meter away. Anyone who wants a perfect transition can lightly polish the edge once the masks are off.

The rest of the build once the masks are off

The German fighter carries a tall engine cowling on the nose with the power unit in an inverted cylinder position, which gives the fuselage a narrow and deep silhouette. Once the cockpit is finished, the nose comes in turn, where the exhaust stubs and the area around them tend to be the strongest color accent of the whole model. The masks from the set come in useful once more at this stage, because the finished glazing has to be covered again so that neither the shading paint nor the varnish reaches it.

The model of the aircraft itself is not supplied in the package.