1:32 Bf 109 F/G/K wheel bay plugs (for Trumpeter)

Landing gear bay plugs for the Bf 109 F/G/K, 1:32 scale

This is not a kit and not a part that stays on the finished model. It is a masking accessory: the plugs are inserted into the open main landing gear bays before spraying and close them, so that neither the primer nor the top color gets inside onto detail that is clearly visible in a large scale. The shape follows the bays of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 of the F, G and K series. The set is cut for the Trumpeter kit, as the dimensions of the bays differ between releases and that is exactly what decides which version is the right one.

The real subject

The Bf 109 was the main German single-seat fighter of the Second World War. The F series, nicknamed Friedrich, brought an aerodynamically cleaned-up fuselage and rounded wingtips. The most numerous G series, the Gustav, received a more powerful powerplant and, on later aircraft, prominent fairings over the breeches of the fuselage weapons. The final K series was an attempt to unify production on a single version. All three series have the main landing gear retracting from the wing toward the fuselage and shallow bays that remain in plain view on a model in this scale.

Usage tips

• Clear the bay of dust, flash and grease before inserting the plug.
• Seat the plug so that it lines up with the outline of the opening; do not force it in.
• Lay the paint on in thin coats and avoid spraying at an angle up under the wing.
• Take the plug out as soon as the paint is dry and check the edge of the transition against the light.

Who the set is for

• modelers who spray with an airbrush and want a sharp division between the inside of the bay and the surface of the wing
• builders in large scales, where the interior of the bay is visible even once the model is finished
• those who paint the bay separately and do not want to repaint it laboriously later