1:32 BF 109E-1

The early form of the Emil

The Bf 109E-1 began production of the new engine generation in the autumn of 1938 and carried an armament of four 7.92 mm machine guns, two in the nose and two in the wings. Compared with the later machines it was lighter, and its cockpit still lacked both the armored front pane and the plate behind the pilot's head, which were added only with combat experience from France and England. It was this very form that appeared over Poland and over the Channel in the first year of the war.

Glass without armor

The missing inset pane changes the shape of the windscreen: it is more slender and its frames narrower than on the later versions, so a mask cut for a later variant would overhang. The set respects the layout of the early form, including the side panes of the hinged section and the rear roof. The stencils are prepared for both faces, so that the bars of the frame do not look empty through the glass.

Working with large areas

In 1:32 even a small pane has a size on which every inaccuracy shows. It therefore pays to seat only one film at a time, press it down with a finger from the center toward the edges and check at once against the light whether an air bubble has been left anywhere. The set does not include decals, so the German crosses and numbers are applied in paint through the two insignia stencils enclosed.

Before you start spraying

Rinse the clear molding in lukewarm water with detergent beforehand and let it dry in the open. Residues of release agent from the mold are the main reason why the film fails to hold on some models and the paint gets under the edge.