1:32 Bf 109E-4

The armor headrest visible through an opened cover

The E-4 is told from the older Emils by the upper part of the cockpit with a flat plate behind the pilot's head. It was armor meant to protect his back in an attack from the rear, and on a model it forms a dark area that closes off the view into the fuselage. Only a narrow strip of glazing is left around it, and all the more does it show whether the frame has a clean edge.

The set offers films for both faces precisely because of that narrow zone. The inner face of the frame is painted in the cockpit shade so that the offset of the armor plate stands out, whereas the outer face continues the camouflage scheme of the fuselage. To spray both without a mask means brushing over a strip a fraction of a millimeter wide.

What is inside

The envelope contains a cut for the narrow strip of glazing around the armor plate, made separately for both faces of the clear part. A pair of stencils for the crosses is added, so that they can be sprayed straight into the camouflage, along with a decal sheet for equipment and unit markings. Everything is die-cut for the large model with the angular cockpit.

This version flew in the Battle of Britain as the main weapon of the fighter squadrons and carried cannon in the wing. Its models are often built with the cockpit opened so that the armor and the seat are visible, and that raises the demands on how the inside of the frame looks.

Recommended sequence of work

Interior, inner film, closing the fuselage, outer mask, camouflage. Skipping the second step cannot be put right later except by unsticking the cockpit. Protect the finished glazing from fuselage sanding, as fine dust works into acrylic permanently.