1:32 BF 109F-4

The Friedrich and its hinged cockpit

The Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 was the peak of the so-called Friedrich series. It received the DB 601E engine, roundly tapered wingtips, tail surfaces without bracing struts and, against the older machines, markedly cleaner lines. It appeared with the fighter wings in 1941 and flew on the Eastern Front, over the Channel and in North Africa.

Hinge it sideways, do not slide it

The fundamental difference from British and American fighters lies in how the cockpit opens. The German canopy does not slide to the rear along rails but hinges to the side on hinges along one edge. One inconvenience follows from that for a modeler: as soon as you display the part open, its whole inner face shows, including the bars, the catch and the seating. That is precisely why the set has a pair of masks for one and the same part. One masks the glass from outside, the other from inside, and both have to fit to the millimeter, otherwise a step of paint arises on the edge of the frame.

Framing and three insignia

The glazing of this version has relatively few bars, but long ones. The windscreen is flat and carries an armored pane, the middle hinged part has a rectangular frame pattern and the fixed rear section blends into the fuselage decking in a soft curve. The three national insignia masks enclosed match the markings that appear on the machine on the fuselage and on the lower wing surface.

The spraying order

It proves best to spray the interior shade first, then fit the inner mask and only then go on to the outer camouflage. The reverse procedure forces you to stick tape onto a finish that is already done and to risk tearing it off. On this type it is also desirable to allow enough time between the individual coats, because the frame has many edges and the paint likes to gather in them.