1:32 Messerschmitt Bf-109 K-4 wheels and canopy paint mask outside only (for Revell 4702 kit)

The last production Bf 109

The K-4 form reached the front in the autumn of 1944 as an attempt to unify fragmented production into a single standard. An engine with higher boost pressure, a cannon firing through the hollow propeller shaft, an enlarged wooden vertical tail and a retractable tailwheel made it the most capable production version of the type. Over a thousand of them were built by the end of the war, but the fuel and the experienced pilots were already missing.

The set deals with the bulged cockpit canopy and both main wheels. The shapes are cut to fit the molding, so there is no guessing where exactly the frame begins and where the clear area already starts. That matters with a highly domed canopy, because the outline of the frame there does not run in a plane.

• The cockpit canopy and the main wheels of the late form
• The cut follows the domed shape of the sliding part
• Prepared for the large kit
• Removal without solvents and without residue

Apply the paint in several light coats. A heavy coat runs under the edge of the film and after removal leaves a jagged edge which can no longer be put right other than by sanding down and spraying again. A few minutes between coats are enough, and with solvent-based paints rather longer; only the last one should cover fully.

With a large model it pays to think about what will be visible through the glass as well. The domed part gives a view of the seat, the gunsight and the side panels, so the interior can no longer be skimped on. Covering from outside meanwhile leaves the inside accessible until the moment the canopy is finally glued on, so you can get the color of the inner frames done at any point before that.