1:48 Bf 109E-3

The Emil the war started with

The E-3 version formed the backbone of the German fighter units in 1939 and in the campaign against France. Under the cowling worked an inverted V12 Daimler-Benz with direct fuel injection, which let the machine go into negative g without the engine cutting out, something that cost its carburetor-equipped opponents more than one opportunity. A pair of MG 17 machine guns sat above the engine, and 20 mm MG FF cannons in the wing. The angular cockpit glazing with its many short frames is among the most laborious things a modeler can meet on a single-engine fighter, and that is exactly why a mask pays off.

The yellow that was not a national marking

In photographs from the summer of 1940 many Emils have a bright yellow cowling, rudder or wingtips. That has nothing to do with the national marking. It was a quick recognition color ordered for the given theater so that the fighters would not confuse each other and so that the anti-aircraft escort could tell them apart more easily. The extent differed from squadron to squadron and changed even on a single machine during the autumn. The builder must therefore choose according to a particular photograph, not according to a general rule. The crosses and the marking on the fin, by contrast, followed the regulation and changed slowly.

What is in the box

You mask the cockpit from both sides and spray the insignia through the enclosed sheet. Decals are not part of it, so all the markings are produced with paint. Before you fit the mask, wipe the glazing with a damp cloth and let it dry completely so that no dust stays under the film. Light pressure is enough; pressing hard stretches the edge.