1:48 Messerschmitt Bf 109D (very) Early Nightfighters - part 1

The Dora that moved into the night

The Messerschmitt Bf 109D was the last production model with the Jumo 210 engine, and by the time the war began it was no longer good enough for the day fighter units. Faster versions with the DB 601 engine pushed it out within a few months, and the Doras were left with the tasks nobody wanted. One of them was the night defense of the airspace of the Reich, improvised at that time, without radar and without experience, built on searchlights, hearing and luck.

What was interesting about those machines

It was exactly this improvisation that gave rise to finishes not seen on day fighters: blackened undersides, subdued or overpainted markings, bold tactical markings for recognition in the dark, and the emblems of units that within a few months were disbanded or renamed. A decal collector therefore finds versions here that cannot be put together from the ordinary sheets for later types.

Working with the sheet

These are wet decals for 1:48 scale. The base under them must be glossy and perfectly dry, otherwise air will be trapped under the carrier film and a light outline will form around the marking. A stronger softener will get a decal down into the engraved panels and across the rounded spine of the fuselage. Once dry, the surface is evened out with a clear coat according to whether the machine is meant to look matte or satin.

The kit and paints are not included; the sheet goes with a model of an early Dora from any manufacturer that exists in this scale. Before buying it is worth checking that the kit you have chosen is indeed the D version, because the later shapes of the cowling and the radiators differ.