1:32 Bf-109 G-10 'Erla' - National Insignia

The insignia of a late Gustav

The G-10 version was among the last series of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters and was built at the end of the war, among other places at the Leipzig firm Erla Maschinenwerk. That firm went down in modeling history above all for the canopy with a minimum of framing, which to this day is called the Erla canopy. Machines from the individual plants also differed in details of their national insignia, however, because in the last months the sizes and the widths of the cross borders drifted apart depending on who happened to be spraying them.

What the decals bring to a finished model

On an aircraft model the markings are what figures are to a ground scene: only they settle which particular machine it is and at which moment we are capturing it. A set of national insignia suits above all when you are building an aircraft from a photographic reference of your own and need crosses of the right shape rather than the ones that came in the box. It is also useful as a replacement for a damaged or yellowed sheet from an older kit.

Applying them and looking after them

Plan the order before you start. Finish the whole camouflage spray including the transitions first, because later touching up of the paint would damage finished insignia. A decal holds only on a smooth glossy surface, so go over the area with a gloss varnish beforehand. Work with a softener so that the insignia is drawn down into the panel lines and the rivets, and draw the surplus water off with a paper tissue from the center toward the edges. Finally lock everything in with a matte varnish, which makes the edges of the carrier film invisible. Store the sheet flat and in the dark, because the carrier layer grows brittle in the light.