Fine Molds Messerschmitt Bf 109 Batch Build in 1/72 Scale Part III

Prime time! Once the models are assembled it’s time to prime and check for flaws. I have a strip of scrap plywood with a series of holes drilled every few inches which is perfect to hold the models while the paint dries. Each model got a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000. Any flaws are sanded out and then re-primed on down the line until everything is smooth.

RLM 74 / 75 / 76 were the standard Luftwaffe day fighter camouflage colors for most of the war. If you’re building a big batch of Messerschmitts this turns out to be very convenient as the majority of the builds will be painted in some variation of this color pallet. In this case eight of the twelve used these colors.

Several Messerschmitts were camouflaged in Desert schemes at the factory and then sent to the Russian Front. This one was originally painted RLM 78 / 79 and then field camouflaged with RLM 71 Dark Green and RLM 75 on the upper surfaces.

Another rather interesting field-applied scheme is this one with RLM 70 upper surfaces oversprayed with loose bands of RLM 79 and bands of meandering 79 as well.

This is another scheme typical for Luftwaffe aircraft operating in the Mediterranean, RLM 78 / 79 / 80. The color of the “5” on the fuselage sides is the subject of some debate, being interpreted as RLM 02, RLM 79, or my choice here, RLM 75. This was sprayed using a paper stencil.

Decals were sourced from just about everywhere, including four sets which were included in books from the Kagero Top Colors series. Stencils are from the kit sheets, there were a lot of them but the field-applied schemes provided some relief.

Propellers are their own little projects, several variations of colors and patterns on display.

The models received washes to highlight the panel lines and dirty them up, along with varying degrees of oil streaking. I put a drop of a light tan in with the flat coat to vary the finish and simulate dust.

Building in batches takes advantage of efficiencies in construction and painting. These took just under eight hours per model which is a considerable time savings compared to building each one individually. Most of these will fill in gaps in my Luftwaffe Experten collection, although there are always a few with interesting schemes which manage to sneak in as well.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2023/03/10/fine-molds-messerschmitt-bf-109-batch-build-in-1-72-scale-part-i/