discussion Special hobby /Tamiya 1/72 bf109 e side by side build

[yak face]

Heres something I wanted to do for a while but waited till after the forum switch over. Its a side by side comparison build of the Tamiya 1/72 bf109e and the Special hobby bf109e . The SH kit features four decal options for romanian and slovakian machines , and tge Tamiya kit is a bonus one I got in an Ebay win - no decals or canopy . This problem is solved nicely by the extra decals and spare optional canopies in the SH kit . So off we go !

 

[flyjoe180]

Should be a good comparison Tony, looking forward to seeing the builds evolve

 

[yak face]

Should be a good comparison Tony, looking forward to seeing the builds evolve

Cheers Joe , I picked these two because theyre quite different in the execution. The Tamiya is nicely detailed but quite simple in its parts count - its all on one sprue , whereas the SH kit is on two and is much more complicated. For example the Tamiya has about six parts making up the cockpit , the Sh has about 14! The SH kit also comes with a full engine and full cannon detail , plus the surface detail includes some very fine rivetting .

 

[Steven000]

Nice details, I once had a very bad SH kit, been avoiding them ever since so this one might change my mind... Will be interesting with those non-German markings. Have fun, cheers

 

[Jim R]

A good idea Tony. Such different kits of the same subject. Tamiya are recognised as well fitting, low parts count kits. It will be interesting to see if the higher parts count of the SH kit translates to better detail or simply makes the kit more fiddly to put together.

 

[yak face]

Started on the cockpits , very different approaches from the two makers . The layout and accuracy of both is very good , the Tamiya making do with a lot of moulded on details whereas the SH has them separate . Instrument panels are very similar with the SH having a decal on top of the raised detail ( which didnt work too well , sticking to my finger so I ended up painting it )
The Tamiya also has raised detail and originally supplied a decal too ( although in this case missing so hand painted again )
Both seats were given aftermarket belts from Eduard.
The Tamiya is now ready fir the fuselage to be joined but the Special Hobby has the engine and guns to be sorted first .

 

[Waspie]

Oh I think I'll be watching this pair come together.

 

[yak face]

Well the Tamiya went together no problems as expected, the Special Hobby is taking a bit longer due to all the extra stuff going in. The engine, guns and exhausts gave all been painted up and have all got to go in the fuselage halves . Ive had a dry run and its a very precise fit but looks ok once its together .Its not something I usually go for - the all panels open ,everything on show look but the detail is just so nice Ive made an exception , masking up and painting might be a test though !

 

[Jim R]

Very interesting Tony. Especially in the light of the upcoming Memorial GB for Alan. I have actually bought one of these kits for the GB so I'm "making notes"

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Interesting project Tony. Coming on nicely so far.

 

[yak face]

Very interesting Tony. Especially in the light of the upcoming Memorial GB for Alan. I have actually bought one of these kits for the GB so I'm "making notes"

Its a very impressively detailed kit Jim especially considering the small scale , is it this particular boxing youve got ?I ask because Ive got a bf109g by them too and its a lot simpler - no engine or gun details but it has resin and PE included , so it looks as if theyve got several different toolings with differing levels of detail.

 

[yak face]

Moving along now , the Tamiya is now a complete airframe , with the spare transparencies from the special hobby kit fitted . They needed a little bit of fettling but look ok now . The middle section is going to be fitted in the open position last off.
The special hobby on the other hand is a much more complex job . The fuselage halves have been glued but it was a tricky job to get everything in there and get the seams to close up . I managed it though and then got the wings fitted . The difference between the two kits is emphasized here , the SH having separate flaps, ailerons and slats , the Tamiya has them all moulded as one . Ive also been fettling the engine cowlings and gun covers to fit in place for painting but keeping them removeable to show the details .

 

[Geoffers]

Nice work Tony

Watching with interest as I quite fancy the SH one.

I thought it would cause you more problems with the separate cowlings but it looks to have gone together very well.

Geoff.

 

[minitnkr]

Great blog! The comparison is excellent.

 

[yak face]

Well its been a bit of a slow burner but heres the latest progress. The airframes have both been primed (Halfords grey ) and the areas that are yellow have had a bit of white primer and the flat yellow . This time I remembered to match the yellow to the decal colour ( unlike the IAR 80 build!) . Next is a bit of masking then the underside colours , one being RLM76 the other RLM65 . On a separate note , I put all the tiny bits that have been painted ( undercarriage , wheels , canopies etc ) in a little pot in the box to keep them from getting lost in the box corners . On lifting out the instructions to check the yellow areas to be painted , I knocked this on the floor so all the little bits went all over . Have to be careful I thought ,dont want to tread on anything getting out of the chair , but I made the slightest movement with my foot and heard a crunch! The opening canopy section for the Tamiya 109 was now in two pieces! Bugger! Luckily the special hobby kit supplies lots of optional canopies so I had one spare to use .

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

but I made the slightest movement with my foot and heard a crunch! The opening canopy section for the Tamiya 109 was now in two pieces! Bugger!

Sadly it's always the case Tony, did exactly the same thing with a Harrier pre painted conopy years ago. Just like when you drop a piece of bread and butter on the floor, sods law it will always land butter side down. Great build thread, the planes look good and the comparison is very interesting.

 

[flyjoe180]

They're coming along nicely Tony. Been there with the tiny bits. Good that you had some spare canopies

 

[Steven000]

Nice progress Tony, good thinking about matching the yellow with a decal. Have some broken canopies as well lol... have fun

 

[stillp]

Again? I think you should do your modelling barefoot!
Pete

 

[yak face]

Yellow now masked up and underside colour on. The slovakian option is Rlm 76 lichtblau and the romanian one Rlm 65 hellblau .