1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2

The most elegant of the Messerschmitts

The F version tends to be regarded as the aerodynamically cleanest form of the whole line. Rounded wingtips, a smooth nose without external bracing struts for the tail surfaces and armament concentrated on the axis of the machine gave the fighter qualities that many pilots placed above the later, more powerful but heavier variants. The F-2 subversion was the first to reach the units in larger numbers.

Four named pilots

The sheet aims at a collector interested in the particular people behind the control column. The best known subject is the machine of the commander of a fighter Geschwader, who in December 1941 was operating on the Channel coast. The remaining three markings belong to officers of two further Geschwader deployed in the summer of 1941 on the Eastern Front, and for two of the machines the particular place of operation is given as well.

Personal insignia and their placement

With named machines it is precisely the position of the personal insignia and of the commander's chevrons under the cockpit that decides the believability of a model. A deviation of a millimeter in this scale corresponds to almost ten centimeters on the real aircraft, so it pays to compare the placement with the illustrated instructions before the film is soaked.

Small motifs on a small model

The span of the model does not exceed fifteen centimeters and part of the markings is barely a few millimeters across. The film is therefore cut with a minimal margin and laid on a polished glossy surface. The softener is applied sparingly, because a thin motif can easily wrinkle in it.