Hasegawa 1/32 Messerschmitt Bf 109G-14

By Brad Gaff

History

Much has been written on the Bf 109, so I’ll give you a bit of history about this particular machine, W.Nr 415460. As the allies swept through Europe in the latter half of 1944 and early 1945, many serviceable Luftwaffe aircraft fell into their hands. The airfield of Gilze-Rijen in the Netherlands was captured by the British in January 1945 and two fully serviceable Bf 109G-14 U4s were discovered; W.Nr 415460 and 415461. On February 2nd Flight Lieutenant ‘Scotty’ Gordon and Flight Lieutenant D.G.M Gough ferried the two Gustav’s to RAF Hawkinge where both received virtually the same colour scheme and new registration numbers (VD 364 and VD 358). Both aircraft were tested and evaluated at the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF Collyweston and on May 17th, while flying 415460 (VD 364), F/L Gordon was unable to lock down the port undercarriage and the aircraft ground looped on landing. It is unknown what its final fate was, however it is doubtful the aircraft was repaired and was more than likely sent to the scrap heap around November or December of 1945, after the enemy aircraft exhibition held at Farnborough.

The Kit

Typical of the new mould Hasegawa 1/32 kits, it is very well engineered with an acceptable level of detail. You can make a Bf 109G-6 with the parts they give you in the box, however you only get the larger fin and the Erla canopy which will limit the possibilities of G-6 you can build. Not used on the G-14 are the 20mm underwing cannons, but these are included. Decals look good and both colour scheme options are for aircraft of Erich Hartman, with the black tulip on the nose. One version is in winter camouflage while the other in the typical RLM 74/75/76.

Construction

As you might expect, this kit practically falls together. I did expect some problems when fitting the separate rear fuselage but fit was perfect. You can chose to display the aircraft with flaps down and radiator open, however most aircraft would have had these up while on the ground to avoid damage. The only parts which I glued in the open position were the leading edge slats. Much has been said on whether the slats were open or closed while on the ground. Both is true, as they could be and were frequently pushed closed by ground crews and they would stay in the closed position. If you follow the instructions, you won’t have a problem with this model. I did add some etched seat belts from Eduard which look very nice in the cockpit. I also left out the armour plate behind the pilots head and machine guns as most captured aircraft, including this one had these removed.

Colours and Markings

I started with the yellow under surfaces. I really hate painting yellow but I do like how it looks on aircraft. I’ve found the key is a good coat of flat white to lay the yellow over. With this done, Blu Tack sausages were used to mask it off and RAF green was sprayed, followed by some more masking with Blu Tack sausages for the RAF ocean grey. RLM 02 was used for the wheel wells, with RLM 65 in the cockpit. All paints were Gunze cut with Lacquer thinners. The black and white identification stripes were masked with Tamiya tape and applied last. These were not invasion stripes, rather quick identification markings added in February 1945 presumably so trigger happy flak gunners would think twice about opening fire. After a good Humbrol gloss, I scavenged decals from my spares folder which came from a variety of kits but was unable to locate a suitable ‘P’. I ended up cutting a mask from Tamiya tape and airbrushing it on.

Weathering was kept fairly light on the upper surfaces as these aircraft appear to have been reasonably well kept, but I beat up the lower surfaces a little more as pictures of captured machines in RAF service showed the yellow went off badly with oil and grime, sometimes smeared from the nose to the tail down the fuselage. I used black chalk powder mixed with water and dishwashing liquid, applied to the surface and wiped down with a damp rag once dry to highlight panel lines and create the oil smears down the lower fuselage. A little dirt was added to the gear legs, doors and wheels along with some light paint chips before Humbrol Matt was sprayed to seal everything in and some exhaust stains added.

Conclusion

This is an excellent kit and is perfect for all ages and skill levels. I enjoyed making it and I doubt it will be the last large scale ‘109 I build from Hasegawa.