1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109 G-14 

Erich Hartmann's "White 1" 7/ JG 52 

by Anthony Manzoli

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This is the excellent Hasegawa 1/32 scale kit.  The model was built with the additions of  True Details resin weighted wheels, Eduard's pre painted P.E. Seat Belts, antennae wire made from invisible mending thread, and  Micro Scale Crystal Clear for the navigation lights.    The kit goes together beautifully with only minor filing along the seam lines with a polishing stick.  Once the cockpit was painted and detailed, it was inserted and the rest of the kit was built according to the instructions.  After installing the canopy which had been masked, the aircraft was ready for painting.

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Painting and decals:  I chose to paint this one in the RLM 74/75/76 scheme since I had already done the winter white washed version.  I started by preshading all the panel lines with RLM 66 dark grey.  Once the panel lines were dry, I applied the RLM 76 in light coats to the under surface as well as the sides of the airframe.  The camouflage was painted free hand, so I used RLM 75 first, followed by fading it, and then RLM 74 in the same manner.  Once the camouflage was dry,  I masked the under wings as well as the fuselage theatre band and under cowl and painted these RLM 04 yellow.   The last part of the painting process was painting the RLM 02 within the landing gear bays.   I allowed the paint to dry over night and I then applied the clear coats using Johnson's Shine Magic.  This provided a very nice glossy surface so I could apply my decals.  The decals are from the kit, ad with the use of Micro set and and Micro Sol went on with little problems.  Minor weathering was done with the use of Citadel inks heavily diluted with Liquitex.  This mixture works well with a thin brush along the panel lines, and if you make a mistake washes off with a moistened Q-tip.  I also added exhaust streaks with the same mixture.   The final step in the finish is the matte coat which I used the combination of Tamiya Flat Base mixed with the Shine Magic.  This allows me to control the amount of dullness I am trying to achieve.  

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Final Steps: The final steps were gluing on the canopy, the antennas, gun barrels, landing gear and propeller.   I really like the way the kit turned out and always look forward to building and painting more of Hasegawa's large scale 109's.

Erich Hartmann - top ace of all time

German Luftwaffe Bf 109 pilot shot down 352 planes on Russian Front

Flew with JG 52 from late 1942 to end of war, Soviet POW for 10 years

Top Fighter Pilot

Who was the most successful fighter pilot? Who was the number 1, number one ace? The ace of aces?

The highest scoring ace of all time was the great German Luftwaffe experte Erich Hartmann with 352 aerial kills. Flying Bf 109s (Me-109s) against the overmatched Soviet MiGs and Yaks for almost three years, he accumulated his unrivalled score. Hartmann claimed, that of all his accomplishments, he was proudest of the fact that he never lost a wingman. He is also reputed to have said. "Get close .. when he fills the entire windscreen ... then you can't possibly miss."

Hartmann was born in 1922, in Weissach, Wurttemberg. At age 19 (1941), he joined the Luftwaffe and was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) on the Eastern Front in October, 1942. He scored his first kill in November, and only achieved his second three months later. In the first half of 1943, he worked out some of the tactics which would prove so successful later on. If he was attacked from behind, he would send his wingman down low and out in front. Then he would get behind the enemy and fire a short, quick accurate burst, waiting "until the enemy aircraft filled the windscreen." He would normally content himself with one victory; he was willing to wait for another day. His natural talents began to tell: excellent eyesight, lightning reflexes, an aggressive spirit, and an ability to stay cool while in combat.

 

 

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Photos and text © by Anthony Manzoli